Big Fish, my top-ranked film of 2003, not only charmed me completely with its humanity and whimsical humor -- it also surprised me with its wisdom.
La lectura del día: los últimos minutos de Big Fish. El gran final, emotivo y memorable, en el que vemos a Will (Billy Cudrup) momentos antes de que su padre, Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), pase a mejor vida. El guión fue escrito por John August, basado en la novela de Daniel Wallace. Espero que les guste.
181 ROOM - PRE-DAWN 181
It’s very early morning, and the first blue light of day is glowing through the vertical blinds. Still in his chair, Will wakes up a bit at a time. The notepad is on his lap, the pen in his hand. He cracks his neck, crooked from sleeping on it wrong. What woke him up? He looks to his right. Holds his gaze for a breath.
WILL: Dad?
His father is awake, silently GASPING for breath. His eyes are open, scared and confused.
WILL (cont’d): Dad! Do you want me to get a nurse?
Edward shakes his head unambiguously. Will already has his finger on the orange "nurse call" button, but doesn’t push it.
WILL (cont’d): What can I do? Can I help? Can I get you something? Water?
Edward nods. Will pours a glass from the pitcher on the nightstand. He holds it to his father’s lips, but Edward won’t drink. He pushes it away. He wanted something else.
EDWARD (whispering): The river.
WILL: The river?
It takes Edward all his strength to put together each thought. It’s like he’s only half-there, fighting to hang on to this world.
EDWARD: Tell me how it happens.
WILL: How what happens?
EDWARD: How I go.
ON WILL, realizing...
WILL: You mean what you saw in The Eye?
Edward nods. Yes, that’s what he was trying to say. A long beat.
WILL (cont’d): I don’t know that story, Dad. You never told me that one.
Will pushes his fingers under his father’s heavy hand, and holds it. There’s nothing else to do. Edward looks around, confused and increasingly scared. He sees the end approaching, but doesn’t know exactly what’s coming. Without the story, he’s lost.
Fighting the urge to panic --
WILL (cont’d): I can try, Dad. If you help. Just tell me how it starts.
EDWARD: Like this.
WILL: Okay. Okay.
Will looks around the room, increasingly desperate. He looks to the nurse call button. He really wants to press it.
ON EDWARD, waiting for Will to begin.
WILL (cont’d): Okay. It’s morning, and you and I are in the hospital. I’d fallen asleep in the chair. I wake up and I see you, and...
WILL: Dad?
It’s dawn, and the first golden glow is shining through the vertical blinds.
WILL (cont’d)(louder and concerned): Dad?
We LOOK OVER to find a nimble Edward sitting up in bed, combing his hair.
EDWARD: Let’s get out of here.
WILL (V.O.): Somehow, you’re better. Different. You’re getting ready to go. And I say...
WILL: Dad, you’re in no condition to...
But Edward throws back the covers.
EDWARD: There’s a fold-up wheelchair in the bathroom. Wrap a blanket around me.As soon as we get off this floor, we’ll be in the clear.
Will heads for the bathroom. Sure enough, the wheelchair is there.
EDWARD (cont’d): Hurry! We don’t have much time.
With the blanket draped over his head like a ghost, Edward points for his son to steer the wheelchair thataway.
EDWARD: Faster!
They pass a HEAVYSET NURSE, who turns to look. Rounding a corner, they nearly crash into Dr. Bennett.
DR. BENNETT: Will! I...What are you doing?
Before he can answer, Will spots Edward rolling the chair himself, pumping both arms. Will dashes to catch up with him. The Heavyset Nurse leans out of Edward’s hospital room.
NURSE: Security! Stop them!
At the elevators, Sandra and Josephine step out to find Will and Edward barreling straight at them.
EDWARD: No time to explain! Follow us!
Seeing SECURITY GUARDS heading their way, a quick-thinking Sandra shoves a nearby cart into them, bowling them down.
Will brakes hard, sliding with both feet. The chair nearly crashes into the back wall as the doors close. Will races Edward down the row, finally reaching the Chevrolet. Will lifts his father out of the chair.
WILL (V.O.): I pick you up and you hardly weigh anything. I can’t explain it.
Will sets him in the passenger seat.
EDWARD: Water. I need water.
Scrambling in back, Will finds a liter of Arrowhead. Hands it off. Edward unscrews the cap, but instead of drinking it, he douses himself. Soaks the blanket. Will pops the trunk. Starts to fold up the wheelchair.
EDWARD (cont’d): Leave it! We won’t need it.
TIRES SMOKE as the car peals out.
BACK TO: INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 186 - DAY [REALITY] 186
TIGHT ON Will, trying to hold back tears as he talks.
WILL: And we have to take Glenville to avoid all the church traffic, because those damn church people drive too slow.
TIGHT ON Edward, enjoying that detail. He’s focused completely on Will’s story.
WILL (cont’d): I ask...
The Chevy slaloms through the Sunday-morning traffic.
WILL (O.S.): Where are we headed?
WILL (V.O.): You say...
188 INT. CHEVY - DAY 188
EDWARD: The River!
Will stops short, the traffic backed up. He HONKS, trying to get around the jam. But it’s no use. Then, up ahead, the cars start moving, shoved aside by massive hands. It’s Karl the Giant, clearing a path by brute force. Edward leans out the window and waves. Karl waves back.
The same stretch of the river where it all began. A CROWD of more than 100 waiting.
WILL (V.O.): As we get closer to the river, we see everybody’s already there. And I mean everybody.
Amos Calloway is here with the circus folk, including Mr. Soggybottom. We also find Edward’s Mother and Father, the Mayor, and many others from along the way. No one has aged a day since we saw them last.
While Ping scans the horizon, Jing nuzzles with her boyfriend, Norther Winslow. It’s Ping who first spots the Chevrolet.
PING: He’s here!
The crowd CHEERS. The Ashton marching band PLAYS. Jenny Hill smiles. So does the Old Woman. We PUSH IN on the Old Woman’s glass eye, where we see YOUNG EDWARD reflected. This is what he saw.
191 INT. THE CHEVROLET - DAY 191
Amazed, Will turns to his father.
WILL: It’s unbelievable.
EDWARD: Story of my life.
Will gets out of the Chevrolet, overwhelmed by the crowd. Behind him, Sandra, Josephine and Dr. Bennett pull up. Karl comes just after that. Crossing to the passenger side, Will lifts his father out. Strangely, he’s gotten even lighter. Will carries him easily.
Edward pulls off his shoes, tying the laces together. He hands them to Josephine. She throws them up at the powerline. They loop over. APPLAUSE and CHEERS.
The crowd parts to let Will and Edward get to the river. As he passes, Edward shakes some hands, pats some people on the cheek, and gives others a good poke in the ribs.
WILL (V.O.): And the strange thing is, there’s not a sad face to be found. Everyone’s just so glad to see you, and send you off right.
Will walks into the river, up to his knees. He turns back so his father can face the crowd. Edward waves.
EDWARD: Goodbye everybody! Farewell! Adieu!
THE CROWD (VARIOUS): Goodbye Edward! / See ya! / We’ll miss you!
But one face is missing from the crowd -- Sandra. Will turns to see she’s already standing in the river beside them. The reflection of the light off the water gives Sandra an unearthly glow. She’s more tranquil and more beautiful than we’ve ever seen her.
EDWARD: My girl in the river.
She kisses him. He tweaks her chin. The crowd HOLLERS in approval, but their moment remains strangely private. Only Will is there to witness. As the kiss ends, Edward tries to pull off his wedding ring. But it’s stuck. Finally, he sucks on it, pulling it free with his teeth.
A look to Will, a smile with a glint of gold. Will takes the ring out of his mouth. Edward suddenly drops out of Will’s arms with a SPLASH. For he’s no longer a man, but rather A FAT CATFISH swimming at his feet. We watch as the catfish circles, then heads for deeper water, disappearing.
Will and his mother stand knee-deep in the water, watching Edward Bloom swim away into the sunlight. Josephine is back on the shore, along with the entire crowd.
MUSIC BUILDS to a climax, then...
Down the river, a GIANT FISH suddenly jumps out of the water, cutting a beautiful arc across the sunset. It then dives back under with a SPLASH.
CROSSFADE BACK TO: INT. HOSPITAL 193 ROOM - DAY 193
Will has tears hanging in the corners of his eyes.
WILL: You become what you always were. A very big fish. (he smiles) And that’s the way it happens.
EDWARD (a whisper): Yes. Exactly.
Edward smiles, proud of both of them. His eyes are so pale and so open, we can almost see his soul. In every atom of his body, in every thought, Edward Bloom is entirely happy.
And this is how he goes.
Des yeux qui font baiser les miens, un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,
