Orlando (1992) Movie Script
"That fair her seems...
That fair her seems the
less ye see her may.
Lo see soon after how...
Modesty.
There are things that she'll see.
Lo see soon after how... more
bold and free her bared bosom...
A see the virgin rose...
How sweetly she...
...doth peep forth
with bashful modesty."
There can be no
doubt about his sex.
Despite the feminine
appearance that...
...every young man at
the time aspires to.
And there can be no doubt
about his upbringing.
Good food.
Education.
A nanny.
Loneliness and isolation.
And...because this is England...
Orlando would therefore
seem destined...
...to have his
portrait on the wall.
And his name in the history books.
But when he...
That is...
I
Came into the world.
He was looking for something else.
Though heir to a name that meant
power, land and property...
Surely when Orlando was born...
...it wasn't privilege he sought...
...but company.
Eliza ...
... Eliza's eyes are
blessed stars, ...
... Inducing peace,
subduing wars. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza is the
fairest queen ...
... That ever trod
upon the green. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza's eyes are
blessed stars, ...
... Inducing peace,
subduing wars. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza is the
fairest queen ...
... That ever trod
upon the green. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza's breast is
that fair hill, ...
... Where virtue dwells,
and sacred skill. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower.
More wine my lord?
A see the virgin rose.
How sweetly she doth
first peep forth
With bashful modesty.
That fair her seems the
less ye see her may.
Lo see soon after how..
more bold and free her bared
bosom she doth broad display
Lo see soon after how she fades...
...and falls away.
so passeth in th..
Is this a worthy topic?
From one so clearly in
the bloom of youth.
To one who would desire it still?
Fair virgo gratious majesty,
Your bloom is legendary,
and these were of course not
the sentiments of our son,
but of a poet.
Now what would please you?
All that is mine is
here for your pleasure.
All you call yours is mine already.
Come.
Your leg.
I want you here in England with me.
You will be the son
of my old age...
...and the limb of my infirmity.
My favourite.
My mascot.
Come.
Aah, this is my victory.
Come, your handsome leg.
For you and for your heirs Orlando.
The house.
Your Majesty.
I'm forever i...
But on one condition.
Do not fade.
Do not wither.
Do not grow old.
Very interesting person.
First the queen and now his father.
It is too sad.
Mourning so becomes him.
One can quite see why
he was the favourite.
My dear friends how can you?
In his time of grief.
That way.
Sasha.
Who's that?
I believe she is the daughter
of the muscovite ambassador.
How the delightful.
If that's to your taste.
What ever can you mean?
Oh, smearing themselves with
candle wax to keep warm.
Wearing beards as they get
older, that kind of thing.
Perhaps in this you're
mistaken, Moray.
Told me on good authority
by Lord Francis Vere.
Does he travel to muscovite.
He knows someone who did.
Aah.
This is the Lady Euphrosyne.
The Lord Winchelsea.
The Lord Orlando.
The Earl of Moray.
Moray....
And I am Lord Francis Vere.
Ochin Liesna.
Sorry?
- Enchant.
Enchanted.
- Aah.
And my name is
Alexandra Menchikova.
But my father calls me Sasha.
Enchant.
Here doing some quail.
Spasiba.
Do they have quail in Russia?
Do you speak French?
A little.
But the most Englishmen
can't, or do...
...not want to speak
other languages.
How do they communicate
with strangers then?
They speak English louder.
Please tell the
ambassador that this,
great frost is the most severe ever
to have visited these islands.
Erh, tell him that in
Norfolk a young country...
...woman was seen to turn
visibly to powder...
...and was blown away in a
puff of dust in the icy blast.
Most amusing.
Don't worry my dear, this absurd
affection will not last the season.
After all..
She's a foreigner.
My Lord Orlando, you're in
danger of becoming a fool.
You're ruining what
could be the finest...
...career in the land and for what?
I no longer care
for a career, Moray.
I'm only interested in love.
Don't you see in courting
a Cossack, you're...
...humiliating not
only your fianc...
...but the entire female
population of this country.
Besides which, they have nothing.
Why do you think they're here?
For your sake I would
hunt wolf instead of...
...rabbit drinking vodka
instead of whiskey.
How generous.
As for marriage to the good
Lady Euphrosyne the thing is...
...so probably absurd that I
scarcely give it a thought.
How gallant.
I feel as if I've been hooked
through the nose and rushed...
...through the waters painfully
yet with my own consent.
How brave.
My Lord, have you quite
forgotten that we are betrothed?
My Lady, I'm being
constantly reminded.
You speak so lightly of it.
You've betrayed me.
The treachery of men.
It would never have worked.
A man must follow his heart.
There.
Where you live?
I do.
By yourself?
Well, yes.
At the moment.
No brother?
No sister?
You Sasha?
If I had brother I
wouldn't be here.
My father only has me.
Nothing thicker than
a knifes blade...
...separates melancholy
from happiness.
Why are you sad?
Because.
Because I can't bear
this happiness to end.
But we are together.
Yes, now.
But what about tomorrow?
And the day after?
Orlando.
I think you suffer from
a strange melancholy.
Which is, you suffer in advance.
Look at me. Look.
You are too serious, Orlando.
And yet not serious enough.
Shadows, you saw shadows.
- You were in his arms.
It was illusion in light.
- Then what were you doing?
He was taking me across deck.
- But I saw you.
May gods destroy me, if I family
Menchikov would lie
in arm of sailor.
Sasha.
I cannot think of
a life without you.
Stay with me.
Don't ever go.
- But it's impossible.
But why?
Because when ice breaks we must go.
But we're linked.
Our destinies are linked.
You're mine.
Why?
Because I adore you.
Meet me at midnight
at London bridge.
We'll fly away as free as birds.
Lots of air, very fresh.
There.
It's decided.
your lessons, speak now his
now his a lot with peace within
Speak of me as I am.
Nothing extenuates nor
sits down aught in malice.
Then speak of one.
Who loved lord wisely but to well
But one whom not easily jealous
But being wrought,
perplexed in the extreme
Of one whose hand, like
the base Indian...
...threw a pearl away.
worth more than all his tribe.
I kissed thee ear. I killed thee.
No way but this.
By killing myself...
To die upon a kiss.
Terrific play.
She will. She will be here.
Help. Help.
The treachery of women.
Ehm, ehm.
Ehm.
Good morning.
It's now time to awake.
To such a fine morning.
From such a long refreshing sleep.
Six days you say?
- Tomorrow will be the seventh.
This pleasing
shining wondrous day.
The Lord Orlando...
...is sleeping.
I can find only three words
to describe the female sex.
None of which are worth expressing.
When in disgrace with
fortune and men's eyes.
I all alone be weep
my outcast state.
and trouble heaven...
...with my bootless cries.
and look upon myself...
...and curse my fate.
Aah.
Poetry.
Get off.
Get off.
Off. Off.
Thank you.
I was thinking.
Sitting here, as we are.
It's odd. Considering how
common the name of Greene is,
that the Greene family came
over with the conquerer.
And is in fact,
from the highest
nobility in France.
Oh.
Oh, really?
Unfortunately the Greens came
down in the world and erm..
We've little more than leave our
name to the burrower of Greenwich.
And now Mr Greene to the subject
closer to my heart and yours.
The sacred subject of poetry.
Aah.
You know, I once broke a lady's fan
in my enthusiasm to find a rime.
Enthusiasm can be dangerous.
As a youth I was often mocked for
my love of poetry and solitude.
Tragic.
And of course Mr
Greene, your works...
...hold pride of
place in my library.
Uh-uh.
To me there is a
certain glory about...
...a man who can
express in words...
...those great emotions
that others can only feel.
Oh.
You know I scarcely dared to
ask to make your acquaintance...
...for I feel that I can
offer nothing in return.
I'm sure that any
writer would be more...
...than willing to
except your hospitality.
Oh, do you think so?
If we would speak of poetry...
...then let us first
speak of poets lives.
Do you know how
'Hamlet' was written?
Written while bailiffs were
pounding on Shakespeare's door.
No wonder so many of his
plays were falsey too.
Aw, I'm sure you're right.
How can a...How can a genius work
when he cannot pay the bills?
When I say work...
Erm, work you see... is...
...people who haven't laboured
in this way don't understand...
...that real poetry neither
easy nor easily produced.
Then I feel that I can
understand a little Mr Greene.
Because I have myself
been so righteous...
...to attempt to
write some poems...
Did I hear a mouse's squeak?
I must say I didn't hear any.
That's saying you're
in good health.
My own my lord have been so bad
it's a marvel I'm still alive.
I have an enlarged heart, a
spleen and a diseased liver.
Above all there are sensations in
my spine which defy description.
There is one nob about a third from
the top which burns like fire.
Second from the
bottom...cold as ice.
Sometimes I feel as if a
thousand wax tapers were alight.
And people were throwing
fireworks inside my brain and I...
I'm so sensitive.
I can feel a rose leaf
through my mattress.
In short.
I'm a piece of machinery
so finely made...
...and curiously put together...
...that it confounds me to think
That I've only sold
115 copies of my poem.
But it has to be said this
is largely due to what...
...can only be descried as
a conspiracy against me.
But Mr Greene surely
your work is...
...widely admired by
all the young poets?
Including dare I say it...
All young writers will turn
at any trash that will sell.
It hurts me to say it.
For I love literature,
as I love life.
But the art of poetry
is dead in England.
You think so?
Of course... erhm...
That I have pension...
...of...
...300 pounds a year?
paid...
...quarterly...
I'd live for literature alone..
I'd dedicate myself
to fine writing.
But...sadly...
It's necessary to have
a pension to do it.
About 300 pounds a year.
Paid quarterly.
Mr Greene, I wonder
would you be so kind...
...as to give me your
opinion of my efforts?
By all means... If
I can find the time.
For time is money.
And I must write to eat.
We're not in the pursuit of art.
Of course I will arrange for the
small matter of the 300 pounds.
To be paid...
Quarterly?
As you wish.
- My dear friend.
'Death of a lover'.
Listen to this my friend.
This is the great work
Of my gracious host,
the soon to be,
congratulate me
friend, my pension...
'His heart was broken'
'cleft in two'
'abandoned, lost'
'what could he do?'
'And into this he retched cried'
'She said she loved me'
'But she lied'
'And so betrayed'
'He fell and died'.
Try as he might.
This gracious noble lord.
Who lifts his pen.
And thinks he then can write.
Cannot, for who can pen.
When he is bored.
The mind of leisure
only can be trite.
This pretty knight who
feebly lifts his sword
To make a witless thrust
against his doom.
Is foiled by what his
noble birth affords
Dogs, dogs more dogs
and far too many rooms.
So fortune smiles on
those that own the land
And frowns at the trivia
from the dabblers hand.
I would like you to drop this in
the midst of the filthiest manure.
And Mr Greene's pension, sir?
Pay it, quarterly.
Abroad?
As your ambassador, your majesty.
Ambassador?
I see, once the balance of power...
...has been established
here in Europe.
We must certainly turn
our attention to the east.
Well Orlando.
I fear you will be quite
starved of conversation...
...and amusement in such a
remote corner of the world.
However, I believe they
have an interest in...
...horticulture.
I'd like you to bring
them some tulips.
POLITICS
My dear sir, please
accept my hospitality.
Feel that my home is your home.
And call upon me as you would a
brother, for any of your needs.
You really are to kind.
And I must say I'm
most impressed by...
...your command of
the English language.
I hadn't expect... I mean...
I wasn't led to believe...
Why...are you here?
I'm here as a representative
of his majesty's government.
Yes?
It has been said to me that the
English make a habit
of collecting...
...countries.
Oh. We have no designs upon
your sovereignty at all.
No one at all.
You would assist us...
...in defence against
mutual enemies?
So Orlando, I salute your country.
To England, green
and pleasant land.
And...
And I salute your country...
So...
...spacious...
And...
So... warm.
Ah, yes.
To the glorious sun which shines so
brightly on this bountiful earth.
Quite so.
Erm.
Yes.
Yes.
To beauty of nature.
And of course to
the beauty of women.
And the joys of love.
I see.
You're here as a casualty
of love, my friend.
They're not like us fellows.
Women...
...it is said...
...man should...
...reverence his guarding
lord who created them.
And from a single being
created of like nature his mate.
then from those two...
...scattered like seeds...
...countless men...
...and women.
So Orlando...
Let us now drink to brotherly love.
To the manly virtues.
Loyalty.
Courage.
Take me to your master
my dear fellow.
I said, take me to your master.
Do you speak English?
Do you speak English?
Now look I can assure you
he'll would want to see me.
Just let me pass those, good now.
Lord Orlando?
I.. erh...
May I present myself, I
am the archduke Harry.
Emissary from her majesty.
I have come to inform you that your
ten years here as ambassador...
...have been well
appreciated by her majesty.
would like to celebrate
the new century...
...by raising you...
...to the highest rank...
...in the...
...peerage.
Ahh.
There must be a party.
well of course one must demonstrate
the gravity of an investiture,
A large party, food
and entertainment.
But of course you know
that they call customs
Exactly who you should invite,
to the ball. Who's who.
Strange.
Most strange.
Perhaps they don't hold
punctuality in high regard?
As a representative of
her majesty Queen Anne.
I am pleased...
...and honoured...
...to bestow the most
noble Order of the Bath...
...upon this...
...loyal servant...
...for ambassadorial
services rendered...
...to the Crown...
...and...
...for the glory of god.
I'm sorry to arrive in this
fashion but we must talk.
But this is outrageous.
I was expecting you as a
guest at my party, I...
...didn't realize you were
entertaining hostilities.
I was warned that Englishman
would be dangerous for me.
I would like to give you an
opportunity to prove this wrong.
Then let me introduce you, this is
the archduke Harry from England.
Delighted.
Orlando.
Our enemies are at the city wall.
Will you help?
You wish me to take arms?
Truly Orlando you an
Englishman are not afraid?
Sir.
My Lord.
Despite these appalling manners...
...we must keep our interests
alive in this region.
What do you recommend.
Harry, distribute your arms.
- But these fellows?
Do as I say.
- But sir.
Follow me.
Brother.
Leave him.
Leave him.
This is a dying man.
He's not a man, he's the enemy.
Same person.
No difference at all.
Just a different sex.
Well, here I am again.
Some more invitations my lady.
Is not this the lady famed
for her literary gatherings?
Yes ma'am, but you could not
possibly venture there. Alone.
Why ever not?
Society ma'am is full of dangerous
individuals, which and... poets.
Where you walk, call gale
shall find the glade.
And how is your leg now Mr Swift?
I have to tell you that
the gout have left...
...my left leg and is
travelled to my right.
Aah, the conversation is of legs.
Gout Mr Pope.
You are an expert in this field?
I believe I can say I
have some knowledge.
A little learning is
a dangerous thing.
Mr Pope, I must write
that down at once.
I already have madam.
If taken as a science the study of
ailments can be quite fascinating.
Indeed I believe science to
be interesting than poetry.
Do you?
Appraise sir, Elaborate.
We.. well the systematic
study, exploration...
...and taming of the
material world...
...is surely a proper
occupation for a man.
Compared to which...
...the introvert
art of scribbling...
...wishfully...
...the occupation of...of...
...a fool?
So I admit a general rule
that every poet is a fool.
But you yourself may
server to show it.
That every fool is not a poet.
Mr Pope, you're
pleased to be witty.
They are all words and
no breeding archduke.
But so amusing.
- Countess, forgive me.
But the young lady
who has joined us...
...bears the extraordinary
resemblance to...
The Lady Orlando.
Orlando.
I were so proud of you Harry.
The Order of the Bath.
Marvellous. Cream?
Well how pleasant it
is I'd live to sip...
...tea in the presence
of a gracious lady.
Do you Pestradus.
As our good friend Dr
Johnson says Every...
...man is or desires
to be an... idler.
Perhaps not every woman Mr Swift.
Women have no desires,
only affectation.
Indeed women are but
children of larger growth.
Aah, but I consider woman to be
a beautiful romantic animal.
Who should be adorned in...
Furs and feathers,
pearls and diamonds.
Apart from my wife of course.
Will insist upon
attempting to learn Greek.
It's so very unbecoming I
can hardly tolerate her...
...company at the breakfast
table. Why do they do it?
Oh, every woman is adverse to
contradiction and frankly...
...most women have no
characters at all.
Present company accepted of course.
Oh, the lady is aflame.
And silent.
Perfect.
Gentlemen.
I find it strange.
You are poets, each one of you and
speak of your muse in the feminine.
And yet you appear to feel
neither tenderness...
...nor respect towards your wives
nor towards females in general.
Madam. I have only
the highest regard...
...and purest respect for females.
I find no evidence of that
sentiment in your conversation.
Conversation is a place where
plays with ideas my dear lady.
The one forges them quite alone.
Quite so.
- Quite. Quite.
The intellect is a solitary place.
And therefore quite unsuitable a
terrain for females who must...
...discover their
natures through...
...the guidance of
a father or husband.
And if she has neither?
Then...
However charming she
may be dear lady...
She is lost.
None of us knew what had happened.
It is extraordinary.
And to think we could have
been so charmingly misled.
Dear Lady. Orlando.
The same.
We wish to inform you.
Madam.
That you are a party to several
major lawsuits that have...
...been preferred against
you concerning the property.
The family seat.
Pray continue.
Erh heh.
One: You are legally
dead and therefore...
...cannot hold any
property whatsoever.
Ah.
Fine.
Two: You are now female.
Which amounts much the same thing.
Pending the legal
judgment however..
You have the laws permission
to reside in the property...
...in a state of incognito.
- Or incognita as the case may be.
Harry.
There is only one solution
in your current predicament.
Indeed.
I can offer you a house
to rival your own.
I don't quite understand.
I confess.
Orlando, to me you were and always
will be, weather male or female...
The pink the pearl and the
perfection of yourself?
I'm offering you my hand.
Oh. Archduke.
That is very kind of you, yes.
I can't accept.
But I...
I, am England.
And you are mine.
I see.
On what grounds?
That I adore you.
And this means that
I belong to you?
Are you refusing me?
- I am, I'm sorry.
But Orlando.
With your history quite
frankly who else will have you?
Do you realize what
you're turning down?
With your ambiguous sexuality
which I am prepared to tolerate.
This is your last chance
of respectability.
Can't breathe.
You will die a spinster,
dispossessed and alone.
Spinster.
Alone.
Nature, nature, I'm
your bride. Take me.
You're hurt ma'am?
I'm dead, sir.
Dead. That's serious. Can I help?
Will you marry me?
Ma'am... I would gladly... um, I...
but I fear my ankle is twisted.
What's that?
The future.
Some milk? My god I don't
yet know your name, sir.
How strange, I feel as though
I know everything about you.
When like meets like.
My name is Shelmerdine.
Orlando.
So.. it only remains to fill in
such unimportant details as..
What we do and so on.
Well you can see for
yourself what I was.
Was?
You see, I'm about
to lose everything.
Then you can come with me.
Where are you going?
Back to America?
When the wind changes
to the south-west.
America.
I've been abroad.
But east.
Then you know as well as I,
how good it is to travel.
Like a free spirit.
Unfettered by position
or possession.
Unfettered.
Are you...
An adventurer by profession?
My profession, if you
can call it that...
...it's the pursuit of liberty.
The bright shade, of
some immortal dream.
Which walks when tempus sleeps.
The wave of life's dark stream.
You don't really want a husband.
I suppose your journey is
to be hazardous at times.
Think, you want a lover.
You've fought in battles?
Like a man?
I have fought.
Blood?
If necessary, yes.
Freedom must be taken,
if it must be won.
If I were a man...
You?
I might choose not to risk my
life for an uncertain cause.
I might think that freedom won
by death is not worth having.
In fact...
You might choose not to
be a real man at all.
Say, if I were a woman...
You?
I might choose not to sacrifice
my life caring for my children,
nor my children's children,
nor to drown anonymously in
the milk of female kindness,
but instead, say, to go abroad.
Would I then be...
A real woman?
I think I'm going to faint. I've
never felt better in my life.
Rise, from pains of thee.
From first sweet sleep of night.
Winds are breathing low.
Heavens stars are shining bright.
But it is day.
Days are nice.
Mingling are sweet embrace on end.
Who's there?
Excuse me my lady, there
are two officers...
...outside with a
warrant from the queen.
The queen?
Victoria, ma'am. The gentlemen say
they must speak to you in person.
Oh.
I'd almost forgotten.
Her ladyship.
The lawsuit is settled.
My sex is pronounced
indisputably and...
...beyond shadow of
a doubt... female...
Therefore heirs made of my
body will risk it taking...
...as red. I lose everything
unless I have a son.
So you're free.
I think the spirit of this century
is finally taken me and broken me.
I would be sad if it were true.
But it is not.
Come with me.
I cannot.
I can't just follow you.
You can stay and stagnate
in the past or leave...
...and live for the future,
the choice is yours.
As a man one has
choices, Shelmerdine.
Orlando, you can do
whatever you want.
Would you like to
have a child with me?
So that you can keep your house?
No, not for the house
Shelmerdine. Perhaps for love?
These are the times
that try men's souls.
My love is for mankind,
I must fight for liberty.
I must fight for a future.
- For a future?
This future of yours Shelmerdine,
when it's gonna begin... today?
or is it always tomorrow?
Touch Orlando.
The wind.
The wind.
The south-west wind.
Good bye, Shelmerdine. Good luck.
Orlando.
It's really very good.
Written from the heart.
I think it'll sell.
Provided you rewrite it. You know.
Increase the love interest.
Give it a happy ending.
By the way, how long
did this draft take you?
Come on. Come on.
She.
For there can be no
doubt about her sex.
Is visiting the house
she finally lost for...
...the first time in
over a hundred years.
She does still have certain
natural advantages of course.
She is tall and slim, with
a slightly androgynous...
...appearance that many
females at the time aspire to.
Then her upbringing,
she's lived for four hundred
years and hardly aged a day.
And because this is England.
Everyone pretends not to notice.
But she has changed.
She is no longer
trapped by destiny.
And... ever since she
let go of the past...
She found her life was beginning.
I am coming. I am coming. ...
... I am coming through. ...
... Coming across
the divide to you ...
... In this moment
of unity ...
... feeling an ecstasy ...
... to be here, to be now ...
... At last I am free
Why are you sad?
I'm not. I'm happy.
Look. Look up there.
Yes at last, at last ...
... to be free of the past ...
... and of the future
that beckons me ...
... I am coming.
I am coming. ...
... Here I am. ...
... Neither a woman,
nor a man ...
... We are joined,
we are one ...
... With the human face ...
... We are joined,
we are one ...
... With the human face ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born
and I am dying ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born
and I am dying ...
... I am coming.
I am coming. ...
... I am coming through. ...
... Coming across
the divide to you ...
... In this moment
of unity ...
... feeling an ecstasy ...
... to be here, to be now ...
... At last I am free. ...
... Yes at last, at last ...
... to be free of the past ...
... and of the future
that beckons me ...
... Yes at last, at last ...
... to be free of the past ...
... and of the future
that beckons me ...
... I am coming.
I am coming. ...
... Here I am. ...
... Neither a woman,
nor a man ...
... Oh we are joined,
we are one ...
... with the human face ...
... Oh we are joined,
we are one ...
... with the human face ...
... At last I am free. ...
... At last I am free. ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born
and I am dying ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born,
I am dying ...
... At last I am free. ...
... At last I am free. ...
... Yes at last, at
last, at last I'm free.
Yes at last, at last,
at last I'm free.
That fair her seems the
less ye see her may.
Lo see soon after how...
Modesty.
There are things that she'll see.
Lo see soon after how... more
bold and free her bared bosom...
A see the virgin rose...
How sweetly she...
...doth peep forth
with bashful modesty."
There can be no
doubt about his sex.
Despite the feminine
appearance that...
...every young man at
the time aspires to.
And there can be no doubt
about his upbringing.
Good food.
Education.
A nanny.
Loneliness and isolation.
And...because this is England...
Orlando would therefore
seem destined...
...to have his
portrait on the wall.
And his name in the history books.
But when he...
That is...
I
Came into the world.
He was looking for something else.
Though heir to a name that meant
power, land and property...
Surely when Orlando was born...
...it wasn't privilege he sought...
...but company.
Eliza ...
... Eliza's eyes are
blessed stars, ...
... Inducing peace,
subduing wars. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza is the
fairest queen ...
... That ever trod
upon the green. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza's eyes are
blessed stars, ...
... Inducing peace,
subduing wars. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza is the
fairest queen ...
... That ever trod
upon the green. ...
... Eliza ...
... Eliza's breast is
that fair hill, ...
... Where virtue dwells,
and sacred skill. ...
... O blessed be each
day and hour ...
... Where sweet Eliza
builds her bower.
More wine my lord?
A see the virgin rose.
How sweetly she doth
first peep forth
With bashful modesty.
That fair her seems the
less ye see her may.
Lo see soon after how..
more bold and free her bared
bosom she doth broad display
Lo see soon after how she fades...
...and falls away.
so passeth in th..
Is this a worthy topic?
From one so clearly in
the bloom of youth.
To one who would desire it still?
Fair virgo gratious majesty,
Your bloom is legendary,
and these were of course not
the sentiments of our son,
but of a poet.
Now what would please you?
All that is mine is
here for your pleasure.
All you call yours is mine already.
Come.
Your leg.
I want you here in England with me.
You will be the son
of my old age...
...and the limb of my infirmity.
My favourite.
My mascot.
Come.
Aah, this is my victory.
Come, your handsome leg.
For you and for your heirs Orlando.
The house.
Your Majesty.
I'm forever i...
But on one condition.
Do not fade.
Do not wither.
Do not grow old.
Very interesting person.
First the queen and now his father.
It is too sad.
Mourning so becomes him.
One can quite see why
he was the favourite.
My dear friends how can you?
In his time of grief.
That way.
Sasha.
Who's that?
I believe she is the daughter
of the muscovite ambassador.
How the delightful.
If that's to your taste.
What ever can you mean?
Oh, smearing themselves with
candle wax to keep warm.
Wearing beards as they get
older, that kind of thing.
Perhaps in this you're
mistaken, Moray.
Told me on good authority
by Lord Francis Vere.
Does he travel to muscovite.
He knows someone who did.
Aah.
This is the Lady Euphrosyne.
The Lord Winchelsea.
The Lord Orlando.
The Earl of Moray.
Moray....
And I am Lord Francis Vere.
Ochin Liesna.
Sorry?
- Enchant.
Enchanted.
- Aah.
And my name is
Alexandra Menchikova.
But my father calls me Sasha.
Enchant.
Here doing some quail.
Spasiba.
Do they have quail in Russia?
Do you speak French?
A little.
But the most Englishmen
can't, or do...
...not want to speak
other languages.
How do they communicate
with strangers then?
They speak English louder.
Please tell the
ambassador that this,
great frost is the most severe ever
to have visited these islands.
Erh, tell him that in
Norfolk a young country...
...woman was seen to turn
visibly to powder...
...and was blown away in a
puff of dust in the icy blast.
Most amusing.
Don't worry my dear, this absurd
affection will not last the season.
After all..
She's a foreigner.
My Lord Orlando, you're in
danger of becoming a fool.
You're ruining what
could be the finest...
...career in the land and for what?
I no longer care
for a career, Moray.
I'm only interested in love.
Don't you see in courting
a Cossack, you're...
...humiliating not
only your fianc...
...but the entire female
population of this country.
Besides which, they have nothing.
Why do you think they're here?
For your sake I would
hunt wolf instead of...
...rabbit drinking vodka
instead of whiskey.
How generous.
As for marriage to the good
Lady Euphrosyne the thing is...
...so probably absurd that I
scarcely give it a thought.
How gallant.
I feel as if I've been hooked
through the nose and rushed...
...through the waters painfully
yet with my own consent.
How brave.
My Lord, have you quite
forgotten that we are betrothed?
My Lady, I'm being
constantly reminded.
You speak so lightly of it.
You've betrayed me.
The treachery of men.
It would never have worked.
A man must follow his heart.
There.
Where you live?
I do.
By yourself?
Well, yes.
At the moment.
No brother?
No sister?
You Sasha?
If I had brother I
wouldn't be here.
My father only has me.
Nothing thicker than
a knifes blade...
...separates melancholy
from happiness.
Why are you sad?
Because.
Because I can't bear
this happiness to end.
But we are together.
Yes, now.
But what about tomorrow?
And the day after?
Orlando.
I think you suffer from
a strange melancholy.
Which is, you suffer in advance.
Look at me. Look.
You are too serious, Orlando.
And yet not serious enough.
Shadows, you saw shadows.
- You were in his arms.
It was illusion in light.
- Then what were you doing?
He was taking me across deck.
- But I saw you.
May gods destroy me, if I family
Menchikov would lie
in arm of sailor.
Sasha.
I cannot think of
a life without you.
Stay with me.
Don't ever go.
- But it's impossible.
But why?
Because when ice breaks we must go.
But we're linked.
Our destinies are linked.
You're mine.
Why?
Because I adore you.
Meet me at midnight
at London bridge.
We'll fly away as free as birds.
Lots of air, very fresh.
There.
It's decided.
your lessons, speak now his
now his a lot with peace within
Speak of me as I am.
Nothing extenuates nor
sits down aught in malice.
Then speak of one.
Who loved lord wisely but to well
But one whom not easily jealous
But being wrought,
perplexed in the extreme
Of one whose hand, like
the base Indian...
...threw a pearl away.
worth more than all his tribe.
I kissed thee ear. I killed thee.
No way but this.
By killing myself...
To die upon a kiss.
Terrific play.
She will. She will be here.
Help. Help.
The treachery of women.
Ehm, ehm.
Ehm.
Good morning.
It's now time to awake.
To such a fine morning.
From such a long refreshing sleep.
Six days you say?
- Tomorrow will be the seventh.
This pleasing
shining wondrous day.
The Lord Orlando...
...is sleeping.
I can find only three words
to describe the female sex.
None of which are worth expressing.
When in disgrace with
fortune and men's eyes.
I all alone be weep
my outcast state.
and trouble heaven...
...with my bootless cries.
and look upon myself...
...and curse my fate.
Aah.
Poetry.
Get off.
Get off.
Off. Off.
Thank you.
I was thinking.
Sitting here, as we are.
It's odd. Considering how
common the name of Greene is,
that the Greene family came
over with the conquerer.
And is in fact,
from the highest
nobility in France.
Oh.
Oh, really?
Unfortunately the Greens came
down in the world and erm..
We've little more than leave our
name to the burrower of Greenwich.
And now Mr Greene to the subject
closer to my heart and yours.
The sacred subject of poetry.
Aah.
You know, I once broke a lady's fan
in my enthusiasm to find a rime.
Enthusiasm can be dangerous.
As a youth I was often mocked for
my love of poetry and solitude.
Tragic.
And of course Mr
Greene, your works...
...hold pride of
place in my library.
Uh-uh.
To me there is a
certain glory about...
...a man who can
express in words...
...those great emotions
that others can only feel.
Oh.
You know I scarcely dared to
ask to make your acquaintance...
...for I feel that I can
offer nothing in return.
I'm sure that any
writer would be more...
...than willing to
except your hospitality.
Oh, do you think so?
If we would speak of poetry...
...then let us first
speak of poets lives.
Do you know how
'Hamlet' was written?
Written while bailiffs were
pounding on Shakespeare's door.
No wonder so many of his
plays were falsey too.
Aw, I'm sure you're right.
How can a...How can a genius work
when he cannot pay the bills?
When I say work...
Erm, work you see... is...
...people who haven't laboured
in this way don't understand...
...that real poetry neither
easy nor easily produced.
Then I feel that I can
understand a little Mr Greene.
Because I have myself
been so righteous...
...to attempt to
write some poems...
Did I hear a mouse's squeak?
I must say I didn't hear any.
That's saying you're
in good health.
My own my lord have been so bad
it's a marvel I'm still alive.
I have an enlarged heart, a
spleen and a diseased liver.
Above all there are sensations in
my spine which defy description.
There is one nob about a third from
the top which burns like fire.
Second from the
bottom...cold as ice.
Sometimes I feel as if a
thousand wax tapers were alight.
And people were throwing
fireworks inside my brain and I...
I'm so sensitive.
I can feel a rose leaf
through my mattress.
In short.
I'm a piece of machinery
so finely made...
...and curiously put together...
...that it confounds me to think
That I've only sold
115 copies of my poem.
But it has to be said this
is largely due to what...
...can only be descried as
a conspiracy against me.
But Mr Greene surely
your work is...
...widely admired by
all the young poets?
Including dare I say it...
All young writers will turn
at any trash that will sell.
It hurts me to say it.
For I love literature,
as I love life.
But the art of poetry
is dead in England.
You think so?
Of course... erhm...
That I have pension...
...of...
...300 pounds a year?
paid...
...quarterly...
I'd live for literature alone..
I'd dedicate myself
to fine writing.
But...sadly...
It's necessary to have
a pension to do it.
About 300 pounds a year.
Paid quarterly.
Mr Greene, I wonder
would you be so kind...
...as to give me your
opinion of my efforts?
By all means... If
I can find the time.
For time is money.
And I must write to eat.
We're not in the pursuit of art.
Of course I will arrange for the
small matter of the 300 pounds.
To be paid...
Quarterly?
As you wish.
- My dear friend.
'Death of a lover'.
Listen to this my friend.
This is the great work
Of my gracious host,
the soon to be,
congratulate me
friend, my pension...
'His heart was broken'
'cleft in two'
'abandoned, lost'
'what could he do?'
'And into this he retched cried'
'She said she loved me'
'But she lied'
'And so betrayed'
'He fell and died'.
Try as he might.
This gracious noble lord.
Who lifts his pen.
And thinks he then can write.
Cannot, for who can pen.
When he is bored.
The mind of leisure
only can be trite.
This pretty knight who
feebly lifts his sword
To make a witless thrust
against his doom.
Is foiled by what his
noble birth affords
Dogs, dogs more dogs
and far too many rooms.
So fortune smiles on
those that own the land
And frowns at the trivia
from the dabblers hand.
I would like you to drop this in
the midst of the filthiest manure.
And Mr Greene's pension, sir?
Pay it, quarterly.
Abroad?
As your ambassador, your majesty.
Ambassador?
I see, once the balance of power...
...has been established
here in Europe.
We must certainly turn
our attention to the east.
Well Orlando.
I fear you will be quite
starved of conversation...
...and amusement in such a
remote corner of the world.
However, I believe they
have an interest in...
...horticulture.
I'd like you to bring
them some tulips.
POLITICS
My dear sir, please
accept my hospitality.
Feel that my home is your home.
And call upon me as you would a
brother, for any of your needs.
You really are to kind.
And I must say I'm
most impressed by...
...your command of
the English language.
I hadn't expect... I mean...
I wasn't led to believe...
Why...are you here?
I'm here as a representative
of his majesty's government.
Yes?
It has been said to me that the
English make a habit
of collecting...
...countries.
Oh. We have no designs upon
your sovereignty at all.
No one at all.
You would assist us...
...in defence against
mutual enemies?
So Orlando, I salute your country.
To England, green
and pleasant land.
And...
And I salute your country...
So...
...spacious...
And...
So... warm.
Ah, yes.
To the glorious sun which shines so
brightly on this bountiful earth.
Quite so.
Erm.
Yes.
Yes.
To beauty of nature.
And of course to
the beauty of women.
And the joys of love.
I see.
You're here as a casualty
of love, my friend.
They're not like us fellows.
Women...
...it is said...
...man should...
...reverence his guarding
lord who created them.
And from a single being
created of like nature his mate.
then from those two...
...scattered like seeds...
...countless men...
...and women.
So Orlando...
Let us now drink to brotherly love.
To the manly virtues.
Loyalty.
Courage.
Take me to your master
my dear fellow.
I said, take me to your master.
Do you speak English?
Do you speak English?
Now look I can assure you
he'll would want to see me.
Just let me pass those, good now.
Lord Orlando?
I.. erh...
May I present myself, I
am the archduke Harry.
Emissary from her majesty.
I have come to inform you that your
ten years here as ambassador...
...have been well
appreciated by her majesty.
would like to celebrate
the new century...
...by raising you...
...to the highest rank...
...in the...
...peerage.
Ahh.
There must be a party.
well of course one must demonstrate
the gravity of an investiture,
A large party, food
and entertainment.
But of course you know
that they call customs
Exactly who you should invite,
to the ball. Who's who.
Strange.
Most strange.
Perhaps they don't hold
punctuality in high regard?
As a representative of
her majesty Queen Anne.
I am pleased...
...and honoured...
...to bestow the most
noble Order of the Bath...
...upon this...
...loyal servant...
...for ambassadorial
services rendered...
...to the Crown...
...and...
...for the glory of god.
I'm sorry to arrive in this
fashion but we must talk.
But this is outrageous.
I was expecting you as a
guest at my party, I...
...didn't realize you were
entertaining hostilities.
I was warned that Englishman
would be dangerous for me.
I would like to give you an
opportunity to prove this wrong.
Then let me introduce you, this is
the archduke Harry from England.
Delighted.
Orlando.
Our enemies are at the city wall.
Will you help?
You wish me to take arms?
Truly Orlando you an
Englishman are not afraid?
Sir.
My Lord.
Despite these appalling manners...
...we must keep our interests
alive in this region.
What do you recommend.
Harry, distribute your arms.
- But these fellows?
Do as I say.
- But sir.
Follow me.
Brother.
Leave him.
Leave him.
This is a dying man.
He's not a man, he's the enemy.
Same person.
No difference at all.
Just a different sex.
Well, here I am again.
Some more invitations my lady.
Is not this the lady famed
for her literary gatherings?
Yes ma'am, but you could not
possibly venture there. Alone.
Why ever not?
Society ma'am is full of dangerous
individuals, which and... poets.
Where you walk, call gale
shall find the glade.
And how is your leg now Mr Swift?
I have to tell you that
the gout have left...
...my left leg and is
travelled to my right.
Aah, the conversation is of legs.
Gout Mr Pope.
You are an expert in this field?
I believe I can say I
have some knowledge.
A little learning is
a dangerous thing.
Mr Pope, I must write
that down at once.
I already have madam.
If taken as a science the study of
ailments can be quite fascinating.
Indeed I believe science to
be interesting than poetry.
Do you?
Appraise sir, Elaborate.
We.. well the systematic
study, exploration...
...and taming of the
material world...
...is surely a proper
occupation for a man.
Compared to which...
...the introvert
art of scribbling...
...wishfully...
...the occupation of...of...
...a fool?
So I admit a general rule
that every poet is a fool.
But you yourself may
server to show it.
That every fool is not a poet.
Mr Pope, you're
pleased to be witty.
They are all words and
no breeding archduke.
But so amusing.
- Countess, forgive me.
But the young lady
who has joined us...
...bears the extraordinary
resemblance to...
The Lady Orlando.
Orlando.
I were so proud of you Harry.
The Order of the Bath.
Marvellous. Cream?
Well how pleasant it
is I'd live to sip...
...tea in the presence
of a gracious lady.
Do you Pestradus.
As our good friend Dr
Johnson says Every...
...man is or desires
to be an... idler.
Perhaps not every woman Mr Swift.
Women have no desires,
only affectation.
Indeed women are but
children of larger growth.
Aah, but I consider woman to be
a beautiful romantic animal.
Who should be adorned in...
Furs and feathers,
pearls and diamonds.
Apart from my wife of course.
Will insist upon
attempting to learn Greek.
It's so very unbecoming I
can hardly tolerate her...
...company at the breakfast
table. Why do they do it?
Oh, every woman is adverse to
contradiction and frankly...
...most women have no
characters at all.
Present company accepted of course.
Oh, the lady is aflame.
And silent.
Perfect.
Gentlemen.
I find it strange.
You are poets, each one of you and
speak of your muse in the feminine.
And yet you appear to feel
neither tenderness...
...nor respect towards your wives
nor towards females in general.
Madam. I have only
the highest regard...
...and purest respect for females.
I find no evidence of that
sentiment in your conversation.
Conversation is a place where
plays with ideas my dear lady.
The one forges them quite alone.
Quite so.
- Quite. Quite.
The intellect is a solitary place.
And therefore quite unsuitable a
terrain for females who must...
...discover their
natures through...
...the guidance of
a father or husband.
And if she has neither?
Then...
However charming she
may be dear lady...
She is lost.
None of us knew what had happened.
It is extraordinary.
And to think we could have
been so charmingly misled.
Dear Lady. Orlando.
The same.
We wish to inform you.
Madam.
That you are a party to several
major lawsuits that have...
...been preferred against
you concerning the property.
The family seat.
Pray continue.
Erh heh.
One: You are legally
dead and therefore...
...cannot hold any
property whatsoever.
Ah.
Fine.
Two: You are now female.
Which amounts much the same thing.
Pending the legal
judgment however..
You have the laws permission
to reside in the property...
...in a state of incognito.
- Or incognita as the case may be.
Harry.
There is only one solution
in your current predicament.
Indeed.
I can offer you a house
to rival your own.
I don't quite understand.
I confess.
Orlando, to me you were and always
will be, weather male or female...
The pink the pearl and the
perfection of yourself?
I'm offering you my hand.
Oh. Archduke.
That is very kind of you, yes.
I can't accept.
But I...
I, am England.
And you are mine.
I see.
On what grounds?
That I adore you.
And this means that
I belong to you?
Are you refusing me?
- I am, I'm sorry.
But Orlando.
With your history quite
frankly who else will have you?
Do you realize what
you're turning down?
With your ambiguous sexuality
which I am prepared to tolerate.
This is your last chance
of respectability.
Can't breathe.
You will die a spinster,
dispossessed and alone.
Spinster.
Alone.
Nature, nature, I'm
your bride. Take me.
You're hurt ma'am?
I'm dead, sir.
Dead. That's serious. Can I help?
Will you marry me?
Ma'am... I would gladly... um, I...
but I fear my ankle is twisted.
What's that?
The future.
Some milk? My god I don't
yet know your name, sir.
How strange, I feel as though
I know everything about you.
When like meets like.
My name is Shelmerdine.
Orlando.
So.. it only remains to fill in
such unimportant details as..
What we do and so on.
Well you can see for
yourself what I was.
Was?
You see, I'm about
to lose everything.
Then you can come with me.
Where are you going?
Back to America?
When the wind changes
to the south-west.
America.
I've been abroad.
But east.
Then you know as well as I,
how good it is to travel.
Like a free spirit.
Unfettered by position
or possession.
Unfettered.
Are you...
An adventurer by profession?
My profession, if you
can call it that...
...it's the pursuit of liberty.
The bright shade, of
some immortal dream.
Which walks when tempus sleeps.
The wave of life's dark stream.
You don't really want a husband.
I suppose your journey is
to be hazardous at times.
Think, you want a lover.
You've fought in battles?
Like a man?
I have fought.
Blood?
If necessary, yes.
Freedom must be taken,
if it must be won.
If I were a man...
You?
I might choose not to risk my
life for an uncertain cause.
I might think that freedom won
by death is not worth having.
In fact...
You might choose not to
be a real man at all.
Say, if I were a woman...
You?
I might choose not to sacrifice
my life caring for my children,
nor my children's children,
nor to drown anonymously in
the milk of female kindness,
but instead, say, to go abroad.
Would I then be...
A real woman?
I think I'm going to faint. I've
never felt better in my life.
Rise, from pains of thee.
From first sweet sleep of night.
Winds are breathing low.
Heavens stars are shining bright.
But it is day.
Days are nice.
Mingling are sweet embrace on end.
Who's there?
Excuse me my lady, there
are two officers...
...outside with a
warrant from the queen.
The queen?
Victoria, ma'am. The gentlemen say
they must speak to you in person.
Oh.
I'd almost forgotten.
Her ladyship.
The lawsuit is settled.
My sex is pronounced
indisputably and...
...beyond shadow of
a doubt... female...
Therefore heirs made of my
body will risk it taking...
...as red. I lose everything
unless I have a son.
So you're free.
I think the spirit of this century
is finally taken me and broken me.
I would be sad if it were true.
But it is not.
Come with me.
I cannot.
I can't just follow you.
You can stay and stagnate
in the past or leave...
...and live for the future,
the choice is yours.
As a man one has
choices, Shelmerdine.
Orlando, you can do
whatever you want.
Would you like to
have a child with me?
So that you can keep your house?
No, not for the house
Shelmerdine. Perhaps for love?
These are the times
that try men's souls.
My love is for mankind,
I must fight for liberty.
I must fight for a future.
- For a future?
This future of yours Shelmerdine,
when it's gonna begin... today?
or is it always tomorrow?
Touch Orlando.
The wind.
The wind.
The south-west wind.
Good bye, Shelmerdine. Good luck.
Orlando.
It's really very good.
Written from the heart.
I think it'll sell.
Provided you rewrite it. You know.
Increase the love interest.
Give it a happy ending.
By the way, how long
did this draft take you?
Come on. Come on.
She.
For there can be no
doubt about her sex.
Is visiting the house
she finally lost for...
...the first time in
over a hundred years.
She does still have certain
natural advantages of course.
She is tall and slim, with
a slightly androgynous...
...appearance that many
females at the time aspire to.
Then her upbringing,
she's lived for four hundred
years and hardly aged a day.
And because this is England.
Everyone pretends not to notice.
But she has changed.
She is no longer
trapped by destiny.
And... ever since she
let go of the past...
She found her life was beginning.
I am coming. I am coming. ...
... I am coming through. ...
... Coming across
the divide to you ...
... In this moment
of unity ...
... feeling an ecstasy ...
... to be here, to be now ...
... At last I am free
Why are you sad?
I'm not. I'm happy.
Look. Look up there.
Yes at last, at last ...
... to be free of the past ...
... and of the future
that beckons me ...
... I am coming.
I am coming. ...
... Here I am. ...
... Neither a woman,
nor a man ...
... We are joined,
we are one ...
... With the human face ...
... We are joined,
we are one ...
... With the human face ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born
and I am dying ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born
and I am dying ...
... I am coming.
I am coming. ...
... I am coming through. ...
... Coming across
the divide to you ...
... In this moment
of unity ...
... feeling an ecstasy ...
... to be here, to be now ...
... At last I am free. ...
... Yes at last, at last ...
... to be free of the past ...
... and of the future
that beckons me ...
... Yes at last, at last ...
... to be free of the past ...
... and of the future
that beckons me ...
... I am coming.
I am coming. ...
... Here I am. ...
... Neither a woman,
nor a man ...
... Oh we are joined,
we are one ...
... with the human face ...
... Oh we are joined,
we are one ...
... with the human face ...
... At last I am free. ...
... At last I am free. ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born
and I am dying ...
... I am on earth ...
... And I am in
outer space ...
... I'm being born,
I am dying ...
... At last I am free. ...
... At last I am free. ...
... Yes at last, at
last, at last I'm free.
Yes at last, at last,
at last I'm free.