INT. KITCHEN - EVENING
Robert and Francesca are in the middle of dinner. But insteadof the usual silence that surrounds Johnson family eating,Francesca is mesmerized by Robert as he manages to eat andtell a story. The scene begins with a LAUGH FROM FRANCESCA.
ROBERT(laughs)... No, wait, it gets better.
He stands up and acts it out for her.
ROBERT (cont'd)You have to get the full picturehere. I have three cameras around myneck, a tripod in one hand and mypants down around my ankles. Ithought this was a private bush. Ilook up and this gorilla, this femalegorilla, is staring at me with whatcan best be described as the mostlascivious expression I've ever seenon a female with so much body hair.
Francesca laughs)I freeze. 'Cause that's what they tellyou to do. In this position. She comestowards me and... and she...
he stops awkwardly)FRANCESCAWhat
ROBERTShe starts sniffing me.
FRANCESCAOh my God...
laughs)You're blushing.
ROBERTIt's still a very sensitive memoryfor me.
FRANCESCAThen what happened
ROBERTWe got engaged.
FRANCESCAOh you
She throws a napkin at him.
FRANCESCA (cont'd)None of this is true
ROBERTNo, it is. Except for the engagementpart. She wouldn't have me, althoughI still get a Valentine every year.
Francesca is laughing so hard she can't breath. Robert lovesmaking her laugh.
FRANCESCAYou ought to write these storiesdown.
ROBERTNah. I've tried. My writing's tootechnical, I think. Problem of beinga journalist too long is you stopgiving yourself permission to invent.
I better just stick to making pictures.
FRANCESCA"Making pictures." I like that. Youreally love what you do, don't you
ROBERT(nods, smiles shyly)I'm kind of obsessed by it, actually.
FRANCESCAWhy, do you think
ROBERTI don't know if obsessions havereasons. I think that's why they'reobsessions.
FRANCESCAYou sound like an artist.
ROBERTNo. I wouldn't say that. NationalGeographic isn't exactly the hub ofartistic inspiration. They like theirwild life in focus and without anypersonal comment. I don't mindreally. I'm not artist. I'd faced thata long time ago. It's the course ofbeing well-adjusted. I'm too normal.
FRANCESCA(supportively)I don't think you're normal.
He looks at her in surprise. She catches herself again.
FRANCESCAI didn't mean that the way it sounded.
ROBERTWell, let's just call it a complimentand move on.
changes subject)Did you love teaching
FRANCESCA (cont'd)Sometimes. When there was a particularstudent who made a difference. I knowthey're all supposed to, but it's nottrue. You tend to single out one ortwo you think you can contributesomething to.
ROBERTAnd did you
FRANCESCAI'd like to think so. I know one ofthem went on to Medical school.
ROBERTWhy did you stop
FRANCESCAMy children. And Richard didn't likemy working.
ROBERTDo you miss it
FRANCESCAI don't know. I've never thoughtabout it... what was the mostexciting place you've ever been to
Unless you're tired of talking aboutit.
ROBERTYou're asking a man if he's too tiredto talk about himself? You don't getout much, do you
Francesca smiles, a little embarrassed.
ROBERTI'm sorry. That was...
FRANCESCA(overlapping)No. It's all right. I just meant, itmight be a little dull for you,telling all this to some housewifein the middle of nowhere.
ROBERTThis is your home. It's not nowhere.
And it's not dull.
Francesca smiles again, this time relieved.
ROBERTLet's see -- my favorite place...
Francesca settles in to listen, never taking her eyes off of him.
ROBERT (cont'd)Well, it's the obvious choice, but Ithink I'd have to say Africa. It'sanother world. Not just the peopleand the cultures but the land, thecolors you see at dawns and dusks --and the life there. It charges everymolecule of air.
Francesca is fascinated, being drawn into his imagery.
ROBERT (cont'd)It's tangible -- the moment to momentof life and death, the co-habitationof man and beast, of beast and beast,who'll survive, who won't -- andthere's no judgement about it. Noright or wrong or imposed morality.
It's just life. It's a voyeursparadise really because those animalsdon't want anybody in their business.
You can watch but at a distance.
excited)I remember one time I was on a truckheaded for the Niger.
Lights begin to dim as Francesca is so taken in by his story,she begins to actually see what he is describing.
ROBERT (cont'd)We were driving north. The truck wasold so I guess the sound of the motormuffled this kind of rumbling in thedistance -- until finally, it was uponus like, like a hundred thunder clapsall at once...
CU on FRANCESCA as WE BLEND THE SOUNDS OF AFRICA and --CUT TO
EXT. AFRICA - DAYRobert and a driver are in a truck driving north. Robertturns to look out the window and sees
A HERD OF GIRAFFES AND GAZELLES AND WATERBUCKS AND ZEBRA arerunning in the grasslands to the right of the truck. Robertexcitedly instructs the driver
ROBERTGet us closer
The driver veers off towards the stampede as Robert opens hisdoor and makes his way to the flatbed part of the truck withhis camera. The truck takes its position within thisbreathtaking force of wildlife, as giraffes, zebras andgazelles surround it -- all going in the same direction.
Robert stands in the truck, shooting as fast as he can. Thetruck races to keep up with the animals. Robert is so pumpedhe can hardly catch his breath. Suddenly, the force andbeauty of these creatures causes him to lower his camera. Heis unable to film it because it overwhelms him. He juststands there in awe and lets out a primal scream. The animalsgradually veer off to where the truck can no longer follow.
Robert watches them disappear into the distance.
CUT BACK TO
INT. JOHNSON KITCHEN - NIGHTFrancesca has seen all of this in her mind. Robert smiles ather, sensing how in tune with the story she was.
FRANCESCAMy God. How I'd love to see that.
ROBERTThey have safaris for tourists now.
Maybe you can convince your husband.
Francesca smiles. There is an awkward pause between them.
ROBERT (cont'd)It's a beautiful night. Would youlike to go for a walk
FRANCESCAWell, it's kind of buggy out there.
ROBERT(rises)Have no fear. This Shoshone MedicineWoman taught me how to make bugrepellent tea out of tree root.
FRANCESCAYou drink bug repellent
ROBERTNo, you rub it on you. I have some inthe truck. Don't go away.