Monday, November 05, 2007

"This, too, shall pass" from my best friends wedding

A stirring scene from the movie "My best friends wedding", starring Julia Roberts. One of my favorite shot and I call it the "This, too, shall pass" shot.

I found these dialogs really interesting:
1. "See, I'm a dangerous, criminal person. I do bad things to honest people. This, see, this smoking? Tip of the iceberg."
2. " Make a citizen's arrest, I won't struggle. It'll be like getting Al Capone on tax evasion."
3. "This, too, shall pass"

This is the sequence where Julianne (Julia Roberts) has tried her best to break Micheal's marriage (her best friend), and realizes that in this process she has got Micheal into trouble.

---------
Micheal:   Please?

She nods, stumbles out of her room, closing the door behind her.
Now she's in the empty corridor, clutching her big jumbled bag,
sinking down to sit on the carpet, her back against the door.

She doesn't look elated. She seems frightened, distraught, and
most of all, confused. Because she can't understand why. She digs
absently through her bag. Cigarettes. Box of matches.

She lights up. Draws deeply. Somehow, she seems near tears, and
laughs bitterly at that. Shakes her head at how fucked-up she finds
herself. Squeaking wheels approach, but she is too lost to hear them.

BELLMAN
Miss, are you locked out,
or something?

She looks up. A small, wiry man of nearly 60, in a slightly faded
but neatly-kept uniform. On his cart, a ton of bags.

JULIANNE
No, I just stepped out, because...
it's a non-smoking room.

And inhales deeply. Leans back against the door, to look up at him
more comfortably.

BELLMAN
(politely)
Well, it's non-smoking floor,
too. Maybe you could go to the...

JULIANNE
(seriously)
Why don't you have me arrested?

That wasn't sarcastic. He doesn't know what to say.

JULIANNE
I mean that. Arrested, convicted,
put in solitary.

Another puff.

JULIANNE
See, I'm a dangerous, criminal
person. I do bad things to
honest people. This, see, this
smoking? Tip of the iceberg.

Waves her hand.

JULIANNE
Make a citizen's arrest, I won't
struggle. It'll be like getting
Al Capone on tax evasion.

Now she seems angry. But not at him. Her eyes fill with tears.

BELLMAN
Can I... Can I help you, miss?

She squints at his nameplate.

JULIANNE
Do you smoke, Richard?

BELLMAN
Yes, ma'am, I do, but it's...

JULIANNE
... a non-smoking floor, yeah.
Well, you know what?

And she takes the cigarette from her lips. Turns it around, holds
it out to him. Go ahead. He doesn't move. Please! And so...

... he reaches down, takes the cigarette from her hand. Staring in
her eyes, he takes a deep drag. Savors an expert nostril-inhale of
his exhaled smoke. Hands the cigarette back to her...

BELLMAN
My grandmother always said,
"This, too, shall pass."

She swallows. Wipes at her eyes. Finds a smile.

JULIANNE
Thanks, Richard. If you weren't
on duty, I'd buy you a drink.

He just nods. She waves. He waves back, pushes his cart down the
--------
hall.

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