last tango in paris, proximity to truth (pt10)

paul takes jeanne to a club that, like a lot of things, has seen better days. of course, maybe it's an off night. there is a tango competition in progress.

jeanne and paul sit at a table drinking and talking. paul is a champion drinker. he buys jeanne a scotch, but she doesn't drink it until he mentions it. she says, "I love you, so i'll drink it."

the tango competition continues. this is a very stylized ballroom dancing type of tango where the passion of the original dance has been replaced with precise steps. paul barely seems to notice the dancers while jeanne watches them sadly.

jeanne asks to go somewhere else because this place "is pitiful." paul poo-poohs this and decides jeanne just needs to dance (never mind there's a competition going on) and leads her to the dance floor.

paul and jeanne "dancing" is truly hilarious. they're both pretty drunk and they are laughing, falling down, and doing everything but the tango. the judge comes over and scolds them (that goes over well). they stagger away...

then the judge calls out the numbers of the finalists counting upward until she reaches 19. jeanne collapses at an outside table and says (out of nowhere), "it's over?"

paul is mystified and sits down and immediately receives a big mixed single ... jeanne's hand in his lap.

as dawn approaches, jeanne once again declares it's over and runs away. paul chases her and chases her and chases her. the further along they go, the more jeanne rejects him even starting to act as though she doesn't know him.

when they get to jeanne's place she takes the elevator up while paul run across the checkerboard floor and up the spiral staircase. jeanne knocks on the neighbor's door asking for help... there's no answer. paul briefly catches her and says "don't be silly."

jeanne goes into the house. paul gives her a minute and follows.

he sees jeanne's father's hat and puts it on and asks, "how do you like your hero? sunnyside up or over easy?" jeanne doesn't reply.

he's talking to her calmly, telling her that he loves her and he wants them to be together. he says he wants to know her name and reaches out to gently turn her toward him.

jeanne shoots paul with her father's pistol. by the way she was standing, it couldn't even be seen. you don't see where she shoots him, but possibly the groin.

paul walks past her out onto the balcony. he takes out his gum and places it under the railing. when next we see him, he's curled up on the balcony ... dead.

jeanne stands where he left her whispering (to no one) "he followed me in the street. he was crazy. he was going to rape me." it has the quality of a rehearsal.