[Mabel Mouths Words]

after women under the influence (1974) dir. Cassavetes
Jennifer Pilch

under the influence of ♪♪[opera] Dashiki dress Hollywood Blvd. “This
woman cooks, sews, makes the bed, washes the bathroom.” slender
cigarettes Wexford wine glass “What the hell is crazy about that?” bobby
pins kitchen table chablis [car stalls. restarts] payphone afghan marigold
raincoat ♪♪[Humming] Seagrams Crown tall glass metrocolor blonde [sigh]
♪Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all♪ leather stool calypso coral lipstick
“Good luck.” paper straw wood paneling brass “Not a lunatic.” [mumbles]
glass knob venetian blinds crochet PRIVATE “Momma? Kids?” [vocalizing
continues] “Just a funny thing.” purple towel banister new lime walls
“Simple talk.” spaghetti sauce red wine brown cardigan [yelling] brown
pants golden tablecloth spatula [horn in the distance] “You’ve done nothing
wrong!” bungalow wedding band salt shaker “Wacko!” [yelling] white apron
slip-on shoes mascara palms [Mabel mouths words] “screw loose”
paisley mini dress plum shadow [sputters] “I can be that. I can be anything.”


(a)

under the influence of “Do you dance?” blue wool elbow patch traffic stop
[ranting] 1741 N. Taft Ave. ♪♪[All whistling] school books November
sidewalk corduroy [Kisses] “No good whistling —Just air” white lamp
foldout couch flowery sheets “I don’t mind you being a lunatic” [Exhales
Deeply] house plant red balloons sheer drapes morning gold [sputters]
school bus car bumper espadrilles [horn in the distance] maroon steps knee
highs brown cardigan “just be yourself!” Schilling Black Pepper rotary
phone [panting] “this is your house!” [Kisses] pirate patch porcelain
television “Damn telephones” ♪♪[Humming] “Yeah” dark ivy radio punch
cinnamon [Kisses] “You never did that to me before.” cigarette underwear
pyrex cake [yelling] “Nuthouse!” phthalo green stove sink percolator spoon
[No audible dialogue] “You wanna play with the kids?” [Screen door closes]
ashtray pink socks“You see how good this whole thing is?” fan palm old
succulents armoire ♪♪[piano] “Come on. They just died for you.”


(b)

under the influence of “I always understood you and you always understood
me” [ranting] brown teddy bear aquamarine bed “you’re going with them on
the outside and you’re supposed to be on the inside” [yelling] “Insanity.
Morning. Noon. And Night. Wake up. Go to Sleep” deep space bean bag
folding wooden chair [chattering] “This. This. This. That.” [sputters]
“uppers downers inners outers” [Knocking on the door] black bag black
glasses silver needle “Wacko!” “just be yourself!” “That’s how close we are”
[panting] “they can’t pull us apart and they can’t force us apart” [shouting]
“Get back to your coffin” two trophies brass buttons windowpane “I—” “I—”
bathing suit tennis shoes ocean six pack [children mumbling inco-
herently] plaid pants hairspray bobby pin “Now we kill the jokes!”
[Kisses] mothers fathers “Will you stand up for me?” [Kiss] sisters brothers
“No emotions now.” bandaid sink blue bathrobe “I belong to you.  That’s it”
[Yelps] ottoman coral lipstick umbrella “Good times from now on!”


(c)

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