Kramer Versus Kramer

KRAMER VERSUS KRAMER



Screenplay
by
Robert Benton




13 INT. FOYER - NIGHT

Joanna carries in the suitcase, sets it by
the front door, then she crosses to the living room and
sits down at the dining table.

She takes out a list made on the back
of an old envelope. As she begins to review it, check-
ing off some items:

Sound: A key turning in the lock.

As the door swings open to reveal Ted Kramer,
an enormous grin on his face, a bottle of champagne in
his hand. He is so full of himself that he doesn't
notice there is anything wrong.



TED
I thought you might just like to
know that at five-fifteen this
afternoon we were officially
handed the Fire and Ice account
by Revlon.


JOANNA
(she takes a deep
breath
, then:)
Ted, I'm leaving you.

TED
That represents a gross billing
in excess of two million--
(hearing her)
What?!

Joanna opens her purse, takes out her keys and wallet.

JOANNA
Here are my keys. I won't be
needing them any more.

Note: Ted does not for a moment believe that his wife
will really leave him. All he can think of right now
is that he will have to spend the rest of the evening
coping with one of her moods.

TED
(sardonic)
I'm sorry I'm late, all right?
I'm sorry I didn't call--I was
busy making a living.

Joanna doesn't even bother
to look up at him. She opens her purse, takes out her
wallet and begins removing credit cards.

JOANNA
My American Express...My
Bloomingdale's Credit Card...
My check book--

TED
(the martyr)
Okay, okay...What is it this
time? What did I do now?...

JOANNA
(ignoring this)
I took two thousand out of the
savings account. That was what
I had in the bank when we got
married.

TED
Joanna, whatever it is, believe
me, I'm sorry.

JOANNA
Here are the slips for the laundry
and the cleaning. They'll be
ready on Saturday.

TED

Now listen, before you do something
you'll really regret you'd better
stop and think
--

JOANNA
(not bothering to
look up)
I've paid the rent, the Con-Ed
and the phone bill, so you don't
have to worry about them.

She checks off the last item on her list as her husband
watches, dumbfounded.

JOANNA
There, that's everything.

Joanna gets to her feet and starts toward the front
door. In an instant Ted is after her.

TED
(panic starting)
For God's sake, Joanna, would
you at least tell me what I did
that's so terrible! Would you
do me that little favor?

ON JOANNA--at the door.

JOANNA
Look, it's not your fault, okay?
It's me. It's my fault--you
just married the wrong person.

TED
(placating her)
So we've got problems. Everybody's
got problems--that's normal--

Joanna opens the door and they step out into the hallway.


14 INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE KRAMER APT. - EVENING

JOANNA
Ted, you're not listening to me.
It's over, finished.

TED
I'm listening, Joanna--believe me,
I'm listening. My wife is walking
out on me after eight years of--

JOANNA
(bitter)
You just don't get it, do you?
(as though to a child)
I - am - really - and - truly -
leaving - you.

TED
I heard you, Joanna. I promise
I heard you.

JOANNA
No you didn't.
(quietly)
You didn't even ask about Billy.

TED
(stiffening)
What about Billy?

JOANNA
I'm not taking him with me.

TED
What?

JOANNA
(tears start)
Ted, I can't...I tried...I really
tried but...I just can't hack it
anymore...

TED
C'mon, Joanna, you don't mean
that. You're a terrific mother--

JOANNA

I am not! I'm a terrible mother!
I'm an awful mother. I yell at
him all the time. I have no
patience. No...No. He's better
off without me.
(unable to look
at Ted)
Ted, I've got to go...I've got
to go.

TED
(desperate)
Okay, I understand and I promise
I won't try and stop you, but you
can't just go...Look, come inside
and talk...Just for a few minutes.

JOANNA
(pleading)
No!...Please...Please don't make
me stay...I swear...If you do,
sooner or later...maybe tomorrow,
maybe next week...maybe a year
from now...
(looking directly
at him)
I'll go right out the window.



TED
(quiet)
Where are you going?

JOANNA
I don't know...

The elevator door opens, Joanna steps inside.

TED
Do you want me to help you get a
cab?

Joanna shakes her head. The elevator door closes behind
her and it starts to descend.

ON TED KRAMER--He stands for a moment, stunned, unable
to move. Then he turns and races back into the
apartment.




16 Looking down to the street from the
eighth floor. We SEE Joanna step off the curb and
hail a passing taxi.

TED
(calling out)
Joanna!?.. .Joanna?!

Either she doesn't hear him or else she pays no attention.
She gets into the cab, closes the door behind her and it
drives away.


19 EXT. APT. BLDG. - LATE AT NIGHT

WIDE SHOT--The building is dark except for the Kramer
apartment which is ablaze with lights. HOLD as we HEAR:

Sound: The phone ringing. Then:

WOMAN'S VOICE
(obviously asleep)
Huh.. .Hello?

TED
(righteous)
All right, Thelma...That's it.
I've had it. You can call your
good friend Joanna Kramer and tell
her enough is enough, okay? I
mean, I don't know what I did,
but you can tell her she's made
her point
.

WOMAN'S VOICE
Ted, what are you talking about?!

TED
Don't play innocent with me,
Thelma. You know perfectly
well what's going on.

WOMAN'S VOICE
(exasperated)
Ted, I don't understand a word
you're saying. Where's Joanna?

TED
Ha! You tell me.

Sound-effect, as Ted slams down the receiver.

20 Instantly a light is turned on two floors below.

CUT TO:

21 INT. FOYER, KRAMER APT. - NIGHT

ON THE FRONT DOOR--as we HEAR:

Sound-effect: the doorbell rings.

A moment later Ted opens the door and THELMA PHILLIPS
enters. She is a neighbor and Joanna
Kramer's best friend.


THELMA
(looking around,
suspiciously)
All right. What's going on?



TED
All right, Thelma, you want to
know what's going on? I'll tell
you what's going on. I'll tell
you exactly what's going on.

THELMA
Look, Ted, all I--

TED
(starting to
really roll)
I came home tonight. We just got
the Fire and Ice account at the
agency. Do you know what that
means?! Do you understand
what that means? It means that
it was maybe one of the five
best days in my whole life.

THELMA
Ted, all I wanted to know was
where--

TED
(not letting her get
a word in edgewise)
I walk in the house and before
I can say "How are you?", "Did
you have a nice day?" before I
can say anything. Pow she's
out the door.

THELMA
Oh my God. Didn't she say anything?
She must've said something.

TED
(sarcastic)
Yeah, she said it wasn't any
use talking anymore.

THELMA
Ted, don't be so hostile.

Ted draws himself upright with the dignity of the
Ambassador to the Court of St. James. However, during
the following, he begins pounding the pillows on the
couch into shape with real vehemence.

TED
Hostile?
(pow)
Me?
(whack)
Thelma, I'm not hostile.
(thud)
I am anything but hostile.
(sock)
But if you want to know what
I am. I'll tell you what I am.
What I am is, I am hurt. I am very
hurt. And I just want to know
one thing, okay? Just one thing
...Why? That's all I want to
know...Why?

THELMA

Ted, Joanna and I used to talk a
lot and...well, she told me a lot
of...ah, things about the two of
you.

TED
(instantly nervous)
Things? What kind of things?

THELMA
(clearly she knows
more than she's
willing to say)
I mean...things. Ted, Joanna's
very unhappy and--

TED
(flash of anger)
Listen, Joanna Kramer's got a
goddamn good life. She's got a
husband that loves her. She's
got a terrific kid. She's got
a wonderful home--

THELMA
(getting mad herself)
What d'you know about how Joanna
felt? You went off to an office
every morning and you'd come
dragging home at seven or eight
every night and as long as dinner
was on the table you thought
everything was swell.

TED
Did it ever occur to you guys
that Joanna Kramer's not the
easiest person in the world to
live with?! Did it?! For one
thing she's always thirty minutes
late. You can set your watch
by it--

THELMA

(exasperated)
So she's late. What's the big
deal. That's just a way of saying,
"Pay attention to me."

TED
(not listening)
Two. She is getting to be a real
hermit or recluse or whatever it
is you call it. Thelma, do
you know where I could be in
this business if I had a wife
that entertained or went out
socially--

THELMA
Oh for shit's sake, Ted, you are
the most selfish human being I
have ever met. No wonder she
said you came first, then Billy,
then, if there was anything left
over, she got the scraps.

TED
Joanna said that?

Thelma nods.

TED
Then how come she never said
anything like that to me?

THELMA
Maybe she didn't feel like she
should have to. Maybe she
felt like if you'd been paying
any real attention to her to
start with, maybe you would've
noticed.

TED

Boy, you guys are really something,
y'know? I'd like to know one
thing, okay--just one little
thing. Did you tell Joanna
she should leave me?

THELMA
(stiffly)
No.

She turns and starts toward the front door, Ted at
her heel.

TED
Y'know something Thelma--you are
the typhoid Mary of divorce.
I mean it. Joanna and I never
had any trouble until you and
Charley split up.

THELMA
Ted, divorce is a terrible thing.
I know, I went through it.
You've got to believe I did
everything I could to get Joanna
to stay.
(pause)
But I'll tell you something.
You may not want to hear it,
but it took a lot of courage
for Joanna to do what she just
did.

TED
I'd like to know what the hell
kind of courage it takes to walk
out on your husband and your child?

CLOSE ON THELMA--That stops her dead in her tracks.
She had always assumed that Joanna took Billy with her
when she left.

THELMA
Joanna left Billy? She didn't
take him with her?

Ted shakes his head. There is a long beat of silence.

THELMA
(stunned, quiet)
Oh Shit.



reveal - ujawniać, wyjawiać, odkrywać
grin - szeroki uśmiech
hand (verb) - wręczać
take a deep breath - wziąć głęboki oddech
excess - nadwyżka
purse - portmonetka
cope with something - radzić sobie z czymś
mood - nastrój
make a living - zarabiać na życie
martyr - męczennik
savings account - rachunek oszczędnościowy
slip - paragon
laundry - pralnia
dumbfounded - oniemiały
get to one’s feet - wstać, zerwać się na nogi
do a favor - oddać przysługę
placate - udobruchać, zjednać
stiffen - sztywnieć
hack (something) - tu: radzic sobie z czymś
terrific - wspaniały
yell - wrzeszczeć, krzyczeć
patience - cierpliwość
plead - błagać
elevator - winda
cab - taksówka
descend - schodzić
stunned - oszołomiony, wstrząśnięty
race - pędzić
curb - tu: krawężnik
hail - przywoływać
ablaze - rozświetlony
Enough is enough! - Wystarczy! Dość!
make one’s point - udowodnić swoją rację
innocent - niewinny
exasperated - rozdrażniony, poirytowany
slam down - trzaskać (drzwiami), rzucać (słuchawką)
suspiciously - podejrzliwie
edgewise - pomiędzy, w przerwie
hostile - wrogi
upright - wyprostowany
dignity - godność
pound - walić, tłuc, grzmocić
vehemence - gwałtowność, zaciekłość
goddamn - cholerny
drag - wlec się
swell - fajny, pierwszorzędny
occur - tu: przychodzić na myśl
hermit - pustelnik
recluse - odludek, samotnik
selfish - samolubny
scrap - skrawek
typhoid - tyfus
assume - przypuszczać, zakładać

you'd better stop and think- lepiej przestań i pomyśl



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