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ACT 1
SCENE 1
The interior of Lee and Jackson’s farmhouse, Long
Island -- kitchen, dining room, living room. Saturday
after Thanksgiving, 1950.
The stage is dark, except for a
projection of "November, 1950" in
large white letters.
As a telephone rings the projection
dissolves into Pollock's painting
"Autumn Rhythm"
LEE (A VOICE IN THE DARK)
Hello-o-o...
Lights up slowly revealing LEE on
the phone.
LEE (CONTINUED)
Betty? Hi, how are you? You’re all in a panic. Us too...
Lee is an abstract painter, born in
Brooklyn of Russian-Jewish
immigrants. Once the glamorous
darling of the New York modern art
scene, now married to Jackson she
plays the role of farm wife,
isolated and often lonely.
LEE
We have a dozen people over for belated Thanksgiving... Yes,
Jackson is here somewhere, outside with Hans in the cold.
Lights up on BETTY, art gallery
owner and sometime painter, on the
phone at her gallery in New York.
She a sophisticated New York
intellectual.
BETTY
Hans again? He's moved in with you. The man is obsessed. He's
shooting photographs of Jackson every time I call.
LEE
Today -- a film. They're out back in the cold, it's 38
degrees here. Hans is trying to film Jack making a painting.
Betty, they're crazy. Hans has Jackson painting on a big
piece of glass.
BETTY
Glass? Glass could break. Lee this might not be wise. Jackson
must appear at the opening, healthy and sane.
LEE
I promise he will be there. It's going to be simply
terrific, that's all. Everyone in the art world is coming and
Jackson's paintings, well they are the best he's ever done.
BETTY
The collectors, the art writers, they all want to see him,
our great new hero of American art. I have everything hung.
LEE
We can't wait to see.
BETTY
The canvases are so big, Lee. They just dwarf the gallery.
These paintings need space to breathe.
LEE
Betty, I agree.
BETTY
I don't think they fit.
LEE
What are you saying?
BETTY
I'm engulfed in an ocean of canvas and paint. There's just
not enough wall space. We may have to eliminate one painting.
LEE
No. Our contract was for all of this year's work.
BETTY
But what can I do? I can't rebuild the gallery overnight.
Though you know I would,for Jackson, if it were possible...
LEE
We need...
BETTY
... never satisfied, the artists. They want to be famous.
They want me to buy their pictures. What can I do? I have no
money. I only have the gallery. But I'm putting them over to
the collectors and the dealers.
LEE
We trust you completely.
PAULA (UPSTAGE IN THE SHADOWS)
Lee, where is your baster?
Lights up onstage around Lee,
revealing the interior of the
house. In the kitchen appear PAULA -
cool, incisive Ivy-League wife;
TODD - strikingly handsome young
Balanchine dancer and ALBERTO -
painter and art collector, heir to
a sugar fortune, who speaks with an
accent.
LEE (TO PAULA)
Second drawer left of the sink.
BETTY
Of course you've seen the article in "Time".
LEE
That article, how could they?
BETTY
They brutalize us. They hate my gallery and my artists. All
the critics hate what I show. But look, my artists are the
important ones, the creative ones.
LEE
It is going to hurt sales.
ALBERTO
Remember Lee, I'm taking one.
TODD
Alberto, we have no room for one of those huge canvases.
BETTY
That's Alberto. What is he saying?
ALBERTO
I will build the room for it. I'll commission Peter today to
design it.
LEE (TO BETTY)
He's buying a painting.
TODD
You can't build a room for every painting you buy.
LEE (TO BETTY)
He's just back from the Philippines.
ALBERTO (IMPATIENTLY)
I most certainly can. Todd you don't see, I have virtually
unlimited spatial potential. I have the Village townhouse,
Paris, and the new house we are buying out here.
BETTY
Just in time for the opening.
TODD (TO ALBERTO)
We'll see.
BETTY
He lends that air of wealth and refinement. It puts the
collectors at ease. Is he still with that boy?
LEE
Todd? Yes Betty, Todd is here helping with dinner. He's a
wonderful chef, you know.
BETTY
Is that the attraction? Alberto's latest acquisition. He
turned up about the same time Alberto bought that first
painting of Jackson's. Some sort of convergence. As Jackson
would say, there are no accidents.
LEE
He wonders about the size of the canvases.
BETTY
Well of course, that's the question. Jackson is the first to
make these large paintings. He has exploded the easel
painting. His paintings are walls -- whole worlds.
TODD
You fill the house with paintings, there's no room for me.
BETTY
Ask Alberto which painting.
LEE
Alberto, which one?
ALBERTO
I haven't decided. I won't know until I see them brilliantly
displayed at Peggy's opening.
LEE
You can look them over again in the catalog proof. It's just
there on the table.
ALBERTO
Oh, thank you Lee.
(He picks up and peruses the catalog)
I'm seriously thinking of "Lavender Mist"
LEE (TO BETTY)
He wants "Lavender Mist"
PAULA
Peter wants "Lavender Mist".
BETTY
Peter wants that painting.
LEE
Are they bidding against each other?
ALBERTO
I'm bidding against Peter?
PAULA
Peter spoke to Jackson.
ALBERTO
Your husband is a dreamer. Where will you hang it? No, he
cannot buy that canvas.
TODD
Neither can you.
ALBERTO
I can, and I will.
TODD
You have no place to put it. Pick something else. Let's look
through the catalog.
BETTY
What are they saying?
LEE
I'll ask Peter later. He's helping with the film.
TODD (TO ALBERTO)
I like this one.
BETTY
This film is a glorious idea. We should show it for the
opening. It would be a sensation, a total sensation...
LEE
It's not ready.
BETTY
...to watch Jackson paint. He's so totally free, totally
creative. Jackson works with such grace, he's like a great
dancer. There's such a rhythm in his movement...
LEE
A rhythm.
BETTY
...the pure physicality, the animal force...
LEE
I see.
BETTY
...all of this energy that he is struggling somehow to get
into those great paintings...
LEE
Where it should be...
BETTY
...he brings himself to the edge yet you find the incredible
balance in his compositions.
LEE
I agree.
BETTY
He paints like an angel. If only they can capture that on
film, for everyone to see. Lee, let's put the painting on
glass in the show.
LEE
Betty, you don't have room for the canvases you have now.
BETTY
It's the essence of spirit. He paints the unseen; a
reflection of his own creative process.
LEE
It's Jackson's decision.
BETTY
I know I'm on beam. I have an eye, Lee. Let me talk to him
tonight. I'll be here until late.
LEE
He'll call you.
BETTY
See he does, Lee.
LEE
See you Monday.
BETTY
Bye, bye.
Lights on Betty fade as Lee hangs
up the phone.
JACKSON, appears at the back door.
He is a painter, on the brink his
greatest professional success. The
youngest son of a farming family,
he was born in Wyoming. He wears a
black T-shirt and jeans. He is
cold. Following is PETER, Paula's
husband, an architect, attractive,
articulate and ambitious, adept at
the politics of the art world.
JACKSON
Man, it's cold out there.
(Alberto offers Jackson red wine, which he refuses.)
No wine for me. Got coffee, Lee?
LEE
Coming right up.
Lee pours him coffee from a pot on
the stove
PAULA (TO PETER)
Are you warm enough?
PETER
I'm fine. Is there wine?
ALBERTO
(hands Peter a glass of wine)
A toast everyone. To Jackson, and to his continued success.
To the film, to the Parsons Gallery opening, and to his
wonderful life here with Lee.
LEE
Just to remind everyone, you are of course most cordially
invited to the show. And if anyone cares to make a preshow
offer on a canvas, don't be shy. We have the catalog proof.
it's in on the table.
JACKSON
Coffee's good Lee, thanks. My hands are half frozen.
LEE (TO JACKSON)
Call Betty at the gallery.
JACKSON
Something wrong?
LEE
She just needs to talk.
JACKSON
Can't it wait until Monday?
LEE
It's the glass. It could break.
JACKSON
She called to say that? Don't let Betty scare you. She'll
drive you crazy. Trust me Lee, I know what I'm doing. Let's
have some music.
Jackson goes to the record player
in the living room, puts a jazz 78,
Bud Powell's "I Want to Be Happy".
He picks up the phone and dials the
operator
PETER
It's fine, Lee. Industrial glass, supports up to 600 pounds.
I found the supplier myself. Herculite tempered Pittsburgh
Plate glass, unconditionally guaranteed -- if it gets hit, it
shatters into millions of tiny pieces and no one is hurt.
PAULA
Lee, let's go see it ourselves.
LEE
I can't look.
PETER
Then trust me, it's fine.
LEE
But isn't Hans underneath Jackson with his camera? If the
glass breaks Jackson will fall right on top of him.
PETER
That's not going to happen Lee. And even if it did, it
wouldn't hurt Jackson. He might smash the camera.
JACKSON (ON THE PHONE)
Hi, this is Pollock. I need to place a call to New York.
LEE
Betty's concerned about Jackson's safety.
PETER
I tested the glass myself, so did Jackson.
JACKSON (ON THE PHONE)
Betty Parsons Gallery in Manhattan.
PETER
I assure you, Lee, we shatter only our illusions about art-
making with this film.
JACKSON
Thanks.
As the phone rings the lights rise
on Betty, answering the phone at
her gallery in New York.
JACKSON
Hey, Betty.
BETTY
Jackson. Oh darling, thank god you called. I can't wait to
see you.
JACKSON
Everything OK?
BETTY
Hanging this show, it's pure ecstasy, pure torture. I keep
expecting you to come to me right out of one of your
marvelous paintings.
JACKSON
We'll be in on Monday.
BETTY
You're here now my love, surrounding me in your artistic
embrace. You will not believe the impact of these huge
canvases shown together. It creates a sensation.
JACKSON
That's good, right?
BETTY
Divine, my darling; it is divine. I hope you are prepared
for the adoration this show will elicit.
JACKSON
Sure, Betty.
BETTY
People will want to meet you, to be with you, to touch the
hands that made this incredible art.
(Betty pauses for Jackson to respond. He is silent)
I know you are a sensitive, private man. But promise me
Jackson, you will try. You must let people meet you.
JACKSON
Sure Betty. I know.
BETTY
Wonderful darling. I know you'll come through. Oh, before I
forget, one more thing, we've hung Number 27 on its side.
JACKSON
What?
Todd enters the livingroom,
unnoticed.
BETTY
We ran a bit short on wall space...
JACKSON
Wait a minute...
BETTY
...and then, a vision, it came to me so clearly...
JACKSON
Betty, hold on...
BETTY
...that all along you had intended this painting to be hung
as a vertical. It must be. It has such an impact. I see
it...
JACKSON
No.
BETTY
And it's the only way we can fit it into the show. Oh Jackson
you'll love it, I promise you darling. You'll see it on
Monday.
JACKSON
If I live that long.
BETTY
Wonderful. Can't wait. Love to Lee. Bye, bye.
Betty's light fades as she hangs up
the phone. Jackson looks up and
sees Todd
JACKSON
Bye.
TODD
Jackson, this seems different.
JACKSON
What?
TODD
You've changed something here.
JACKSON
Yeah. Took out the wall. Opened the space up.
TODD
Yes, of course. The openness, the air, the light. What a
difference.
JACKSON
Lee likes it better.
TODD
Lee needs this spaciousness.
HANS, a filmmaker and photographer,
enters at the back door, frantic.
He is a dark, intense man, with a
German accent. He and Jackson have
been inseparable for the past six
months.
HANS
Jackson, where are you?
JACKSON
There's Hans. Achtung.
LEE (TO HANS)
Hello Hans.
HANS
Where is Jackson?
LEE
He came in to say hello to our friends. How about some
coffee?
HANS
I don't know.
LEE
Warm you up. You've been out there for hours.
HANS
Hours? I don't know. Almost finished. Where is he?
JACKSON
(calls to Hans)
In here warming up.
LEE
Have some coffee.
Hans rushes past Lee to Jack in the
livingroom, oblivious of the other
guests.
HANS
Please, you must come back now.
JACKSON
I'm talking with my guests Hans.
Todd bows extravagantly to Hans.
HANS (URGENTLY)
Yes, hello. I'm sorry, we have no time to socialize now.
JACKSON
What's the hurry?
HANS
We are losing the light.
JACKSON
The light comes back tomorrow.
HANS
We finish today. This was our agreement.
JACKSON
I can't paint on cue. It's not like some card trick I just
repeat for the camera.
HANS
This is the way films are made.
Their voices grow louder with each
exchange, catching the attention of
the group in the kitchen.
JACKSON
Well, it's not how paintings are made.
HANS
We are here to collaborate. Why do you do this?
JACKSON
No "why" Hans.
HANS
Tell me why.
JACKSON
No why.
HANS
Jackson, you destroy me.
(Jackson stares stonily at Hans without speaking. Hans
pleads.)
We must work together, this film is so important.
JACKSON
It's hard.
HANS
You must be more disciplined. You break every agreement...
JACKSON
Look, here's what we agreed to -- we agreed that you would
film me while I painted.
HANS
Yes.
JACKSON
We didn't agree that you would tell me when to paint.
HANS
(pause)
That is so. You will forgive me.
(He makes a little bow to Jackson.)
JACKSON
Sure.
HANS
So then, we have perhaps two more hours of light to film. If
during that time you are painting, I will film you.
JACKSON
OK.
Hans storms out toward the back
door.
PAULA
(She intercepts Hans near the door, the catalog proof
in her hand)
Oh, hello Hans. How are you?
HANS
Yes, hello. Paula.
PAULA
Must you dash off? I was just coming over to show you the
proof.
HANS
Proof? What is the proof?
PAULA
The exhibition catalog from Parsons. Have you seen it?
HANS
No, I am sorry, I must go.
Hans tries to break free from her
and leave, but Paula blocks his way
again, holding the open catalog
directly in front of his face.
HANS
(He smiles.)
My photograph of Jackson.
(He takes the catalog from her and examines the photo.)
PAULA
Yes, it's splendid. And look there's another in the back.
(She turns to the page for him.)
Look at that.
HANS
Oh yes, from the summer. One of the first, I captured Jackson
in motion. Oh yes, thank you.
(He gives Paula back the catalog. He makes a little bow
to her.)
Thank you. So kind.
(He goes to Lee, and makes a little bow to her.)
Thank you.
(He kisses Lee's hand.)
PETER
That was Hans. Have you met?
ALBERTO
Not yet. He seems to find Jackson's spontaneity alarming.
PETER
Apt phrasing.
LEE
They've worked together all summer. Hans has been out in the
studio for days, watching Jackson paint.
PETER
I fear that poor Hans is in love.
LEE
Jackson says it's like he is invisible, but he's shooting
away.
ALBERTO
Like a hunter in a duck blind.
LEE
Jackson forgets that he's there.
PETER
Today our Hans is neither invisible nor forgettable. No
longer the silent observer, now he's in charge. Having
suggested they collaborate on the film, I now discover, to my
horror, that Hans has always dreamed of directing theatre.
ALBERTO
Comedy or tragedy?
PAULA
More a melodrama.
ALBERTO
Perhaps an opera, so Wagnerian. The Germans are so earnest,
and so strident. So often misguided. He'll do much better
after his first glass of wine.
In the livingroom Jackson and Todd
continue their conversation.
TODD
Where is your dog, Jackson?
JACKSON
Which dog?
TODD
Your new dog, dear heart.
JACKSON
Ahab? Out playing in the yard. He wants to get in the film,
be a big star.
TODD
Well of course, he's the pick of the litter.
JACKSON
I picked the right one, here's how I know. Dogs got a high
charge of psychic energy and when one fits your flow, you've
got a one-man dog.
TODD
Psychic energy?
JACKSON
That's why you should never let them sleep on your bed --
they can drain your astral body.
TODD
I see. But Jackson, how do you perceive this canine psychic
energy?
JACKSON
In the dog's movement, the way he looks at you, what he does
when you handle him.
TODD
You're so wonderfully sensitive.
Jackson saunters back toward the
kitchen, Todd follows.
JACKSON
I should have been an animal therapist...
TODD
You could still do that.
JACKSON
...in a bark, I can hear a life story.
TODD
I'm like that with people. I read hands, you know.
PETER
Ready to brave the cold?
JACKSON
Me? Sure. Lee, you have any more coffee?
LEE
Yes, of course.
Jackson draws away from the others
and stands close to Lee
JACKSON
Lee, did you tell Betty she could hang Number 27 on its side?
LEE
No, not exactly.
JACKSON
Well. what then?
LEE
I said that we trust her artistic judgment completely.
PETER
Very politic.
LEE
We'll see it on Monday.
JACKSON
Sure.
PAULA
You might like it, Jackson, a new point of view.
PETER
We'll see it on Monday.
LEE
Jackson what’s wrong?
JACKSON
I don’t want to paint today.
PETER
Oh god,Hans will be heartbroken.
LEE
Pollock you’re crazy.
JACKSON
Hans is making me crazy. It's like dancing naked in the snow
in front of a bunch of strangers.
TODD
Oh, I've done that. It was "Petrushka" I think.
Todd dances across the room,
reenacting a step from the ballet
ALBERTO
Not the most outrageous thing you've ever done. Did you not
walk into a dinner party at Peggy Guggenheim's stark naked
and piss in her fireplace.
PAULA
Were you a witness?
ALBERTO
I wasn't in attendance that evening, but that's what I've
been told.
PETER
Not to worry, she adores surrealism.
ALBERTO
I've heard it said you've changed the face of American art.
PAULA
You read that in "Life".
PETER
So did I. Those photographs were terrific. Did Hans take
those?
JACKSON
No.
(quietly to Lee)
Look Lee, this isn't some bar stunt, clowning around. I'm
supposed to be painting.
LEE
Jackson, just play along.
ALBERTO
Give them what they want.
JACKSON
I don't want to.
LEE
The film will help sales.
PAULA
Betty says it will be a sensation.
PETER
Betty's always right about these things.
ALBERTO
I'd trust Betty.
JACKSON
But the painting.
LEE
No one will see it unless you agree. If it's not right, we'll
destroy it.
JACKSON
I don't think I should do this.
LEE
I want you to try.
PAULA
Yes, please Jackson.
ALBERTO
You simply must.
TODD
You can do it.
PETER
You've come this far.
LEE
Just see it through.
JACKSON
I'll try.
LEE
It will pay off, I know.
JACKSON
OK.
Jackson and Peter exit out the back
door. Alberto disappears into the
livingroom
TODD
What's next?
LEE
Mashed potatoes.
PAULA
(looking at an image of a fish hung on the wall)
Lee, I adore this new print.
LEE
We made it here on the counter. A friend came over for a
clambake and brought a Japanese printmaker who creates
images with a direct impression of an actual object. It's a
traditional technique. We wanted to try it.
TODD
That huge smelly fish...
LEE
It was fresh, not alive. They brought it back from the
harbor. We covered it with paint and made the print right
here on the counter. What a mess. It's a big tuna, I think.
TODD
What happened to the fish?
LEE
We ate it. With the clams. They came for a clambake. You know
how Jackson digs them out of the sand, with his toes.
PAULA
He does what?
LEE
He can feel them when he walks on the sand.
TODD
Why does he do that?
LEE
It's easier than using a rake.
PAULA
You've done so much with the house, Lee. How long have you
been here?
LEE
Since the fall of '45. Just after we married.
TODD
Where were you married?
LEE
Jackson insisted on a church wedding.
TODD
I wish I'd known you. I would have cried.
LEE
My friend May...
PAULA
I know May.
LEE
...found a minister to do the deed at Marble Collegiate
Church.
PAULA
Oh, lovely.
LEE
She described Jackson as being part of something remote she
didn't know anything about and me, the bride, as Jewish. The
minister said, "God will understand."
TODD
And she did.
LEE
I was the one who had an aspiration to live in the country.
Jackson loved city life. We moved out to the Springs in a
truck we borrowed from May's brother, a butcher. We were so
naive. There was no heat! Not even the fireplace worked. We
froze. I don't know what we were thinking -- that heat came
from steam pipes like in our apartment on Eighth Street, I
suppose. Todd,if you do buy out here, I beg you, ask about
heat.
PAULA
But how did you meet Jackson?
LEE
In late '41. I remember the day. I went to the Eighth Street
Studio for the first time. There was to be this marvelous
show at the McMillan Gallery, and I was asked to participate.
That's right, me, with Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Modigliani,
all the great French modern painters. Not just me, there
were five of us, Americans -de Kooning, Stuart Davis, Walt
Kuhn and who’s this? Jackson Pollock? Jackson Pollock, what
a name. Astonishing, I thought I knew all the abstract
expressionist artists in New York.
(aside)
You know, in those days, one knew everyone. Well, I was in a
rage at myself, simply furious because here was a name that
meant nothing to me. All the more furious because he was
living on 8th Street, just two blocks down from me. So I put
on my coat and walked out the door. I had to meet him,
nothing would stop me.
CROSSFADE
SCENE 2
Jackson's apartment, Greenwich Village, New York City.
Autumn, 1941. Paula and Todd are barely visible in a
glow, watching Lee's story from the past.
LEE
When I knocked, he opened. Jackson Pollock? Lee Krasner.
(Lee extends her hand. Aside)
His hands were fantastic, powerful hands, I wanted to touch
them.
(To Jackson)
I'm here because we've both in the McMillan show in January.
I wanted to meet you.
JACKSON
Sure.
A projection based on Pollock’s
Magic Mirror appears behind them.
LEE
(Aside)
I walked right in. Not a big man. Not really handsome.
JACKSON
Actually we met before. I remember you, Lee.
LEE
Sorry, I don’t remember.
JACKSON
A few years back, we had danced together at an Art Guild
party. You wore black. And a hat.
LEE
Looking past him, into the room I could see a large canvas on
the floor.
(She walks toward the picture and around it)
I felt drawn to the picture, and as I stepped past him I felt
the presence of a living force. Then I looked up and saw all
around me these marvelous paintings, leaning against the
walls. I felt as if the floor was sinking when I saw those
paintings.
PAULA
Love at first sight.
TODD
You didn’t remember meeting him before.
LEE
I really don’t recall.
JACKSON
I remember it well. You're a really good dancer.
TODD
He remembered you in his arms.
JACKSON (GRINNING)
I asked you if you like to fuck.
LEE
You did? What did I say?
JACKSON
Nothing. The music was loud, I don't think you heard me. You
waved to someone and walked away.
LEE
Oh, that was Igor.
JACKSON
Who's Igor?
LEE
My lover. He's possessive.
JACKSON
(looking back toward the door)
He come with you?
LEE
Today? No, of course not. I came on my own. He's not serious
about art. This one on the floor, what do you call this one?
JACKSON
"The Magic Mirror".
TODD
Did you see yourself, Lee?
LEE
Maybe I did.
(to Jackson)
I am overwhelmed by your work, simply bowled over that's all.
Why don't I know you? Where have you been?
JACKSON
Here painting. I sleep half the day and paint through the
night.
LEE
Same with me.
JACKSON
I live with my brother. See, there are five of us, brothers.
All artists. All live in New York, off and on. We're a pretty
close family. I haven't been home for a while.
LEE
You're from out West.
JACKSON
That's right.
LEE
I've never been there.
JACKSON
Wyoming, Arizona. Real country. I was born in Wyoming. My
father had a farm near Cody. By the time I was fourteen I was
milking a dozen cows twice a day...
LEE
You milked cows? That explains your big strong hands. Do you
like city life?
JACKSON
It's like life is keener here, everything has this hard edge.
It's more demanding, so many new people, new ideas.
LEE
I know what you mean. The torrent... I'm used to it by now.
I'm from Brooklyn. My parents owned a fruit store. I grew up
watching New York stroll by.
JACKSON
Mostly, I just stay here and paint. Drink beer and eat
spaghetti with my brother. It's good to have family. If it
wasn't for Sandy I'd be sunk.
LEE
How did you come to New York?
JACKSON
I followed my brothers. Charles, he's the oldest, hooked up
with Tom Benton at the Art Students League. More like lived
with him really. Bentons were like family. I fit right in. We
baby-sat their kids; they found us places to live. Got me
jobs, kept me going for years. On Monday nights we'd all
gather over at their place and play hillbilly music.
LEE
Benton's the muralist. He did those big projects for the WPA.
Do you still see them?
JACKSON
Not lately. They're in Kansas City now.
LEE
I see Benton's luminosity in your paintings.
JACKSON
He's about the only formal training I ever had.
LEE
I can see that you often begin with recognizable imagery:
heads, fantastic creatures.
JACKSON
Not begin, exactly, because at the beginning the image
hasn't been created-- It's hard to explain. I mean I don't
make the image in my mind and then paint it.
LEE
But how do you start? What's your impulse?
JACKSON
I don't know where paintings come from, they just come.
LEE
Just a spontaneous act of pure creative force.
JACKSON
Something like that.
LEE
How do you know when it's finished?
JACKSON
I just stop, when it's done.
Lee lifts a painting leaning
against the wall
JACKSON
(alarmed)
I don't think I'm finished with that one.
LEE
Don't touch it! Why don't you stop painting when an image is
exposed?
He tries to take the painting from
her but she doesn't let go. They
stand close together.
JACKSON
I veil the image. There's more underneath, images you don't
see. But they're there.
LEE
If I can't see them, they don't matter.
JACKSON
Yes they do. When you paint from the unconscious, figures
emerge. Sometimes I hide them.
LEE
So the starting point lies hidden. I wish I could peel back
the layers, get a good look.
JACKSON
I don't think you should.
LEE
Why not?
JACKSON
You won't like it.
LEE
Let me decide what I like.
JACKSON
OK.
Lee lets him take the painting,
which he puts back against the wall
LEE
Your process is maddening. I work on drawings for weeks...you
just paint.
JACKSON
It's not as easy as it sounds. A painting for me is an arena
where I battle.
LEE
What are you fighting?
JACKSON
Unconscious impulses. Demons inside me. The pain of
existence. Picasso.
LEE
You must drive your teachers insane.
JACKSON
I didn't stay long at the League. I work on my own, wherever
it leads me.
LEE
I'll stick with the group, thank you. I need lots of support.
I take class with Hans Hofmann -- surely you know his
theory. The push and the pull. Creating the volume.
JACKSON
No, what's that?
LEE
(Lee pulls his upstage shoulder toward her)
When one visual element grabs you
(Lee pushes his downstage shoulder away)
while the other pushes you back.
JACKSON
You'd turn.
He grabs her around the waist and
swings her around.
LEE
Exactly, creating a new plane, a third dimension. You are a
very strong man.
TODD
How elegant.
LEE
(aside, still in his arms)
If I told you he followed me home, would you believe me?
CROSSFADE
SCENE 3
Lee’s studio, Greenwich Village, New York City. Nine
years earlier, Fall, 1941. About noon. Scrawled on the
wall are words from Rimbaud’s poem A Season in Hell:
To whom shall I hire myself out?
What beast must be adored?
What holy image must be attacked?
What hearts shall I break?
What lie must I maintain?
In what blood must I walk?
LEE, drinking a mug of coffee,
finishes dressing, then languidly
re-organizes a clutter papers and
books on the table, intermittently
reciting a line from the Rimbaud
poem
The doorbell rings. Lee opens the
door to find her friend MAY, a
writer.
MAY
Finally I find you at home.
LEE
Come in May.
MAY
You're so elusive these day.
LEE
I've been busy.
MAY
I drop by in the morning, but you're never here.
LEE
What time do you come? I'm probably asleep. I'm up until all
hours. I can't sleep, all the excitement with the show.
MAY
I know Lee. We're all so excited about your show. Harold
wants to do a big feature story, with maybe a picture of you.
LEE
A picture, are you serious?
MAY
That's what he said. We were having drinks with Igor. I think
Igor suggested the picture -- with blue ocean waves behind
you -- he had it all planned out. "Like chaos," he said.
LEE
What am I wearing?
MAY
I'm not sure. Ask Igor. We thought you'd turn up one of these
evenings to discuss it. No one has seen you for days. Lee,
you can't work day and night.
Sounds of someone getting up from
the next room.
LEE
May, I've met someone new.
MAY
Oh.
LEE
He's nothing like Igor.
Jackson enters silently, barefoot
and bare-chested under his
overalls. He pours himself coffee
and sits alone.
MAY
What a relief.
LEE
Now you know.
MAY
To tell you the truth, Lee, we've had enough Igor. Harold is
ready to kill him.
LEE
What did I miss?
MAY
Do you know what he said, the last time we all went out? He
made some half-joking, half-hostile remark about Jewish
intellectuals, right to Harold. Harold told Igor he was fed
up with the anti-Semitism. Igor just smiled his suave,
charming smile and said, I swear this is true Lee, "I am not
anti-Semitic; I am anti-Jewish." Then he bought everyone
champagne. Harold turned blue. How do you stand him?
LEE
Igor is like a glittering diamond necklace I wear. He does
torment me though, have you heard his latest? He tells people
he likes being with me because an ugly woman makes him feel
more handsome.
MAY
Lee, that's awful.
LEE
Then he drags me to the shops and dresses me up in all the
fashionable clothes, always black. And all the most
outrageous accessories. He spends a small fortune. I almost
believe he is the Czar's cousin.
MAY
Dressing you in Romanov jewels.
LEE
Well, not so far.
MAY
It's just one of his ridiculous stories.
LEE
Then, he has me pose for photographers, oh, and the make-up.
Before we go out to the clubs he spends an hour doing my
eyes. He should give his portraits that much attention. He
has liners and kohl and three shades of mascara.
MAY
That's how he lives, appearance is everything.
LEE
That's how he paints.
MAY
He's asking about you. If anyone has seen you.
LEE
He can be endearing -- he forever talks about my work -- to
dealers, to critics, to rich people who sit for his
portraits. He's shameless. He chatters on gaily, pouring
champagne, toasting my artistic success and telling them
which of my canvases to buy...
Jackson rises and exits.
MAY
OK Lee, who is that mystery man in the overalls? He's come in
before when I've been here. You don't introduce him; he
never says a word. I don't know whether he's half-witted or
deaf. He sits there silently, then get up and leaves.
(giggling)
I know, he's the local handyman ... from Romania, making
stretchers for your canvases ... doesn't speak English... or
is that a spy? Are you harboring foreign agents? Lee, he's
not a Communist?
LEE
No, don't be silly. That's him.
MAY
Him who? The new man? Make him come back.
LEE
No, I can't.
MAY
The strong silent type; he doesn't say hello. Introduce me
Lee.
LEE
He's terribly shy. He's not sure that he's welcome.
MAY
He seems fairly settled in. Is this why you never come out to
the clubs?
LEE
We're getting acquainted.
MAY
He looks like a farmer.
(giggling)
That should terrorize Igor. Was that your idea? American
Gothic meet Romanov jewels. Dueling pistols at twenty paces.
(quoting from the Rimbaud poem on the wall)
What hearts shall I break?
What lie must I maintain?
In what blood must I walk?
What a perfectly swell story. I can't wait to tell Harold.
LEE
May, will you stop?
MAY
"What beast must be adored?" What beast indeed. Where did you
find him?
LEE
In his studio.
MAY
He's a painter? Which one? I can never keep them straight.
LEE
He's Pollock. Jackson Pollock.
MAY
You found Jackson Pollock. He's in Harold's article. He's the
latest new movement. No preconception, just inspiration
spilling out right on the canvas. It's all in Harold's
article.
LEE
Yes, that's it exactly. No planning, no preliminaries.
MAY
Sounds so exciting. When do I meet him?
LEE
Maybe soon. He keeps coming back. I'm dying to show him off.
He's my find, hardly anyone knows him.
MAY
Bring him for dinner.
LEE
Maybe. He might not be ready. I'll ask.
MAY
When he's ready, Lee. We all want to meet him. What a nice
change from Igor.
Sound of the doorbell ringing
LEE
Wait, there's the door.
As Lee answers the door the house
interior, 1950 reappears. May
exits.
Lee greets ZACK, a painter who runs
a photography studio with his wife
BARBARA, a former model, and
sometimes actress. They are old
friends of Jackson and Lee's. They
bring food and wine for the party.
BARBARA
Happy Thanksgiving!
LEE
Welcome. Come in.
ALBERTO
New recruits. More wine.
ZACK
More wine!
ALBERTO
You brought red.
ZACK
Roast beef, right? Red wine with roast beef.
ALBERTO
No, turkey. Thanksgiving.
ZACK
White wine with poultry. Lee, you said roast beef.
LEE
He went to the market with Hans, they came back with turkey.
I guess Hans insisted. I'm so sorry, I should have called
you.
ZACK
But the wine, we need white wine with turkey.
ALBERTO
We'll drink the red until dinner.
LEE
Does everyone know everyone? Barbara, Zack, Paula, Alberto,
Todd,
ALBERTO
A toast, if you will.
PAULA
I’ll take coats.
ZACK
Let me keep mine. I saw Jack in the yard. I'll go say hello.
TODD
He's making his film with that Hans.
ZACK
They're still at it?
ALBERTO
To gathering with good friends. And enjoying the fruits of
our labors.
CROSSFADE
SCENE 4
The yard behind the house. Immediately following.
On one side of the stage Jackson
plays fetch with the dogs. On the
other side Hans works with his
camera, trying to clear something
jammed inside.
JACKSON
Attaboy Gyp. Good dog. He's a good dog. Where's the stick?
Where's the stick, Gyp? OK, Here we go. Ready? Here we go.
(He fakes throwing and hides the stick behind his back)
Where's the stick? Where'd it go Gyp? Where'd that stick go?
(A dog barks, answered by another)
Who's that Gyp? That Ahab? There he is. there's Ahab. He's
a good pup. OK now, here we go. Where's the stick Gyp?
Where'd it go?
(He waves the stick.)
Here's the stick. Here it is. OK now ready?
(A dog barks)
That's right Gyp. Go get the stick. Go get the stick. OK here
we go. Ready.
(He throws the stick offstage)
At this point Hans has disassembled
the camera into three pieces,
camera body, lens and cover which
he juggles as he tries to
reassemble it.
JACKSON
Need some help?
HANS
The problem is solved.
JACKSON
What was it?
HANS
A small piece of film. A corner. A triangle no more than a
centimeter. It has broken away and wedged itself sideways
into the gears. Here, you can see.
JACKSON
You need to get that out.
As Hans tries to work the film
free, the lens slips from his grasp
and falls to the ground.
HANS
Oh, no. What has happened? It is ruined.
JACKSON
(Jackson picks up the lens and examines it.)
Looks OK.
(He shakes the lens next to his ear.)
Nothing broken. That was lucky.
HANS
Another accident. It's impossible. We will never finish now.
JACKSON
Not an accident.
HANS
So you say.
JACKSON
No such thing as an accident. We finish or we don't.
(He looks through the lens toward the sun.)
No scratches that I can see. Just some dirt. Clean that off
with a brush.
HANS (CONFUSED)
I have no brush.
JACKSON
Got a bunch in the studio.
(Jackson blows the dirt off the lens. Looks through it
at Hans.)
Looks OK.
(Jackson hands the lens back to Hans.)
Dust that off.
(Hans looks at Jackson blankly.)
Want me to do it? Hans, you OK?
(Hans takes the lens.)
HANS
No, I will do it.
JACKSON
You sure?
HANS
I'm sure.
JACKSON
OK. Did you get that piece of film out?
HANS
Not yet. My hands are so clumsy with the cold.
JACKSON
Need some coffee or something?
HANS
No. We must continue.
JACKSON
How about pliers? Try with pliers.
HANS
That would help.
JACKSON
I got needlenose in the studio. I'll show you.
HANS
I will find them.
JACKSON
In the toolbox.
Hans exits toward the studio.
Zack enters
ZACK (SHAKES HANDS WITH JACKSON)
Hey Jack. How ya been? Haven't seen you for a while.
JACKSON
Zack, good to see you.
ZACK
We missed you this summer. You've been holed up here with
Hans. So he's making a movie star out of you.
JACKSON
Yeah, that's it.
ZACK
That makes you almost famous, for an artist.
Zack playfully cuffs Jackson.
JACKSON
Aw, come on Zack.
ZACK
Barbara showed me that blurb about you in "Time Magazine"
last week. "Chaos, Damn It". Wasn't that the headline?
JACKSON
Yeah, that was it. Lee and I sent back a telegram the same
day.
(quoting the telegram)
NO CHAOS DAMN IT. DAMNED BUSY PAINTING AS YOU CAN SEE BY MY
SHOW COMING UP NOV. 28. I'VE NEVER BEEN TO EUROPE.
ZACK
They won't publish that.
JACKSON
They haven't yet. I'll tell you what I think, what those
bastards want is to stop modern art. It isn't just me they're
after, but taking me as a symbol sure works.
ZACK
Jack, come on. Gets your name out to the public; might sell a
few paintings. Like that thing you had last year in "Life
Magazine" with all the photographs. That was fine.
JACKSON
What's so fine about "Life". For me it was more like death.
They laugh
JACKSON
I asked that photographer to lend me a hundred fifty bucks.
He said sure, when he came back for re-shooting.
ZACK
Those photos were great.
JACKSON
But he never came back. How much you think he made on those
pictures?
ZACK
You didn't mind being called America's Greatest Painter.
JACKSON
That shit isn't for a man. After something like that, people
don't look at you the same, and they're right.
ZACK
You're wrong Jack, people know you.
JACKSON
They don't know me. I don't know me. Now I'm some guy I saw
in a magazine
ZACK
That young fella in the house, he a relative of yours?
JACKSON
Todd? No, he came with Alberto.
ZACK
He's a good-looking kid. You known them long?
JACKSON
Alberto I have. He's the painter, you know his work.
ZACK
Never met him. They're queer, aren't they?
JACKSON
I guess so. The kid's a ballet dancer.
ZACK
Not that I have anything against them.
JACKSON
No, of course not. Alberto bought a big canvas last year.
ZACK
He buys paintings?
JACKSON
He's a collector.
ZACK
He has money.
JACKSON
Family money. Sugar plantations I think.
ZACK
What did he buy?
JACKSON
The painting? Number 5. The gallery delivered it to him
damaged.
ZACK
You fixed it.
JACKSON
I had to. Can't lose a sale.
ZACK
So he came out to the studio.
JACKSON
Todd came along, and they brought this huge turkey and about
ten bags of groceries.
ZACK
They know how to make friends.
JACKSON
Todd likes to cook, so he and Lee had a ball in the kitchen
while Alberto and I drank iced tea on the back porch and
talked painting.
ZACK
Sure cold out here. You ought to work in your studio, rig up
a heater.
JACKSON
I'm used to it. You know me, I paint all winter with no heat
out there. Anyway I should be in New York, keeping an eye on
the show. You won't believe what Betty just pulled.
ZACK
Tell me.
JACKSON
She hung Number 27 on its side.
ZACK
She what?
JACKSON
She says there's not enough wall space. So she's hanging the
painting on its side.
ZACK
You're going to let her do that.
JACKSON
I don't know. I should be there. This film's taking up too
much time.
ZACK
So why do it?
JACKSON
Wouldn't have, maybe, if Lee hadn't kept at me. A camera
whirring away is easy compared to listening to her when she
gets going.
ZACK
I wouldn’t do it. Let him film me. I couldn't do it.
JACKSON
When I'm working, working right, I'm in the work, so outside
things don't matter -- if they do, then I've lost it.
ZACK
So try not to lose it.
JACKSON
I'm thinking maybe those natives have something, who figure
they've been robbed of their souls having their images
swallowed up by the camera. I'm about to get eaten alive.
ZACK
See you've still got your garden
JACKSON
Sure. Not much in left in November. I'd like to grow apples.
Can't get enough of them. Baked a couple of pies for tonight.
ZACK
I still say you do your best work in the kitchen.
JACKSON
That's right. Wait here. I got something for you.
Jackson exits toward the garden
HANS (O.S.)
Jackson, come here now.
Peter enters
ZACK
Peter.
PETER
Hello Zack.
ZACK
What are you up to?
PETER
We're filming Jackson painting on a large sheet of Herculite
tempered Pittsburgh Plate glass.
ZACK
So I heard. This your idea?
PETER
I found the glass.
Jackson returns with a large purple
eggplant which he polishes with
spit on the sleeve of his jacket
JACKSON
Look at that. Now, there's real color.
(He gives the eggplant to Zack)
There that's for you, Zack.
HANS (O.S.)
Jackson, please. We must start now.
PETER
Jackson, are you ready? This is it.
JACKSON
Sure, I'm ready.
He dusts the garden dirt off his
hands.
HANS (O.S.)
Jackson, where are you? Come now.
PETER
Now or never.
JACKSON
Maybe your glass is unbreakable, but I'm not. I'm really not
ready to be tested.
Jackson walks away from them and
meets Hans upstage. During the
following dialogue they set up for
the film, placing two sawhorses.
Jackson painstakingly adjusts them,
measuring their placement and
checking them with a carpenter's
level. As Hans checks the light,
Jackson slips away for one last
smoke. Hans adjusts the sawhorses,
tests his camera angle lying on the
ground.
ZACK
Jack is wound pretty tight. It's got to be hard.
PETER
Working with Hans.
ZACK
Not Hans, painting for the camera.
PETER
But that's what's exciting ... allowing the public to look in
on the artist in the act of creating.
ZACK
I don't know.
PETER
You think we are breaking some taboo.
ZACK
I don't object to the idea of it. It's just not for Jack.
PETER
Who better than Jack?
ZACK
I just can't imagine him letting anyone watch him work.
PETER
True. I've never watched him work.
ZACK
I've known him for years. He's never let me photograph him
working.
PETER
Hans is fascinated with the process. He's made hundreds of
photographs. He believes there's an audience that wants to
see Pollock painting.
ZACK
Jack wants to be the greatest. He isn't going to settle for
second rate. But, it's not about fame. The thing is the
work. Just to do the most wonderful work. To be better than
El Greco, Jack loves El Greco. Not to be a famous man in
"Life Magazine," but to do the painting that surpasses all
painting.
PETER
What good is the painting that surpasses all painting if
nobody sees it.
ZACK
But he worries that he's a fake. He said he doesn't know who
he is. The publicity makes this new image of him.
PETER
Of course. The public man.
ZACK
So now, when he paints, is he himself painting, or is he
playing that role for his public.
PETER
If that's what he thinks about he'll go quite insane.
ZACK
You have to understand, with Jack, he doesn't just put paint
on canvas. He makes magic out of things. He creates out of
that moment.
PETER
That's his genius.
Todd enters and finds Jackson
alone, smoking a cigarette
TODD
Jackson?
JACKSON
What?
TODD
Aren't you cold?
JACKSON
I don't know.
TODD
You look cold.
JACKSON
I'm just thinking.
TODD
Are you done?
JACKSON
No, I'm waiting. That camera...
He gestures at the camera with his
cigarette
TODD
What?
JACKSON
That thing can swallow me. I'm about to be eaten alive.
TODD
That's OK Jackson.
JACKSON
I don't know.
ZACK (TO PETER)
I'm telling you it's like he sees things invisible to others,
and somehow transforms them so everyone can see.
PETER
We may be profaning something sacred.
ZACK
I think that's what scares him. It might not be authentic. He
has an alchemical process.
PETER
Like a rite.
TODD (TO JACKSON)
Just let the camera swallow you. That's OK.
JACKSON
How do you figure that?
TODD
You're the star. Let everyone gobble you up.
JACKSON
OK, see you.
He grinds out his cigarette and
goes to meet Hans upstage. Todd
joins Zack and Peter.
JACKSON
(to Hans who is lying on the ground, checking his
camera)
All set?
HANS
Yes, we must finish.
JACKSON
Ready for the glass?
HANS
Yes, over here.
JACKSON
That's a nice piece of Pittsburg Plate glass.
(Together they lift the large pane of glass. It slips a
little.)
Careful, it gets brittle with the cold.
(They carry it toward the sawhorses.)
Is that where you want it?
HANS
Yes, just so.
JACKSON
You moved that horse over a little.
HANS
Yes, for the light. It's late now, hurry.
Jack carefully puts down his end,
and inspects the sawhorses.
JACKSON
This one's not level.
(Hans stares at him blankly.)
Did you use the level?
HANS
Please, that is fine.
JACKSON
It has to be level.
(Jackson checks the sawhorses with the level.)
Otherwise it rocks.
(He shims one leg with a small object, and re-checks
the sawhorse.)
HANS
What are you saying?
JACKSON
I don't want the glass shifting.
HANS
Why does this matter?
JACKSON
Don't ask me why.
HANS
The glass shifts, an accident, it makes something new. That I
capture. The process. Spontaneous. Alive. This is what we
want.
JACKSON
No accident. I don't want that.
HANS
Why do you say this? It's part of the work.
JACKSON
No. A breeze rocks the glass, that isn't my work. I make the
painting, not the wind off the bay.
HANS
So, you paint now?
JACKSON
Let's move the glass.
They position the pane of glass on
the sawhorses. Jackson checks it
with the level one last time.
HANS
Why do you do this?
JACKSON
Hans, no why. If you want to know why make a painting.
HANS
(Smiling as he picks up his camera.)
I take pictures. Do you paint now?
JACKSON
I paint now. You have film it that thing?
Jackson gathers his paints and Hans
crawls under the glass in
preparation.
PETER (TO ZACK)
Their secrets are hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated.
ZACK
You add some random element, like the camera, it will change
things, change the whole process.
PETER
It's not his inner impulse.
ZACK
Even as a kid he did this. One time he found this stone in
the river, a good sized small boulder. Everyone thought he
was crazy, with this stone, but it took on such importance
for Jack.
PETER
What was it, its shape?
ZACK
Its shape. Its vibration.
PETER
The way it filled space.
TODD
I've been sent to tell you to come in and warm up.
(to Zack)
Your lovely wife is worried about you out here in the cold.
ZACK
Like these stones in the yard, the way Jack finds these
pieces and sets them up in a way that takes on a kind of
force.
TODD
I know what you mean. I've watched him do that with everyday
objects. He seems to divine space and make simple things come
alive. When he touches something, it is at once formed.
PETER
He should do more sculpture.
ZACK
He's a pantheist, he has that kind of quality about him.
PETER
That's what I see. That's why I conceive the ideal museum for
his work as a structure rooted in this landscape environment
TODD
Look, they're filming. He's starting the painting.
As Jackson begins to paint, a film
of Jackson painting on glass from
Hans' viewpoint plays silently on
the backdrop. The stage lights
fade, until only the film remains
with the backlit actors silhouetted
in front.
Jackson stops painting, onstage and
in the film
HANS
Jackson, what are you doing? You do not stop. Please go on.
Jackson no.
Jackson wipes the glass clean with
a rag.
HANS
This you must not do. Jackson go on.
The film fades as Jackson walks
away from the painting. Hans
follows him and grabs Jackson from
behind to stop him. Jackson turns
and pushes Hans away.
HANS
You must go on. We have no time.
JACKSON
No more Hans.
HANS
What is this temperament? You must continue with the work.
JACKSON
I lost contact with the painting.
HANS
This means nothing. You destroy the work for no reason.
JACKSON
I'm just trying to paint, Hans.
HANS
Go on with your work. You stop on a whim.
Jackson grabs Hans by both
shoulders and shakes him
JACKSON
I'm trying to paint.
BLACKOUT
ACT 2
SCENE 1
The interior of Lee and Jackson's house, immediately
following the previous scene.
Lee, Barbara, Paula and Alberto
chat in the kitchen and dining room
as dinner preparations continue.
Zack, Todd and Peter enter from the
back door.
ALBERTO
The film is finished! A toast!
ZACK
No.
PETER
No toast.
BARBARA
What happened?
ZACK
Jack wiped out the painting.
PETER
The camera was rolling.
TODD
He stopped painting.
ZACK
Hans started yelling.
PETER
Jack said "It's no good."
ZACK
Hans told him to go on. He ordered Jack to paint.
TODD
Jackson just wiped out the image with a rag.
ZACK
Hans barks orders at him like some kind of field marshal.
It's no wonder Jack blew his stack.
PETER
Poor Hans.
BARBARA
Poor Hans?
PETER
He's running out of film, they're losing the light and
Jackson can't paint while he wrestles with doubts about the
validity of his artistic process. Meanwhile the sun sinks
lower in the sky.
Jackson crashes in through the back
door. He is very cold. Hans follows
him in. Jackson reaches under the
kitchen sink and brings out a
bottle of bourbon. He fills two
water glasses full of whiskey and
offers one to Hans, who refuses it.
HANS
Don't be a fool.
JACKSON
This is the first drink I've had in two years. Dammit we need
it.
Jackson downs half a glass of
whiskey.
LEE
Pollock are you out of your mind?
JACKSON
Hi Lee. I'm dying of the cold.
LEE
You must be crazy Pollock.
Jackson heads for the living room,
puts on a 78 of Charlie Parker's
"Night in Tunisia" at full volume.
He beats out the music, trying to
warm up. Hans retreats to the back
porch. Lee follows Jackson to the
living room.
LEE
Pollock that's so loud.
(She turns down the music)
What are you doing?
JACKSON
I'm trying to get warm Lee.
LEE
(touching his hands)
God you're an icicle.
(Lee gently tries to take the drinks from him. He
surrenders one glass.)
You've had enough bourbon.
JACKSON
That's for Hans.
LEE
You shouldn't have any.
JACKSON
It's a special occasion.
LEE
You don't need to drink.
JACKSON
It's just to warm up.
LEE
Stop with one. Everyone noticed.
JACKSON
I can't face those people. I'll go upstairs.
LEE
No Jackson, you can't. You can't just withdraw. Not now.
Here, sit down.
(Jackson slumps in an armchair. Lee sits on the arm of
the chair, holding him, then pulls an afghan around
him.)
We're two days away from the opening of your biggest show
ever. You cannot go off into your own world. You have to be
ready to meet people. These are our friends. These people can
help you. They all want to see you, to celebrate your
success.
JACKSON
I know that Lee.
LEE
What happened with Hans?
JACKSON
We're finished.
LEE
He got want he wanted.
JACKSON
Yeah, it's done.
LEE
Peter said you were fighting.
JACKSON
No big deal.
LEE
The film...
JACKSON
It's done Lee.
LEE
The painting...
JACKSON
I don't know. You look at it.
LEE
You stay here.
(Lee kisses Jackson on the head.)
We'll be eating in a few minutes.
Jackson grabs art book on Picasso
from the bookshelf and thumbs
through it, drumming to the music
on the arm of the chair as he
drinks his whiskey. Lee returns to
the kitchen. The conversation in
the kitchen becomes audible as she
enters. She looks for Hans then
dumps the confiscated glass of
bourbon down the sink.
ZACK
... said he had to start over. "I lost contact," that's what
he said.
ALBERTO
When that happens you feel cut off from the world. You could
not be more alone.
PAULA
He suffers such extremes of insecurity and confidence.
TODD
That's what Hans just discovered.
BARBARA
We all do.
LEE
A few weeks ago, when he was packing this year's show to ship
off to Betty, he showed me this painting, it was "Lavender
Mist." He said, "Is this a painting?" Not is this a good
painting, or a bad one, but is it a painting! It's probably
the best thing he's ever done.
TODD
Alberto isn't that bad.
ALBERTO
(to Peter, taking him aside)
Speaking of "Lavender Mist," your wife thinks you're buying
it.
PETER
Jackson and I spoke about it. What a canvas.
ALBERTO
(Handing him the catalogue proof)
I couldn't agree more. Have you looked at the others?
PETER
(juggling the catalogue and his wine glass)
No, I haven't had a chance.
ALBERTO
Really, you must. Are you totally committed to "Lavender
Mist?
PETER
I'm not sure. I was here for a party and we were out in the
studio. I noticed it there and Lee gave a most persuasive
sales talk. I'd had a few drinks.
(Peter gulps his wine.)
ALBERTO
So, the deal isn't final.
PETER
No papers were signed as far as I remember.
ALBERTO
I see.
PETER
The size is a factor.
ALBERTO
That's my concern exactly.
PETER
It's enormous. It might end up in storage.
ALBERTO
So you wouldn't be offended if I made an offer.
PETER
Not at all. There are plenty to choose from.
LEE
Whatever he feels, he feels so intensely. It's never in
proportion.
BARBARA
It's like torture.
LEE
The degree of doubt is unbelievable at times.
ZACK
We're all like that. I'm fine when I work, but the moment I
step back, I think "Who am I kidding?"
LEE
That's when I throw out the painting.
BARBARA
Imagine knowing your blunders were recorded on film for all
time.
ZACK
That's frightening. A vision of hell.
PAULA
If that isn't in Dante's Inferno it should be -- the painter
condemned to an eternity of watching himself create a failed
painting.
PETER
Paula, we don't know it's a failed painting.
ZACK
I've never actually watched Jack paint. It's quite
interesting.
PETER
That's what Hans thought. To capture his process.
TODD
It looks like he's painting the air. He creates this
creature, this aerial form, which falls wriggling to the
canvas with a life of its own.
ZACK
I've never seen anything like it.
LEE
I love watching him. He sees something in space that no one
else sees, then covers it with color,so everyone can see.
He'll use sticks, hardened brushes---now it's basting
syringes. He uses a basting syringe like a giant fountain
pen. His control is amazing.
PAULA
That's what the filmgoers should see.
LEE
We buy syringes by the dozen.
Hans re-enters from the porch. Zack
and Peter meet him at the door.
HANS
Where is Jackson?
PETER
Calm down Hans.
HANS
What is he doing ?
ZACK
He's drinking.
HANS
I see that.
ZACK
Hans, this is nothing
HANS
We must stop him.
ZACK
You don't know Jack very well. When Jack is drunk he is
impossible. I'm telling you; he is impossible.
HANS
I have heard about the drinking.
PETER
Hans, don't dwell on it. He never drinks when he works.
ZACK
Don't suppose you've heard about his legendary fight at the
Cedar?
PETER
Must you?
HANS
No never.
ZACK
I was there.
CROSSFADE
SCENE 2
The interior of the Cedar Tavern in on Eighth Street
in New York City. The scene has a heightened dreamy
quality, choreographed to the bebop jazz playing on
the bar's radio.
Peter becomes JOHN, the bartender.
Hans and Zack enter as customers
and stand at the bar. FRANK, a
painter, sits at the bar watching
the ball game on the TV.
ZACK
I was sitting at the bar having a beer, and I heard John the
bartender murmur
JOHN
Oh, no.
Jackson appears outside the bar
door
FRANK (ASIDE)
We looked over at the red front door,and in the small square
window there is part of Jackson's face, one anxious eye
peering in.
John walks toward the door,
pointing at Jackson and shaking his
head.
JOHN (YELLING)
No. You're 86 Jackson!
ZACK
The eye disappeared.
Jackson turns away from the door.
JOHN
He'll be back.
FRANK
We watched the little window.
ZACK
Sure enough.
Jackson again peers into the bar
through the door.
FRANK
The window framed his face, like a mask of an angry smile.
JOHN
(shouting and shaking his head)
No. You can't come in. Beat it.
FRANK
Then Jackson smiled. Who can resist him.
JOHN
Whaddya gonna do? I can't say no to the son of a bitch. Look
at him out there. He's a teddy bear on the outside, a grizzly
inside.
(pointing at the window)
All right. But you've got to be good.
The door swings open and Jackson
stands silhouetted in the door like
a gunslinger. With a wide smile on
his face he saunters up to John at
the bar.
JOHN
Remember now -- one trick and you're finished. Do you get
that? No cussin'. No messin' with the girls. This is it. Last
chance.
JACKSON
Scotch.
Jackson approaches elbows Frank in
the ribs
JACKSON
Hi Frank.
FRANK
Hi. Jackson. Be with you in a minute. I'm watching the
Yankees.
Jackson takes a drink, then elbows
Frank again, harder.
FRANK
Do that once more and I'll knock your clock off.
JOHN
Jackson, did you hit him?
JACKSON
What? Me? Hit an artist? Gimme a Scotch.
Jackson waits for his drink, then
winks at John and elbows Frank
again. As Frank gets off his
barstool to come after Jackson
grabs his hat off the bar and
flings it at John, who catches it.
Jackson runs to the other side of
the room. Frank shakes his head and
laughs
JOHN
(he gives Frank his hat back)
Pollock, settle down. I'm warning you.
Jackson makes his way back to the
bar. He grabs Frank from behind.
Laughing, Jackson throws Frank
backward off his barstool onto the
floor.
FRANK
(Frank picks up the stool)
Okay, Jackson, cut it out.
Frank sits down again. Jackson
finishes his Scotch and puts the
glass on the bar. He turns as if to
leave, then comes back and knocks
Frank off his barstool again.
ZACK (ASIDE)
Jackson was so happy he glittered.
Frank slowly gets up and picks up
his barstool. Then he wheels on
Jackson, who is backing toward the
door. Frank slams him into the door
and Jackson shoves Frank back.
Both are laughing. Frank comes at
Jackson again, punching him in the
gut with a left-right combination.
Jackson crunches over in pain,
still laughing.
JACKSON
Not so hard.
Jackson straightens up, launching
himself into Frank. He grabs Frank
in a bear hug and crashes him into
the door. The door gives way and as
they both tumble into the street.
CROSSFADE BACK TO THE HOUSE INTERIOR IN 1950.
LEE
The drinking is a problem we all face with Jackson. No one is
more conscious of it than he is.
TODD
It's only one drink. We've all had a few.
ALBERTO
Hans just needs to catch up.
(He offers Hans wine.)
HANS
Thank you.
ALBERTO
You've been out in the cold too long. Come in and join us for
the evening's festivities. A toast! To Hans and the success
of his film.
All raise glasses and toast Hans.
Lee doesn't drink. Paula draws Lee
aside, Barbara joins them. Alberto
wanders into the living room and
silently watches Jackson studying
the Picasso book
PAULA
Lee, why are you so upset about this? It's perfectly
understandable...
LEE
You have so little idea. You just don't realize. He has
tried everything to stop drinking, all his life.
PAULA
I'm so sorry. I didn't know.
LEE
Just recently we found a Dr. Heller, a general practitioner
out here, the first man who was able to stop Jackson from
drinking.
BARBARA
He uses some sort of hypnotism I heard.
LEE
That's what I thought. No, they just talked. I asked Jackson,
he said "He's an honest man, I can believe him."
PAULA
That's wonderful.
BARBARA
There's hope.
LEE
Heller was killed in an automobile accident earlier this
year.
In the livingroom Jackson throws
the art book on the floor.
JACKSON
God damn it that guy misses nothing!
ALBERTO
(looks at the book on the floor)
Picasso?
JACKSON
That's right, Picasso.
ALBERTO
Did we give you this?
JACKSON
I'll never catch up.
ALBERTO
We'd been looking at some drawings - your conversations with
Picasso. I see you're still talking.
JACKSON
My eternal opponent.
ALBERTO
Your sparring partner.
JACKSON
Every time I step into the arena of a painting, out in the
studio, especially towards evening, I see someone lurking,
out of the corner of my eye.
ALBERTO
Picasso.
JACKSON
Picasso. I know him, grinning, smoking his cigarette. He
taunts me. He whispers in my ear, "Pollock, we don't need any
more great painters." I hurl paint back at him. Paint, that's
my weapon. If I could get my hands on him, I'd swallow him
whole.
ALBERTO
We met him in Paris.
JACKSON
You met Picasso?
ALBERTO
On our most recent trip. We went out to dinner. After an
opening, with a group of people we know. He's rather
ferocious.
JACKSON
You talked to him?
ALBERTO
We spoke Spanish. The others spoke French. Todd was rather
lost, he's not good with languages. We drank all night with
him. I bought, Picasso poured. It went on until dawn. He
knows your work.
JACKSON
Picasso?
ALBERTO
I confess, I dropped your name to impress him. He bobbed his
head with some enthusiasm. He knows your work. When you and
Lee come to Paris we'll be sure that you meet him.
JACKSON
Paris? I don't think so. I don't speak the language.
ALBERTO
You mustn't let that stop you. Everyone you will meet there
speaks some English, and there are always people to
translate.
JACKSON
I might start drinking.
ALBERTO
Jackson, we all drink in Paris. Picasso begins drinking at
noon.
JACKSON
I'd get into trouble. I don't know anyone there.
ALBERTO
Everyone knows you, you're a world famous artist. You have
friends. But you will have to promise not to eat with your
hands.
JACKSON
I don't eat with my hands.
ALBERTO
You do sometimes. Rather bestial. The French already think
Americans are primitive, let's not reinforce that negative
image.
JACKSON
I don't like the French. I met those Surrealists over in
Bridgehampton.
ALBERTO
On the other hand, they will like your animal magnetism.
Picasso's rather bestial himself. Like a great bull in the
ring, just like your drawings, charging at anything that
moves. You'll roar at each other, the bull and the bear.
JACKSON
I roar at him now when I work.
ALBERTO
But not to his face. And not with the Parisian art world
gazing upon you.
JACKSON
I don't need that. I don't see any problems of modern
painting that can't be solved as well here as anywhere. It's
here, what I need is here.
ALBERTO
Dear friend, you don't go to Paris to solve problems of
painting. You go there to learn to survive.
JACKSON
What I need is here.
ALBERTO
Picasso spent the entire war in occupied Paris, under the
noses of his enemies, number one on their list of degenerate
artists.
JACKSON
That's a brave man.
ALBERTO
You come to Paris. We'll introduce you. I'll buy the wine.
Picasso will explain how one handles the Nazis.
In the kitchen conversation shifts
to the film.
PETER
So Hans, you are finished.
HANS
Finished? The filming? Yes, we are done for today.
PETER
We're all waiting to hear. You convinced Jackson to start
over.
HANS
Yes, of course, even better the second time. The images... my
hands were trembling. The explosion when the paint hit the
glass, his eyes tormented before knowing where to strike
next; the tension, then the explosion again.
TODD
(to Barbara, who giggles)
Sounds like a movie of lovers in bed.
ZACK
At the very least intrusive. I know Jackson is reluctant to
have anyone present while he paints. I would be too.
HANS
The day that we met, I went to his studio. He had promised to
start a new painting for me, but when I arrived he said no,
the painting was done, so I couldn't take pictures. I was
very disappointed. We stared at the huge painting that
covered the floor in complete silence, I don't know how long.
Suddenly he took a paint can and a brush and began to paint,
slowly at first, then gradually faster, almost dancelike. He
forgot I was there. I knew I must capture that image.
PAULA
What was the impulse for painting on glass?
HANS
I wanted to see the painter -- his face, his hands as he
painted. I dreamed the idea of having Jackson do this
painting on glass one night, half awake, half asleep. When I
told Jackson. He knew right away and suggested how it might
be done.
PETER
You believe you were successful, then.
HANS
Oh, yes. Quite successful.
PAULA
Say that to Jackson. Really, you must.
HANS
You are right.
Hans goes to find Jackson in living
room
PETER
Thank god. I wasn't sure whether we had triumphed or failed.
HANS
Jackson, we must talk.
JACKSON
Not now Hans.
HANS
Yes now. We will talk now.
ALBERTO
Hans, I'm sure it will wait. We're about to have dinner.
HANS
I ask you please, do not interfere. I have something to say
and I will say it now.
Jackson rips a heavy strap of
sleigh bells, a holiday decoration,
down off the wall, shakes them
wildly, then swings them above his
head like a lariat, missing Hans's
head by inches.
HANS
Stop that Jackson. You will put those down now.
JACKSON
No more orders, Hans.
ALBERTO
Hans, please leave Jackson alone.
SCENE 3
In the diningroom, action continues from the previous
scene.
A projection based on Krasner's
painting "White Squares" appears in
the background.
LEE
Dinner is served. Please take your seats.
(The guests assemble around the table)
You'll see we have place cards.
Jackson lumbers in and sits at one
end of the table.
LEE
Jackson not there. You're at this end.
JACKSON
I'm sitting here.
LEE
Now the whole plan is off.... Alright, just reverse it.
Lee stands by her chair at the
other end of the long table
LEE
Zack, next to Jackson. Alberto here by me. Oh, it's all
turned around.
PAULA
Keep going, Lee.
LEE
Peter next to Zack.
They all take the seats Lee assigns
except Hans, who is still in the
livingroom. Alberto refills wine
glasses.
ALBERTO
A toast everyone. Bon Appetit.
Everyone drinks. They pass food and
begin eating.
PETER
You're finished, then?
JACKSON
The painting? Yeah, sure.
ZACK
So, what is your reaction making a movie?
JACKSON
Zack, I'll tell you, I don't know about movies.
BARBARA
Why is that Jackson?
JACKSON
Movies keep you outside, looking at the outside. I want to
look in, like a soul X-ray.
Conversations begin at opposite
ends of the long table
LEE (TO TODD AND ALBERTO)
Is Hans having dinner?
TODD
I don't think so.
LEE
Should I ask?
BARBARA (TO JACKSON)
That's an interesting image. I think that's what actors are
trying to accomplish. To trace the human soul and bring that
to an audience.
ZACK
Barbara does some acting.
PAULA
Film captures the soul.
ZACK
Jack said that earlier.
BARBARA
Well, perhaps the image of the soul
JACKSON
The camera is outside, that's the trouble. It reproduces.
ALBERTO (TO LEE AND TODD)
Dinner is in his honor. Lee planned for Thursday.
LEE
It was Hans who had to be in the city on Thanksgiving.
Hans sticks his head in from the
living room.
ALBERTO (SEES HANS)
There he is Lee.
ZACK (TO HANS)
Your food's getting cold.
LEE (AS SHE RISES)
Hans, won't you join us? There's a place...
PAULA
Here by me.
Paula slides her chair over to make
room for Hans between herself and
Jackson. Peter brings a chair for
Hans and he sits.
JACKSON
Technique and equipment don't add up to art.
PETER
Hans, we were talking about film-making.
HANS (COOLLY TO JACKSON)
One could say the same about your painting.
BARBARA (TO LEE)
Lee, I hear through the grapevine you have your own show at
Parsons.
LEE
Yes, that's a true rumor. Next year in the fall...
JACKSON
(jumping into their conversation to avoid arguing with
Hans)
That's right. Betty gave Lee her own show next October.
ZACK
Wonderful, Lee.
PAULA
Oh Lee, how exciting.
JACKSON
Let's have another toast. A toast to Lee's show.
Jackson gets up and grabs a wine
bottle from the table. He refills
wine glasses, clowning, imitating a
waiter with a napkin over his arm.
He is tipsy and inadvertently
overfills glasses and slops wine as
he works his way down the table.
His movements are exaggerated and
sluggish, seemingly in slow motion.
JACKSON
Who needs more wine? Hold up your glass.
HANS
No more, that's enough.
JACKSON
Quit complaining. Come on, hand them over. Madame?
As he takes Barbara's glass, he
kisses her hand, then continues
kissing up her arm to her shoulder.
He splashes wine on Zack
ZACK
Hey Jack, look out there. I don't need a shower.
JACKSON
Just hold up your glass. We're having a toast.
He leans across the table to refill
Peter and Paula's glasses, loses
his balance and nearly knocks over
the centerpiece. Todd pulls Jackson
back by the belt and catches the
bottle, which is slipping from
Jackson grasp. The bottle is nearly
empty.
JACKSON
Hey, this one's empty. We need more wine.
ALBERTO
Jackson dear, there's a bottle right here.
Alberto refills his own glass and
Lee's. Jack grabs an empty glass
from the counter and holds it out
to Alberto, who hesitates, then
fills it halfway.
LEE (RISING)
Pollock, take it easy.
JACKSON
A toast now. To Lee.
(very slowly, struggling with the words)
To my wonderful wife, without whom I would not be here
today... To her work... to her show... to her success as an
artist.
ALL
To Lee.
LEE
Thank you Jackson.
Jackson kisses her as the others
laugh and applaud. Lee sits.
LEE
You all know Alberto has his own show right after.
PAULA
Oh, also at Parsons?
ALBERTO
Yes, followed by Jackson's. We shall band together for
mutual support. May we sell many paintings.
PETER
(as he raises his glass)
A toast to Alberto...
(as they toast)
To Alberto's new show.
TODD
I shall be doing a great deal of hand-holding.
ALBERTO
Which is your forte. I cannot imagine a more supportive
partner than Todd.
ZACK
Lee, will your show be new paintings, or some of these pieces
we've seen?
LEE
All new.
JACKSON
Lee new stuff has a freshness and bigness she didn't get
before.
LEE
Jackson wasn't fond of my "Little Image" paintings.
JACKSON
Lee, I never said that. She's doing these little paintings,
maybe two or three feet square. I'm out in the barn covering
30 feet or more of canvas. I can't adjust.
LEE
There's no room for that in my studio. Anyway, I've destroyed
almost every canvas I've done in the last five years.
BARBARA
Oh Lee, you haven't.
LEE
Yes, I have.
JACKSON
You tell her. She won't listen to me.
ALBERTO
All those wonderful mosaics.
LEE
I burned them.
JACKSON
Out back in the yard.
ALBERTO
Gone?
JACKSON
Some really good stuff.
LEE
I need room for the new work. Some have to go.
JACKSON
There's plenty of room in my studio Lee.
LEE
That's your studio. I have my own.
JACKSON
She throws out good paintings, some of her best stuff.
ALBERTO
Those hieroglyphic pieces?
JACKSON
I can't stop her.
ALBERTO
I loved those.
LEE
A few sold.
ALBERTO
The rest?
LEE
I walked into my studio one day, hated it all, took
everything down, tore it all up and threw it on the floor.
ALBERTO
No,