Chào ngài !
Chào ông Cronyn, cảm ơn nhé !
Có vẻ kém ấm cúng, nhưng là nhà chúng ta.
Em lại thấy rộng chán, những năm phòng mà.
Chào các con !
Con chào mẹ !
Thưa mẹ, đây Holly.
Hoan nghinh Holly, con cứ thoải mái nhé !
- Thưa vâng ! - Vào nhà !
Mẹ mong hai đứa làm hôn lễ lắm rồi.
Chúng con lại chả thế.
Giờ là nhà con đấy.
Tráng lệ quá !
Tìm khắp quận Fairfield không nhà nào sánh được.
Tổ tiên nhà anh đấy.
Tổ tiên anh toàn nam ư ?
Chắc người ta nhận nước hết nữ lưu tự lọt lòng rồi.
Đố ai đứng đây chỉ tay mà nói "con gái kìa" đấy.
Holly ơi, con có vẻ muốn cởi hành lí mà thư giãn rồi.
Để ta chỉ phòng cho !
Mẹ thay sơn đấy à ?
Mẹ muốn tươi mới cho con dâu đấy.
Con mà không ưa hoa hồng tàn,
thì cứ tự đi hái nhé !
Đừng ngại chi !
Con mới về, chưa rõ sở thích con ra sao.
Tính con khó chiều đấy.
Không sao, miễn con hài lòng là được.
Để Clay dẫn con đi ngó khắp nhà.
Còn ta hướng dẫn con làm nội trợ sau vậy.
It's good to have you back.
It's good to be back, Mother.
Congratulations, Mrs. Anderson.
I didn't think the woman lived
that could ever get Clay to the altar again.
You know Phil Benton, of course. Everyone knows Phil.
Well, I do now. Hello, Mr. Benton.
My pleasure, Mrs. Anderson.
Phil and I were in last year's Bermuda Race.
Yes, in different boats. Mine came in last.
We must have lunch sometime. I'll call you.
Marvelous party, Estelle.
You're the host. Start hosting.
You're consumed with jealousy, aren't you?
Absolutely destroyed. I am Phil Benton.
But, of course, everyone knows Phil Benton.
How do you like the bed of antiquity?
Fairacres?
Well, I admire the antiques,
but I worry about the plumbing.
In our neck of the woods, it's the facade that counts.
It covers our corrosion.
Well, that's hardly unique to Fairfield County.
It was spawned here.
This is the breeding ground of the shallow set.
Holly, time for the wedding pictures.
Will you excuse me? Well, I have no choice.
Estelle has us all under her iron thumb.
And don't you forget it.
You made it! You made it! You made it!
Merry Christmas, darling. Merry Christmas.
That Swiss angel could go a little to the left.
Ah-ah-ah! That's the German angel.
Well, how do you tell the difference
between a Swiss angel and a German angel?
Swiss angels are thin.
German angels are fat.
Mother, there aren't enough icicles on your side,
and that finial is still a little crooked.
Thank you, dear.
I can't imagine how we ever trimmed this tree
- without your help. - That's why I hurried home.
I always enjoy decorating the tree.
And you do it with such style.
You know it.
You're cold.
Someone's walking across my grave.
That's an old wives' tale.
Clay.
It's so good to have you home.
It's so good to be here.
It's midnight.
This is the happiest Christmas in my life.
You say that every Christmas.
I guess it's my time of year.
Next stop, Virginia City!
Passengers change for Central City,
Boulder, and Denver, Colorado.
Denver? This is Albany.
Can't you read what it says on the depot?
Well, not with my imagination.
Have I ever told you you have the most beautiful imagination?
Well, it's about time you noticed.
Make the train go, Daddy.
Yes, sir!
I'll meet you in Denver when he takes his nap.
I would love to.
I have a weakness for railroad men.
Hello? Yes, this is Mr. Anderson.
It's the Secretary of State.
Good afternoon, sir. Merry Christmas!
That's quite all right.
Where? North Africa?
Yes, yes, I know it is.
I understand.
Well, when would you like me to leave?
Clay, I'm your wife.
At least I'd like to be.
Of course you're my wife.
Now, what kind of a thing is that to say?
I don't share your life.
I exist in a cubbyhole of it.
Half the time I don't even know where you are.
Darling, I am so close now
to... to getting what I want.
What is it you want?
Well, you've heard of the old family disease,
Washington fever.
But if you want Washington,
why are you going to North Africa?
Because reputations can be made in places like North Africa,
and being a troubleshooter is one way
of coming to the attention of the right people.
Darling...
I have got to prove that I stand for something on my own.
That I'm not just another
rich man's son living on dividends.
One of these days,
you're going to be a senator's wife,
and we'll settle down in Washington,
and I'll be around so much that you'll be sick of me.
Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
I hesitated to tell you until I was sure,
but the situation is much more complicated than I thought.
It looks as though I'll be here several more weeks.
Hello?
Darling, I've asked Phil Benton to be extra man tonight.
He'll pick you up around 7:30, okay?
Oh... well, I have a dreadful headache.
I was just about to call and beg off.
I won't hear of it.
I've already asked Phil to take Clay's place.
You can't become a recluse
just because your husband's a traveling man.
Besides, I'm only having 10. You'll throw my seating off.
Wait till you hear. Elsa arranged the blind date.
And who do you suppose it turned out to be?
- That phony prince! - Oh, no!
I can't believe that you didn't hear about it.
Well, I'm beginning to feel like Rip van Winkle.
Oh, darling, you really must keep in touch.
Only bears hibernate, you know.
If I were your husband,
I wouldn't leave you alone so much.
Confirmed bachelors always claim to have 20/20 vision.
Touché.
How about taking in the Rodgers and Hammerstein opening
next Friday?
Can you escape from the Ice Palace?
That's not the question.
Isn't it? Aren't you an escapee tonight?
I don't find that amusing.
I'm sorry. I hoped you would.
I'll try to think of another gambit.
What is it, Holly?
I think if Clay doesn't come back soon,
I'll go out of my mind.
Well, it's your own fault. You stay cooped up too much.
You turned down four parties this week.
I don't like to go without Clay.
Your social obligations don't stop just because he's away.
I miss him so.
Anderson men are ambitious, Holly.
They can't be changed, and they won't be stopped.
Anderson wives must learn to wait.
Anything from Daddy?
Maybe tomorrow.
Oh, Cronyn?
Will you take these up to Mrs. Anderson's room, please?
Yes, madam.
- Good night, baby. - Good night, Mommy.
Down you go.
Hello?
Hello, Phil? It's Holly.
About the play tomorrow night,
is the invitation still open?
The rumba was invented for you.
It suits you much better than the minuet.
Well, the minuet's all right,
but you can't dance it alone.
You have to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
Why, thank you, kind sir.
You make me feel like a woman again.
Darling, no one could possibly miss the fact you're a woman.
Now, there's really a subtle compliment.
- You know, I admire us. - Oh?
No, seriously. We have style.
We dance well. We converse well.
We understand the jokes.
- Even when they're on us? - Especially when they're on us.
We are the greatest couple in the world.
- If not the most modest. - To life.
It's only a bore when you take it seriously.
Well, I'll drink to that!
To six perfect weeks.
To us.
Where've you been?
That's fair enough.
I want to kiss you, but you seem so far away.
It's been such a long time.
Was your trip successful?
Yes, very.
I'm glad.
I've got wonderful news.
I've just been appointed Deputy Undersecretary of State.
It could mean that I'll get that nomination next election.
That's wonderful.
I have to be in Washington in the morning,
and I want you and little Clay there
just as fast as you can get ready.
From now on, we're going to be together.
You know that little house you always wanted?
I'm going to start hunting for it.
Red frame, wasn't it, with pegged floors
- and brick fireplaces? - Clay...
- while you were away... - Darling, let's not look back.
Let's take it from here, huh?
All right.
Oh, I've missed you so.
I've been so lost lately.
I needed to see you,
to be close to you again.
I guess I needed to feel needed.
Don't you ever doubt that you're needed.
I never will again.
Good luck, Senator.
Not so fast, Mother.
Let's not count our constituents before they're hatched.
You've worked hard for that office.
Don't let anything stop you.
I'll do my best. Well, be a good boy, Clay.
I will, Daddy.
A red-frame house in the middle of a friendly block
with good neighbors and lots of children.
I've got the picture.
I've been drowning my sorrows. You're late.
I know.
You are beautiful. All is forgiven.
Clay got back last night.
Oh?
I picked up the phone a dozen times today
to call you...
and hung up again.
- Did you? - Phil...
That's quite a dress, darling. Wonderful for your figure.
It didn't seem fair to say it on the phone.
Well, I hope you're not going to say anything I might regret.
Here, I'll fix you a drink.
No. No, thanks.
We don't seem to be our old merry selves tonight.
Maybe a change of locale would cheer us up, huh?
I'm not staying.
I only came to talk to you.
I'm not going to see you anymore.
Well, that's putting it bluntly.
Don't tell me you're afraid of your husband?
I'm in love with my husband.
Are you sure?
You're a real, live human being.
Clay's a blueprint of the Anderson male.
There can never be anyone else for me.
I realize that now.
Well, well, well, what do you know?
We've got a triangle going.
Phil, I don't want to quarrel with you.
We're two adults. We know when something's over.
What happened to the two adults who knew life was for laughs?
I liked their style.
I guess I didn't know as much as I thought I did.
Too bad, isn't it?
You're in love with Clay, and I'm in love with you,
and no one's laughing.
You're not being honest, Phil.
- You don't fall in love. - Who told you?
You did on several occasions.
Did I?
Well, I'm eating my words,
and there's a damn bitter taste in my mouth!
- Please, Phil... - I'm sorry, but this isn't my year
for bowing out gracefully.
Look, it's over.
It should never have started, and it's over.
There's nothing more to say.
The hell there isn't!
- I've never felt so unloved. - Let me go.
- I am in love with you. - If you don't let me go...
Please don't leave me!
I could never leave you.
I'm sorry.
The music plays for us, and the champagne sparkles.
Don't write that off.
Phil... I'm going.
Why, you contemptible, rotten...
Contemptible, rotten what?
Never end on a dangling insult.
Please, let me go!
If you promise not to leave.
Holly!
Operator.
I want to make a person-to-person call
to Washington, DC.
The party you're trying to reach?
Mr. Clayton Anderson,
Lincoln 72791.
90199
and tell them Mrs. Anderson is calling.
Well, when do they expect him in?
Operator...
Operator, tell them to have him call the moment he comes in.
It's terribly important.
Thank you.
Estelle, a terrible thing has happened!
So you killed your lover, my girl?
Oh, no! No, no, no! It was an accident!
I knew what you were the moment I laid eyes on you.
Please, listen to me...
Your scarf was brought back by a detective.
- Fortunately, he worked for me. - Worked?
I had you followed to protect my son against just this moment.
You don't mean that. You can't mean that.
Let me tell you how it happened.
- I don't care how it happened. - Estelle!
Oh, there's no further need for pretense.
I blame myself.
You've been an embarrassment
from the day you entered this house!
- But how? Tell me how. - To what purpose?
You can't help what you are any more than you can help
what you aren't.
You've always been in over your head.
You couldn't cope, just as you can't cope now.
You're still a little shopgirl from San Francisco.
You should've stayed on the other side of the counter.
- Where are you going? - To call the police.
My detective has already called the police.
It was careless of you to leave this.
It could so easily turn into a noose.
In the name of God, Estelle!
It'll be an unsavory trial.
Philip Benton had quite a reputation
among the... bedroom set.
But I was never going to see Phil again.
I only went to his apartment to tell him.
I swear it's the truth. Please believe me!
The prosecution will say you quarreled
- and pushed him to his death. - No!
Even if a clever attorney gets you off,
the mud will cling.
You will never be free of it,
nor will your husband or your son!
I could help you.
Yes.
I have the means at hand.
Why would you want to help me?
To be rid of you.
You'll have to give up my son and grandson for all time.
Do you think I'd do that?
Then stay. Face trial!
I will before I'll leave my husband and child.
If you do, I'll go to court and fight for that boy,
and I'll get him!
You're an unfit mother, guilty of adultery!
No!
No, I'll fight you with every breath in my body
before I'll let you take my child!
You have no child!
You forfeited him when you became involved
with Phil Benton.
Estelle, please.
Please, I'll get on my knees to you.
I'll do anything you ask.
But don't try to take my baby.
You'd rob him of his birthright?
Well, if you won't protect him, I must!
Clay! I have to talk to Clay.
Is he to be sacrificed, too?
Are you bent on dragging both father and son
to destruction with you?
What do you think Clay's future will be
if this scandal ever becomes public?
And even if he chose to sacrifice himself,
do you actually believe there can ever be any happiness
between you two again?
Estelle...
could you really do this terrible thing?
I'm fighting to protect my son and yours.
Time is growing short.
I won't be able to help you once the police get in this.
What do you want?
The death of Holly Anderson.
Hello. Hello, Holly?
Hello, Clay, darling.
I called to tell you we'll be on the yacht all weekend.
We decided to get an early start.
Well, that sounds wonderful.
Clay... you and little Clay
mean more to me than anything in the world.
That's what I wanted to hear from Party Headquarters.
Listen, I was going to phone you anyway.
I've got a surprise. I think I've found the house.
It's red frame, all right, with three brick fireplaces,
and there's a bonus... a secret panel
where they swear Dolley Madison hid the Constitution.
I put a deposit on it this afternoon,
and if you like it, it's yours.
Darling, are you crying?
I know it's silly. It's just that I'm so happy.
But I've waited so long to be with you.
The house sounds heavenly.
Are there neighbors with children?
Children? Why, they run in packs.
Perfect.
If anything should happen,
if I should get carried away by Indians
or trampled on by wild elephants,
if anything should happen that I didn't get to Washington,
please take Clay to live in that little house...
to grow up on that lovely street with other children.
Well, don't get in the way of any wild elephants.
Remember, you've got a very lonely husband
waiting in Washington.
Darling...
I've never been wise enough or good enough...
but I've never loved anyone else.
I never will.
Here's your mother. Clay's found a house.
Hello, dear.
Hello, Mother. How are you feeling?
I'm fine, thank you,
but let's not waste time on the telephone.
Captain McCauley is waiting for us.
Hey, wait till you hear about the house I found.
You can tell us all about the house when we get back.
Put her back on, will you, Mother?
All right, but don't go on and on, now.
Don't worry, Mother, I'll make it short.
Holly?
Hello?
Honey, this time next week, you'll be here,
and it'll all be behind us.
Yes...
it will all be behind us.
Goodbye, dear.
Goodbye, Clay.
Goodbye, my darling.
Your passport.
Elizabeth Miller, citizen of Switzerland.
Country of birth, United States of America.
I've listed you on all papers as unmarried.
I thought it would make things less complicated for you.
Did you?
Your birth certificate, and enough money to carry you
through till you get to Switzerland.
An account has been opened in the name of Elizabeth Miller
at the International Bank of Geneva.
As soon as you're ashore, go there
and get your signature on record.
The sum on deposit will be duplicated every January.
In the event of my death, my executors
have been instructed to continue the deposit annually
as long as you live.
Have you any questions?
You will be well provided for with the necessities of life.
What do you consider the necessities of life, Estelle?
Hi, Mommy.
Bedtime, Clay.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna catch a fish.
Oh? What kind of fish?
A big fish!
Captain McCauley's going to help me.
How about your prayers?
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep, amen.
If I should die before I wake...
Oh, if I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take, amen.
Are you gonna stay in here?
For a while.
Mommy, what's die?
To die is... to go away.
To go away where?
To another life.
Would you be there?
Someday.
I don't want to die before I wake unless you're there.
But you won't.
What your prayer means is,
"Dear Lord, keep me safe till morning."
I want it to be morning now.
I don't like the night! I'm scared!
No, darling, no.
I miss you.
But I'm here.
I miss you! I miss you!
I'm right here. I'll stay with you.
Until I wake?
Until you sleep.
Oh, my baby.
Mommy, what's die?
To die is to go away.
- To go away where? - To another life.
I've got a surprise. I think I've found the house.
I've never been wise enough or good enough.
A red-frame house in the middle of a friendly block
with good neighbors and lots of children.
Mommy, I miss you.
You've got a very lonely husband waiting in Washington.
I've never loved anyone else, I never will.
You've got a very lonely husband waiting in Washington.
Clay!
Oh, my baby! My baby!
Clay Jr. Mommy! Where are you, Mommy?
Mommy, Mommy, don't leave me, Mommy.
Please, I'm scared.
Mommy, where are you? I miss you!
Herr Torben, come in. Come in.
You have been very ill.
My name is Christian Torben.
And this is Nurse Riborg.
Herr Torben carried you from the road
by the canal on Christmas Eve.
I don't thank you for it.
I don't ask you to.
All to be faced again.
Nothing changed.
Your family must be very anxious.
Where can I reach them?
I have no one. No one at all.
You have now.
There is an old Chinese adage.
When you save a life, it belongs to you.
I'm a very Oriental Dane.
The doctor says absolute rest.
If you get up too soon after pneumonia,
you will only make yourself sick again.
You are welcome here. Rest and grow strong.
You're in kind hands.
Herr Torben, our patient thinks she's ready to go home.
Dr. Valdimar says not for a long time yet.
There, what did I tell you?
Not another word about leaving.
You've been so kind already.
It's my pleasure.
The garden becomes you.
A garden becomes everyone.
This time last year, I didn't even know you existed.
And now I can't even imagine my garden without you.
There's such peace and serenity here.
I feel renewed.
It's so beautiful.
It's never been so beautiful before.
My father used to say to me,
"This is my kingdom, and now it is yours.
The North Sea, the forests, the islands of Denmark.
This is where you will always return.
This is home."
This is home.
What a wonderful kingdom he gave you.
And someday, all this will be for my son.
Of course,
first I must find a wife.
But I'm never in one place long enough.
I'm on tour most of the time.
I must marry a woman with the heart of a gypsy.
She's not easily found.
Love is not easily found.
But I'm sure you'll find it.
I hope you're right.
When Dr. Valdimar phoned me at rehearsal,
I didn't believe it, but it's true?
Dr. Valdimar pronounced me cured.
Dr. Valdimar is a quack. Pay no attention to him.
Come on, unpack.
He says I'm as good as new.
Did you ever hear such nonsense?
You've barely begun to convalesce.
Unpack, I say, unpack!
I'm well, Christian. It's time I left.
More than time. You know that as well as I.
No, I don't.
Why do you say these things on rehearsal day?
I'm not supposed to be upset. It makes my hands shake.
You want to make my hands shake?
How will I ever find the words to thank you?
Stop saying goodbye!
I won't let you go from me.
But I have to.
Help me. Please, help me.
Help you leave me? Never.
If you go, I'll throw myself into the canal.
Live with that on your conscience.
Please be serious.
All right, I will. I've longed for you.
I've searched for you. I've dreamed of you.
- Don't, Christian, don't! - You've asked me to be serious.
I honor that request. I welcome it!
You don't know where I came from
or why I wanted to die.
You never once asked.
I never will.
My concert tour starts next Monday.
Come with me. Please, come with me.
I couldn't bring you happiness as much as I would want to,
as much as I owe you.
You owe me nothing.
Kaereste... don't go from me.
Do you think I want to?
Christian...
I'm known as Christian the Determined.
You shall not leave me.
In an hour, I must be onstage. Will I be tied by then?
I'm not sure.
If a man has trouble tying it frontwards,
how can a woman be expected to tie it backwards?
Don't move your neck!
I adore you!
- A likely story. - I'm mad about you!
Talk, just talk.
Anything in the world I'd do for you!
Will you tie your own tie?
Put on that basis, I can hardly refuse.
How did the concert go tonight?
I didn't listen. I was thinking of you.
Kaereste, I made myself a vow never to question you.
There is something I must ask.
I'll tell you anything I can.
Whom do I ask for the honor of your hand in marriage?
Kaereste...
what is it?
Oh, Christian, forgive me.
I couldn't face the emptiness.
I was so terribly alone.
But I never meant to hurt you.
Darling, I don't ask that you love me.
I ask to love you and care for you.
All these weeks I've been trying to believe
what I wanted to believe...
that I could live with you
as though none of the past had happened.
I don't give a damn about the past!
The world begins with you and me!
Nothing begins with you and me.
I can't marry you, Christian. I can't marry anyone.
All right.
You've turned me down tonight. We'll drink to tomorrow.
Didn't I tell you?
I'm known as Christian the Determined.
Kaereste? Shall I order breakfast?
Kaereste?
Christian, my beloved,
you are a man of warmth and kindness
with a great capacity for love.
I wish for you all the good things
you could never find with me,
the wife with the heart of a gypsy,
a son to carry on your name.
Look to the living for love. I am not alive.
I only exist.
Goodbye, Christian.
Thank you for the memories I take with me.
♪ Be it ever so humble ♪
♪ There's no place like home ♪
Trouble?
You wouldn't happen to have a couple of aspirin, would you?
Ma'am, I always keep my aspirin close to my hangover.
Thanks, friend.
Look, maybe you do not understand me.
I'm a poor man. I have many expenses.
I have a big family to support.
Appreciate it very much.
What's the date, Don Quixote?
The date is December 24th,
and this bill is two months old!
Look, I'll be in funds January 1st,
and the bill will be paid in full.
Okay, January 1st,
but if I do not get my money January 1st, I go to the police.
You can go anyplace you want with my compliments.
Merry Christmas!
What you need is a hair of the dog.
Come on, I got a bottle.
Friend, you are a friend.
♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪
♪ Fa la la la la, la la la la ♪
♪ 'Tis the season to be jolly ♪
Hey! Let's get a Christmas tree.
Oh... I had a beautiful tree once.
Do you know the difference between a Swiss angel
and a German angel?
I'm afraid my acquaintanceship with angels is very limited.
This is one hell of a place to spend Christmas.
Most places are.
This is the worst.
This is the cesspool of the world.
Say, that's a real bon mot.
You're Suzy Somebody, ain't you?
You bet your brass I'm Suzy Somebody.
I've come a long way down.
From princess or duchess, maybe?
I lived in a house as big as Buckingham Palace.
Oh, it's been in my husband's family for years.
Where was this wigwam?
Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Oh!
You worked Fairfield County, did you?
Worked nothing. I was lady of the house.
Sure, you were.
I had the golden spoon on a silver platter.
A butler to open the door, a maid to draw the bath,
a chef, chauffeur...
Thousand apologies, there, Duchess.
You know, you're disguised so perfect,
I didn't realize you were just down here slumming.
"Would you prefer the Rolls
or the Mercedes this morning, Mrs. Anderson?"
"Shall I lay out the sable or the ermine?"
"Will you be using the yacht this weekend, Mrs. Anderson?"
My baby.
My little boy.
My darling, darling, darling...
Now, wait a minute.
Don't... don't start on a crying jag.
Sorry.
You had a kid, did you?
- Legitimate? - Not a kid.
A prince.
A squab to be raised under glass.
I wonder if the old lady ever made him to her liking.
How do you get 100% Anderson out of...
50% Parker?
Were you the 50% Parker?
What's it to you?
Just friendly curiosity.
I, my friend, am very drunk.
With any luck at all, very soon,
I'm gonna be a lot drunker.
Now then, girl.
Take this over to the Western Union office right away,
and I'll give you a half a peso.
Not so fast,señor.
You'll be paid after you bring me back the receipt.
Half a peso on delivery of the receipt.
You have said it yourself, señor.
Morning, Duchess.
It isn't morning, it's afternoon.
And it wouldn't be a good morning if it were morning.
So the less said about it, the better.
How about some ham and eggs?
Are you deliberately trying to be offensive?
No, of course not, Duchess.
I, um...
I hope I didn't talk your ear off last night.
I wouldn't know, I was stoned myself.
Well, with a few drinks, I get a lot of fancy ideas.
I wouldn't want you to take them seriously and be disappointed.
Duchess, all my life I've been reaching for the brass ring,
hoping it's gold,
and I do mean gold.
Well, no matter what I say when I'm drinking,
this is all I am.
It's not much, as you can damn well see.
It happens I like what I see.
What the hell are you doing here?
Just a social visit.
These are not visiting hours.
All right, in that case,
I'm going to leave my present and go.
Merry Christmas.
♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪
♪ Fa da da da dee da dum da dum ♪
Absinthe.
That's what you really go for, isn't it?
Absinthe is hard to get and expensive.
What are the hidden costs?
I just want you to listen to a little business proposition.
I could use a woman like you in my line of work.
What line of work is that, Mr. Sullivan?
Investments, business counsel, that sort of thing.
Here's to my new partner.
To the mud in your eye.
I'm not such bad company.
And you've been going it alone for a long time.
You could use a friend.
God knows I could.
I'll buy you some new clothes,
fix that hair a believable color.
You'll be respectable.
The road between me and respectability
is strewn with broken bottles.
Respectable enough for my purposes.
A shill?
A front.
A spade's a spade.
We can get a plane out of here tomorrow.
Well, I can't leave until my funds come.
Have them forward them to you in New York.
New York?
Yes, I have good connections there,
and it's a good place to pick up a wardrobe.
New York.
I've already paid your hotel bill here.
You take a lot for granted.
I just don't take no for an answer.
All right, I'll go a few rounds with you.
But I warn you, if you're thinking
of playing against me, think again.
What makes you so suspicious?
Experience, friend.
Everything's fine, fine. I like your hair.
I'm beat.
I haven't worked so hard on myself for years.
I couldn't locate any absinthe.
You'll have to settle for a whiskey.
I'd settle for denatured alcohol.
Take it easy, honey, I've got a friend coming up.
Weren't there any New York papers today?
I thought you might want to see some Connecticut ones.
Why?
Auld lang syne.
I've never been to Connecticut.
Governor Clayton Anderson is in New York,
and so's your kid.
I have no kid.
You told me you did. Well, I was drunk.
Keep drinking, honey.
I like you better drunk than sober.
I like the world better drunk than sober.
I can forget that it's filled with vermin.
Harry, only one witness actually
saw her fall overboard, the mother-in-law.
And she could have had her own reasons for saying so.
The crew searched the waters for 48 hours,
so did the Coast Guard.
That's right. They never found the body.
If she didn't drown, where was she?
Someone must have picked her up.
Holly Anderson was front-page news.
It would have been reported.
No, no, not if her disappearance was planned.
Harry, those clippings you dug up nailed her.
Everything ties in.
Governor Anderson's all but got
the presidential nomination in his hip pocket.
He can't afford a scandal.
I told you I'd struck oil.
It'll take careful handling.
The governor won't be easy to get to.
That's why I came to you. Here's the duchess.
Duchess, I want you to meet my friend, Mr. Carter.
How do you do?
It's nice to meet you.
Danny, I'm all fuddled tonight.
I forgot what I'm supposed to say about falling overboard.
Did you fall overboard?
Well, how did you tell me to say it happened?
I didn't tell you to say it happened.
But you did, Danny. Don't you remember?
I didn't tell you to say anything.
Don't you try to get cute with me.
Well, shouldn't I have asked it in front of Mr. Carter?
You wouldn't try to con an old pal, would you, Danny?
Don't pay any attention to her. She's tanked.
But I'm trying, Danny.
I need a little time to get it down pat.
- Rotten, lying... - Now, wait a minute.
Are you Holly Parker Anderson?
What do you want me to say, Danny?
The truth. Tell him who you are.
Betty Miller. You drunken rip!
Listen, scavenger.
I crawl in the same gutter, but I'm not a beast of prey.
Look at me. Look at me!
Do you think I could get in the back door of a decent house?
He thought he could put me in respectable clothes
and I'd pull it off, but I couldn't even fool you!
You liar!
Grave-picker!
Danny, I think I'll pass.
Listen, I'm cutting you in on a good thing, Harry.
Thanks for the thought.
You know, you're buying a snow job.
No, just not buying. See you, Danny.
I got a winner! I got a winner this time!
You slut! You're Holly Anderson!
Shut up.
Shut up!
The brass ring again, eh, Danny?
How could you possibly think
I was anything but the brass ring?
You're Holly Anderson.
Why, you poor, pathetic garbage collector.
You're a bigger loser than I am.
Maybe Governor Anderson won't agree with you.
You won't get near Governor Anderson.
All right, then I'll have a little talk
with Junior Anderson.
He's not hard to get to.
Would you want me to go with you?
You wouldn't go.
You can't make a sale without showing your merchandise.
And this merchandise wants a 50/50 cut.
Just you and me, no outsiders.
So that's it.
That's it, Danny. Half the pie.
All right.
Get your coat.
Yes, Danny.
When I walked in, there she was with the stiff.
"Get the police," she said. "I killed a man."
Okay, son, okay. Thank you. Thank you very much.
We'll let you know when we need you.
My guess is he's been dead two hours.
We'll know better when the coroner gets here.
You gonna tell us your name, lady?
Come on, lady. Now let's have that name, huh?
You find anything might tell us who she is?
Nothing, best I can turn up is an empty picture frame.
Something was burned in this basket.
Looks like a passport folder.
Blood pressure, low. No reaction to pain.
Doesn't respond to oral command.
Give her 10 milligrams of Nalline.
If she doesn't come around in 15 minutes, we'll try another five.
Well?
I think I'll send her over to Psycho for observation.
No.
I killed him.
I'll sign a confession.
I want to sign a confession.
Dr. Evans, will you witness this signature, please?
Good morning.
I've been appointed by the court to defend you.
I can understand that you'd like someone older...
more experienced.
It isn't over.
There has to be a trial in the interests of justice.
I'm here to help you.
No one's heard your side of it yet.
Your life is at stake.
Please, let me do something for you.
Please...
tell me how it happened.
Please, let me help you.
I guess that'll be all for today.
You might as well have stayed in New York this weekend
for all the company you've been.
I've never been so conscious of my monumental lack of knowledge.
Criminal law.
Whatever possessed an Anderson to take up criminal law?
Probably his 50% Parker, Grandma.
Probably.
You two night owls still at it?
How did the meeting go, Dad? Very promising.
Joe thinks we have enough pledges
- to swing the nomination. - That's great!
I knew I would dance at my son's inauguration ball.
Now, now, it's all just straws in the wind
until the convention.
Many come, but two are chosen.
Don't be negative.
I'm ordering my inaugural gown in the morning.
Well, did you meet the mysterious Madame X?
Yeah.
Dad, she breaks your heart.
She's just completely withdrawn, waiting to die.
She doesn't even want a defense.
Clay, I realize how important your first case is,
but no one expects you to win it, you know?
Maybe not, but I've got to try.
You're the best lawyer I know. What would you do?
How would you defend her?
Well, I'm only a corporation lawyer,
but it seems to me I remember an old professor of mine
at Harvard, he used to say
that a best defense is a good offense.
Now, Sullivan's got a record a mile long, hasn't he?
He sure has, grand larceny, procuring, blackmail.
Try him on that record.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
this poor woman did not sin.
She was sinned against.
Try Dan Sullivan for his own murder?
Exactly.
The prosecution on behalf of the People
of the State of New York charges the defendant
with murder in the first degree
and asks that the penalty be fixed at death.
How does the defense plead?
The defense pleads not guilty, Your Honor.
The defense will show that the defendant
was not responsible at the time of the crime
and that the so-called confession
was obtained under duress.
Prosecution may present its case.
Is this the gun?
It is.
Had the gun been discharged?
Yes, three bullets had been fired.
No further questions.
Cross-examine.
Did you speak to the defendant when you found her?
Yes, I asked her name.
What was her answer?
She didn't answer.
Now, according to the report you filed,
you addressed several questions to her.
Did she answer any of them? No.
Did she look at you when you spoke to her?
No, she just sat there and stared out.
In other words, the defendant appeared to be
in a state of shock.
Objection, defense counsel is asking the witness
for a medical opinion.
Well, Your Honor, I think we can presume
that a police officer is experienced enough
- to recognize a state of shock. - Objection overruled.
Did the defendant appear to be in a state of shock?
Yes, she did.
Now, will you tell the court the defendant's words
when you entered the room?
She said, "Get the police. I've killed a man."
Did you see the gun?
Yes, she was holding it.
Mr. Lopez, did you see the defendant kill Dan Sullivan?
Point the gun, pull the trigger?
No, he was already dead.
Thank you. No further questions.
Will you read the court the criminal record
of Daniel M. Sullivan?
Objection!
The record of the deceased
is irrelevant and immaterial to this case.
Your Honor, the defense respectfully contends
that the character of the deceased
had a direct bearing on his death.
I'm going to allow the witness the answer.
In 1954, Sullivan served three months for petty larceny.
In 1955, he was convicted of extortion
on charges of a Mrs. Arthur Golden,
paid a $1,000 fine.
In 1957, Sullivan was convicted of procuring
and served a year in state prison.
In 1960, three years for violation
of the Federal Narcotics Law.
In 1963, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest
on another extortion charge
by a Miss Frances Elliott, age 63.
But he got across the border to Mexico
before he could be apprehended.
Were there any other blackmail charges
- brought against Sullivan? - Yes, four times,
extortion charges were brought and dropped
when the claimants refused to sign.
Your Honor, I must protest.
If the charges weren't substantiated,
surely they're not admissible as evidence.
Your Honor, victims of blackmail
are rarely willing to sign complaints.
Objection sustained, the answer is stricken.
The jury is instructed not to consider
the last question and answer in their deliberations.
Sergeant Riley, based solely on convictions,
Daniel M. Sullivan's crimes
were mainly directed against women, weren't they?
Yes.
No further questions.
Doctor, would you describe absinthe to the court?
Absinthe is a green toxic liqueur,
between 70 and 80 proof,
distilled from wormwood and aromatics.
Is absinthe procurable in this country?
Not legally.
Well, is absinthe legally procurable
- anyplace in the world? - Not to my knowledge.
Why not?
Well, absinthe produces a degenerative effect
upon the system.
It attacks the digestive organs and nerve centers.
It can induce delirium and has been known to destroy sanity.
Doctor, is the defendant addicted to absinthe?
She is.
No further questions.
Cross-examine.
Dr. Evans,
did you examine the defendant when she was arrested?
Yes.
Did you request a psychiatric examination?
I considered it. Did you request it?
No.
Then we must assume that you considered the defendant
legally sane.
No further questions.
Dr. Evans, what does the term "legally sane" mean?
Well, that the defendant understands
the nature of his act and its probable consequences.
Well, would it be possible for an individual
to be legally sane, but medically insane?
Tragically so.
Now, when you allowed the defendant
to face trial, did you consider her medically sane?
Objection!
The medical sanity of the defendant
has no bearing on this case.
The Penal Code of the State of New York plainly states...
Address your remarks to the bench.
But, Your Honor,
the medical sanity of the defendant
is not the consideration of this court.
Overruled, Mr. Spalding.
Did you consider the defendant medically sane?
- No. - Thank you. No further questions.
Are you a doctor of psychiatry?
No.
Would you feel yourself qualified
to pass on the sanity of the accused?
Objection!
The prosecution is attempting to impeach its own witness.
You can't play both sides of the street...
Stop it!
Stop it. I can't bear anymore.
How long must I wait?
Order, or I will have the court cleared!
How long must I wait?
Counselor, please ask your client
to try to compose herself.
Take my life!
The sooner the better, but take it!
Court will recess until 2:00.
How is she?
Well, I've given her an injection,
but it's like trying to hold on to a wraith.
May I talk with her?
Only for a moment.
She's worn out in spirit as well as body.
She can't endure much more.
There's only a little time left.
We still have a chance,
but you've got to tell me what happened.
You've got to give me something to fight with.
Help me before it's too late. Please, help me.
I'm sorry, sir, would you mind using the main entrance?
Now, you've seen the murder weapon,
and you've heard the defendant's admission of guilt
to the hotel employee, Manuel Lopez,
and to Detective Combs,
and you've seen the confession signed by the defendant, "X."
I solemnly charge you,
do not be tricked into sympathy for her.
She is a murderess.
She has broken the law of God and man.
She must pay for her crime.
Now, the defense attorney would persuade you
to convict Dan Sullivan of his own murder.
He'd have you believe that the deed of Madame X
was justified because Dan Sullivan
was a disreputable man.
Disreputable or not,
I would wish for Dan Sullivan
what can never be his...
a fair and honest trial before a jury of his peers.
Madame "X" appointed herself his judge
and his executioner.
Now the defense attorney comes before us
on his first case, young and eager,
the son of a brilliant and famous father.
And I'm sure Governor Anderson is proud
of the resourceful fight that Clayton Anderson Jr.
has waged in this courtroom.
However, admiration for the young man
or sympathy for his client must not sway you.
I charge you to uphold the law
and to punish its violators.
Madame "X" is a murderess. She's taken a life.
And on behalf of the people,
I must demand her life in return.
Mr. Anderson, are you ready to make your concluding statement?
Wait.
There's something I want to say.
You're out of order.
If you wish to make a statement, you must be sworn in
- and take the stand. - Yes.
No, Madame, n... Your Honor, may I have a recess
to talk with my client?
It'll be all right. Don't worry.
No, you're not prepared as a witness.
I know exactly what I want to say.
Raise your right hand.
Place your left hand on the Bible.
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony
you are about to give before this court is the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- I do. - Please be seated.
Madame, do you want to tell us what happened?
Madame.
You're a child,
fighting alone in a terrible darkness.
I would have left this earth without explanation,
but you...
you alone have made it impossible.
Over and over,
he begged me to tell what happened,
and I never did.
I let him stand up here in front of you
without a weapon in his hand.
Life had long ceased to have meaning for me.
And I didn't think...
or care what I was doing to him.
Forgive me.
I'm not dead after all.
The dead don't weep...
or feel such pain.
Oh, child, don't fight any longer.
I killed Dan Sullivan.
He fished me out of the sewers of Mexico.
He bought me dirt cheap...
a couple of aspirin, a few bottles of whiskey.
And I killed him.
Why did you kill him?
He found out I once had a son,
a family...
a respectable family...
and a fine son.
They thought I was dead more than 20 years.
And Sullivan was going to tell my child
that I was alive and what I'd become.
I don't have much to leave my son.
Only a lie
that his mother was clean and good.
Why did you leave your family?
I wasn't suitable.
I really wasn't.
I wonder why it took me so long to see it.
I killed Dan Sullivan
to keep my son from knowing about me.
I'm not sorry.
And if time were turned back...
I'd kill him again.
That's the truth, child.
The truth.
These are the most important words I may ever have to say.
And this is the most important decision
you may ever have to make.
I stand between a woman and death.
And you stand here with me.
There was a speech I was going to make,
but I can't make it now,
not after those simple, heartbreaking words of hers.
Mr. Spalding has cautioned you not to try
Dan Sullivan for his own murder.
Well, how can you do otherwise?
He'd be alive if it weren't for his own evil greed.
His sins finally caught up with him,
and he reaped the whirlwind.
The prosecution accuses my client
of breaking the law of God
or did before he heard her story.
Perhaps he wouldn't charge that now.
For does the lioness lose favor with God
when she fights for her cubs?
Does the mother bear
who kills at the mouth of the cave?
In all creation is there the female of the species
who will not sacrifice her own life
to protect the life she has conceived?
Dark and terrible years lie between this woman and her son,
but she protects him, even now, with her life.
Her son...
will never know how deeply he is loved.
She thinks he would be ashamed of her.
I think he would kneel
and hold her to his heart.
The prosecution...
asks for justice.
I would remind him and you
of the towering words of Sophocles.
"There is a point
at which even justice is unjust."
Justice must be fair.
It must be merciful.
It must be understanding.
My client doesn't ask for her life.
She's ready to die, knowing her son to be safe.
I ask it.
I give this woman's life into your hands.
And I beg you to return it to her.
Ladies and gentlemen, you have heard the evidence.
You will retire to deliberate your verdict.
Matron!
I must see her.
I can't tell you how important it is.
I'll see what I can do, Governor.
I'm beyond reason.
Holly drowned. How can she still be alive?
May we be alone?
We'll wait outside.
You must be very quiet.
I know.
We're going to win. Don't worry.
Did you do well in school?
Middling well.
I haven't heard that expression since my father died.
Where do you live?
In New York.
Alone?
In a one-room apartment.
Let your son know that you're alive.
Give him a chance to love you.
Do you have a girl?
Yes. We're going to be married soon.
You love her very much?
Very much.
The moments of love are the only ones that matter.
The moments of love illuminate...
and are gone.
Treasure them.
And when you're married, live alone.
Oh, it's so important to live alone.
And when you have a child... get a little house.
A red-frame house...
on a friendly street
with good neighbors...
and lots of children.
Did you have a house like that?
Almost.
I was once almost a rich...
rich woman.
Please let me call your son.
No.
But if I were your son, I'd want to know.
Don't make decisions for him.
It's the only prerogative...
of motherhood I still possess.
He is free... of my sins.
Your son should be here.
You're here.
Yes.
Today, I've had a son.
And, oh...
what a joy.
Dr. Evans! Dr. Evans!
The jury is ready to come back.
You'll be needed in there.
You're going to win this case, son.
I'm sure you're going to win it.
It doesn't matter now.
Yes, it does.
More than you'll ever realize.
I don't know why, but I loved her.
From the moment I saw her, I loved her.
I know.