Read Ken Russell's Dracula for Free Online Page A

I’ve
    never heard her mention you.
     
    Dracula becomes unaccountably
flustered. Now it is his turn to be uncomfortable. He chooses his words
carefully, not wishing to give away his true feelings.
     
    DRACULA
    Er, no. Though I had the
    Great good fortune to hear
    her sing once in Budapest.
    I shall never forget it.
    ( he becomes genuinely moved )
    And to think that golden
    voice will soon be silenced;
    it’s tragic!
     
    Jonathan, carried away by his own
concerns for Lucy, forgets for a moment that he is talking to a man he
considers to be a homicidal maniac.
     
    JONATHAN
    At least her records will
    survive.
     
    DRACULA
    ( bitterly )
    Grotesque caricatures to
    Mock her memory.
     
    JONATHAN
    ( philosophically )
    Everything that can be done
    has been done to save her.
    She’s very brave but it’s
    hopeless. Her personal
    physician is preparing her
    for the end. All we can do
    is pray.
     
    DRACULA
    ( cynically )
    Save your breath, God is
    deaf.
     
    The hatred in Dracula’s voice snaps
Jonathan out of his reverie.
     
    JONATHAN
    When I see her, shall I
    Give her your regards?
     
    Dracula too is once again on guard.
Jonathan Harker knows far too much. He must be removed.
     
    DRACULA
    ... by all means, do!
     
    Jonathan mistakenly feels he is off
the hook.
     
    JONATHAN
    Well, I’ll be saying cheerio then;
I’ll ...
     
    DRACULA
    ( interrupting )
    I’m afraid that will not
    be possible.
     
    Jonathan’s relief drains from his
face as Dracula continues brightly at a rush - almost ad-libbing.
     
    DRACULA
    ... you have your patron
    saint to thank for that;
    it’s a public holiday.
    Lazlo will take you to
    Bistritz first thing
    tomorrow. Meanwhile,
    everything here is at your
    disposal. Why not spend
    the rest of the day in
    diversion? Browse through
    my library, relax in my
    picture gallery - my home
    is yours; please.
     
    Despite the fact that he feels the
noose tightening, Jonathan manages to relax a little. Conversely, Dracula seems
keyed up and anxious to be off.
     
    JONATHAN
    That’s very kind of you,
    Count. Not to worry. I can
    kill an hour or two
    listening to music.
     
    With a curt nod Dracula is gone,
leaving Jonathan to sink into an easy chair and listen to the music. But only
for a moment. Directly the footsteps of the Count have died away, Jonathan is
on his feet and after snatching up a sharp paper knife, which resembles more a
stiletto, leaves the room through another door.
     
    INT. GREAT HALL. DAY.
     
    JONATHAN tiptoes across the
deserted entrance hall towards the massive front doors which he proceeds
cautiously to open. Barely has the gap widened an inch than an ugly grey snout
inserts itself with a ferocious snarl. Growls follow as if an entire wolf pack
is waiting outside to tear Jonathan to pieces. With a mighty effort he hurls
himself against the door to withhold the pressure from without and with a
supreme effort manages at last to close it, shooting the bolt for good measure.
Breathless, he leans against it for a moment stricken by the fact that he is a
doomed man.
     
    INT. BEARDSLEY ROOM. DAY.
     
    JONATHAN enters the room determined
to escape and makes straight for the window.
     
    JONATHAN’s POINT OF VIEW:
     
    A drop of two-hundred feet leads to
the road and freedom, but various roofs, gutters and buttresses offer a staircase
of sorts, albeit a dangerous one where one false step means death.
     
    RESUME BEDROOM:
     
    JONATHAN decides to risk it and
eases himself gingerly over the sill.
     
    EXT. CASTLE. DAY.
     
    Precariously, JONATHAN starts his
dizzy descent. After negotiating the narrow ledge he drops onto a shallow roof
and slides down over the edge till his hands make contact with the guttering.
Inching his way along to a drainpipe, he climbs down to a tiny flat roof. The
next stage in his escape entails a leap across a gap onto a parapet - this
seems almost impossible. But there is no turning back, try he must. Pressing
himself against the wall he runs with all his might and