Part Four: The Flight

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EXT. THE MANSION

In the dark and silent house lights come up: one window, two, three.


INT. LEO'S ROOM

A feverish packing is in progress. Varya and Sasha, both extremely nervous, struggle with the lids of over-packed suitcases. Varya's finger gets caught in the lid. She lets out a yelp of pain.

SASHA
Shhh! Quiet, for God's sake!

Leo, outwardly calm, stacks manuscripts into a case. Dr. Makovitsky, watch in hand, tries to get hold of Leo's wrist.

LEO
There's no time for this.

Makovitsky succeeds in taking his pulse.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
One hundred. I'm not sure this
is a good idea.

Leo shrugs him off.

A suitcase slides from the bed with a LOUD THUMP. All activity stops. A moment of tension as they listen for any sound in the house.



EXT. STABLES

In the feeble moonlight, Varya, THE COACHMAN and Dr, Makovitsky haul luggage onto a waiting droshky.

Sasha stumbles into her father who, down on his knees, is frantically searching along the path.

LEO
My cap, the woolen one...I have
lost it.

SASHA
Leave it! I'll get you another.



EXT. RAILWAY STATION - DAYBREAK

The platform is deserted except for Leo, Dr. Makovitsky and the coachman, who placidly waits by the luggage. Wringing his hands, Leo paces back and forth.

LEO
I wonder which will come first.
The locomotive or Sonya?



INT. STAIRCASE - DAY

Sonya calmly descends the steps.

Sasha, holding an envelope, appears at the foot of the staircase.

SASHA
Good morning, mama.


EXT. COURTYARD

Bulgakov is approaching the front door when it flies open and a wild-eyed Sonya bursts out.

Sasha appears in the doorframe. Hopping on one foot and pulling a galosh on the other, she notices the startled Bulgakov.

SASHA
Go after her!
(screaming over
her shoulder)
Help! Help!


EXT. GARDEN

Bulgakov sprints along a path. Behind him, Sasha and TWO MALE SERVANTS have joined the chase.

A flash of gray dress between the bushes.

BULGAKOV
She is going to the pond!


EXT. POND

Sonya, running, has reached the jetty with Bulgakov not far behind.

Sonya scurries along the plank...

....slips on the wet surface and falls.

Seeing Bulgakov coming at her, she does not waste time to get up. Instead, she crawls toward the edge...

...and clutching at the plank, she rolls into the water.

Bulgakov dives in.

Grabbing Sonya by the shoulders...

...he drags her toward the shore.

Sasha and the two men splash waist-deep in water...

...reach for Sonya...

....and hoist her up.

A group of spectators has formed around the rescuers as they half-drag, half-carry Sonya toward the house.


EXT. OPEN PLATFORM OF A RAILWAY CARRIAGE - DAY

Clutching the handrail, Leo is happily exposing his face to the wind as the countryside runs past him.

Makovitsky joins him.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
Leo Nikolayevich, I must
insist. Come inside at once
or you'll catch your death!

Leo grins at him.

LEO
(ecstatic)
Freedom, Dushan! Freedom!


INT. CHERTKOV'S OFFICE - DAY

Bulgakov, Chertkov. The latter is beaming.

CHERTKOV
Yes! Yes! At last! Well done!
How soon can I join him? Where
has he gone?

BULGAKOV
Only Alexandra Lvovna knows.
You can contact him through
her.

CHERTKOV
And the countess?

BULGAKOV
Four attempts at suicide. But
we watched her closely. Now
there are a doctor and a nurse
keeping an eye on her around
the clock. -- It's a tragic
situation. So sad, so sad.
(handing over
a letter)
She begs you to come. She wants
reconciliation.

CHERTKOV
(smugly)
Does she now? I don't think
I will oblige.


INT. LEO'S BEDROOM - DAY


A NURSE holding a tray with food hovers over Sonya. The latter, draped in a dressing gown, her hair in disarray, is stretched on Leo's bed, hugging an embroidered pillow.

SONYA
Lyovochka, where are you? Are
you well? Where are you laying
your head tonight? Speak to
me, my love! Distance means
nothing between us.

NURSE
Sophia Andreyevna, if you
don't eat this time, the
family is considering force-
feeding.

SONYA
Why has he done this to me?
Isn't it written in the
gospels that a man should
never abandon his wife?
... He is a brute! He could
not have acted with more
cruelty! He meant to kill me!


INT. HALL - NIGHT

The coat rack is weighted down with numerous coats and hats.

A servant is carrying suitcases upstairs.


SALON

An emergency family reunion. Present are Sasha, Tanya, Sergey, Ilya, Andrey, MICHAIL (30).

Michail is seated at the piano, performing a light-hearted waltz.

ILYA
And Lyova? Is he going to show
up?

SASHA
He is still in Paris. He must
have received my telegram by
now.

ILYA
Well, what do you expect us
to do?

SASHA
Why, support papa's decision,
of course.

ILYA
I suppose we should admire
him for trying to kill mother.
This situation is the result of
your machinations, Sasha. You
and mama have been at odds ever
since Vanya died. You just
couldn't forgive a grief-
stricken woman, could you?

SERGEY
Forgive for what?

ANDREY
Don't you know? The day Vanya
died, mother supposedly cried
'Why Vanyechka? Why not
Sasha?' The servants talked.
Maybe it's true, maybe not.
The fact is that Sasha has
carried the grudge too far.

SASHA
That's not true! How dare you
accuse me of plotting against
mother? My only concern was
for papa. Before you criticize
me, have a good look at
yourself! You broke your
parents' hearts when you ran
away with the governor's wife.
Papa left only because he
could no longer endure this
kind of life.

ANDREY
Oh yes, his eternal complaints
against a life of luxury! I
say that if he could endure it
until now, he could have gone
on for the last few years as
well. What about mama? Hasn't
she suffered enough?

ILYA
Absolutely! She'd never think
of deserting him. She'd bear
her cross to the very end. He
is a selfish man. Very selfish.
Can you imagine how this will
play in the press? All that
bad publicity for our family
and for mother in particular!

TANYA
He did what he had to do. I'll
never condemn him. How about
you, Seryozha?

SERGEY
I cannot begrudge him the
desire to conserve his sanity.
The fact is that mama is ill
and in many ways irresponsible.
I wish she could change but
she never will.

TANYA
I propose that each of us
write papa a letter expressing
our feelings.
(to Michail)
Misha?

Michail, still playing, simply shrugs his shoulders. Sasha approaches the piano and slams the cover on Michail's hands. He yelps with pain.

TANYA
Now that we have your
attention, will you write to
papa?

MICHAIL
Why should I write to him? He
knows I don't like to write.


ESTABLISHING - CONVENT OF SHAMARDINO - DAY


CORRIDOR IN THE CONVENT

Leo strolls in company of SISTER MARYA (80).

LEO
I couldn't go any farther
without saying good-bye to you.
And now that I'm here, I feel
I have arrived. I spent the
night at the monastery and
enjoyed the profound peace.
There was cabbage soup for
dinner. What else do I need?
If the brothers will allow an
old apostate like me among
them, I'll stay. After
all, are we not all truth-
seekers each in his own way?
Does it matter if we take a
different path to God?

He gently strokes the old nun's shriveled hand.

LEO
You don't condemn me, Marya,
do you? Please say you don't!

MARYA
I never stood in judgment of
you. You know that, Leo.

LEO
Being here with you is like
going back in time - like
drinking from the fountain of
our happy childhood.

Marya smiles at him.


INT. LEO'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Sitting on the bed, Leo struggles with his boots. Dr. Makovitsky makes a move to help him.

LEO
Don't! I can take care of
myself.

He makes another ineffective attempt at removing his boots and finally surrenders to Makovitsky's care.

The door opens to admit Sasha and Varya with their luggage.
Both are bundled up against the cold.

SASHA
Papa! Thank God! What weather!

LEO
(apprehensively)
What's going on down there?

SASHA
I have letters for you. Papa,
you cannot stay here. Mama has
figured out you'd stop at
the convent to see Aunt Marya.
We must move on.

LEO
But I don't want to move on.
I don't want to think of it
now.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
He is tired, Alexandra Lvovna.
He needs rest. Why don't we
leave him to his letters?

Reluctantly, Sasha hands over a bundle of envelopes.

SASHA
Please papa, be strong! Don't
give in! Do you know what mama
said? She said that as soon as
she gets you back, she'll never
let you out of her sight.

MAKOVITSKY'S HOTEL ROOM

Sasha, Varya and Makovitsky bend over a map stretched on the table.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
If we go, we must know where
we are going.

SASHA
That depends on whether we'd
be able to obtain passports.
I have been thinking of
Bulgaria or Turkey. If not,
then there is the Caucasus.
It has a healthy climate.


LEO'S HOTEL ROOM

A pile of opened letters.

Leo sits hunched over with one of the letters hanging from his hand. Misery keeps him company.


MAKOVITSKY'S HOTEL ROOM

The trio now study the railway timetable.

VARYA
There is a train going south
at seven forty in the morning.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
How do you expect to pull it
off? We are looking at some
thirty hours on the road with
the most famous man in Russia.
He did not pass unnoticed on
his way here.

SASHA
I have thought of that. The
best way to cover our tracks
is to buy tickets in
succession along the way.

Leo enters, letters in hand.

SASHA
Papa! How would you like to
visit Cousin Maria in
Novocherkask? We'll stay for
a few days and take our
bearings.

LEO
(distraught)
Only Tanya and Sergey are
giving me their blessings.

SASHA
Papushka, you are not giving
up, are you? If we stay here,
they'll hunt you down, you
know! They'll set the police
on you. They'll say that you
act erratically because you
are senile or some nonsense
of the sort.

LEO
I must send my thanks to
Sergey and Tanya. And I must
answer your mother's letter.

Sasha looks at him questioningly.

LEO
No, I'm not going home.
(to himself)
Not yet.


INT. TRAIN CARRIAGE - DAY

The carriage is packed with passengers, many of them reading newspapers. As Sasha passes by, a pair of middle-class men cannot contain their amusement.

FIRST PASSENGER
A neat trick the old boy
played on his wife! Packed
up in the night and ran away.

SECOND PASSENGER
And after she had taken care
of him all her life. I'd say
he didn't care for her care!

At Sasha...

... who takes it in with a mixture of dismay and bitterness.


COMPARTMENT

Leo, coughing and fighting for breath, is stretched out on the bench, while Varya and Dr. Makovitsky tuck a blanket around him.

The door opens brusquely and Sasha enters.

SASHA
Everything is known! The
papers are full of it!

DR. MAKOVITSKY
Alexandra Lvovna, I'm afraid
your father is not doing well.


EXT. RAIL TRACKS - SUNSET

The train is chugging through the vast isolation of the flat landscape.


INT. TRAIN CORRIDOR

An assembly of curious passengers is staring through the glass door of a compartment.

A SOLDIER is elbowing his way through.

SOLDIER
(curious)
What's going on?

A PASSENGER
It's Tolstoy. Tolstoy is on
the train!

Standing on his toes to gain a better view, the soldier joins the gaping group.


EXT. ASTAPOVO STATION - DUSK

The train comes to a halt. A large number of passengers step down, many leaving their luggage behind. Among them is an anxious Sasha.

Leading the crowd, she accosts the STATIONMASTER. Pointing toward the village, she asks him a question. The stationmaster shakes his head. He waves his arm, indicating that the refuge she is seeking is far away along the line. Sasha is on the verge of crying.

Several bystanders join in, gesturing toward the train and imparting The Information.

The station master's countenance changes abruptly. With subservient diligence, he points to a small house nearby.

The crowd returns to the train, forming a human hedge at a door.

Helpful hands stretch up as Leo, supported by Varya and Dr. Makovitsky, appears in the door frame.

A blanket around his shoulders, his head lolling, he is handed down and slowly led toward the house.

Hats and caps are lowered as he passes through the solemn, silent crowd.

An onlooker (ORLOV)...
...is watching with great interest. He detaches himself from the spectacle and heads for the telegraph office.


EXT. ASTAPOVO STATION - SUNRISE

An overhead shot of the station where a motley crowd of laborers, peasants and reporters, besiege the station master's little
house.

The window of the telegraph office...
... where the lone employee deals with customers clamoring for his services.

DISSOLVE TO:


ASTAPOVO STATION - DUSK

The same overhead shot of the station reveals a train stationed by the platform, the locomotive steaming. Spilling out of the wagons is a Pathé Cinematograph team with their equipment, several doctors, a gaggle of nurses, a group of church dignitaries and more reporters.

An oxygen canister and a hospital bed are handed down from the baggage wagon and carried toward the little house.

The small station is bursting at the seams. Numerous tents have been erected on both sides of the platform. Visitors without the protection of the tents rest around makeshift fires.

Seen through the window....
...the telegraph office is now equipped with additional apparatus manned by four employees.


STREET ENTRANCE TO THE STATION

Orlov, a pencil behind his ear, stands in the entrance. His attention has been caught by something in the street. He is joined by A REPORTER waving a telegraph strip.

REPORTER
Orlov, this Tolstoy business
is getting out of hand!
The emperor has curtailed
his holiday in Germany and
returns home. The government
smells a revolution. I bet
they are shitting in their
pants.

Orlov smiles and motions toward the street.

A DETACHMENT OF CAVALRY is quietly surrounding the station.

REPORTER
(awed)
Oh, shit!

ORLOV
Russia has two tsars and one
of them is here.
(he chuckles)
The clergy are circling around
the old apostate's death bed
like vultures, hoping for a
moment of weakness. So far,
they have been shown the door.
Now enters the army. One key
element is missing though.

REPORTER
What?

ORLOV
Countess Tolstoy, of course.
I wonder why? Without her the
drama is not complete. Could
it be that she alone doesn't
know the whereabouts of her
husband? Dear colleague, we
must remedy the situation.
Let's send the good woman a
telegram!


EXT. RAIL TRACKS - NIGHT

A locomotive pulling a lone Pullman car is speeding along the tracks.


INT. CARRIAGE

Sonya, surrounded by her children (Andrey, Ilya, Sergey, Michael and Tanya) hugs Leo's embroidered pillow.

TANYA
It's not too far now.

SONYA
Five hundred rubles for a
special train! When this is
over, I'll make sure it never
happens again. In the future,
where he goes, I'll go.
(to Andrey)
Read that again!

Andrey unfolds a newspaper.

ANDREY
Temperature 104, inflammation
of the left lung confirmed.
A persistent attack of hiccups
has been treated with a
solution of sugared milk and
soda.

SONYA
They should have spread hot
goose fat on his chest. I'll
see to that.

SCREECH OF BRAKES.

SONYA
Have we arrived?

As the train is coming to a stop, hundreds of flaming torches pass in front of the window.

SONYA
What is this? What is this?


EXT. PLATFORM / ASTAPOVO STATION

A SEA OF TORCHES. A CROWD OF THOUSANDS, mostly workers and peasants, fill the station with prayers and chanting.

At the Pullman car window...
... where Sonya watches this multitude with horror.


INT. CARRIAGE

The Tolstoy family is getting ready for the ordeal. The bewildered Sonya makes the sign of the cross and clutches the pillow to her chest.

The door swings open and A TUMULT OF VOICES assaults the party.


PLATFORM

Helped by her sons, Sonya descends the steps fearfully eyeing the pack of REPORTERS that have surrounded the wagon.

REPORTERS
Countess Tolstoy! Is it true
that you have attempted a
suicide?... Are you hoping to
reconcile with Leo Nikolayevich?
...Countess Tolstoy, what is
your side of the story?

SONYA
I...

ILYA
No, mama, not a word!
(to the reporters)
No comment! No comment! Let
us pass!

With the help of the police, a path is cleared for Sonya and her family.

Sonya's POV:

A hedge of grim faces, accusing stares, an atmosphere of silent hostility.


EXT. STATION MASTER'S HOUSE

The entrance is guarded by two faithful Tolstoyans: Sergeyenko and Goldenweiser.

At the approach of the Tolstoy family, Goldenweiser disappears into the house. Sergeyenko blocks the door.

ANDREY
What is this? Are you denying
us the access to husband and
father?

SERGEYENKO
Just obeying doctor's orders,
sir. He will be with you
shortly.

ANDREY
We will not stand for it. Step
aside!

Dr. Makovitsky and Sasha fill the entrance.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
Please, please! No raised
voices, I beg you! Leo
Nikolayevich is unaware that
his refuge is known to you.
We'll have to break the news
to him gently.

The door closes and Sergeyenko resumes his vigil. Condemned to cool their heels outside, the Tolstoys are uneasily aware of the silent crowd behind them.

At the door...

... as it opens and Dr. Makovitsky steps outside.

DR. MAKOVITSKY
It's all right. He will see
the children.

ILYA
And mother?

DR. MAKOVITSKY
I'm sorry, Sophia Andreyevna,
but not you.

ANDREY
What are you saying?

DR. MAKOVITSKY
Andrey Lvovich, I beg you again
not to raise your voice! The
sight of her would send your
father into shock.
(in tears)
He is so fragile, so fragile...

At Sonya...
...who begins to understand the gravity of the situation.

Tanya is first to break the silence.

TANYA
Mama, I'm sorry but you should
wait here.

She kisses her mother and enters the house.

ANDREY
(ashamed)
So sorry, mama.

ILYA
(hugging Sonya)
We won't be long.

One by one, her children abandon Sonya. The door shuts.

The crowd returns to chanting and prayers.

Alone with the grim-faced Sergeyenko, Sonya approaches the window. Raising herself on her toes, she peers inside.

Sonya's POV:

The room is full of people she detests: the Tolstoyans. As her children enter, the occupants step aside to let them pass.

A path opens to Leo's bed.

Sitting by her husband, holding his hand, is Chertkov.

Close up at Sonya's devastated face.

Back at the window...

... where Sasha appears. She looks coldly at her mother and mercilessly draws the curtains.


TITLE:

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy died at 6:05 in the morning of Sunday, November 7, 1910. His wife was not allowed to see him until after he had lapsed into a final coma.


FADE OUT


THE END