Voila! Finally, the Flirting
script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie starring young Nicole Kidman,
Thandie Newton, and Noah Taylor. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly
transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Flirting. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally
tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to
drop me a line. You won't
hurt my feelings. Honest.
I remember the smells most.
Stale lockers with fruitcakes
rotting into the wood.
Crusty shoe polish.
Damp towels.
Quink ink for fountain pens.
Disinfectant on the floors
of the shower block.
Fresh chalk.
Moldy oranges blue with mildew.
And on a rainy day...
the deep, rank, wild smell
of discarded football boots.
And I remember pain.
But...only vaguely.
I had a thick hide by then.
They'd sent me
to boarding school...
so I wouldn't become
a delinquent.
Don't wet yourself, Embling.
-For some reason...
-Next.
this caused the letters ''H''
as in Heaven...
-and ''W'' as in--
-Psychopath.
And ''W'' as in women
to sometimes be unsayable.
Bend over.
Next.
Take a look at Backa's,
will you?
What about Embling?
Show us your stripes, Embling.
He's probably bawling.
-What about Desert Head?
-Keep it quiet.
Where's your camera?
Come on. Fair go.
-Take one.
-Don't piss around.
-Chrome dome.
-Get out!
If I hear anything more,
it'll be six for the lot of you.
One thing
about boarding school...
twenty-four hours a day,
you were surrounded.
Bird.
Either you abandoned yourself
and became a herd animal...
or you dug a cave
deep into your head...
and skulked inside...
peering through
your eye sockets.
At the source of major
solace and inspiration...
our sister seat of learning...
Cirencester Ladies College.
The two schools stared across
the lake at each other...
like brooding volcanoes.
When I was asleep...
I used to leave my body...
and drift the cold currents
to the Cirencester grounds...
where I hovered
like a dark angel.
Anyone got a banana?
Jock.
How's it going?
Good.
We'll run all over them
in the second half.
Will you be around after?
Probably.
See you then.
Send him to the knackery.
Bandits at seven o'clock.
-How about those two?
-A bit young.
-They're our age.
-Like I said, a bit young.
I go for the mature male.
When the devil rings a bell...
all the cat-eyes go to hell.
Yeah!
We need another stretcher.
-Good match?
-Yeah.
Three badly injured so far.
You don't sound very patriotic.
No, I'm not.
Aren't you interested
in football?
Only from
an anthropological viewpoint.
What are you talking about?
It's a form of mating ritual.
What?
That's why you're here,
isn't it?
You're deranged.
You're incredibly rude,
did you know that?
That's why
I haven't got friends.
-I'm not surprised.
-I take pity on him.
I'd say it's wasted.
Come on.
Brilliant.
From Greenland's icy mountains
From India's coral strand
Where Africa's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand
From many an ancient river
From many a balmy plain
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's shame
United States Marines...
began landing yesterday
north of Da Nang...
to take up security duties
around the large jet airfield.
They are the first
U.S. ground combat troops...
-Excuse me.
-Do you mind?
There are other things
going on in the world...
besides skinny rock 'n' roll
singers jumping around.
Yes, of course.
Little Miss Sophistication
can tell us all about it.
It might actually concern you.
I doubt if it'll concern you.
They're certainly not
going to mention Uganda.
I never heard it mentioned ever.
They're not even
in the Olympic games.
Probably not eligible.
They would be
You bitch!
Sorry. Slipped on a banana.
Do you see what I see?
Australia's answer
to Ursula Andress.
She folds her legs.
In doing so, I glimpse Xanadu.
Good afternoon.
The subject
of today's debate is...
that this house agrees
with Bertrand Russell...
that intellectual pursuits...
are the highest form
of human endeavor.
And it'll be ladies first.
Speaking for the affirmative...
Miss Nicola Radcliffe.
Professor Barbour,
Reverend Nicholson...
members of
the adjudicating panel...
ladies and gentlemen.
And others.
The central thrust
of our argument...
will be that the pleasures
of the intellect...
are of a higher order
altogether...
as opposed to the other
simple pleasures of life.
And, to this end,
we will be citing evidence...
from such
illustrious sources...
as William Shakespeare,
Immanuel Kant...
Alfred, Lord Tennyson...
Bishop Barclay,
Samuel Pepys...
Sir Robert Menzies,
Aristotle...
and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Firstly, to begin
with William Shakespeare...
I'd like to suggest
that rugby football...
is the highest form...
of...
Highest form of...
human endeavor.
How can one go past...
the fluid inspiration
of Jock Blair...
sprinting down the wing
for a brilliant try?
How can one not
be moved to tears...
by the naked courage
of a smaller player...
hurling himself
at a much larger opponent...
bouncing off, but picking
himself up again and again...
in a frenzy
of guts and determination?
Rugby football embodies...
all the noblest virtues...
enshrined
in a school like ours--
teamwork, bravery...
pride, school spirit...
creativity, intelligence...
love of one's fellow man--
surely the virtues...
which distinguish
human beings...
from brute animals.
-The final speaker...
-Good stuff.
for the affirmative side
is Miss Thandiwe Adjewa.
Having listened carefully
to the speakers of both sides...
and wishing to be
totally impartial...
I feel the position...
for which my team
is arguing is untenable...
though not for
the tedious reasons...
given by our opponents...
the last speaker excepted.
My colleagues have quoted...
many poets and philosophers
to support our case...
that intellectual pursuits
are the highest form...
of human endeavor...
but most contemporary artists...
seem more interested
in bodily functions.
For example...
''I don't want you
toast my bread.
''I don't want you make my bed.''
''I don't want your money, too.
''I just want
to make love to you.''
''Tutti frutti, au rutti.''
''A-wop-bop a-loom-op
a-lop bam boom.''
If these philosopher-poets
are any guide...
the so-called animal side
of human beings...
leaves the intellectual side
for dead.
Is this just
a recent development...
or are we only now
becoming mature enough...
to reveal our dirty washing?
Time?
About one minute.
You were not only totally
disloyal to the school...
by deliberately
throwing away the debate...
but you reduced the occasion
to a gutter level.
I can't imagine
that you were encouraged...
to get away with that
at school in England...
but I can certainly guarantee
you won't be given...
the opportunity
to repeat such behavior here.
She didn't mean to be offensive.
She made a mockery
of the whole debate.
If you believe rock 'n' roll
songs are equal to poetry...
then I wonder what they teach
you over there at all.
At any rate,
I shall be speaking...
to the headmistress
in the morning.
She was really
wetting her pants.
I saw you getting blasted.
I wanted to congratulate you.
It was terrific.
I loved your rugby speech.
Are you going
to the boarders' dance?
I'm not sure.
I don't think so.
Aren't fifth formers allowed?
Yeah, but not many go.
I'm not.
They always play terrible music.
Frightful.
Yes. I prefer jazz to rock.
The bus is here, girls.
Hurry up, please.
I might see you there...
at the dance.
Right.
Super.
-What's the time?
- : .
Sir?
-Yes, Bourke?
-It's : sir.
All right.
Those going to the dance
can go and get changed.
Quietly.
Backa, don't do anything
I wouldn't do.
Doesn't leave me
much room to maneuver.
-Who's Embling going with?
-Who'd have him?
Quiet.
Who've you got lined up,
Embling?
Didn't think you'd ever
manage to finish...
asking someone out.
People wonder how Hitler
managed...
to get so many followers?
It's never surprised me.
You're certainly getting around.
Just trying to lead
a balanced life.
-How's the hamstring?
-Good, sir.
Remember you got
a football match tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
Did I not tell you
to get a haircut?
I did, sir.
You're not going to go
looking like this, are you?
Yes, sir.
I beg your pardon?
I could put water on it, sir.
No, you're not going at all.
You didn't get a haircut,
did you?
Yes, sir.
Are you contradicting me?
No, sir.
I just had a trim, sir.
The rest of you can go.
What about
the girl I asked, sir?
You should have
thought of that before.
Report to the prefect's room
and get your hair tidied up...
then you can go back to prep.
But, sir...
You want a thrashing as well?
No, sir.
They're here.
I want to see Nicola Radcliffe.
I'm desperate.
I'm a desperate man!
-Hey, mate. No pushing.
-Stop it.
Stop pushing.
All right, gentlemen.
Back to your desks.
-Oh, sir!
-Fair crack of the whip.
You'll get your go next year.
That's next year, though, sir.
It'll shrivel up and die.
What was that, Green?
I said
we'll die of starvation, sir.
Come on.
Back to your desks.
They're here.
Remember that
you're all young ladies.
The tall one.
The one in the yellow.
We'll see.
-That one's mine.
-In the back?
Handsome, isn't he?
I'm proud of you, girls.
Have a nice night.
What's she like, the boong?
Really stuck-up.
Reckons she knows everything.
Who is she supposed
to be here with?
Some kid called Danny somebody.
-Danny Embling?
-That's right.
Bird Embling?
She won't be doing much dancing.
How's your old man?
It'll be a great match
next week.
Don't you ever think about
anything besides football?
I thought you liked it.
No. Not really.
There's an Abo at the window.
Excuse me, sir.
-Can I go to the toilet, sir?
-Yep.
-Hello.
-Good evening.
What's going on now?
Who's out there?
Me, sir.
I've just been sick, sir.
Are you all right?
I'm not feeling too good, sir.
Pop over and see matron
and get something.
Yes, sir.
Come on, it's clear.
Well done. Where will we go?
Well, if we hang around here,
we'll get caught for sure.
How about your dormitory?
There'll be no one there
for awhile.
It's all right.
Just thinking
of somewhere we can talk.
OK.
-Clear.
-Who'd be around?
Third formers
will be in bed by now.
Elliott will be in his study.
Fourth formers come through
in half an hour.
Why were they making
bird noises at you?
It's an Australian form
of admiration.
-Cigarette?
-No, thanks.
So where you from?
My father's Ugandan.
My mother was from Kenya.
She was half-English.
How come you're here?
Dad's lecturing at university
in Canberra for a year.
I met Sartre.
Really? Where?
Paris.
Who's this?
A friend from home.
Where's that?
Out in the boondocks.
These schools are like prisons,
aren't they?
Yeah. Run by
former Gestapo operatives.
What did you say to Sartre?
I suggested marriage
was a doomed institution.
What did he say?
He agreed most people marry
to please their parents...
or society.
Not keen on marriage yourself?
I see so many terrible ones.
People just stop communicating.
My father and stepmother
are brilliant communicators.
They hardly ever talk
to each other these days...
except in public.
Anyway, I doubt
whether I'll find anyone...
complex enough
to keep me interested.
I lose interest in people.
I imagine they're far more
fascinating than they are...
so I'm always disappointed.
Hard life.
Where's the bathroom?
Let me escort you.
I wonder what would happen
if someone saw us?
First, they'd extract
our fingernails...
sexual organs next.
You sound like
you'd like to watch.
I'll stand guard.
I would have asked
Jean-Paul about anguish.
Seemed like a pretty romantic
concept at the time.
-Where's Desert Head?
-In his office.
Shit!
My watch stopped.
The fourth formers
are coming in for their showers.
Better get out, then.
Can't. They'll see you.
How about the window?
It's too high.
Look, I'm really sorry.
Go and have another look.
Thank you, boys!
We're buggered completely.
Desert Head's out there.
One...two...three...four.
She had a ruby on her tummy
And a diamond big as Texas
On her toe-whoa-whoa
She a put a hat on
And she did
the hootchy-kootchy
Real slow-whoa-whoa
This is romantic.
Sing it again, yes
Did you see
that prefect woman again?
Nicola Radcliffe?
-Incredible legs.
-Great knockers, too.
You wouldn't know
what knockers were.
He's got a good set himself.
Small boys are so charming.
Hurry up, will you?
Who's in there?
Whoever it is
has been there for ages.
Come on, you constipated
or something?
Fucking hell!
I told you before that if you
slide around in your socks...
you'll get splinters.
Now, is there any reason
I shouldn't cane you?
No, sir--Yes, sir.
That was great.
Yeah. Good fun.
I suppose I'd better
get back to the dance...
in case they notice I've gone.
God knows what they'd think
I was up to.
So, when do
we see each other again?
Very soon, hopefully.
I'd like that.
For a kid,
you've got some class.
Gosh.
-Thandiwe!
-Miss Macready.
If she wanted to wee-wee
she would have asked me first.
There's a ladies'
under the stairs...
but I've already checked
in there.
You'll be for it.
Too bad.
I'll expect a letter.
Where have you been?
It was a call of nature,
Miss Macready.
How dare you leave the hall
without telling me!
Do you know the trouble
you've caused?
I don't see
anything to laugh at.
You've put into jeopardy
the whole future of the dances.
It's been a great worry
to us both.
To both of us!
So I hope you're satisfied.
Now, you'll spend the rest
of the evening in the bus...
and I've already told
the prefects...
we're leaving half an hour
earlier because of you.
What did she taste like?
A girl.
Jesus.
Then you didn't actually
get any further?
It's only
our first encounter, Gil.
But she suggested
you go back to the dormitory.
Could well have been
expecting you to make a move.
She's a bit up herself.
So what?
No one's obsessed with
Ursula Andress' personality.
Look, I know body language,
and hers says, ''Give me.''
They can be pretty, you know,
desperate, these black women.
Look at ''National Geographic.''
-Here he is.
-How'd you go, Danny?
-She's not bad.
-Licorice Allsort.
-She the one you invited?
-Yeah.
Good one.
Bloody Embling
brought his woman over...
and had a shower with her.
-Fair dinkum.
-She was nude. Starkers.
Half of fourth form saw her.
What?
-What was he like? Shy?
-Or retarded?
We just talked.
Pretty daft, letting him
take you to his dormitory.
I suggested it.
God, did you sit on his bed?
-Yeah.
-And?
Will you three shut up?
-Get...
-Stuffed.
Well.
It's not just you, Thandiwe.
The whole school suffers.
I'm going to have
to think seriously...
whether I allow
any Cirencester girls...
to attend any future dances.
And you're not just
letting yourself down.
There's your parents,
as well...
and your country.
And so I certainly hope...
I don't have to see you
in my office...
under such circumstances again.
And when you finish that...
you can pick up
all the litter...
in the quadrangle
and the tennis courts.
And if I find
even an icy-pop stick...
you can do them again
next weekend.
There's that guy.
He's very good-looking.
-Pity he's a tradesman.
-I thought you liked him.
-Pardon?
-I've seen you looking at him.
Don't judge people by
your sordid standards, Fiona.
When I started thinking
about Africa...
I realized
the only images I knew...
were from old annuals...
Tarzan comics,
and Hollywood movies.
Cannibals with bones
through their noses...
lions tearing the throats
out of antelopes...
and a lot of
wondrous oozing words...
like Limpopo...
Zambezi...
Mombasa...
Tanganyika.
Embling's got a letter
from his girlfriend.
-Lubra lips.
-Good on you, Bird.
Don't peck her eyes out.
Say please.
-Open it, Fedder.
-Fair go.
Let's see what she's got to say.
Don't be an idiot, Bourke.
''Dear Danny...''
''Signing your letter
with a 'Yours'...
''was a bit demure, wasn't it?''
''I thought after our episode
in the showers...
''I deserved something
a little warmer.''
''I'm told your nickname
is Bird.''
''Well, I like long noses.
''It means
you're well-endowed...''
''with brains, of course.''
People like to have someone
to look down on.
Makes them feel better
about themselves.
No one realized what
a great community service...
I was performing
by being the school dag.
I didn't care.
I'd met this girl.
Come in.
I'd like
to report something, sir.
Something that
I think isn't fair, sir.
Well?
Some of the boys
have been opening letters...
and reading them to everyone.
I see.
A very nice pipe, sir.
Mr. Elliott wants to see Bourke
in his office, sir.
All right, Bourke, off you go.
''Yours faithfully''
was a little bit demure.
It's so funny.
Everyone was rolling around.
Then she said...
''Big noses do mean
you're well-endowed.''
-She's so pretentious.
-Really?
I don't think it's funny
reading people's letters.
No. I had it down.
-OK.
-Try ''Dearest Gilby.''
It's not dearest.
I hardly know him.
-Yet.
-''Dear Gilby.''
-It's not even ''Dear.''
-Looks like a deer.
An old dear. One of
those people who was born old.
-About fifty.
-He's not that bad.
At least
he's brave enough to write.
No accounting for taste.
Lights.
Glad to know your boyfriend's
well-endowed, Adjewa.
Pardon?
Your St. Albans friend.
-God, it stinks.
-Is it moving?
Of course it is.
It's Danish blue.
Excuse me, Miss Macready.
Phone call for Thandiwe--
her father.
Off you go.
Can I go to the toilet,
please, Miss Macready?
You may go to the bathroom,
Melissa, yes.
To whom am I speaking?
Milton Adjewa here.
May I speak
to my daughter, please?
Milton, Thandiwe doesn't
want to speak to you anymore.
-Why?
-Why do you think?
You've been showing her letters
to everyone.
You're an absolute pill.
The letter was stolen.
You should have looked after it.
Thanks.
This year's musical
is called ''Proserpina''...
the dramatic story
of the rape of Persephone...
as she was called
by the Greeks--
a beautiful goddess
who was kidnapped by Pluto...
the God of the Underworld.
Ultimately, it's a tale
of birth, death, and renewal...
embodying the myth
of the origins of the seasons--
spring, summer,
autumn, and winter.
Who's the author, Mrs. Archer?
It's something I wrote myself.
An adaptation from the German.
Some more volunteers.
Nice to have you with us.
I want you to form up in pairs.
I don't think
we're a very good match.
-Have you got anyone?
-No, I suppose not.
Good.
Has anyone not got a partner?
Don't be shy, you two.
-I'm Thandiwe Adjewa.
-Jock Blair.
-Where are you from?
-Uganda.
You speak really good English.
So do you.
Where are you from?
Near Cootamundra.
My father's a grazier.
I wanted to see
four steamrollers...
attached to Jock Blair's
arms and legs...
driving in
opposite directions...
leaving only a twitching torso
flailing blood like a live hose.
And sheep. My father's
a man for all seasons.
And I wanted even worse things
to happen to her.
In the meantime, I'd make her
ferociously jealous...
by pulling off
the seduction of the century...
with Nicola Radcliffe.
What's wrong with you now,
Embling?
He's feeling crook, sir.
Your health's becoming
a constant source of concern.
It's the elephant dick.
It's rank.
It's going to walk out of here.
Shut up, Green.
I think
I'm going to be sick, sir.
Go down and get something
from matron.
I'm feeling
a bit crook myself, sir.
Green...
Sultry.
Smolder.
Good.
I think we should swap partners
in the musical.
Why?
You're writing to him,
aren't you?
Not anymore.
-What happened?
-He showed one of them around.
That wasn't him.
One of the other kids stole it
and read it out aloud.
Challenge one another.
Puss, puss, puss.
I'm just going to feed the cat
and then check up on the girls.
I'll put the kettle on.
Rastus, Rastus.
Shit.
You coming or not?
It's delicious
liver and kidney.
Don't meow, Rastus.
-Quiet!
-It's a man!
Shut up.
It's a St. Albans kid.
I'm stuck.
-Why did you come?
-To see a girl.
Come on.
-Thanks.
-One, two, three.
Someone's coming!
What is going on up there?
What's all this noise?
Come on, what is it?
It was the window,
Miss Macready.
It came down and woke us all up.
We thought it could
be a murderer...
Or a raper.
Rapist.
It's a pity you don't put
that imagination to work...
on your compositions, Jean.
Back to sleep now, girls.
Good night.
Who did you want to see?
Thandiwe Adjewa.
We'll take you.
Come on, Stace.
We'll take you there.
Have a nice time.
You go and wait.
In the bushes.
Your father's on the telephone.
I do karate.
It's me.
Where's Embling?
He had a terrible attack
of the trots, sir.
-Again?
-It's the elephant, sir.
I was in the toilet for an hour.
What are you talking about?
He means the elephant dick, sir.
And...
what is elephant dick, Green?
Meat loaf with
egg in the middle, sir.
I'll see you
in my office after prep.
Yes, sir.
You think it's funny?
No, sir.
I better go.
Probably been missed already.
What will happen?
I'll get caned.
I feel terrible.
I didn't trust you.
I won't let you down again.
I mean it.
Stop it.
Miss Anderson's
asking where you are.
You could be expelled
for being in these grounds.
Well, I'm not actually here.
This is a dream.
Get back to bed before
it turns into a nightmare.
If I do catch you again,
that's it.
Good night, Nicola.
Thandiwe started telling me
about Africa as she knew it.
How her mother was killed in
the Mau-Mau period in Kenya...
how her father wrote books
about African nationalism...
and the problems created...
as the colonial governments
scrambled to get out.
There had been terrible times
the last few years--
the Belgian Congo...
Zanzibar...
Angola, Kenya.
Places I'd barely heard of.
What's happening?
We're just flirting.
Often I never really heard
what she said.
I'd be staring at her legs.
They were very comforting.
Sometimes there would be
little bruises...
or marks around her ankles
from the elastic in her socks.
That's how I knew she was real.
What's happening?
I'm cracking a monstrous fat.
What can you see?
Everything.
Don't cream yourself, Cheddar.
God, there's Nicola Radcliffe.
What is she doing?
Sitting down.
Taking off her shoes...
unfastening her zip.
Would you keep it down?
What's happening now?
God.
Has she taken it all off?
There's Embling's girlfriend.
Not bad.
Great set.
Get a picture.
Don't take a picture, Bourke.
Tasty.
Jesus!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
You want to fight,
do it in the ring with gloves.
Friday, Embling.
You're lucky
Nicholson didn't come down.
You'd both be out of the show
altogether.
Finish getting dressed
and get up onstage.
Feeling OK?
Friday at five.
It was you, was it?
-Who with?
-The ham in the dress.
Don't worry about him.
He's probably a fairy.
Don't turn up on Friday.
To what?
They're supposed
to finish it in the gym.
You're stupid if you do.
He's the top boxer
in the school.
I wondered if my old friend
Jean-Paul Sartre...
would have fought
in a situation like this.
I know Cassius would have.
I liked big Cassius.
I liked his poems.
He wasn't
built like Twiggy, though.
Every morning at the mine
You could see him arrive
He stood ' '', weighed
Kind of broad at the shoulders
And narrow at the hip
Everybody knew
you didn't give no lip
To Big John
Telephone for Embling.
Go west, young man.
Big John
Big John
Big Bad John
If you go ahead with this...
I won't have any respect
for your intelligence at all.
Don't worry.
I'll see you on the weekend.
Good night.
In the red corner...
weighing in at pounds...
Barry ''Backa'' Bourke.
Where is Bird?
He's probably chickened out.
No. Here he is.
Weighing in at / ounces...
the flea-weight champion
of the world...
Danny ''Poofter'' Embling.
Shut up.
Come on. There's only
half an hour till tea.
Embling will fall in one.
-You all right?
-Yeah.
-Shake hands.
-Good luck.
Back to your corners
and come out fighting.
It's not worth
risking brain damage.
Just kick him in the cods.
Honor will be satisfied.
Round one!
Come on, Backa! Come on!
Drop him !
Come on, Bird,
don't push him to the ground.
That's it. Come on, Backa.
Start jabbing to the right.
He'll go down.
Watch this.
You've put on a good show.
You're still on your feet.
-We'll pull out now.
-No.
Think of the brain cells.
You'll end up
a bloody jellyhead like him.
You're supposed to inspire me,
not demoralize me completely.
Round two!
Bourke, what are you doing?
Go. Come on, Backa!
Sonny Liston! Sonny Liston!
One...two...
three...four...
Want to call it a day?
Come on, Backa,
in for the kill!
One...
two...
three...
four...
five...
six...
seven...
eight...
Jean-Paul.
-Cigarette?
-No.
One...two...
three...four...
five...six...
seven...eight...
Stop it!
How can you do that?
Stand there and watch?
Come on.
He'll be all right.
OK, everyone. Off to tea.
You're dead, Backa.
Done like dinner.
We'll take him
to the dispensary.
Got a stretcher?
He'll be all right.
I tried to talk him out of it.
I know.
He's a trifle unstable
at times.
I try and be
the voice of reason.
You're a bit more sane...
like me, I think.
Aren't you?
I can be
pretty pig-headed, too.
So can I.
Big lapses I have sometimes.
I better go. Give him my love.
All right.
Just been
to the dispensary, sir.
What happened to you, Embling?
Get caught on
the wrong side of a bus?
Sort of like a bus, sir.
Certainly was different.
We thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've got some people
I'd like you to meet.
Mum, Dad,
this is Thandiwe Adjewa.
-Pleased to meet you.
-How do you do?
My parents, Danny Embling.
Solomon Adjewa,
my wife Letitia.
How do you do?
-Bruce and Sheila.
-Hello.
Marvelous music.
Yes. Sort of African,
isn't it?
Program says German.
The rhythms remind me
of that sort of thing.
Mr. Adjewa's lecturing
at the university in Canberra.
Do you know Canberra much?
I went to Parliament House
when I was a girl.
It still hasn't quite
found its feet as a city.
It's like Brasilia--
built for politicians
more than people.
They built it there
because it was halfway...
between Melbourne and Sydney.
I've always thought
Brazil must be very interesting.
The furthest I've been
is New Guinea.
My husband fought there
during the war.
He never talks about it.
I'm not surprised.
It must be hard for
anyone else to understand...
how tough it was.
That's true.
We better make a move.
-Very nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
-Look after Thandiwe for us.
-We keep an eye on each other.
So we hear. Good-bye.
-Good-bye.
-Nice to meet you.
They seem nice.
What did you do to your eye?
-Football.
-You playing?
-What position?
-Wing.
Good one. I'll have to have
a talk to Tom Alcock.
Let him know he might
have a new recruit.
I'll just say good-bye
to Thandiwe.
-Can I see you tonight?
-Definitely.
What time?
One-thirty?
Nice girl.
Don't go beyond six.
You haven't known him
that long.
I'd say eight.
If you're going to risk
a midnight rendezvous...
might as well
make it worthwhile.
What's eight?
Top off, hands below.
Blissful.
Just don't get caught
with tissues down your bra.
You didn't tell me about that.
What did you say?
I said I had a cold
and didn't have any pockets.
Janet.
Can he be trusted, though...
not to go into No Man's Land?
No man can.
She can control him...
but can she control herself?
It's as cold as a concrete cot.
There's no way she'll turn up
if it's this cold.
You made any preparations?
-What do you mean?
-Don't be naive.
Think she'll risk meeting you
just for a chat?
She'll expect you
to have precautions.
Probably wants to reward you...
for taking a stand
in her self-defense.
One thing...
remember her needs
as well as yours.
In the long run,
they're more important.
If you can give her pleasure...
she'll be back for more.
See you, Gilbert.
Oh, God!
My parents
are going back to Uganda.
Some kind of crisis.
They want me
to finish the year here.
I'm worried for them.
My father has so many enemies.
So much corruption
he's always writing about.
Sad.
There was real hope
in our country.
Do you mind if we just
kiss and touch a bit...
and leave it at that?
Sure.
Welcome.
Women's clothes...
are much better designed
for this sort of thing.
You must get
all squashed up in there.
It can get...
pretty tricky sometimes.
When it's big?
Yeah, if it's like...
when you're in church
or something.
Does it happen there?
It can happen anywhere.
Aren't bodies strange?
You'd better stop.
Why?
Sorry.
I don't mind.
I couldn't stop it.
Sorry, I'm so...
Sticky?
We both are.
You're beautiful.
I think you are, too.
Where have you been?
To the bathroom.
Do you always
get dressed to do that?
It was cold.
I looked in before,
and your bed was empty.
Where have you been?
I went for a walk.
I couldn't sleep.
Turn around.
Your back is filthy.
Follow me.
You want a milk drink
or something?
No, thank you.
Sit down.
Were you seeing Danny Embling?
I heard about his fight.
It sounded awful.
Told Jock Blair what I thought
of him for letting it happen.
I told another friend
to keep an eye on Danny.
He can look after himself.
Anyway,
you shouldn't be running off...
in the middle of the night
to see him.
You could be picked up
by the police...
end up being expelled.
So...
what did you
actually do together?
I beg your pardon?
No. It's all right.
You don't have to tell me.
I think,
if I liked somebody enough...
I'd want to.
Have you ever?
Of course not.
Almost?
Well...
do you remember the young guy
who was fixing the bell tower?
I took him a cup of tea
each morning before assembly.
I liked him,
even though he never said much.
I used to...
close my eyes...
and sit on a chair...
and let him touch me all over.
As long as he promised
not to take anything off.
I thought I was so exquisitely
daring I'd almost faint.
I'd have to sit down.
I'd be trembling so much,
my legs would've given way.
Afterwards,
I'd be reading the lesson...
convinced
all the teachers must know...
because I was so...
so shivery delicious all over.
I'm amazed.
So am I when I think of it...
which I do most of the time,
especially in maths.
So...
here's to risks.
Not again.
We had it on Friday, sir.
Come on, boys.
It's good food.
Good to make you
constipated, sir.
An expert, are you, Green?
He broke the record
at Cadet camp, sir.
What record?
Ten days without going
to the toilet, sir.
It was the latrines, sir.
They were putrid.
-Thank you, Green.
-Even the flies were fainting.
That's enough.
This is good energy food.
That's what Embling needs.
Give him heaps.
-Why is that, Embling?
-Don't know, sir.
Looks a bit tired,
don't you reckon, sir?
Looks all right to me,
apart from his black eye.
-What are you reading, Green?
-Nothing, sir.
-Give us a look.
-It's a note from my mother.
-Come on.
-It's intensely personal.
What's this about?
''Embling scored last night
with Lubra lips.''
Who's Lubra lips?
Don't know, sir.
What are you burning for,
Embling?
Shut up. You wouldn't know
what scoring was.
Perhaps you can tell us
what it is, Bourke.
Lubra lips
is what we call Fedderson.
Played Embling at table tennis.
Lost -love.
That's very ingenious for you,
Bourke.
I'll see you
in my office, Green.
I had the longest letter yet
today from Gilby.
Twenty-three pages.
It's like ''Wuthering Heights.''
I'll bet Heathcliff
had a long tongue.
Miss Anderson wants to see you
in her office right away!
This is Dr. Pierce...
a colleague of your father's
from the university.
Apparently,
your father was arrested...
shortly after he arrived.
What's happened to him?
I spoke briefly
to your mother this morning.
The line was very bad.
The situation's confused,
but we think he's all right.
I have to go back.
There's nothing to be gained
by doing that.
You'll only be
putting yourself in danger.
My stepmother
could also be arrested.
She's a writer, too.
And there's
my brother and sister.
They're nine and ten.
We've requested the Department
of Foreign Affairs...
to inquire into
your father's safety.
I have to go.
I can't get a flight
until the day after...
but I'm not telling them that.
Miss Anderson thinks
I'm leaving tomorrow.
Yeah, I understand.
Come on, girls!
Hold it!
That's good!
We'll miss you terribly.
You have to write
at least every week.
Hurry up, Thandiwe. The train
leaves in half an hour.
You know you're leaving
against my advice.
We have no embassy
in your country.
The Foreign Affairs
Department...
says you can contact
the British Legation...
if you need any help.
Thank you.
We do wish you a safe journey.
I don't think Fate
is a creature or a lady...
like some people say.
It's a tide of events
sweeping us along.
But I'm not a fatalist...
because I believe
you can swim against it...
and sometimes grasp
the hands of the clock face...
and steal
a few precious minutes.
If you don't...
you're just cartwheeled along.
Before you know it,
the magic opportunity's lost.
And for the rest of your life...
it lingers on
in that part of your mind...
which dreams
the very best dreams...
taunting and tantalizing you
with what might have been.
Name?
Camus.
-Huh?
-C-a-m-u-s.
Room for one night
with a double bed.
That's right.
Number .
Thanks.
Should keep the world out.
Here we are.
Guess what I've got.
Nicola made herself
look about twenty-five...
went out and got it for me.
Nicola Radcliffe?
I often think how all of us...
were going through
the normal grubby business...
of school and growing up...
while
the most incredible things...
were happening in her world...
but she liked me enough
to do this...
to say good-bye.
It's Dr. Pierce from
the university on the phone.
She wants to speak to Thandiwe.
I told her she'd gone, and
now she wants to talk to you.
But she's not leaving tomorrow.
She left on the train
this afternoon.
So much for
this food-poisoning business.
Embling hasn't been
to the dispensary.
So it looks like
he's with this African girl.
She's changed her train ticket
to tomorrow...
so they're probably
still in the area.
Lubra lips.
Nothing.
Having kittens over
at Cirencester.
Don't want to tell the police.
Cause the most terrible row.
There can't be too many hotels
in this town.
You'd better get dressed.
Hurry up.
Will you pass me my clothes,
please?
Get dressed in the bathroom,
for goodness sake.
Your parents will be
very disappointed in you.
Seems like you haven't
learned very much at all...
while you've been with us.
Aren't they all funny?
Aren't they?
I think we'd better go.
Yes. I'm ready.
You keep
this half of the world going.
You look after the other!
I realized I hadn't any idea
what she'd gone back to.
Her letters came every week.
She told me about an army
officer called Idi Amin...
and how her stepmother
had disappeared...
and she was looking after
her brother and sister.
We read in the papers
her father had been executed.
Then the letters stopped.
After I was expelled...
I went back home
and worked in my dad's pub.
I was a bit like a sleepwalker.
Here you go. Kev.
The old town
hardly seemed real anymore.
I spent my time
writing to embassies...
and government ministers...
even the prime minister.
But mostly...
I concentrated.
An ether surrounds the world...
washing over us all the time...
and all sorts of messages
get transmitted through it.
I had this dread
I'd suddenly know she'd gone.
I spent most of the time
willing her to be all right...
sending...
love, I suppose.
That word neither of us
had used because...
we were both too cool for that.
''Danny...
''we're in Nairobi now
and finally safe.
''A lot of things have happened.
''I'm very different to how
I was when you last knew me...
''but I'm waiting for the time...
''we'll sit down together
and look into each other's eyes.
''I look forward to that time
more than I can say.''
Suddenly...
there were
much bigger worlds again...
and some small place in them
for me.