The opening words of the next entry are written.
POPRISHCHIN V.O.
November Eleventh. Today I sat in our Director's study and I sharpened all his quills, twenty-three quills for him, and four for...uh, oh...her Excellency.
CUT TO:
Standing in front of Director's desk, POPRISHCHIN arranges the Director's newly sharpened quills on the desk. Poprishchin looks up at the portrait of the Director.
POPRISHCHIN
(muttering to himself)
Oh, you're quite welcome, your Excellency.
Cut to: The portrait of the Director is smiling.
Poprishchin walks around the desk to the Director’s chair.
Poprishchin sits down in the Director's chair, filled with an air of nobility.
SOUND: The main doors to the study open.
Cut to: Poprishchin springs to attention to
clear the chair for what he believes could be the entrance of the Director, or maybe even...Sophie.
Cut to: The HEAD BUTLER, carrying a small silver
platter enters the room.
The CAMERA PANS with the Head Butler as he crosses to the Director's desk. Poprishchin stands tall, lauding over the head butler his rightful throne. The head butler picks up a letter from the desk and places it on the silver platter.
The CAMERA PANS back towards the door as the Head Butler leaves. The Head Butler closes the door behind him.
The CAMERA TRACKS IN to a CLOSE-UP of the door, which did not catch, slowly creaking open about a foot.
Cut to: Poprishchin looks towards the
open door of the study.
The CAMERA TRACKS IN to a CLOSE-UP of Poprishchin as he cranes his neck to catch a glimpse of what lies outside the room.
STEADICAM FLIGHT THROUGH THE DIRECTOR'S
HOUSE.
Cut to: As if Poprishchin were floating
through the house, the CAMERA floats out the study door...
DISSOLVE TO:
HOUSE - MORNING
The CAMERA TURNS RIGHT out of the Director’s study into the downstairs hallway. The CAMERA FLOATS DOWN the hallway towards an open door.
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
The CAMERA stops to look through the open doors of the CHINESE SMOKING ROOM. The dark red room is decorated in a Chinese style with mirrors and fine porcelain. The DIRECTOR and TEPLOV are engaged in a very genteel discussion, smoking pipes and sipping vodka.
The CAMERA TURNS towards the stairwell that leads upstairs.
DISSOLVE TO:
The CAMERA ascends the stairwell.
The CAMERA reaches the top of the steps and
TURNS LEFT.
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
The CAMERA FLOATS DOWN the hallway, examining the pictures on the wall and the other details of this ornate house.
DISSOLVE TO:
The CAMERA MOVES IN towards the second door on the right side of the upstairs hallway.
The door opens to reveal...
SOPHIE'S BOUDOIR, void of any furnishings. The boudoir comes to life through a series of DISSOLVES in which the different elements of the room appear piece by piece. These elements are the same pieces that occupy the clothing store where Sophie shopped at Gostiny Dvor.
First some furniture... then the little jars...
bottles... flowers... her hairbrush...
...and her dress lying over a chair, looking more like air than a dress...
The CAMERA TRACKS LEFT through the boudoir, and pushes through a curtain that leads to...
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
...SOPHIE'S BEDROOM. It is a heaven not to be found in the heavens. Awash in golden light is a canopy bed with a footstool by its side.
The CAMERA TRACKS IN to a CLOSE-UP of the footstool.
SOPHIE places her foot on the footstool.
SOUND: Madgie panting faintly.
Sophie puts a white stocking over her foot.
The CAMERA follows Sophie’s hands as she pulls the stocking up her leg.. ...higher and higher... ...until it reaches her... With blazing speed, the CAMERA WHIPS AROUND and escapes through the curtains...
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
...flying through Sophie's boudoir...
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
... back through the upstairs hallway...
DISSOLVE TO:
...down the stairwell...
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
...past the Chinese smoking room where the DIRECTOR and TEPLOV are laughing...
DISSOLVE TO:
...through the hallway to the door of the study where Poprishchin is still standing behind the Director’s desk.
DISSOLVE TO:
MORNING
The CAMERA bursts into the study still moving with blazing speed into a CLOSE- UP of Poprishchin's petrified face. He is in a cold sweat, breathing hard. Poprishchin closes his mouth.
SOUND: Madgie's panting continues.
The look of terror on Poprishchin's face is replaced with a quizzical look.
Cut to: Sitting and panting by the
study door, MADGIE is looking straight at Poprishchin.
Cut to: Poprishchin is excited. He
remembers...
CUT TO:
- MORNING
FLASHBACK: MADGIE is speaking to
FIDO. The scene is exactly the same except for the higher intensity of Madgie's voice.
MADGIE
But I did write to you, Fidó. Evidently, Rover didn't deliver my letter.
CUT TO:
POPRISHCHIN crosses the room towards MADGIE. He is very excited, nodding and grinning.
POPRISHCHIN
Come here Madgie. Now look, no one can see us. If you wish, I’ll lock the doors. Now, tell me everything you know about your Mistress, who she is? What's she like? I swear I won't tell a soul.
Madgie continues to stare blankly at Poprishchin. Poprishchin leans towards Madgie waiting for her response. With a prissy turn, Madgie leaves the room.
Poprishchin quickly crosses to his desk and puts his tools into his leather bag.
POPRISHCHIN V.O.
For a long time I've suspected dogs were more intelligent than men, I was certain they can speak, but chose not to, out of sheer stubbornness. A dog is an extraordinary politician, notices everything, every step a human takes. If I can just get a hold of those letters, I will understand everything.
Poprishchin leaves the study.
CUT TO:
As the first light of day begins to appear, the final words of the entry are written with great speed.
POPRISHCHIN V.O.
No. I don't care what happens. First thing tomorrow I shall go to Zverkov House and cross-examine Fido, and with any luck, I'll lay my hands on all those letters Madgie wrote her.
DISSOLVE TO: