Dead Again (1991) Movie Script

♪ Romance is mush ♪

♪ Stifling ♪

♪ Those who strive ♪

♪ I'll live a lush life ♪

♪ In some small dive ♪

♪ And there I'll be ♪

♪ While I rot ♪

♪ with the rest ♪

♪ Of those ♪

♪ whose lives are ♪

♪ Lonely ♪

♪ Too ♪

Come on in, Mr. Baker.

As you can see, I've become

quite a fan of yours.

I'm flattered.

Is that why you've asked me

to death row, Mr. Strauss…

to tell me what a fan you are?

I'd like you to print something.

I mean, after all…

You're so good at that.

I'd like you to print

that I said I loved my wife.

You loved your wife.

And that I'll love her…

Forever.

Of course. Forever.

All right.

Thank you, Mr. Baker.

Aren't you afraid of dying?

To die is different from

what anyone supposes…

And luckier.

Is that a line from your opera?

It's Walt Whitman.

I can't take credit for

everything, Mr. Baker.

You really believe that

you're lucky to die?

What I believe, Mr. Baker,

is that this…

Is all…

Far from over.

But you still killed her.

Didn't you, Mr. Strauss?

OK, Strauss, let's go.

♪ I Used To Visit All ♪

♪ Those very gay places ♪

♪ That I Used To Love… ♪

No! No! Stop him!

Stop him!

These…

Are for you!

Aah!

You're all right, child.

I won't hurt you.

Here we go. Keep it going!

Keep it going!

There!

We found her two nights ago

trying to get inside

by climbing over the gates.

Since then she hasn't

spoken a single word.

She won't eat.

And when she does sleep,

she has violent nightmares.

Call the police.

They've already

been here, father.

They want to take her

to county hospital.

Last night sister Constance…

she has the room next door…

heard the woman call

this word in her sleep.

Die-sher?

Dish-er.

Sounds like nothing to me.

Father…

the woman belongs downtown.

Father, every night

before she goes to bed,

she blocks her door

with a chair,

and if you had only

heard this woman scream!

Sister, I don't have

to hear her scream.

I will not abandon

this woman, father.

She's not spending

another night here,

and that's final.

But…

I see no reason why we can't

have someone look for her

family in the meantime.

But we don't have the money

to hire anybody.

The man I'm thinking of

would do it for nothing.

He grew up here.

He was a policeman.

He worked in missing persons

for some time.

Ah!

How's that for a name

you can trust?

Yeah, Pete? It's Mike.

Don't run the ad.

I found Carlisle.

I'm on my way to him right now.

Hey, man, you're on

the wrong side of the street!

Yeah, thanks, pal!

Listen, if your wife's

cousin should call,

don't take what she says

too seriously.

Yeah, yeah.

I took her out.

Well, we…

We went and had some lunch,

and we kind of, um…

You know, we went back

to her place and, um…

No, we're not going out again.

Just tell your wife

there's nothing the

matter with her cousin,

it's just she…

I don't want to…

well, I'm not looking

for Miss right.

I'm looking for Miss right now.

Yeah, thank you.

Hey!

Uh, Cozy Carlisle?

Uh, t-try the freezer.

OK Thank you.

Cozy Carlisle?

Fuck you. I'm on a break.

Mr. Carlisle,

I've been retained to

find you and tell you

that Myron Spargo

died last month.

Who the fuck's Myron Spargo?

He was a patient of yours.

I had a lot of patients.

Now beat it.

Yeah, well, this one

left you $11,000.

Myron!

Yeah. Myron T. Spargo.

Myron T. Spargo!

Yeah. Plumbing contractor.

Lived in San Marino

with his wife…

Uh, Karen or Sharon.

Karen. Yeah.

She must be very

lonely right now.

That's… Jesus, 11,000…

That's a lot of grateful.

That's…

You want a cigarette?

What?

No. I don't smoke.

You've looked at this pack

three times in the last minute.

What is this?

You're fidgeting with the pen

like it's a cigarette.

You helped Spargo quit smoking?

No. Myron was impotent.

Imagine that…

a man lays pipe for a living,

can't get it up at home.

Myron must've had a hard-on

when he made out his will.

Hey, thumb-dick,

I was a damn good shrink.

In 16 1/2 years I worked with a lot

of people through a lot of shit.

OK, I slept with

a patient or two.

It's not like I didn't

care about them.

OK

I loved being a doctor.

I used to not charge

half my patients.

Then the fucking state

comes along,

they send some bitch undercover,

and I'm fucked.

It ain't fair, is it?

Why don't you call

Opperman-Crowe, OK?

Set up an appointment,

go in, sign the paperwork,

they'll cut you a check

for the 8,800.

Excuse me.

What happened to the 11,000?

Well, 11 less my commission.

That is, unless you got a

problem with that, Sigmund.

Could I… could I use your phone?

Help yourself.

Thanks.

Mr. Church.

Yeah?

Someone's either a smoker

or a nonsmoker.

There's no in-between.

The trick is to find out

which one you are

and be that.

Yeah, well, I'm… I'm

trying to quit, so…

Don't tell me

you're trying to quit.

People who say that are basically

pussies who cannot commit.

Find out which one

you are. Be that. That's it.

If you're a nonsmoker,

you'll know.

Thank you.

Nice place you got here.

Fuckin' fruitcake.

Somewhere someone is very

worried about this woman.

All right.

If you want, I'll give her

a lift to county hospital.

That's all I can do right now.

OK… maybe on the way

I'll stop and have a buddy

of mine at the paper

take her picture, run it

in the morning edition.

OK? How's that sound?

That… that sounds wonderful.

Thank you.

That sounds wonderful.

All right.

Oops. Oh, so…

Only one glove, one ring…

Ooh!

Uh, I was, uh…

I was checking the labels

to get a line on

where she bought them.

And how did the labels

smell, Mr. Church?

Well, expensive. Yeah…

The, uh…

The, uh, perfume…

I mean, um…

Uh, Mike Church.

This is a claddagh ring…

Irish wedding band.

If you wear it with

the crown up,

it means you're taken.

Crown down means you're not.

How were you wearing it?

The policeman had her take

it off so he could see it.

What about the other glove?

She only had the one on

when we found her.

I'll help her get ready.

If you see anything

you recognize, just holler.

I know you can't holler per se,

so maybe just you give a wave

or something or, uh…

Well, uh…

You know, it sure is nice

to be with someone

you don't feel you have

to yak to all the time.

Smile, sweetheart.

That's a girl!

Ooh! Ooh! You're really just

going to dump her off at county?

Why don't you take her home?

She's not a stray dog, Pete.

Yeah, and besides, you never

bring women back to your place.

They might mess with your stuff.

At least with her

you don't have to worry

about forgetting her name.

She's already

forgotten it for you.

Count to 30, take her out

of the fixer,

put her in the water.

I'll be writing the caption.

Let's start.

Chop-chop, huh?

Thank you so much.

You're in good hands,

sweetheart.

Mikey's a pro.

He can find anything.

Same thing happened to me once.

Two years ago.

This mailman

in Lawndale freaked out,

chopped up his entire family

with a hedge trimmer.

Then he heard a voice, or…

I don't know, maybe he felt bad.

He cut off his arms.

Pete.

Had to dial 911 with his nose.

Pete!

What?

I know there's a point to this.

It's coming!

I was the first shooter

to show up at the scene.

I take one look, I pass out.

I passed out cold.

I come to,

I had no idea who I was.

I didn't even know

my own family.

It was the scariest thing

that ever happened to me.

Then one morning I wake up

and my little girl is

standing beside the bed.

She looks at me and says,

"I love you."

Well, I just looked at her

and in about… Two seconds…

poof!

My whole life came back to me.

So…

You hang in there, sweetheart.

Sooner or later,

it'll all come back.

Scout's honor.

Look, I got to get her

to the hospital, so…

Yeah, I got this thing to write.

Thank you.

Sure. Sure.

Uh, look…

M-my name and number

are going to be in the paper,

so when somebody

sees your picture,

I'll come get you, OK.?

Uh, we're talking one night

at the most here.

That's my fucking cookie, bitch!

That's my cookie!

That's my fucking cookie!

Give it to me!

It's not my problem.

Take her to the hospital.

I took her. It was terrible.

We cannot deal with her.

I'm sure you'll find this place

almost as nice

as county hospital.

Oh, my goodness!

The maid hasn't been.

Anyway, I'm sure you won't

be stuck here too long.

This place was spotless

when I left it a year ago.

Somebody's going to see

your picture in the paper

and, um…

You know, they'll come find you,

and you'll know what

your name is.

Hey! Hey. It's OK.

Can I get rid of this for you?

Relieve you of hospital life.

You a little faint?

You're hungry, right?

You haven't eaten all day.

Hmm? If you get hungry,

the fridge is there.

Trudy, it's 10:00,

for Christ's sake!

Will you shut up?

We're fine. We're friends.

It's just… you know?

Music… I love it.

But her music? No.

OK, we got…

the bedroom's in here.

The bathroom's here.

The closet's there.

There's a sweatshirt

in the bottom drawer,

in case you want something to

wear when you're sleeping,

and some old clothes if you

want to change in the morning.

Help yourself.

That's a beauty, isn't it?

The desk and bookcase

in the living room

are from the same period

as the, uh…

Well, uh…

Good night.

Welcome to…

"The desk and bookshelf

in the living room

are from the same period."

God… what an asshole!

Aah!

Aah! No!

These…

Are for you.

No! Aah! No!

What's going on?

Open the door!

Hey, hey.

Aah!

Take it easy.

Aah!

It's OK. You're OK

It's OK. It's OK

It's OK. Take it easy.

Take it easy.

It's OK. It's OK

I'm not telling you anything.

How about you telling me

what her ring looks like?

Yeah, a coiled serpent.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Skull and crossbones?

Yeah?

Matches the tattoo?

Hmm. Thanks for

calling, Floyd.

Well, the entire male population of LA.

Has checked in.

This is better

than video dating.

Uh, excuse me.

Mr… Church?

Yeah. Can I help you?

Actually, I'm here to help you.

Who are you supposed

to be, her grandfather?

No. I'm not

her grandfather,

nor her grandmother,

for that matter.

In fact, I'm no relation at all.

My name is Franklyn Madson.

Ooh, that's a very

handsome chair.

That's a Heywood-Wakefield.

I'll give you $45

for that right now.

It's a Stickley worth $250.

What can I do for you?

Well, a glass of water

would be lovely.

Your stairs are rather steep.

The long climb's wore me out.

I see… I see cases like

this all the time.

A person experiences

something traumatic

and they want to

erase it from their minds.

The trouble is,

they erase everything else

along with it.

You a shrink?

No, not exactly.

I'm a hypnotist.

OK, here's the water.

There's the door.

Sorry about the stairs.

Tastes a bit like bourbon.

It's simply a matter

of regressing the young lady

back to a happier time

and then asking her who she is.

Your hand is feeling

very light, my dear,

so light that I'm afraid

if I were to let go of it,

it would just…

Float up, all on its own.

Hey, who gave you permission…

no, no. Shh.

She's perfectly all right.

Now I want you to continue

to relax, my dear.

Tell yourself that you're

going deeper and deeper

into a state of hypnosis.

That's it.

That's right.

That's very nice.

Good.

Now, my dear, let us go back.

Tell me…

Has something…

somebody help me!

Why'd she…

is she still under?

No.

What made you scream?

Can you talk now?

Well, at least we know

she does talk.

Rather well, in fact.

How do you feel?

I'd say she was feeling better.

Splendid.

Now, if you'd like,

you could come by my shop

tomorrow afternoon

and we can try again.

I shall need several hours,

but the surroundings

there will be…

look, you did great…

she spoke, I'm thrilled,

but I don't have the money…

it will cost you

nothing, Mr. Church.

We'll deal with her family

when we find them.

Um…

I'm sure they'll find

my services invaluable

once they realize

that I'm the one

who's reunited them

with their…

Daughter? Wife?

Or whomever.

Yes, you have

some lovely things.

Pity…

well, um, I bid you

all good day.

Uh, you… you missed something

around the back.

Do you want to, uh…

Put your head down?

I'll, um…

I'll get you a towel.

Madson?

You were inside

President Roosevelt's office?

Yes… Lots of times.

My mommy was his cook.

Yeah, we were like family.

I used to sit

on uncle Teddy's lap.

I liked that.

I'm sure uncle Teddy did, too.

Now, Mrs. Tepper, on the

south wall of that office,

there was a lacquered

mahogany desk.

Yes, I remember.

What did President…

what did uncle Teddy…

Do with it?

He gave it to Emily Maxwell,

his personal secretary.

And where did

Mrs. Maxwell retire to?

Tucson, Arizona.

Now I'm going to count to three,

at which point

you'll be wide awake,

quite refreshed…

And yet, you'll remember nothing

of our little discussion.

1… 2… 3.

How did I do?

I don't think you need

to worry anymore

about those silly

chocolate cravings.

Mother, turn that down, please.

I thought today, since this

is our first real session,

we'd just go for an hour or two.

Now, as soon as you feel

quite comfortable, my dear,

I want you to…

Take a look at the

candle in front of you.

I want you to stare at it.

Good.

Now I want you

to picture yourself

walking down a flight of stairs.

With each step,

you'll relax still further.

And as you go down…

I want you to tell yourself…

"I am going deeper

"and deeper

into a state

of hypnosis."

Uh, since yesterday

you became a bit excited,

today I want you

to distance yourself

from the events you're watching,

as if you were only a witness,

not an actual participant.

And if you do happen to notice

any nice little relics

or objets d'art along the way,

you might just

mention them, too.

Aw, for Christ's sakes.

Shh, shh.

Now, at the bottom

of the stairs,

I want you to picture a door.

Now this door is very important,

because just beyond it

lies whatever time

or place from your life

you wish to visit.

All right, then,

the door has opened.

You can speak, my dear.

What was the happiest day…

the day we first met.

Distance yourself.

The day Roman and

Margaret first met.

Margaret?

That's right.

Margaret who?

Mr. Church…

Strauss.

All right, then, let's go back

to the day Margaret and Roman

first met.

How far back are you?

Two years?

Three years?

A year?

It was 1948.

Okey-dokey. I think

I've heard enough.

Mr. Church,

I really must insist

that you refrain from

talking during the session.

The lady just told us

she met a guy

named Roman in 1948.

I say the session's over.

On occasion,

Mr. Church,

hypnosis can take us

back to our past lives

as well as our past.

You expect me

just to run with that?

Let me remind you,

yesterday this lady

wasn't even speaking.

Rachmaninoff was

on the program that night.

Wait for me, my dear.

When was this?

Winter…

1948.

Roman was guest conductor

with the Los Angeles symphony…

And everyone

was terrified of him,

uh, except Margaret.

It was after the war…

And Los Angeles was so exciting.

Everywhere you went,

people were having fun.

Oh, I'm sorry.

To Margaret, a woman with

more beauty than Grace.

Thank you very much.

Roman could dance.

He could tell jokes.

He could even read palms.

Not much of a life line,

I'm afraid.

But wait.

I do see…

Love.

Passionate…

Everlasting… love.

Does this work

on a lot of women?

I'll let you know.

Margaret's career

was flourishing,

and Roman was confident

that his new opera

would make him

as famous in America

as he had been in Europe.

I heard you were once married.

Yes, I was.

She's dead now.

How did she die?

Uh, to escape Germany,

we had to go

through the mountains.

It was… a very

difficult, uh, trip,

and she…

Had a weak heart.

Roman lived

in this enormous house…

just him, his housekeeper,

and her son…

And Roman's music.

It's for an opera I'm…

Working on.

You're writing an opera

about a monster?

Is this from your opera?

Yes.

The opera was almost

all Roman cared about…

Until he met Margaret

and literally

swept her off her feet.

I'm drenched.

We'll ruin this couch.

I'll get another one.

The day of the wedding

was so happy.

It seemed like

nothing and nobody

could ever come between them.

Oh, daytime.

First step's

always the toughest.

Mmm. Sweetheart,

thank you.

Help.

Where are we?

Don't ask.

Just try to be polite.

Hey, easy, boys,

the war is over.

Lydia.

Otto.

So nice to see you.

May I present Gray Baker?

I'm yawning already.

We'll stay five minutes.

You know Syd, of course.

Gray Baker.

Congratulations.

I, uh…

Inga, I was just upstairs.

Yes?

Well, it's just

that I thought…

We had talked about

you and Frankie moving

into the guest room downstairs.

Roman never said anything to me.

What Mr. Strauss said or

didn't say is irrelevant.

We've already discussed this.

Tonight, of all nights,

I'd appreciate it if you weren't

sleeping in the next room.

Yes, Mrs. Strauss.

Thank you.

Mrs. Strauss?

C-c-congratulations.

Thank you, Frankie.

Lydia.

Mrs. Strauss.

May I present Gray Baker?

How do you do?

Mr. Baker

just made the list

for this year's Pulitzer prize.

No? Really?

Yes, really.

Oh, congratulations.

Congratulations, yourself.

Thank you.

Any new tidbits from the press?

Zero.

Truthfully, I Miss the war.

Well, what an odd thing to say.

Doesn't seem to be

much news anymore…

all this back-to-normal stuff.

The world's getting

boring again.

Well, I'll tell you what,

the only thing I do regret

is by being away so long

I haven't had my chance…

To hear you play,

Mrs. Strauss.

To hear you play.

Well, I'm not going

into hiding, Mr. Baker.

I'm just getting married.

Yes?

It's a pleasure meeting you.

The pleasure's mine.

See you later.

Bye.

Roman had given Margaret

the wedding day of her dreams,

full of new people

and wonderful surprises.

But there was

another surprise to come.

Roman.

I've never seen

anything like this.

Oh, it's beautiful.

I don't know what to say.

Uh, "thank you" Is always good.

Thank you.

Uh, no, it's not

a bracelet, darling.

It's an anklet,

a very special anklet.

Let's have your leg.

It's really very old.

The man I bought it from

explained to me

that when a husband gives

this to his wife…

Uh, they become…

Two halves of the same person.

Nothing can…

Separate them…

Not even death.

So we're stuck

with each other, then.

Either that, or I've overpaid

terribly for the thing.

3… 2… 1.

A little hot in here.

Mother, could you open

a window for us, please?

This isn't as uncommon

as you might think.

A colleague

in San Francisco last month

had the same thing happen.

May I have a glass of water?

You really

have found your tongue.

Do you know your name?

Give her time.

Do you remember anything

about those people

you talked about?

Are they still alive?

I'd like to show you something.

June 1949.

That was Roman Strauss,

that was his wife Margaret,

and that was their home.

Handsome man, wasn't he?

Not at all the sort

who'd murder his wife.

Oh, yes.

He stabbed her in the throat

with a lovely pair

of antique gold-plated

die schere… barber scissors.

Die schere…

disher.

They were auctioned at Christie's

last year for 20,000…

By a Japanese gentleman,

if memory serves.

Why did…

they seemed so in love.

They're usually the people

that kill each other.

Could she have dreamed

this or read about them?

No, no, no.

I was getting clarity far beyond

what one would pick up

from reading something.

They look alike.

It means nothing.

Mr. Church.

I don't believe she was there.

It doesn't matter whether

you believe anything.

For whatever reason, these

events are consuming her.

The sooner we work through them,

the sooner she'll

get her memory back.

Now, tomorrow I have a friar's

luncheon at 12:00.

How's 4:00 tomorrow sound?

Oh, yes. Thank you very much.

My pleasure.

Oh, uh, Mr. Church.

Yeah?

The magazine.

It's 17.95.

Woo!

You OK.?

Is there anything

you need right now?

You mean besides my memory?

OK You know, I can't get used

to the sound of your voice.

It's like one day you wake up,

and your cat talks to you.

You've been so quiet

the last couple of days,

and, uh… OK., never mind.

I didn't speak. Forget it.

Mr. Church…

Mike.

Why are you helping me?

I don't know. You smell good.

Maybe I feel sorry for you.

Maybe I like you.

Maybe I want to hear

how that story ends.

But you don't believe

any of that.

I believe you experienced

something weird.

I'm not convinced it means

what he says it means.

So, you think I'm crazy?

I think we need

a second opinion.

So, what do you think happened?

Sounds like she had

a past-life experience.

You said you were good.

I used to think it was

bullshit, but it happens.

I had this one crazy old lady.

She was so claustrophobic

she'd choke if she walked

in Yankee stadium.

I thought, well, know what

I'm dealing with here?

I'm dealing with maybe some childhood

trauma. So I used hypnotherapy.

I'll take her back. I'll find some memory.

I'll regress her.

Sure enough. Bingo!

There it was… she was 5.

She had this uncle who'd

molest her in the closet.

Really sick shit.

I thought,

"I got it. That's it." no!

I worked with her

a couple more months.

She's still claustrophobic.

What the fuck? I'll regress

her back even further.

When I asked her

the year, she says 1832.

1832?

When I hear that, I say,

"right, lady. Blow me."

But she keeps going.

She says there's this

father who's an undertaker.

She has a brother who liked

to lock her in coffins.

Yeah.

I don't know if it was

bullshit, or if it wasn't.

All I know is

after that session,

she wasn't

claustrophobic anymore.

A lot more people believe in

past lives than don't.

I'm sure that makes her

feel a lot better.

She screams in her sleep

today, right now.

I don't care who she was.

I want to know who she is.

Do you believe

what you saw was real?

It seemed real.

Yeah.

Stick with the junk man.

He's on the right track.

I'll tell you why.

Look…

sometimes a trauma

in a present life

can lead you back

to a past-life trauma.

You resolve that trauma,

you got a chance

of finding out who you are.

Take knowledge from this

life, use it in the next.

That's Karma.

Isn't Karma I do something bad

now, I'm a termite next time?

You're already a termite

in a shitty suit, OK.?

What good is learning anything

if you're going to be with

different people each time?

You won't be.

Thanks to fate…

the only cosmic force with

a tragic sense of humor…

you burn somebody in one life,

they get a chance

to burn you in this one.

It's the karmic credit plan…

buy now, pay forever.

Excuse me. It's my karmic

burden to load cat food.

Come on.

Tell me something, Mike.

Why is it that I can recognize

certain smells,

that I know my right

hand from my left,

but I can't remember what

my favorite color is

or my favorite flower

or… what kind

of wine I like.

Maybe you're lucky.

How so?

There must be a certain freedom

living only in the present.

At least you don't

have to spend every day

trying to forget your past.

Excuse me.

Yeah.

So Roman's guard on death row

wrote this?

This is the press

coverage, right?

I spent three hours in the file

morgue looking for that stuff.

How's it going with Jane Doe?

Come on.

Getting anywhere?

Trying to get anywhere?

Gray Baker. She mentioned

his name this afternoon.

You think she's married?

He wrote all of these?

I've only known her

a couple of days.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

Think Baker's still around?

If he is, he's a

million years old.

You're staying in this evening.

Talk to people

who worked for this paper.

Maybe they know

what happened to him.

Shut up.

Hello, Pete.

Hey. You're talking!

Ha ha ha!

Yeah.

I hope it's OK.

I borrowed more clothes.

Oh, sure, fine.

Don't worry. I didn't

mess with your stuff.

Oh, I like your voice.

I like being able

to finally use it.

Well, you don't want to be late.

For what?

For whatever.

Right. She's living here?

You'll let me know

when you find Baker.

Need something?

I got one in my wallet.

It was really nice of you

to eat the whole dinner.

No. It was really… Good.

I guess I don't have

company that often.

You'll love this place.

We can have a few drinks,

maybe dance off dinner.

I know the owner. He'll take

good care of us.

Hey, ray, how you doing?

We're closed, Mike.

It's going to rain.

You're kidding.

There's no music tonight?

Al's sick.

Give me a break.

I'm trying to have

a romantic evening.

You want to get her drunk?

Two glasses of wine, OK.?

We'll sit outside.

You can leave.

We lost our liquor license

three weeks ago.

The neighbors.

How about some coffee, huh?

I got tea.

Tea is fine.

What the hell

happened to this place?

I can't believe

there's no booze.

What's going on?

Is this from your opera?

Father Tim made us

take piano lessons.

He said it was, um, therapeutic.

OK, tea's up.

Oh, Jesus! I'm sorry.

Let's see how else I can

screw up this evening.

You OK.?

It's OK.

OK

Cold?

No, I'm not cold.

I'm just scared.

Of what?

I don't know.

It's like…

Someone's following me…

And I can't…

See who it is.

I can't…

See behind me.

But you will.

I mean, it just… it takes time.

Mike, someone wants to kill me.

Those are just dreams.

They're not real.

Nobody is going to hurt you now.

And when you know who you are,

you're not going

to be so afraid.

If it makes you feel any better,

I can read tea bags.

You'll tell me my future?

No. I'm going

to tell you your past.

OK?

Let's see.

You were born in Idaho.

Your father was a potato farmer.

You tell jokes real well.

You're a great cook.

You never get seasick,

except maybe that one time

on your honeymoon.

So I'm married?

To Jim Tannenbaum,

the potato prince.

The potato prince?

So, then I'm rich?

No, you're poor,

but you have each other,

so it doesn't matter.

Your favorite color's red.

Favorite flowers are roses.

How did I lose my memory?

Once a month, you take six

homeless women bungee jumping

off the Cal Fed building

on miracle mile.

Last week, you bumped your head

and wandered around

the Wilshire district

until you ended up

at St. Audrey's.

Bungee jumping?

You're a thrill seeker.

So, what's my name?

Uh…

Grace.

That's what the tea bag says,

that my name is Grace.

Well, I had this kindergarten

teacher named sister Grace.

You remind me of her, so…

Would this be the big,

fat sister Grace?

No. Th…

this would be the…

Big… beautiful…

Sister Grace.

OK

Grace it is.

OK

To Grace.

Mike, why is it, you think,

that father Timothy

asked you to help me?

Well, I owe Tim a lot of favors.

I wasn't the greatest kid.

I always had this…

Kind of temper.

I used to beat up

on the other kids.

He straightened me out.

If it wasn't for him,

I'd be in some jail somewhere.

But don't you think it's strange

we both just showed up

at St. Audrey's?

Not strange. Just

one of those things.

It's coincidence.

Hmm.

I wonder.

You wonder what?

I wonder how the potato prince

would feel about us walking

together around a moonlit lake.

Oh, I'm sure he's a very

understanding guy.

Then again,

maybe there is no potato prince.

Maybe not.

It's sprinkling.

Ah, that's nothing.

Remember how to dance?

I don't know.

Let's go up to my roof and see.

Your roof?

It's where I take

all the women I date

with no memory.

It's going to rain.

It never rains in LA.

I think it is going to rain.

We'll ruin it.

It's already ruined.

This is exactly what happened

with Roman and Margaret.

I'm not Roman.

We can always go back inside.

No, no, I'm hungry.

Let's go someplace,

see what I like.

We could go to Syd's.

Maybe he'd give you

your old table back.

Kathryn?

Hey…

Oh, thank god, you're all right.

You don't recognize me,

do you?

No.

In a few days, it will

all come back.

Who the hell are you?

I'm sorry. Doug O'Malley.

Yeah, so?

This is my fiancee.

When I got home

and you weren't there,

I went crazy.

Then I saw your picture

in the paper.

She doesn't recognize you.

Oh, it must be the Dalmane.

The what?

Uh, Dalmane.

It's for insomnia.

"Kathryn Pierce."

Sometimes it causes

memory lapse.

Honey, are those his?

This has happened before?

Once. She took too much, but

I was around that time.

Whose clothes are these?

Where were you this time?

I had a job interview back east.

What kind of ring does she wear?

It's an Irish wedding band.

I gave it to her in high school.

Well, I'm still going

to need a little more.

I found this

near the front door.

You must have dropped it.

Why can't I remember you?

You will. You will.

I swear you will.

I promise.

Uh, is there some sort

of fee involved here?

Oh, forget it.

You… you should get

something for your trouble.

Let me pay your expenses.

Just, um…

Just take good care of her.

I… I don't know what…

Thank you for everything,

Mr. Church.

Have a nice life.

We'll go straight to the doctor.

I got your other glove.

Hey.

Man, you were this close.

I mean, this glove thing

was a nice touch.

I don't know what

you're talking about.

There's only one

teeny little problem.

It's for the wrong hand…

Doug.

You son of a bitch!

Aah!

You son of a…

Mike!

That fucking guy look like

he knew karate to you?

I really believed him.

You got people chasing you

in every life.

The sooner we find out

who you are, the better.

Now, in light of today's events,

I think we should

move along a little faster.

Therefore, my dear,

I want you to think about

when things started to turn sour

for Roman and Margaret.

All right, then?

The door has opened.

It all started

the… the night of

Otto Kline's party.

It was one of Otto's

weird costume things.

Roman didn't want to go.

Margaret was convinced

that something was wrong,

but Roman would only say

that things were wonderful.

Welcome, my dear, dear friends.

Let the party begin!

Margaret, darling!

Margaret, hello!

You look so lovely.

You look stunning.

You're beautiful.

Hey, Strauss, you old kraut.

There you are.

How are you?

Excuse me.

I love what you do.

Otto, I love your costume!

What luck I have, huh?

May I have a word in private?

Sure. What's

on your mind?

I… I need some money.

You?

See what she's wearing?

Disgusting!

What?

I'm offering you a job.

I can't write music

for the movies.

I tried it once.

You yourself said

it wasn't any good.

No. I told you it was too good

for the damn picture.

I've turned the library

into a music room.

If I can just finish this opera,

I know things will change.

There you are, you naughty boy.

Darling! Oops.

Mission dry, please.

What a coincidence.

Mr. Baker.

Mrs. Strauss, how are you?

Still Miss the war?

Matter of fact, I do.

Thank you.

To friendship.

Cheers.

Is it really good

to smoke so much?

No.

That's why I started

rolling my own.

Figured it will slow me down.

Has it?

No. I just roll them faster.

You look like you're somebody.

Do I?

You in the business?

The business?

You know… pictures, movies.

No. I'm a composer.

Oh, well, in that case,

you're not anybody.

It's cold.

I think we should go inside.

How are things

at home, Margaret?

Writing gossip

these days, Mr. Baker?

You meet someone

on their wedding day,

haven't seen them for a while,

it's only natural to inquire

how things are going.

Especially if you're a reporter.

Especially.

How are things?

They're fine.

They're wonderful.

Go inside, everyone.

This cutting cold!

Make yourself comfortable.

Roman, it's freezing out there.

I could be

a good friend, Margaret.

What makes you

such a good friend?

Well, I can talk

baseball to a man

and pay a stupid

compliment to a woman.

What else is there?

So, who's going to win

the series this year?

Well, uh… very nice.

Impressive piece of jewelry.

May I…

Get close to it?

Yes.

This must be worth a fortune.

Yes, it is.

I know I shouldn't say this,

but the first time I saw you…

Hello, Margaret.

Roman. Where have you been?

Inside with everyone else.

How are you, Mr. Strauss?

I'm curious what you were

doing with my wife's leg.

I was only trying…

really, Roman,

Mr. Baker's just a friend.

This man is no friend of yours.

This is none of my business,

but Margaret just

needed somebody…

Roman!

Where do you get such ideas?

Oh, I don't know.

Maybe when I saw him

holding your leg.

He was looking at the anklet

you specifically

asked me to wear

so everybody could see

how rich we are, or were.

You told him that we're broke?

I didn't say anything.

You just lifted up your dress!

Is everything all right,

Mr. Strauss?

Yes. Everything

is fine.

Margaret.

I may not be as successful

as Gray Baker…

I don't care about Gray Baker!

You can be so stupid sometimes.

What happened…

To the man who said that

nothing could separate us,

that we're two halves

of the same person?

He became… a nobody.

Only in his eyes.

You're not a nobody, Roman.

And you're my husband.

I love you.

Yes, yes, yes.

♪ Da-ta Ta-ta… ♪

Oh, no, no, no.

No!

Mr. Strauss?

Uh, yes, Frankie?

The phone rang.

Mother answered.

I'm not sure,

but I think it's for you.

Thank you, Frankie.

I called to apologize

about the other night.

No, not at all.

I'm hoping that we can all

forget what happened.

Margaret, I think

there's some things

you should know

about Roman's money.

Who was on the phone earlier?

Just an old friend.

Hmm. The flute player.

Oboe.

How is he?

She's fine.

Good.

What are you doing?

I was giving you this.

It's a ch-charm for good luck.

Frankie, do you know what

happened to my Pearl earrings?

N-no, I don't.

They were in this drawer

last night.

I w-wouldn't steal anything

from you, Mrs. Strauss.

I d-don't have to.

Roman is very good to us.

Roman!

You're overreacting.

But I caught him

with his hand in my drawer.

He was giving you a charm.

They're like that,

superstitious.

I want you to fire them.

I can't fire them.

They've been with me for years.

That's no reason…

they saved my life.

What are you talking about?

They got me out of Germany.

After my wife died,

I… I… became ill,

and Frankie and inga

risked their own lives

by remaining with me.

They made many sacrifices.

They, uh…

You can't ask me to fire

these people, Margaret.

Why haven't you told me

you got all your money

from your first wife?

Because it isn't true.

Who told you…

why would a woman with a bad

heart travel over mountains?

We had no choice.

It would have been worse

if we stayed.

Have I answered all

of Mr. Baker's questions?

He's been feeding you

this nonsense, hasn't he?

What exactly is it

between you and Mr. Baker?

Roman, don't start this.

Where do you two meet?

Don't walk away from me!

Wake up, sweetheart.

Roman?

No.

These are for you.

You… were…

were in the house.

What house?

Roman and Margaret's house.

You saw Mr. Church

in the past?

He had a pair of scissors.

He was going to kill me.

Come on.

This must mean

that you're finally…

Coming into the present.

I'm on her mind. That's all.

You were there.

We could always

regress you, Mr. Church,

take you back 40 years.

Forget it.

That way, if you

walk through the door

and straight out

onto Miami beach,

at least we'd know for certain.

I'm not Roman.

But you… you were there.

It was real.

Yes, yes. I'm coming.

Yeah? Yeah?

Mike, this is Pete.

I got a line on Gray Baker.

So he's still alive?

I got a post-office box

in the valley.

OK, I want

to send him a message.

You have it say,

Margaret wants to know

if you still Miss the war.

No name. Just my number.

Maybe Gray Baker can

make sense out of this.

I'm afraid of you, Mike.

Well, you're afraid

of a dead man.

You heard what

Dr. Carlisle said,

about how two people keep

meeting over and over again.

OK, say that's true.

Why would I hurt you?

Why would Roman hurt Margaret?

I'm not Roman!

Trudy! Will you shut up?

OK OK, take these.

Take them!

Well, I don't want them.

Well, I want you to have them,

so just take them.

OK, all right.

Huh? Huh?

Mike, will you stop…

take the fucking scissors!

Come on. I got some more.

Come on! Let's

clear this thing up.

Mike, don't!

We can't be too careful.

I might scratch your

eyes out with them.

I know we got some more

around here.

There's got to be some in here.

Please stop it!

Here, take it.

Sleep with it.

I come near you,

blow my head off.

No!

If you're so fucking

afraid of me,

you should be glad to have it!

No!

I'm sorry.

It's OK. Listen…

I would never

hurt you, Margaret.

Oh, my god!

All right…

Let us begin with the staircase.

As you continue down,

you become aware

of a door at the bottom.

As you move through this door,

you will recall a memory,

any memory at all.

Just tell me

the first thing you see

as you go through the door,

and remember,

you are no longer an observer.

Where are you?

In a hallway.

Whose hallway?

My hallway.

Who are you?

I… I don't know.

Well, have a look at yourself.

What do you see?

My leg.

I don't know.

I-I-i see… A candlestick.

I'm going through a door.

It's… it's a bedroom.

It's… it's my bedroom.

It's… it's…

I see pictures on the walls,

a… a chair… I don't know,

there's this dressing table.

Mr. Church,

what else do you see?

Uh… the chair.

I… I see… I see a mirror.

And in the mirror?

I see…

Myself.

Do you know your name?

Yes.

Well, what is it?

Strauss.

What do you see,

Mr. Church?

What do you see?

Stop this.

J-jealous… have to…

have to…

Have to stop this.

I have to stop this.

No, Mr. Baker. There's nothing

to say. Goodbye.

Roman.

Aah, aah…

I think we've heard enough.

No, you haven't.

I'm not Roman,

and you were not…

hello!

Hey, Mike, I was hoping

you'd be here.

Hi, Amanda.

Who?

That's your name…

Amanda sharp.

Your ID's inside.

Apparently you're an artist.

You live on Hightower,

the old Carl Kay house,

with the elevator?

A neighbor finally

saw the picture.

When they couldn't reach Mike,

they called the paper.

No!

I got to get out of here.

Mike?

Mike…

Hey, Mike.

Mike, are you OK.?

Mike, look out!

There's no reason to be upset.

She's got no husband,

no fiance, no nothing.

You butthead!

I checked.

We're talking about a profound

state of unattachment here.

Did you hear what I said?

Yeah.

It doesn't matter anymore.

Watch the feet,

for Christ's sake.

What's the matter with you?

Let me get this straight.

You were this woman,

Margaret Strauss?

Right. That's right. Yeah.

So the lady with no memory

was your husband?

Roman Strauss, right.

And 40 years ago,

she killed you,

and now she's back again.

Right.

It all makes perfect sense.

Yeah.

This gender switching shit

happens all the time.

You can be Bob in one life,

and then Betty in the next.

Husband in one,

wife in the next.

Two halves of the same person.

From this picture,

you look more like him.

What a babe you were.

Come on.

Ohh…

So, like, you know…

What happens now?

Fucking do her, man.

Blow her away.

What?

One shot… right here.

You telling me to kill her?

You do her before she does you.

I thought Karma meant

learning from previous lives.

Well, that's what you

learned from this life.

I mean, karmically,

self-defense is quite cool.

Besides, what you've told me,

I doubt it's any different today

than 40 years ago.

Maybe Roman Strauss

didn't kill his wife.

You know that's not true.

They erased the guy.

He caught her on the phone.

I didn't see him kill her.

If I were you…

I'd forget her.

I can't forget her.

I… I don't know what to do.

Oh, sh…

Why…

why would she want

to kill me now?

Why do women do anything?

Your neighbor said

you were mugged one night.

You seemed OK., but the

next night you were gone.

Your work's still here, though.

Oh…

My god.

I live here?

Give yourself some time.

But… but I don't

recognize anything.

Nothing.

But you will, my dear.

You will.

She used to paint seascapes.

Her mind has obviously

been stealing visits

to the past for some time

until, apparently,

she woke up one night

stranded there.

Why don't you forget all

this metaphysical stuff

and call Mike?

I don't think that would

be a good idea at all.

Let me be honest.

At this point, I think it best

you have no contact

whatsoever with Mr. Church.

None.

You don't honestly think

Mike would hurt her.

I think they could hurt

each other.

I promise you, my dear,

within 24 hours,

Mr. Church will come up

that lovely old elevator

with nothing but

the sweetest of words

and the very best of intentions.

He'll have some perfectly

reasonable explanation

as to why everything's going

to turn out just fine.

Before you know it, you'll

be in each other's arms,

and you'll feel warm and safe.

But I'm telling you

right here and now,

any security you feel

will be an illusion.

I'm telling you, any

relationship with Mr. Church

can end only one way…

violently.

I've known Mike Church forever.

He'd never hurt her.

Mr. Dougan, we're

talking about fate.

If fate works at all,

it's because people think

that this time,

it isn't going to happen.

Well, I don't…

I've got to run

down to the paper.

How about I check on you

later tonight?

What about tomorrow

night and after that?

How am I supposed

to keep him away?

If you can't keep him

away with words,

use this.

Oops. Sorry.

Been in my shop for years.

Belonged to a famous

gangster… stinky somebody.

I can't use that.

It's old, but it still fires.

I mean, I can't shoot anybody.

Take it all the same.

You don't honestly

believe this stuff, do you?

I mean, does Mike?

He found you again, didn't he?

I saw you two together

the other night.

You looked good.

You looked happy.

What about that man

you told me about?

That mailman who chopped

up his wife and family.

How happy were they

when they first met?

Yeah? Yeah, OK.

Yeah, this is Mike Church.

Somebody called me.

Mr. Church, someone would

like to see you,

a Mr. Gray Baker.

He'll ask,

but whatever you do,

don't let him smoke.

Gray Baker?

Can I have a cigarette?

They… they told me you're

not supposed to smoke.

I'm dying. What the

fuck is the difference?

I don't want to get in trouble.

I just want to…

You claim someone says

they're Margaret Strauss.

I… I said that they…

They… they said that they, uh…

They were Margaret Strauss,

in a, uh, you know,

like in a… past life.

He said it wasn't over.

That's what he said to me.

Uh, I assume he meant

I hadn't heard the last of him.

Yeah. I read a book by

Roman's guard on death row.

He said right before

Roman was executed,

you asked him if he

really killed his wife.

The guard said Roman whispered

the answer in your ear.

Wh-what did he say?

Why do you want to know?

Mr. Baker,

did Roman kill his wife?

No…

Although, at the time,

I honestly thought he did

until I went to see him

on death row.

So what did he say?

Can I have a cigarette?

I don't have any.

What did he say?

They're in your pocket.

What did Roman say?

What did Roman tell you?

Tell me!

Hey, take it easy.

Are you OK.?

Jesus. Just…

should I get someone?

Hey, hey, hey…

May I please have a cigarette?

Yeah, yeah.

No. K-keep them. Really.

I just quit.

He didn't say anything.

Come on. I gave you

a fucking cigarette.

I'm telling the truth.

I asked him,

but you still killed her…

Didn't you?

He kissed me.

He what?

He kissed me.

The bastard leaned

over and kissed me,

and I have not written

a word since.

Who…

Killed her?

I don't know.

You've been a big help.

Thanks.

S-sit down.

If anyone would know,

it would be the housekeeper.

The h-housekeeper?

Ingrid something?

Inga.

She knew everything that

went on in that house.

She's still alive?

Perhaps.

Last I heard,

they had opened

some sort of shop.

Antiques.

She and the son

opened an antique shop?

Antiques.

Uh, the laughing…

the laughing something.

On Robertson.

Don't forget to take the rings,

the jewelry

in the bureau drawer.

Our client wishes it to

look like simple robbery.

Simple robbery.

That's very important.

OK, OK.

Let me just check

the address again.

Hi… inga.

You know who I am.

We don't have much time.

Before I call the police,

I thought I'd stop by,

see if you'd tell me why you

murdered Margaret Strauss.

What are you doing here?

Where's Frankie?

You know what I'm doing here.

You loved Roman.

I want the truth.

I'm not leaving without it.

Oh, you don't know anything.

I never for a moment thought

I was actually in love with him.

Until he met Margaret.

First I was really glad.

Margaret was good to Roman.

For a while, she was good

to Frankie and me, too,

but then they got married,

and it all went to hell.

The day of the murder,

I decided to tell Roman

how I really felt,

that we were so much happier

before in Germany,

that we would be happier

there now, together.

But Roman said

he could never love me.

I tried to explain it to Frankie,

but he couldn't understand

that Roman and Margaret

truly loved each other.

Mr. Baker, I don't want

you to call me anymore.

No, Mr. Baker,

there's nothing to say.

Goodbye.

Roman…

I'm so sorry.

Roman…

I'm sorry, too.

I haven't been very

understanding.

I know you've been unhappy

these past months.

I just couldn't admit it.

I…

I couldn't admit that you

might be unhappy with me.

Unhappy with you?

Margaret…

I love you.

So Roman loved Margaret

and not me,

and Frankie hated her for it.

I just didn't know how much.

That same terrible night,

we heard Roman's opera

echoing through the house

for the first and the last time.

I didn't know what was happening

until it was…

All over.

Who's there?

After the murder…

Frankie's speech problem

got worse and worse,

so I took him to England,

to a specialist.

The guy used hypnosis…

To cure him.

He told him about

the subconscious

and about reincarnation.

And from that moment on,

the boy was obsessed

with the idea

that Margaret

would come after him.

And when he found your

article in the newspaper,

he knew.

So he hired Dougy the fiancé

to take her from me, right?

His real name's Mark.

He's just an actor.

Jesus…

I left Grace alone

with your son.

Wait a minute.

I'm through protecting him.

Aah!

It's all right.

I had to tell him.

It's all right, mother.

You should be in bed.

Up we go.

There.

Just couldn't live

with it anymore.

I understand.

Good night, Frankie.

Good night, mother.

Grace, it's Mike.

Let me in.

Go away.

I need to talk to you.

I'm calling the police.

I know you're upset.

Just listen…

what did you do to the phone?

What do you mean?

The line is dead.

It's windy out.

Lines are probably out

all over the hills.

Will you listen?

Just go away!

Now, will you…

Just listen to me, OK.?

Huh?

Don't shoot. Don't shoot.

Take it easy, Grace.

Where are you going?

I won't hurt you!

Go away!

Take it easy.

Look. Listen…

watch, watch.

Roman didn't kill his wife.

He was downstairs

writing the opera.

Now, listen, this is for you…

Mike…

Mike?

Oh, my god.

Wh-what have I done?

Mr. Madson.

Good evening.

I… I shot him.

Thank you.

Less work for Frankie.

Who's there?

Frankie?

Antiques.

This is for you!

Ohh!

And this is for my mother!

Aah!

Ohh!

Margaret?

Margaret!

Margaret.

It's all over, Frankie!

Mike, don't!

Pete, stop it!

Don't!

Well, I, for one,

am v-v-very interested

to see wh-wh-wh-what's

going to happen next.

Somebody help me!

Aah!

Whoa!

I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.

It's OK.

The door just closed.

Dead Again (1991) - full transcript