Fortunes of War (1987): Season 1, Episode 6 - Egypt: September 1942 - full transcript
(wind howling)
(bells ringing)
(engine puttering)
(woman speaking in foreign language)
(man speaking in foreign language)
- You look as if you need a drink.
- [Simon] Please.
(man chanting in foreign language faintly)
- Come sit down.
Tell me, is it Hugo?
- Mm-hmm.
He was out with the patrol.
They were all killed.
- I am so sorry.
- I really came to tell Edwina.
- I'll tell her you are here.
(knuckles rapping)
Edwina?
- Come in.
Oh Harriet, just the person I need.
How do I look?
- Like Helen of Troy.
(Edwina laughs)
Now listen, Simon
Boulderstone's downstairs.
- Simon?
- Boulderstone.
Hugo's brother, you remember Hugo?
- Hugo?
- [Edwina] Oh, just a casual
acquaintance, darling.
- Hugo's dead.
- Oh, how awful.
- Mm.
- I think he gave me this.
Oh no, perhaps it was this.
- It hardly matters now,
Edwina, really, does it?
I only ask that when you come downstairs,
you show him a little
kindness and concern.
- Well, don't ask me to cry.
- It would ruin your makeup.
- It wouldn't help.
- A good performance, please.
Angela.
You've introduced yourself?
- We've met before.
- Simon was in the room
when I brought in my
little boy that afternoon.
- Ah.
- We didn't know he was dead, of course.
Must have been terribly
upsetting for you, I'm sorry.
- It doesn't matter.
- And Simon's told me
all about his brother,
so we've done all the difficult bits.
- Good.
- Now, I think we should
take this beautiful young man
out into the world and flaunt him.
- Really?
- [Angela] Unless you're waiting for Guy?
- I'm always waiting for
Guy but he never appears.
(both laughing)
- Simon.
Simon.
What can I say, I'm so
terribly, terribly sorry.
Hugo was a beautiful man.
- My God, I envy you.
- Me?
- Long to be at the front myself.
- You wouldn't want to be where I am, sir.
Ours is a sort of a scallywag outfit.
Fighting's always somewhere else.
I'd like to have a real go
at them, especially now.
- 'Cause of your brother.
Understood.
Well, if you want to transfer,
I'll see if I can work it.
Boulderstone, isn't it?
- That's right, sir.
- All right.
- I enjoy the desert,
I feel I belong there.
- Good man.
Come along, Elsie.
- (laughing) Oh God, Angela, Angela.
Oh my God!
- Come on.
- There are people in this
club, smell this here 100 paces.
- Is that whisky?
- It always has been, darling.
- This is Mortimer, she's in the army.
This is Harriet, this is Angela.
- Hello, how do you do.
- And Simon Boulderstone.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Nice to meet you.
May I help myself?
- Of course , that's a house rule.
- It Mortimer your first
name or your second name?
- Oh, these days I've only got
one name, I'm just Mortimer.
- And what do you do?
- Drive mostly, I've just been
to Iraq and back in a lorry.
- I'd love to go to Damascus.
- Oh, we'd offer you a lift.
It's against regulations
but nobody argues with us.
- What are we going to do tonight?
- Simon wants to go to the burka?
- I don't even know what it is!
- That's disgusting and a wonderful idea.
(upbeat music)
- [Angela] Anybody want
to come to the burka?
(upbeat music)
(singing in foreign language)
(people chattering)
- Hello, darling, hello.
Hello, hello, darling!
- Darling! (laughs)
- Now you know.
- Now I know.
- Welcome to anyone who wants to come.
- Oh, no thank you.
- Hello, hello, Tommy!
(people chattering)
- [Man] It's very good, tabouli,
anybody want to buy some?
Clean, good kind.
- [Angela] Does anybody need a drink, sir?
- Very good sort, very traditional.
Welcome, welcome!
(singing in foreign language)
(man moaning)
(man and woman moaning)
(man sighing)
- Is that it?
Doesn't take very long, does it?
- It isn't a precise art.
- You're telling me.
(singing in foreign language)
(man laughs)
- Very good, (speaking
in foreign language).
- It was awful, so humiliating.
Harriet gave me a lecture once
on how we exploit the Egyptians.
And now I understand.
- Naked Imperialism.
- Well, I'm delighted I wasn't there.
- Mm, where were you?
- Well, I've had the most
amazing stroke of luck.
Two new teachers have
turned up out of the blue.
Perfect English,
well-read, very hardworking
and they could find work anywhere.
They want to teach.
- Mm, Egyptians?
- No, they're European Jews,
more or less, from Palestine.
- Oh, I see.
Do they have names?
- Hertz and Allain, so they'll
take over the English classes
and I can concentrate on literature, mm.
- And troop shares.
- Mm.
- And a possible production of "Hamlet."
- Yes.
- And the Pink Rose Lecture.
- Oh, God, yes, there's that as well.
- And your wife.
- What was that, darling?
- Doesn't matter.
- [Soldier] Enjoy your leave, sir?
- [Simon] Not very much, no.
I've a learned a lesson, in wartime,
don't get attached to people.
Either they betray you or they die.
Did anything happen when I was away.
- Oh, a lot of talk about
this new man, Monty.
Said he's got a direct link to God.
- Won't be long now, sir.
Sappers are nearly through.
(metal scraping)
- [Soldier] Mine.
- Right, Boulderstone, wait
until that minefield's clear.
Take your chaps through it,
get out that ridge and
secure the left flank.
- Right, sir.
- One more thing.
- [Simon] Sir?
- Accept no more casualties
than the situation justifies.
- Casualties?
- Right, sir.
- Advance!
- Fight!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
(artillery booming)
(bombs whistling)
(men shouting)
(explosions booming)
(men shouting)
(artillery booming)
(men shouting)
(guns firing)
(men yelling)
- Hold it!
Jesus Christ!
(dramatic music)
(guns firing)
(somber music)
- Not bad, six dead, three
walking wounded, four for CCS.
Well done, Boulderstone.
(bed thudding)
- Getting quite chilly in
evenings, have you noticed?
- Mm, yes, absolutely, very chilly.
- We must get some blankets out of store.
- Good idea.
(bed thudding)
- What the devil is going on up there?
- Angela is entertaining Bill Castlebar
and vice versa I imagine.
- What, in the middle of the afternoon?
- Um, yes, in the middle of the afternoon.
(bed thudding)
I suppose one could complain,
but there isn't really enough
noise to complain about.
- Mm.
(metal clattering)
Right, that's enough
noise to complain about,
don't you think?
- Probably.
- [Dobson] Harriet, I don't suppose--
- Yes, I'll go.
(footsteps thudding)
- [Dobson] No, thank you.
- We spilled a bucket of water.
- I see.
(water splashing)
Mr. Dobson's been
complaining about the noise.
- He doesn't complain when
Edwina has Lord Peter Thing
in her room.
- Well, he's more tolerant
of lords than he is of poets.
A bucket of water?
- Bill keeps a bucket
of water by the bedside.
He's inclined to come to
quickly when he's overexcited.
So he dips his wrist in
water and it cools him down.
It's a useful little tip.
You and Guy may not have
that problem though.
- Don't remember.
(gentle music)
- We plow and sow,
we're sow very, very low
that we delve in a dirty clay
til we bless the plain with a golden grain
and a bale with a fragrant hay.
Our place we know is
tis so very, very low,
tis down at the landlord's feet.
We're not too low, the grain to grow,
but too low the bread to eat.
Another around five more verses.
(men laughing)
- And he knows more.
- Hello, darling, I'd like you
to meet Mr. Hertz and Mr.
Allain, this is my wife, Harriet.
- Good evening, Mr. Hertz.
Good evening, Mr. Allain.
And your name is?
- We were just planning our
winter syllabus, darling.
- And discussing the
inevitability of the Revolution.
- Ah.
- The meek will not inherit the earth,
the meek must seize the earth.
- [Allain] You have
heard Mr. Pringle's poem
about the very low?
- Many times, yes.
I know the chorus and sometimes I join in.
- [Allain] Did Professor
Castlebar write the poem?
- It was written by a Mr. Jones.
- I think Mrs. Pringle is joking with us.
- No, no, no, she's right.
It was written by Ernest
Jones, 19th century chartist.
- The chartist, what's that?
- Ah, well, let me explain.
- [Harriet] I'm off to see Angela.
- Well, I might see you
later on, darling, yes.
- After you've explained the chartists?
Well, it was delightful to meet you both.
Don't let him bore you.
- [Allain] Mr. Pringle is a wonderful man.
- [Hertz] And he is never boring.
- Ah, I agree.
- Anyway, look, 19th century
was a quite extraordinary,
thank you, Akhmin.
- [Angela] Harriet, you're
just in time for the ceremony.
- What ceremony?
- [Angela] A presentation.
- Is it for me?
- [Angela] Of course, who else?
- Pin it on for me.
- [Angela] For distinguished service.
- Thank you.
- A very moving ceremony.
- Wolfy!
- [Bill] Mona!
- Mona, you never call me Mona.
- I'm sorry, lambkin,
but, how, when did you--
- How did I get here?
- Yes.
- [Mona] Didn't you get my cable?
- No.
- I flew in today, I'm working for ENSA.
Well, introduce me.
- Harriet Pringle and Angela
Hooper, Mona, my, my--
- Your wife.
- Yes.
- Well, well, well.
If anyone's buying a
round, mine's a strong ale.
- You won't get any
strong ale around here.
Here, have this.
- Oh, I like that, is that for me?
- No, no, it's a present
from me to Harriet here
and Bill put it on for a joke.
- Just a little joke, yes.
- Good joke.
- You're with ENSA?
- Yes.
- Singer?
- Hasn't Bill told you anything about me?
Yes, I'm a singer.
- You must speak to my husband,
he's always putting on
shows for the troops.
- Ah, I only do it for money.
Come on, Wolfy, luggage!
- Well, hasn't ENSA
organized any accommodation?
- Of course not, I'm staying with you.
- Oh, I see, well in that case (groans).
- [Mona] Oops.
- Angela, you must have this back.
- I gave it to you.
- But you didn't mean me to keep it.
- (laughs) it's no use to me now.
- Thank you, I love it.
(Angela sobbing)
(Dobson sighs)
- (sighs) God help us, Harriet.
What's the cure for love?
- Another love.
- (sighs) No, you want
one love, not another.
Even if he is dead loss.
- Is he?
- Oh, yes.
(laughs) Wolfy.
- Lambkin.
- And lambkin.
(both laughing)
Harriet, let's run away together.
- Where to?
- When I was with Desmond,
we used to spend every winter in Luxor.
We could go back there.
I've got to get away from Bill!
- Luxor, I'll have to see
what we have in the bank.
- Oh, don't be silly, this is
my idea, it'll be my treat.
We'll have a riotous time,
we'll really live it up.
And to hell with bloody Bill Castlebar
and his bloody old wife.
- [Harriet] I think I heard
Guy come in, I'll tell him.
- Oh, Harriet, thank you.
(Edwina sobbing)
- Is something wrong?
Well, obviously something is wrong.
- Your department, I think, Harriet.
- Why is people crying
always my department?
- You're so much better at
it than anyone else, darling.
(Edwina sobbing)
- [Harriet] What's wrong, Edwina?
- Peter. (sobbing)
- What a surprise.
What's he done?
- He's a swine.
- Yes, and what have you
discovered this evening
that leads you to that conclusion.
- I think he's married.
- Does anybody know for certain, darling?
- Ah, no, I have no idea, darling.
- Dobbie?
- What?
- Is Lord Lisdoonvarna married?
- I have reason to believe
that might be the case.
- You mean, yes?
Well, why didn't you say so weeks ago?
- Well, everybody's married.
Angela, Castlebar, Peter, you, Guy.
Doesn't appear to be a
subject of concern anymore.
People just get on and
do things regardless.
Generally in the middle of the afternoon.
- (sobbing) I hate him.
- Well, he is an aristocrat.
- [Dobson] I'm going to
bed, alone, to sleep.
- Perchance to dream, eh?
- I love him. (sobbing)
- Darling, I'm going to Luxor
for a few days with Angela.
- Well, that's a splendid idea, darling.
Angela?
- Mm.
- [Guy] You know, I haven't seen her
for a few days, she still mad?
- Not very.
- Good.
- Goodnight.
(door thuds)
(engine puttering)
(engine chugging)
(bell ringing)
(fire crackling)
- Where is everybody?
(somber music)
(people chattering)
- [Man] Let's bring a buoy here.
(gentle music)
(fire crackling)
(people chattering)
- Why is there nobody here?
- [Steward] It's the war, madam.
- The war?
- The war.
(people shouting)
- Angela, what's wrong?
- Listen.
(people chanting in foreign language)
I know why there's nobody here.
We've arrived in the middle
of an epidemic, haven't we?
- Just a little fever, ma'am.
- [Angela] What kind of little fever?
- It's nothing, it's saying
the poor people have Lassa.
You will take some cleaning,
it will be all well.
(people chanting in foreign language)
- I can't stay here.
I must go back.
- If we're going to catch anything,
surely we've caught it by now.
- [Angela] I'm not frightened for myself.
I'm frightened for Bill.
- [Harriet] Why?
- Europeans who catch things out here.
They're gone in no time.
- Bill isn't going to die
just because you take a trip to Luxor.
- I was painting a picture of the desert,
I was so intent on what I was doing,
mixing colors, brushwork,
texture of the sky,
that I didn't see my
little boy throwing stones
at a live mortar bomb.
(people chanting in foreign language)
Harriet, I no longer trust
anyone to stay alive.
(people wailing)
(footsteps tapping)
- I traveled across Europe,
to deliver this lecture in Bucharest.
Your organization failed me.
I traveled to Athens, still
prepared to deliver my lecture.
And again, your organization failed me.
Now, I'm in Cairo.
I will not tolerate another failure.
- Well, the assembly rooms
of the American University.
- Tawdry.
- The Agricultural Museum.
- It's too small.
- Well, why not try those
rather splendid tents
the Egyptians use for weddings.
- You would lecture in a tent, Pringle?
I'm not a team of acrobats.
- No, I realize that.
- I was thinking of the Opera House.
- Well, you're not an opera.
Here?
- Here?
- I'll, well, I'll have a word
with the management of the Opera House.
(birds chirping)
- Eh?
- Are you real, or have I
conjured you out of a dream?
- [Harriet] Did you make that up,
or did you conjure it out
of a play you were once in.
- (laughs) You're a very cruel woman.
- Yes.
(birds chirping)
- Egypt is unpredictable.
You never know what it will do to you.
I hated it at first.
And then it grew on me.
It's like a mummy you detest,
yet are tied to in spite of yourself.
I think it's the place where we all began,
it's here where we were born first
and lived out the infancy of the soul.
- You believe in reincarnation?
- I believe there are ghosts,
I believe we're haunted.
- [Harriet] Are you haunted?
- At the beginning of the war
I registered as a conscientious objector.
They put me on a ship going to Canada,
working as steward and waiter.
I suppose they wanted to humiliate me.
There was a crowd of kids
on the ship, evacuees.
We were torpedoed.
Got the kids into the lifeboats,
it was very cold, it was blowing a gale.
And it was dark.
And when dawn broke, we were alone.
Just one lifeboat in the
middle of the Atlantic.
(somber music)
The kids only had their nightclothes.
A few blankets, everybody seasick.
Not enough food and water.
When somebody died, we'd
throw the body overboard
and the waves would throw it back.
We pretended it was a joke.
It wasn't even a boy or
girl that was going to die.
The kid would start having visions.
One of them saw an island and said,
"Look, it's just over there,
why don't we go there?"
Three of us survived.
- The children?
- None of the children.
And I decided it was too dangerous,
being a conscientious objector.
And realized I'd be safer in the bag hole.
- [Harriet] And are you?
- It makes no difference, Harriet.
You see, I was the one who died.
(birds chirping)
(somber music)
(Aiden speaking in foreign language)
(Harriet speaking in foreign language)
- [Harriet] I wonder,
is lobster a good idea?
- Does it matter?
- Guy eats everything and he's never ill.
I'm careful with food.
My stomach's always in a turmoil.
(birds chirping)
You're right, it doesn't matter.
- Will you and Guy come
to see me in Damascus?
- Well, Guy's always so busy.
I'll try and persuade him.
- Do persuade him.
- I'll try.
(engine revving)
- Boulderstone!
You have friends in high
places, Boulderstone.
- [Simon] Me, sir?
I don't know anyone, sir.
- Someone, presumably
in Cairo, has seen fit
to appoint you a liaison
officer, which, as you know,
is one of the most sought
after jobs in the British Army.
We must somehow manage without you.
I have to say, well done.
I don't know how you did it, but--
- I did meet a chap in
Cairo when I was on--
- That's none of my business.
They'll be sending you a jeep
and you'll be taken to Corps HQ.
And I'd advise you to get your shirt
and your shorts to the dabbawalla.
You're going to be among
the knocks, that's all.
(engine puttering)
- [Simon] What did you do
in Suez Street, Crosby?
- [Crosby] Worked for me
father, he has a shop.
- [Simon] What sort of shop?
- [Crosby] Fishmonger, sir.
- It's interesting work?
- Well, it's a job, isn't it, sir.
- You'd rather do something else?
- I did do something else.
Sometimes I drove the van.
(wind howling)
(bird screeching)
- Booby trap!
(explosion booming)
(dramatic music)
(wind whooshing)
(bird squawking)
(gentle music)
(engine puttering)
- How you feeling, sir?
- [Simon] Nothing, I'm feeling nothing.
- You'll be all right.
- [Simon] What about my driver?
- Lingering for the kites.
- Can't we take him?
- [Medic] Mind you, sir,
there isn't much point, up!
I promise you.
And up.
(engine puttering)
(wind howling)
(door creaking)
- Harriet, (laughs) did
you have a wonderful time?
- Fascinating.
Where is everyone?
- Well, Edwina's in her room,
enjoying her broken heart.
Guy is dodging Lord Pinkrose.
Angela has disappeared without a trace
and I am here, taking a few
razor sharp diplomatic thoughts.
(Harriet thudding)
Say, I didn't mean to upset you.
Harriet!
- [Javick] Mrs. Pringle?
- [Harriet] I think so.
- Javick.
You have thrown up, yes?
- Thrown up, no.
- [Javick] But your insides
are upset for how long?
- Forever.
Just now it's worse.
I've just come back from Upper Egypt,
where a lot of people are dying.
Is that from cholera?
- Not cholera, malaria, perhaps.
We will make further tests
and see whether you are ill.
- I am ill.
- I mean, ill.
- [Guy] What happened in Luxor?
Why did Angela come home so soon.
- [Harriet] It's complicated,
to do with death.
- [Guy] That woman's mad,
she's disappeared now.
- Then I met Aiden Pratt.
- Hm.
- [Harriet] Told me all
about being torpedoed in the Atlantic.
- Yes, he told me that story actually,
when we first met in Alexandria.
Tells it rather well.
- I suppose I spent so much
time talking about death
I was bound to be taken ill.
- Yes, you do look ill,
now you mention it.
- [Harriet] This is a hospital.
(bell tolling)
- Is that the time?
- I suppose so.
- My rehearsal, for which that is perfect.
- What do you mean?
- [Guy] For the show, as a prop.
- Look, Guy, that was
a present from Angela.
- Oh, you don't really
need that though, do you.
Anyway, look, I'm sorry.
If that is the time, I--
- You're always late for me.
Why can't you be late for other people?
- Well, I am late for
other people, darling,
or so they tell me.
(sighs) Dobson thinks
that you should go home back to England.
- It's none of his business.
- He's organized a ship
for wives and children and,
you know, people who are ill.
- I'll go if you come with me.
- Don't be silly, I've got a job here.
- And lectures to organize
and shows to rehearse and people to meet.
- [Guy] Yes.
- You should do less.
- We have discovered your problem.
You have amebic dysentery.
Not good, no, but not bad
because there is a new drug
for this condition.
- And I will be cured?
- [Javick] Why certainly,
did you come here to die?
- Angela, Angela!
Oh, I was told you disappeared.
- I was looking for Bill.
- Did you find him alive?
- Of course he was alive.
- [Harriet] And?
- We had 24 hours together
while Mona went off
to sing the lost chord to
the poor bloody infantry.
The troops decided to let her live.
And she came back.
He daren't leave her, he hasn't the guts.
I'm going back to England,
Harriet, on Dobson's bloody boat.
- But I'll be left here without a friend.
- Come with me.
- Leave Guy?
You know what happens when wives go home.
- You can trust Guy.
He's not the sort to go off the rails.
- I don't know.
(sighs) I don't know.
Everything's gone wrong
since we came here. (sobbing)
(both crying)
(horn tooting)
I like the brooch.
- Oh this, (laughs) just a piece
of nonsense your husband gave me.
In the show, I have to sing things
like "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,"
and Guy wanted me to look sexy,
bit of a tart, it's perfect.
- You did not tell me
that your husband is the
famous Professor Pringle.
- You didn't ask me.
- A man who urges freedom
and social responsibility.
- But only through a Marxist Revolution.
- There are many ways of killing a cat.
Isn't that your English proverb?
- Yes, but I have talked
to students here--
- The students. (laughs)
They act and so are useful
but they do not think.
And so are dangerous.
Meanwhile, we must discuss your wife.
- Oh yes, yes.
- She is not well.
- Aren't you satisfied with her progress?
- Not so much.
These maybe are insidious
amebic dysentery.
They can be carried in the portal stream
and cause hepatitis and liver abscess.
But, I do not think that
she has the liver abscess.
- [Guy] Well then, there's
nothing to worry about.
- [Javick] Sooner or later,
she will be all right.
- [Guy] Well, that's splendid.
- She will be all right?
You're talking about my
liver and my portal stream!
- [Guy] Of course we are,
darling, and with great affection.
- I want to go home.
- [Javick] And so you shall.
- To England.
- Oh.
(gentle music)
(people chattering)
- And you are really
going back to England?
- Yes.
- Just when we have become friends.
I am sorry that you are going.
- I'm sorry too.
(sighs) Now, who's coming to
the Pinkrose Lecture with me?
- [Edwina] What's he talking about?
- Byron.
- Can't stand Byron.
- Can't stand Pinkrose.
- Can't stand lectures.
- (laughs) Fine.
(all laughing)
Byron's all right.
(people chattering)
- [Mortimer] Good evening, Harriet!
- Mortimer, what are you doing here?
- Improving my mind.
Contrary to appearances,
I was an undergraduate at
LMH when war broke out.
I thought it would be like old times.
And make the change from getting blotto.
- It's good to see you.
- Mind you, we can have a few
drinks afterward, can't we.
- Right. (laughs)
- Good.
(audience applauding)
- Thank you, thank you
ladies and gentlemen.
I'm sure that Professor
Lord Pinkrose will not mind
if I tell you that he has traveled
literally thousands of miles
and visited many countries
in his attempt to give this lecture.
It was originally to have
been given in Bucharest,
but the war intervened as
it did indeed in Athens.
However, I am delighted that at last,
Cairo should be the
setting for this occasion
at such an exciting
period in Egypt's history.
A sentiment which, I'm sure,
Professor Lord Pinkrose would share.
Therefore, without further ado,
it gives me very great
pleasure to invite him
to give his lecture on
the poetry of Lord Byron,
Professor Lord Pinkrose.
(audience applauding)
- (coughs) Small little crowd.
- It seems not inappropriate--
(guns firing)
(people screaming)
- So dies all enemies of freedom!
So dies all enemies of freedom!
(people shouting)
- [Men] So dies all enemies of freedom!
- Pinkrose an enemy of freedom?
- Not Pinkrose, Pinkerton, Lord Pinkerton,
Man is still on stage, very bad man.
- Pinkrose isn't a menace,
you've killed the wrong man!
- [Man] All agree this lord, dead man!
- It's a point of view!
Come on!
- Get out!
Kill the enemies!
Kill the enemies!
Kill the enemies!
(singing in foreign language)
- Harriet?
- [Harriet] At your service.
- I've come to apologize.
- It wasn't you who shot Pinkrose.
- I'm not going to England.
(singing in foreign language)
- You're not?
- When I told Bill I was going it seemed
to focus his mind on everything.
He's definitely leaving Mona,
we're going into hiding.
- Right.
(people chattering)
(people speaking in foreign language)
(elephant trumpeting)
(people chattering)
- Why are we here, darling?
I hate zoos.
- I wanted to spend some
time with my husband
before I left the country
and all he could spare me was half an hour
during the afternoon.
- I'm sorry, darling.
- I'm surrounded by people
telling me they're sorry.
(Guy groans)
Will you come to Suez with me?
- I've had a look in the diary, darling.
I think it's going to be a bit tricky.
- More rehearsals?
- Yes, I knew you'd understand.
- I always understand.
- Well, of course you do,
that's why I love you.
- (sighs) Just because I always understand
doesn't make it any better.
- Little monkey's paws.
- I'm not a little monkey
and these are not my paws.
- Can you get a drink in a zoo?
- I have no idea.
- Right, I shall investigate.
(somber music)
- Bear, if I could do
anything for you, I would.
With all my heart.
But the world is against us.
All I can do is go away.
I'm sorry. (sniffling)
(bear whining)
(people chattering)
(bells ringing)
(traffic honking)
(somber music)
- [Man] There you are.
(people chattering)
- Harriet!
- Mort!
God has sent you to save me.
Oh, I don't want to go to
England, take me with you.
(people chattering)
(women laughing)
Oh, what larks!
(dramatic music)
(phone ringing)
- Guy?
(sad mystical music)
(bells ringing)
(engine puttering)
(woman speaking in foreign language)
(man speaking in foreign language)
- You look as if you need a drink.
- [Simon] Please.
(man chanting in foreign language faintly)
- Come sit down.
Tell me, is it Hugo?
- Mm-hmm.
He was out with the patrol.
They were all killed.
- I am so sorry.
- I really came to tell Edwina.
- I'll tell her you are here.
(knuckles rapping)
Edwina?
- Come in.
Oh Harriet, just the person I need.
How do I look?
- Like Helen of Troy.
(Edwina laughs)
Now listen, Simon
Boulderstone's downstairs.
- Simon?
- Boulderstone.
Hugo's brother, you remember Hugo?
- Hugo?
- [Edwina] Oh, just a casual
acquaintance, darling.
- Hugo's dead.
- Oh, how awful.
- Mm.
- I think he gave me this.
Oh no, perhaps it was this.
- It hardly matters now,
Edwina, really, does it?
I only ask that when you come downstairs,
you show him a little
kindness and concern.
- Well, don't ask me to cry.
- It would ruin your makeup.
- It wouldn't help.
- A good performance, please.
Angela.
You've introduced yourself?
- We've met before.
- Simon was in the room
when I brought in my
little boy that afternoon.
- Ah.
- We didn't know he was dead, of course.
Must have been terribly
upsetting for you, I'm sorry.
- It doesn't matter.
- And Simon's told me
all about his brother,
so we've done all the difficult bits.
- Good.
- Now, I think we should
take this beautiful young man
out into the world and flaunt him.
- Really?
- [Angela] Unless you're waiting for Guy?
- I'm always waiting for
Guy but he never appears.
(both laughing)
- Simon.
Simon.
What can I say, I'm so
terribly, terribly sorry.
Hugo was a beautiful man.
- My God, I envy you.
- Me?
- Long to be at the front myself.
- You wouldn't want to be where I am, sir.
Ours is a sort of a scallywag outfit.
Fighting's always somewhere else.
I'd like to have a real go
at them, especially now.
- 'Cause of your brother.
Understood.
Well, if you want to transfer,
I'll see if I can work it.
Boulderstone, isn't it?
- That's right, sir.
- All right.
- I enjoy the desert,
I feel I belong there.
- Good man.
Come along, Elsie.
- (laughing) Oh God, Angela, Angela.
Oh my God!
- Come on.
- There are people in this
club, smell this here 100 paces.
- Is that whisky?
- It always has been, darling.
- This is Mortimer, she's in the army.
This is Harriet, this is Angela.
- Hello, how do you do.
- And Simon Boulderstone.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Nice to meet you.
May I help myself?
- Of course , that's a house rule.
- It Mortimer your first
name or your second name?
- Oh, these days I've only got
one name, I'm just Mortimer.
- And what do you do?
- Drive mostly, I've just been
to Iraq and back in a lorry.
- I'd love to go to Damascus.
- Oh, we'd offer you a lift.
It's against regulations
but nobody argues with us.
- What are we going to do tonight?
- Simon wants to go to the burka?
- I don't even know what it is!
- That's disgusting and a wonderful idea.
(upbeat music)
- [Angela] Anybody want
to come to the burka?
(upbeat music)
(singing in foreign language)
(people chattering)
- Hello, darling, hello.
Hello, hello, darling!
- Darling! (laughs)
- Now you know.
- Now I know.
- Welcome to anyone who wants to come.
- Oh, no thank you.
- Hello, hello, Tommy!
(people chattering)
- [Man] It's very good, tabouli,
anybody want to buy some?
Clean, good kind.
- [Angela] Does anybody need a drink, sir?
- Very good sort, very traditional.
Welcome, welcome!
(singing in foreign language)
(man moaning)
(man and woman moaning)
(man sighing)
- Is that it?
Doesn't take very long, does it?
- It isn't a precise art.
- You're telling me.
(singing in foreign language)
(man laughs)
- Very good, (speaking
in foreign language).
- It was awful, so humiliating.
Harriet gave me a lecture once
on how we exploit the Egyptians.
And now I understand.
- Naked Imperialism.
- Well, I'm delighted I wasn't there.
- Mm, where were you?
- Well, I've had the most
amazing stroke of luck.
Two new teachers have
turned up out of the blue.
Perfect English,
well-read, very hardworking
and they could find work anywhere.
They want to teach.
- Mm, Egyptians?
- No, they're European Jews,
more or less, from Palestine.
- Oh, I see.
Do they have names?
- Hertz and Allain, so they'll
take over the English classes
and I can concentrate on literature, mm.
- And troop shares.
- Mm.
- And a possible production of "Hamlet."
- Yes.
- And the Pink Rose Lecture.
- Oh, God, yes, there's that as well.
- And your wife.
- What was that, darling?
- Doesn't matter.
- [Soldier] Enjoy your leave, sir?
- [Simon] Not very much, no.
I've a learned a lesson, in wartime,
don't get attached to people.
Either they betray you or they die.
Did anything happen when I was away.
- Oh, a lot of talk about
this new man, Monty.
Said he's got a direct link to God.
- Won't be long now, sir.
Sappers are nearly through.
(metal scraping)
- [Soldier] Mine.
- Right, Boulderstone, wait
until that minefield's clear.
Take your chaps through it,
get out that ridge and
secure the left flank.
- Right, sir.
- One more thing.
- [Simon] Sir?
- Accept no more casualties
than the situation justifies.
- Casualties?
- Right, sir.
- Advance!
- Fight!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
- Fire!
(artillery booming)
(bombs whistling)
(men shouting)
(explosions booming)
(men shouting)
(artillery booming)
(men shouting)
(guns firing)
(men yelling)
- Hold it!
Jesus Christ!
(dramatic music)
(guns firing)
(somber music)
- Not bad, six dead, three
walking wounded, four for CCS.
Well done, Boulderstone.
(bed thudding)
- Getting quite chilly in
evenings, have you noticed?
- Mm, yes, absolutely, very chilly.
- We must get some blankets out of store.
- Good idea.
(bed thudding)
- What the devil is going on up there?
- Angela is entertaining Bill Castlebar
and vice versa I imagine.
- What, in the middle of the afternoon?
- Um, yes, in the middle of the afternoon.
(bed thudding)
I suppose one could complain,
but there isn't really enough
noise to complain about.
- Mm.
(metal clattering)
Right, that's enough
noise to complain about,
don't you think?
- Probably.
- [Dobson] Harriet, I don't suppose--
- Yes, I'll go.
(footsteps thudding)
- [Dobson] No, thank you.
- We spilled a bucket of water.
- I see.
(water splashing)
Mr. Dobson's been
complaining about the noise.
- He doesn't complain when
Edwina has Lord Peter Thing
in her room.
- Well, he's more tolerant
of lords than he is of poets.
A bucket of water?
- Bill keeps a bucket
of water by the bedside.
He's inclined to come to
quickly when he's overexcited.
So he dips his wrist in
water and it cools him down.
It's a useful little tip.
You and Guy may not have
that problem though.
- Don't remember.
(gentle music)
- We plow and sow,
we're sow very, very low
that we delve in a dirty clay
til we bless the plain with a golden grain
and a bale with a fragrant hay.
Our place we know is
tis so very, very low,
tis down at the landlord's feet.
We're not too low, the grain to grow,
but too low the bread to eat.
Another around five more verses.
(men laughing)
- And he knows more.
- Hello, darling, I'd like you
to meet Mr. Hertz and Mr.
Allain, this is my wife, Harriet.
- Good evening, Mr. Hertz.
Good evening, Mr. Allain.
And your name is?
- We were just planning our
winter syllabus, darling.
- And discussing the
inevitability of the Revolution.
- Ah.
- The meek will not inherit the earth,
the meek must seize the earth.
- [Allain] You have
heard Mr. Pringle's poem
about the very low?
- Many times, yes.
I know the chorus and sometimes I join in.
- [Allain] Did Professor
Castlebar write the poem?
- It was written by a Mr. Jones.
- I think Mrs. Pringle is joking with us.
- No, no, no, she's right.
It was written by Ernest
Jones, 19th century chartist.
- The chartist, what's that?
- Ah, well, let me explain.
- [Harriet] I'm off to see Angela.
- Well, I might see you
later on, darling, yes.
- After you've explained the chartists?
Well, it was delightful to meet you both.
Don't let him bore you.
- [Allain] Mr. Pringle is a wonderful man.
- [Hertz] And he is never boring.
- Ah, I agree.
- Anyway, look, 19th century
was a quite extraordinary,
thank you, Akhmin.
- [Angela] Harriet, you're
just in time for the ceremony.
- What ceremony?
- [Angela] A presentation.
- Is it for me?
- [Angela] Of course, who else?
- Pin it on for me.
- [Angela] For distinguished service.
- Thank you.
- A very moving ceremony.
- Wolfy!
- [Bill] Mona!
- Mona, you never call me Mona.
- I'm sorry, lambkin,
but, how, when did you--
- How did I get here?
- Yes.
- [Mona] Didn't you get my cable?
- No.
- I flew in today, I'm working for ENSA.
Well, introduce me.
- Harriet Pringle and Angela
Hooper, Mona, my, my--
- Your wife.
- Yes.
- Well, well, well.
If anyone's buying a
round, mine's a strong ale.
- You won't get any
strong ale around here.
Here, have this.
- Oh, I like that, is that for me?
- No, no, it's a present
from me to Harriet here
and Bill put it on for a joke.
- Just a little joke, yes.
- Good joke.
- You're with ENSA?
- Yes.
- Singer?
- Hasn't Bill told you anything about me?
Yes, I'm a singer.
- You must speak to my husband,
he's always putting on
shows for the troops.
- Ah, I only do it for money.
Come on, Wolfy, luggage!
- Well, hasn't ENSA
organized any accommodation?
- Of course not, I'm staying with you.
- Oh, I see, well in that case (groans).
- [Mona] Oops.
- Angela, you must have this back.
- I gave it to you.
- But you didn't mean me to keep it.
- (laughs) it's no use to me now.
- Thank you, I love it.
(Angela sobbing)
(Dobson sighs)
- (sighs) God help us, Harriet.
What's the cure for love?
- Another love.
- (sighs) No, you want
one love, not another.
Even if he is dead loss.
- Is he?
- Oh, yes.
(laughs) Wolfy.
- Lambkin.
- And lambkin.
(both laughing)
Harriet, let's run away together.
- Where to?
- When I was with Desmond,
we used to spend every winter in Luxor.
We could go back there.
I've got to get away from Bill!
- Luxor, I'll have to see
what we have in the bank.
- Oh, don't be silly, this is
my idea, it'll be my treat.
We'll have a riotous time,
we'll really live it up.
And to hell with bloody Bill Castlebar
and his bloody old wife.
- [Harriet] I think I heard
Guy come in, I'll tell him.
- Oh, Harriet, thank you.
(Edwina sobbing)
- Is something wrong?
Well, obviously something is wrong.
- Your department, I think, Harriet.
- Why is people crying
always my department?
- You're so much better at
it than anyone else, darling.
(Edwina sobbing)
- [Harriet] What's wrong, Edwina?
- Peter. (sobbing)
- What a surprise.
What's he done?
- He's a swine.
- Yes, and what have you
discovered this evening
that leads you to that conclusion.
- I think he's married.
- Does anybody know for certain, darling?
- Ah, no, I have no idea, darling.
- Dobbie?
- What?
- Is Lord Lisdoonvarna married?
- I have reason to believe
that might be the case.
- You mean, yes?
Well, why didn't you say so weeks ago?
- Well, everybody's married.
Angela, Castlebar, Peter, you, Guy.
Doesn't appear to be a
subject of concern anymore.
People just get on and
do things regardless.
Generally in the middle of the afternoon.
- (sobbing) I hate him.
- Well, he is an aristocrat.
- [Dobson] I'm going to
bed, alone, to sleep.
- Perchance to dream, eh?
- I love him. (sobbing)
- Darling, I'm going to Luxor
for a few days with Angela.
- Well, that's a splendid idea, darling.
Angela?
- Mm.
- [Guy] You know, I haven't seen her
for a few days, she still mad?
- Not very.
- Good.
- Goodnight.
(door thuds)
(engine puttering)
(engine chugging)
(bell ringing)
(fire crackling)
- Where is everybody?
(somber music)
(people chattering)
- [Man] Let's bring a buoy here.
(gentle music)
(fire crackling)
(people chattering)
- Why is there nobody here?
- [Steward] It's the war, madam.
- The war?
- The war.
(people shouting)
- Angela, what's wrong?
- Listen.
(people chanting in foreign language)
I know why there's nobody here.
We've arrived in the middle
of an epidemic, haven't we?
- Just a little fever, ma'am.
- [Angela] What kind of little fever?
- It's nothing, it's saying
the poor people have Lassa.
You will take some cleaning,
it will be all well.
(people chanting in foreign language)
- I can't stay here.
I must go back.
- If we're going to catch anything,
surely we've caught it by now.
- [Angela] I'm not frightened for myself.
I'm frightened for Bill.
- [Harriet] Why?
- Europeans who catch things out here.
They're gone in no time.
- Bill isn't going to die
just because you take a trip to Luxor.
- I was painting a picture of the desert,
I was so intent on what I was doing,
mixing colors, brushwork,
texture of the sky,
that I didn't see my
little boy throwing stones
at a live mortar bomb.
(people chanting in foreign language)
Harriet, I no longer trust
anyone to stay alive.
(people wailing)
(footsteps tapping)
- I traveled across Europe,
to deliver this lecture in Bucharest.
Your organization failed me.
I traveled to Athens, still
prepared to deliver my lecture.
And again, your organization failed me.
Now, I'm in Cairo.
I will not tolerate another failure.
- Well, the assembly rooms
of the American University.
- Tawdry.
- The Agricultural Museum.
- It's too small.
- Well, why not try those
rather splendid tents
the Egyptians use for weddings.
- You would lecture in a tent, Pringle?
I'm not a team of acrobats.
- No, I realize that.
- I was thinking of the Opera House.
- Well, you're not an opera.
Here?
- Here?
- I'll, well, I'll have a word
with the management of the Opera House.
(birds chirping)
- Eh?
- Are you real, or have I
conjured you out of a dream?
- [Harriet] Did you make that up,
or did you conjure it out
of a play you were once in.
- (laughs) You're a very cruel woman.
- Yes.
(birds chirping)
- Egypt is unpredictable.
You never know what it will do to you.
I hated it at first.
And then it grew on me.
It's like a mummy you detest,
yet are tied to in spite of yourself.
I think it's the place where we all began,
it's here where we were born first
and lived out the infancy of the soul.
- You believe in reincarnation?
- I believe there are ghosts,
I believe we're haunted.
- [Harriet] Are you haunted?
- At the beginning of the war
I registered as a conscientious objector.
They put me on a ship going to Canada,
working as steward and waiter.
I suppose they wanted to humiliate me.
There was a crowd of kids
on the ship, evacuees.
We were torpedoed.
Got the kids into the lifeboats,
it was very cold, it was blowing a gale.
And it was dark.
And when dawn broke, we were alone.
Just one lifeboat in the
middle of the Atlantic.
(somber music)
The kids only had their nightclothes.
A few blankets, everybody seasick.
Not enough food and water.
When somebody died, we'd
throw the body overboard
and the waves would throw it back.
We pretended it was a joke.
It wasn't even a boy or
girl that was going to die.
The kid would start having visions.
One of them saw an island and said,
"Look, it's just over there,
why don't we go there?"
Three of us survived.
- The children?
- None of the children.
And I decided it was too dangerous,
being a conscientious objector.
And realized I'd be safer in the bag hole.
- [Harriet] And are you?
- It makes no difference, Harriet.
You see, I was the one who died.
(birds chirping)
(somber music)
(Aiden speaking in foreign language)
(Harriet speaking in foreign language)
- [Harriet] I wonder,
is lobster a good idea?
- Does it matter?
- Guy eats everything and he's never ill.
I'm careful with food.
My stomach's always in a turmoil.
(birds chirping)
You're right, it doesn't matter.
- Will you and Guy come
to see me in Damascus?
- Well, Guy's always so busy.
I'll try and persuade him.
- Do persuade him.
- I'll try.
(engine revving)
- Boulderstone!
You have friends in high
places, Boulderstone.
- [Simon] Me, sir?
I don't know anyone, sir.
- Someone, presumably
in Cairo, has seen fit
to appoint you a liaison
officer, which, as you know,
is one of the most sought
after jobs in the British Army.
We must somehow manage without you.
I have to say, well done.
I don't know how you did it, but--
- I did meet a chap in
Cairo when I was on--
- That's none of my business.
They'll be sending you a jeep
and you'll be taken to Corps HQ.
And I'd advise you to get your shirt
and your shorts to the dabbawalla.
You're going to be among
the knocks, that's all.
(engine puttering)
- [Simon] What did you do
in Suez Street, Crosby?
- [Crosby] Worked for me
father, he has a shop.
- [Simon] What sort of shop?
- [Crosby] Fishmonger, sir.
- It's interesting work?
- Well, it's a job, isn't it, sir.
- You'd rather do something else?
- I did do something else.
Sometimes I drove the van.
(wind howling)
(bird screeching)
- Booby trap!
(explosion booming)
(dramatic music)
(wind whooshing)
(bird squawking)
(gentle music)
(engine puttering)
- How you feeling, sir?
- [Simon] Nothing, I'm feeling nothing.
- You'll be all right.
- [Simon] What about my driver?
- Lingering for the kites.
- Can't we take him?
- [Medic] Mind you, sir,
there isn't much point, up!
I promise you.
And up.
(engine puttering)
(wind howling)
(door creaking)
- Harriet, (laughs) did
you have a wonderful time?
- Fascinating.
Where is everyone?
- Well, Edwina's in her room,
enjoying her broken heart.
Guy is dodging Lord Pinkrose.
Angela has disappeared without a trace
and I am here, taking a few
razor sharp diplomatic thoughts.
(Harriet thudding)
Say, I didn't mean to upset you.
Harriet!
- [Javick] Mrs. Pringle?
- [Harriet] I think so.
- Javick.
You have thrown up, yes?
- Thrown up, no.
- [Javick] But your insides
are upset for how long?
- Forever.
Just now it's worse.
I've just come back from Upper Egypt,
where a lot of people are dying.
Is that from cholera?
- Not cholera, malaria, perhaps.
We will make further tests
and see whether you are ill.
- I am ill.
- I mean, ill.
- [Guy] What happened in Luxor?
Why did Angela come home so soon.
- [Harriet] It's complicated,
to do with death.
- [Guy] That woman's mad,
she's disappeared now.
- Then I met Aiden Pratt.
- Hm.
- [Harriet] Told me all
about being torpedoed in the Atlantic.
- Yes, he told me that story actually,
when we first met in Alexandria.
Tells it rather well.
- I suppose I spent so much
time talking about death
I was bound to be taken ill.
- Yes, you do look ill,
now you mention it.
- [Harriet] This is a hospital.
(bell tolling)
- Is that the time?
- I suppose so.
- My rehearsal, for which that is perfect.
- What do you mean?
- [Guy] For the show, as a prop.
- Look, Guy, that was
a present from Angela.
- Oh, you don't really
need that though, do you.
Anyway, look, I'm sorry.
If that is the time, I--
- You're always late for me.
Why can't you be late for other people?
- Well, I am late for
other people, darling,
or so they tell me.
(sighs) Dobson thinks
that you should go home back to England.
- It's none of his business.
- He's organized a ship
for wives and children and,
you know, people who are ill.
- I'll go if you come with me.
- Don't be silly, I've got a job here.
- And lectures to organize
and shows to rehearse and people to meet.
- [Guy] Yes.
- You should do less.
- We have discovered your problem.
You have amebic dysentery.
Not good, no, but not bad
because there is a new drug
for this condition.
- And I will be cured?
- [Javick] Why certainly,
did you come here to die?
- Angela, Angela!
Oh, I was told you disappeared.
- I was looking for Bill.
- Did you find him alive?
- Of course he was alive.
- [Harriet] And?
- We had 24 hours together
while Mona went off
to sing the lost chord to
the poor bloody infantry.
The troops decided to let her live.
And she came back.
He daren't leave her, he hasn't the guts.
I'm going back to England,
Harriet, on Dobson's bloody boat.
- But I'll be left here without a friend.
- Come with me.
- Leave Guy?
You know what happens when wives go home.
- You can trust Guy.
He's not the sort to go off the rails.
- I don't know.
(sighs) I don't know.
Everything's gone wrong
since we came here. (sobbing)
(both crying)
(horn tooting)
I like the brooch.
- Oh this, (laughs) just a piece
of nonsense your husband gave me.
In the show, I have to sing things
like "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,"
and Guy wanted me to look sexy,
bit of a tart, it's perfect.
- You did not tell me
that your husband is the
famous Professor Pringle.
- You didn't ask me.
- A man who urges freedom
and social responsibility.
- But only through a Marxist Revolution.
- There are many ways of killing a cat.
Isn't that your English proverb?
- Yes, but I have talked
to students here--
- The students. (laughs)
They act and so are useful
but they do not think.
And so are dangerous.
Meanwhile, we must discuss your wife.
- Oh yes, yes.
- She is not well.
- Aren't you satisfied with her progress?
- Not so much.
These maybe are insidious
amebic dysentery.
They can be carried in the portal stream
and cause hepatitis and liver abscess.
But, I do not think that
she has the liver abscess.
- [Guy] Well then, there's
nothing to worry about.
- [Javick] Sooner or later,
she will be all right.
- [Guy] Well, that's splendid.
- She will be all right?
You're talking about my
liver and my portal stream!
- [Guy] Of course we are,
darling, and with great affection.
- I want to go home.
- [Javick] And so you shall.
- To England.
- Oh.
(gentle music)
(people chattering)
- And you are really
going back to England?
- Yes.
- Just when we have become friends.
I am sorry that you are going.
- I'm sorry too.
(sighs) Now, who's coming to
the Pinkrose Lecture with me?
- [Edwina] What's he talking about?
- Byron.
- Can't stand Byron.
- Can't stand Pinkrose.
- Can't stand lectures.
- (laughs) Fine.
(all laughing)
Byron's all right.
(people chattering)
- [Mortimer] Good evening, Harriet!
- Mortimer, what are you doing here?
- Improving my mind.
Contrary to appearances,
I was an undergraduate at
LMH when war broke out.
I thought it would be like old times.
And make the change from getting blotto.
- It's good to see you.
- Mind you, we can have a few
drinks afterward, can't we.
- Right. (laughs)
- Good.
(audience applauding)
- Thank you, thank you
ladies and gentlemen.
I'm sure that Professor
Lord Pinkrose will not mind
if I tell you that he has traveled
literally thousands of miles
and visited many countries
in his attempt to give this lecture.
It was originally to have
been given in Bucharest,
but the war intervened as
it did indeed in Athens.
However, I am delighted that at last,
Cairo should be the
setting for this occasion
at such an exciting
period in Egypt's history.
A sentiment which, I'm sure,
Professor Lord Pinkrose would share.
Therefore, without further ado,
it gives me very great
pleasure to invite him
to give his lecture on
the poetry of Lord Byron,
Professor Lord Pinkrose.
(audience applauding)
- (coughs) Small little crowd.
- It seems not inappropriate--
(guns firing)
(people screaming)
- So dies all enemies of freedom!
So dies all enemies of freedom!
(people shouting)
- [Men] So dies all enemies of freedom!
- Pinkrose an enemy of freedom?
- Not Pinkrose, Pinkerton, Lord Pinkerton,
Man is still on stage, very bad man.
- Pinkrose isn't a menace,
you've killed the wrong man!
- [Man] All agree this lord, dead man!
- It's a point of view!
Come on!
- Get out!
Kill the enemies!
Kill the enemies!
Kill the enemies!
(singing in foreign language)
- Harriet?
- [Harriet] At your service.
- I've come to apologize.
- It wasn't you who shot Pinkrose.
- I'm not going to England.
(singing in foreign language)
- You're not?
- When I told Bill I was going it seemed
to focus his mind on everything.
He's definitely leaving Mona,
we're going into hiding.
- Right.
(people chattering)
(people speaking in foreign language)
(elephant trumpeting)
(people chattering)
- Why are we here, darling?
I hate zoos.
- I wanted to spend some
time with my husband
before I left the country
and all he could spare me was half an hour
during the afternoon.
- I'm sorry, darling.
- I'm surrounded by people
telling me they're sorry.
(Guy groans)
Will you come to Suez with me?
- I've had a look in the diary, darling.
I think it's going to be a bit tricky.
- More rehearsals?
- Yes, I knew you'd understand.
- I always understand.
- Well, of course you do,
that's why I love you.
- (sighs) Just because I always understand
doesn't make it any better.
- Little monkey's paws.
- I'm not a little monkey
and these are not my paws.
- Can you get a drink in a zoo?
- I have no idea.
- Right, I shall investigate.
(somber music)
- Bear, if I could do
anything for you, I would.
With all my heart.
But the world is against us.
All I can do is go away.
I'm sorry. (sniffling)
(bear whining)
(people chattering)
(bells ringing)
(traffic honking)
(somber music)
- [Man] There you are.
(people chattering)
- Harriet!
- Mort!
God has sent you to save me.
Oh, I don't want to go to
England, take me with you.
(people chattering)
(women laughing)
Oh, what larks!
(dramatic music)
(phone ringing)
- Guy?
(sad mystical music)