Linda Rosenkrantz - Talk

VINCENT: You see, she doesn’t understand a thing. That’s why it’s impossible to talk to her.

MARSHA: What don’t I understand?

VINCENT: That what I’m talking about is love, and when I say I love you, I mean I love you. From everything I said, all she got was that I was antagonistic.

MARSHA: No! All I’m saying is I’m glad you expressed that too.

VINCENT: Okay, okay. Look at that man over there. He’s very old, but he still has a fantastically tight body.

EMILY: He’s not old, he’s about forty-three, Nathan Fass’ age.

VINCENT: How can you mention that name? Look at your doctor over there, Marsh, how skinny he is. He probably has an enormous complex about it. He’s the skinniest man I’ve ever seen.

EMILY: Oh he is not . Philippe’s skinnier than that.

MARSHA: I like that kind of body.

EMILY: You never did before. You like hairy Eliot-bodied muscular men.

VINCENT: Merrill Johnston is one of the handsomest men I’ve ever seen.

EMILY: He’s got a real pre-Columbian face — you were right about that, Marsha.

MARSHA: Should I go over and tell him he’s needed here?

VINCENT: What do we need him for?

MARSHA: I have to remember to get gas on the way home.

VINCENT: We should all read that book about games. We’re all terrifically involved in them, particularly you two. You diminish everything to games.

EMILY: No, we start out with everything as games.

VINCENT: No, I mean diminish in terms of sexual interests, people interests — everything becomes name games.

EMILY: That’s true, it is on a very childish level.

VINCENT: It’s really a very ego thing, like to see which of you is cleverer, it’s a continual competition back and forth.

EMILY: No it’s not. Marshie and I are in cahoots, we’re on the same team against whoever the opponent happens to be, Tim Cullen or whoever.

VINCENT: I’m sorry, I see it as a kind of love play, I really do, a performance thing. It’s the way athletes, without being openly homosexual, a lot of their playing on the same team is that.

EMILY: Am I heavier than that girl over there?

VINCENT: Definitely, your ass is twice as big. You have an enormous ass.

EMILY: And as fat as my ass is, your face is twice as fat. I don’t think I’ll ever get over what you just said.

VINCENT: It’s true, Emmy. Nico said you should absolutely get a reducing machine. Concentrate on that. You can’t walk across a stage with that ass. By the way, did I tell you what Clem said to Tim? He said Vince isn’t as nice as he used to be, and it’s all because of his analysis. And that’s true, I know I’m going to lose many, many friends this year.

EMILY: That’s marvelous.

VINCENT: I’m even going to lose Clem and it will hurt him terrifically.

MARSHA: You’ve essentially lost him already, darling.

VINCENT: Not really, I’m still very committed to him emotionally.

EMILY: Why do you think you’ll lose him, Vinnie?

MARSHA: Because he doesn’t give enough in return.

VINCENT: That’s part of it, but basically it’s because I’m in this fantastic state of growth, I’m in an accelerated state of growth, which I have been all my life. That’s why I have a tremendous fear of death, because of the speed I’m going at and the speed of feelings I’ve always gone at. I’m not exalting myself either.

EMILY: I understand that because I’m exactly the same.

VINCENT: Also the fact that I’m an artist and my structure has to do with growth and movement — starting a painting, finishing it and starting another one, you always move a step ahead, you never repeat yourself. And the fact that I’m in analysis and really want to go all the way back into things in terms of truth. I think anything you undertake you have to do completely and well.

MARSHA: You know how many friends I’ve rejected this year?

EMILY: Practically everyone you’ve ever known.

MARSHA: Right, and it’s one of the best things that’s happened to me.

VINCENT: That’s what I was talking about last night, when I said all these years I have encouraged Marsha to get a feeling of herself within herself. That’s when I was most hurt, when you didn’t acknowledge that positive aspect of our friendship.

MARSHA: I know.

EMILY: Besides, very deep and full and varied experiences can only come from relating to a few select people. For instance, when I made the analogy of your replacing Joan, Vinnie, I didn’t mean in terms of particular qualities, but in total meaning in my life. Because people are really quite unique.

VINCENT: Oh, I just got the most terrific pain right here. What is it? Is it my heart? Is it my heart, Marsha?

EMILY: Don’t talk, darling, I’ll tell you how to get rid of it. Completely relax, stretch your legs out and breathe very deeply and slowly. That’s right — very, very slowly. Make an effort to relax, it’ll go away.

MARSHA: Is it going away?

VINCENT: Very slightly. It’s where my heart is, I’m sorry, it’s exactly where my heart is.

EMILY: Darling, there’s such a thing as heart pain, you know. Just make an effort to completely relax. You don’t want to contract with the pain, you want to relax with it.

MARSHA: Natural childbirth.

VINCENT: Don’t touch me, that’s all. Oh, the pain!

EMILY: Just relax and it will go away. Believe me, I deal with this every single day that I study acting. I promise it will go away if you relax.

VINCENT: Put that hat over my face — I need shade.

MARSHA: Should I hold it for you?

VINCENT: Just be quiet.

EMILY: Lee Strasberg is all about dealing with these things. People do exercises in class and the sensory work opens up the instrument so that certain parts of the body start to let go like on a Reichian level. It has nothing to do with anything being wrong with you — nothing.

VINCENT: I’m so frightened of death.

MARSHA: This happened just after you said that. We were talking about death and five minutes later you get this pain in your heart.

VINCENT: Am I turning into some sort of a nut? Am I? Tell me the truth, I can take it.

EMILY: No, it’s not you, it’s your body. Your body’s been doing this for thirty-two years.

VINCENT: What, having heart attacks?

EMILY: No, the body expresses itself independent of the mind. If you have anxiety, like over Nathan’s attack and all the analyzing, the body’s going to let you know; it’ll shake, it’ll do whatever it’s going to do. The body can say to hell with you — that’s exactly what it’s doing.

VINCENT: I think it’s letting up. Maybe we should take a walk — it might relax us a great deal, a little bit of a walk by the water. Then later we have to go out dancing.

EMILY: No one’s going to believe it in a million years.

VINCENT: Emmy, let’s go back there.

EMILY: Turn around, Vinnie, we’ve got to go back. I’ll never get over this as long as I live, so help me Christ oh God.

VINCENT: I’m sorry, this is a fantastic experience.

EMILY: Did it ever happen to you before?

VINCENT: Never. Can we go back to the gay bar as though we’d never been there?

EMILY: No, darling, you don’t understand the importance of this.

VINCENT: Of course I do! What do you think I am — some sort of slunk?

EMILY: Can you believe that we just saw four reindeer? I don’t care what anyone says, I’m never going to get over this. It might have been the most moving experience of my entire life.

VINCENT: It was right in this field and now they’re nowhere to be seen.

EMILY: Vinnie, put your brights on, sweetheart.