ELLIOT
(after a pause)
Uh... Did you ever get around to e.e.
cummings?
LEE
(wrapping her arms
around her chest and
looking away from
Elliot for a moment)
Yes, he's just adorable.
Elliot nods.
LEE
(awkwardly)
They have a very large gay
clientele, you know, where I get my
teeth cleaned, and... all the
hygienists now wear gloves because
they're afraid of AIDS.
ELLIOT
(taking a breath)
Oh, right.
There is another moment of silence. Elliot stares at Lee,
who continues to look down, her arms around her chest. The
harpsichord plays on.
ELLIOT
(softly)
Did you ever get around to the poem
on page a hundred and twelve?
LEE
Yes, it made me cry
(tentatively looking
at Elliot)
It was so beautiful... so romantic.
Lee looks down again; the music plays softly and Elliot
continues to stare at her, thinking.
ELLIOT (V.O.)
I want so badly to kiss her. Not
here, you idiot. You've got to get
her alone someplace.
As Elliot's thoughts are heard over the scene, Lee glances
around the loft, then begins to walk away. The camera
follows her as she goes past the nude drawings, which become
the focus of attention as Lee walks offscreen.
ELLIOT (V.O.)
But I've got to proceed cautiously.
This is a very delicate situation.
Okay, uh... ask her if you can see
her for lunch or a drink tomorrow.
Lee walks back onscreen, to the bookshelf behind the drawings.
She takes the e.e. cummings book from the shelf and flips
through it as she walks back to Elliot, who is still leaning
by the stereo, still ruminating.
ELLIOT (V.O.)
And be ready to make light of the
offer if she's unresponsive. This
has to be done very skillfully,
very diplomatically.
LEE
(showing Elliot a
poem in her book)
Did you ever read this one--?
Elliot leaps up, grabs Lee, and kisses her passionately.
Lee, surprised, pushes him away.
LEE
Elliot! Don't!
ELLIOT
Lee! Lee! Lee, I'm in love with
you.
He kisses Lee again. He clumsily turns around; she humps
against the stereo unit. As Lee pulls away, she smashes
into the turntable. The needle scratches loudly. Lee,
shocked, is gasping. The record, pushed to a different part
of the concerto, now plays a more complicated, faster fugue.
Is it possible that someone could feel so strongly about another without a real reason? Isn't love and attraction completely irrational and illogical sometimes? This scene in Hannah and Her Sisters is so delicate and well-crafted, from the dialogue to the subtle nuances of the actors. The tension builds up as Elliot slowly questions Lee about the e.e. cummings poem. She knows what's coming, but she tries to avoid the subject by awkwardly mentioning AIDS. This is such a Woody Allen sense of humor. But you really have to listen for it, since she mumbles those lines ever so slightly.
The building up of tension is so beautifully done between these characters. You know his longing for her since his first lines in the film "God, she's beautiful." He says it with confidence. But life has a hilarious and twisted sense of humor when you fall in love with your wife's sister. I guess sometimes, maybe people are looking for trouble, when they try to find drama to spice up their own dull lives. This is something that really fascinates me in storytelling. I'm still learning about life. I'll always be a student, never a master. I have to keep studying people to create stories and learn about character motivation. Always fictional, never autobiographical.