The Ice Rink

 The Ice Rink  

 A Screenplay by Jean-Philippe TOUSSAINT

 Avril 1997

In association with CANAL+ ECRITURE

Developed with the support of the European Script Fund

An initiative of the European Union Media Program

1

1. EXT. PARKING LOT OF THE ICE RINK - DAY

Trucks are parked on the parking lot of an ice rink. Flemish technicians, grips and electricians, talk together while unloading the equipment, lamps, cables, tracks. They spread it out on the parking lot, take some lamps into the rink. The four technicians all wear the same black T-shirt with an inscription in Dutch.

A few cars arrive, belonging to the film crew (cinematographer, sound engineer). They get out, say hello to each other, wait around on the parking lot.

An old broken down bus, very East European looking, with curtains in the windows, parks in the parking lot. Twenty or so men get out with sports bags, hockey sticks, helmets. They enter the ice rink guided by two production assistants who greet them and show them the way, walkie-talkies held to their ears.

A small convertible enters the parking lot, carrying the director and his assistant.

The car stops. The director and his assistant get out of the car, shake a few hands. A TV reporter precedes them, filming them with a hand-held camera.

Escorted by assistants, they go over to a limousine which is parking on the lot.

The director's assistant tries to open the door of the limousine, is unsuccessful.

An assistant, very much in a hurry, runs back into the ice rink while another shouts orders into his walkie-talkie.

Outside the limousine, everyone tries to open the door, knocks on the windows. The occupant of the limousine, the star of the film, an American, wearing dark glasses, a white teeshirt, and a leather jacket, puts his head out the window. Everyone says hello to him respectfully. They signal to him, ask him to try to open the door from the inside. The grips approach, try to unjam the door. Nothing works. Finally the grips set up a small platform in front of the window. The star of the film climbs cautiously out of the limousine window.

Escorted by the writer-director, the star of the film enters the ice rink, preceded by the TV reporter who films them.

2. INT. CORRIDORS OF THE ICE RINK - PROVISIONAL PRODUCTION AND DIRECTION OFFICES - DAY

The writer-director guides the star of the film into the changing rooms of the ice rink. They cross several rooms, preceded by the TV reporter who films from the shoulder while walking backwards.

Thoughtfully, almost as if he was talking to himself, the director explains to the actor the idea of the scene they are going to shoot: the actor sees the actress for the first time and says her name: Dolores.

He explains that, as usual in his work, nothing is completely finalized yet, that he doesn't want things to be rigid, that he wants there to be room for improvisation when shooting takes place, that the film must always remain open.

The American actor, not really listening, responds in monosyllables, yes, no, don't understand, to the director's explanations.

While the director explains, the assistant talks non-stop over the walkie-talkie with the make-up room. ("Make-up, do you read, make-up? We're coming, get ready, we're coming..."). The conversation between the assistant and the make-up artist continues moreover in the room where the provisional production and direction offices are set up, so that the assistant and the make-up artist keep talking over the walkie-talkie while standing in the same room.

The director finishes talking about the way he sees the scene and leaves the room.

An assistant runs up with a bathrobe, which he gives to the American actor.

The actor puts his jacket on a chair, takes off his teeshirt.

Stripped to the waist, he walks unselfconsciously about the room, looks over a secretary’s shoulder.

Everyone looks at him.

The secretarie blushes, stops typing on her computer, (she can hardly contain herself, it looks as though she might giggle or pee in her pants).

She slowly, timidly, looks up at the actor.

The actor smiles at her.

A young woman with a superb figure and an alluring cleavage enters, timid and uncomfortable, wearing a mini-skirt, a small notebook open in her hand. She walks up to the actor as though about to ask for an autograph.

The assistant (shouts)

What are you doing here?

The young woman

I'm the interpreter.

The actor turns round, looks at her, notices the cleavage.

The actor (smiling warmly)

I beg your pardon?

The interpreter (embarrassed, in a low voice)

I am the... the...(to the others) how do you say interpreter in English?

The assistant does not know.

The assistant (very loud, to the whole room)

Does anyone know how to say interpreter in English?

3. INT. ICE RINK - DAY

The director and the cinematographer talk on the ice rink. They make large gestures, mimic frames. The director looks through his viewfinder.

Technical discussion.

The film crew takes its first steps on the ice. They put on ice skates, start to make their way onto the rink. Their steps are slow, uncertain.

The sound operator carries his nagra and his boom, his advance over the ice is shaky. He almost loses his balance several times and keeps upright by swinging his arms around like a windmill. The script girl, with her pink notebooks and her stopwatch, after taking off her thick anorak and putting on her skates, wears what resembles a figure skater's attire, a sort of Diana's hunting dress with imitation suede fringes. She pushes out onto the ice with a certain grace, a certain assurance, slowly, one leg lifted in the air behind her. More prudent, much slower, are the cinematographer, the electricians and the grips. After getting into their skates they walk on the ice and cluster together at the center of the rink. The cinematographer gives some instructions to the electricians. They listen, then get to work. They start installing the lighting on the rink, yelling to each other in Flemish over the ice. The script girl has installed herself on a small folding stool in the middle of the ice rink, her script and her notebooks on her knees, her stopwatch around her neck. Behind her the electricians continue installing the lights, set the first lamps on their stands.

4. INT. MAKEUP - DAY

In the makeup room, the leading actor is being made up.

5. INT. ICE RINK - DAY

The director heads over at a good pace to the edge of the rink, preceded by the reporter, who films him while walking backwards.

The director puts on ice skates and moves onto the ice.

The director progresses very slowly, very cautiously, preceded by the reporter, wearing skates as well, who walks backwards on the ice, nearly falling every step.

The electricians continue to install the lamps, turn them on and off.

The director crosses the rink, going towards the director's chair.

He sits, opens his script.