On Chesil Beach

So, we're in E.

The tonic. No, E.

All right, E.

So, four bars of that, you know the sort of thing,

"Woke up this morning, head felt so bad,"

then into A.

The sub-dominant.

"Woke up this morning, head felt so bad."

Same thing, different chord, see.

Hmm. Tricky.

Then back to E again...

Then, this is the emotional punch, it reaches right up to B.

Ah. The dominant.

And he says something like,

"Gonna tell that two-timin' woman," back through A,

you know, "she's driving me mad"

and then this lovely little thing, the turnaround on B seventh...

Minor seventh might be better.

And that brings you back to E.

And am I? What?

Driving you mad.

Well, actually, yes.

(ON RADIO) The Prime Minister, Sir Harold Macmillan,

has been holding talks in Washington

with the United States president, Mr. John Kennedy.

The principal subject of their discussion was a proposed test ban treaty...

Not tonight. Thank you.

Perfect.

Now listen!

Nice microtones...

A load of sick bloody cats.

I really don't mind, if you want that Hank person.

Or is it Elvis?

Chuck Berry.

It's all right, he's gone, he's had it.

Honestly, you can, I think it's...

He's quite...

- Quite what? - Well, sort of merry.

Chuck Berry?

What else?

And, you know, bouncy.

Do you know,

I think you must be the squarest person in all of western civilization.

But you love me.

Therefore, I love you.

You know, Florence, it was beautiful.

Nothing went wrong!

- Even my mother behaved herself. - (CHUCKLES)

Do you think she knew what was happening?

I don't know. Perhaps she did.

Poor Edward...

Steady.

Get it.

Bastard.

Now, give it here.

Listen, I've decided.

If we have a girl, she'll be called Chloe.

Chloe.

Yes, it's beautiful.

Damn. Ignore it.

You ought to look.

Evening, sir. Dinner what you ordered.

Not this early...

Ma'am.

- Careful. - Sir.

Uh, no, perhaps...

- The windows closed a bit. Sir.

Not that much. Oh, right you are.

A bit more. Yeah, that's it. Thank you.

- And push the curtains back. - Certainly, sir.

- Just push the curtain... - (CHUCKLES)

- Facing each other. Yes, sir.

- The chairs. - Ah.

It's very good actually.

Thank you very much, sir.

Are you...

Are you going to stand there the whole time?

Uh, we do the silver service on the beef, sir,

and then we all retire.

Oh.

I love you.

And I...

Thank you.

You ever feel the need for anything, sir,

just, uh, pull on the string. Hard.

And have a very nice one, sir.

Uh, yes.

Good night.

Oh. (CHUCKLES)

Yes.

Sorry.

Thank you.

Girls. Girls, can you come down? I need your help.

Oh, God...

In the garden, please.

- Marjorie. She was up there.

- She could hear me. Harriet.

That's all right. Come on, Harriet, Dad wants us.

In the garden, quickly.

She could understand me. She was listening to me.

I know, I know. But she would also listen to you with your clothes on.

No, but she needs the connection.

The nights are shorter now, so she doesn't sleep so much.

But she won't come down.

No. She'll never come down.

We're quite safe.

Marjorie Mayhew. You'll get me thrown in prison.

Girls, help Mum get dressed.

Come on, Mum.

Do you know, as you walk that way along the beach,

the stones get bigger.

Yes?

Well, over thousands of years storms have sort of graded the pebbles.

So, when local fishermen come ashore at night

they can tell exactly where they are.

- (CHUCKLES) - That's the story, anyway.

We could go back out there.

- You don't mean now. - Why not?

Take the wine, some fruit.

It won't get dark for a long time.

Yes, but I'm not sure we could just leave all this...

I'm not awfully hungry after that lunch.

Yes, but Flo, they've gone to a lot of trouble. We can't just...

I know, but it looks so beautiful out there...

But we're here...

In here... (CHUCKLES)

And you're so beautiful.

I keep thinking how beautiful you are, and...

I suppose you're right. I mean, about...

Oh, God.

Look, sorry. I... Am I being a bully?

Of course, you're not.

You know what,

I could get them to bring back that plate warmer thingy.

And we could go out for as long as you like.

No, I'm just being silly.

Honestly, Edward, I don't think I could bear to have them back in here.

It won't take a minute. It's no trouble at all...

Edward, please, no!

God...

We're having our first row.

- Florence, we're not. - We are. Because I'm being selfish.

Honestly, we're not. You're not being selfish.

We are, we are.

And it's all my stupid fault.

And what are they saying, your Aldermaston lot,

about this wonderful wall in Berlin last month?

Bit awkward for the lefties, isn't it?

We hate it. Everyone hates it.

An entire country turned into a prison camp, with the Soviet's blessing.

A proud day for socialism.

- How was school? - A million Russian troops

- spread along the border. - All right.

What do you think prevents them

from sending their tanks across the north German plain?

Common sense, I should think.

Common sense? Nonsense! It's the bomb, the one you want to ban.

Communism, as it proudly proclaims, is an expansionist creed.

It's our nuclear bombs that deter them. It's as simple as that, my dear.

We need a deterrent.

Do you remember a couple of months ago I said I met this chap at a CND meeting?

I've asked him round tomorrow for tea.

- Chap? - Is he a beatnik?

No.

Beard and sandals? - No.

- What does he do? - He's a beatnik.

Shut up. He's like me, just finished his degree.

- What college? - UCL.

But darling, that's London.

For the sons of tradesmen. Florence!

They produce some pretty decent engineers.

Well, exactly.

What does his father do?

You mean, is he working class or one of us?

Yes. I think that's more or less what I mean.

His dad's headmaster of a primary school in Henley.

And what does your young man intend doing with himself?

I haven't researched his prospects.

I haven't worked out his precise socioeconomic status.

I haven't arranged to marry him. I've asked him for tea. For tea.

Jolly good.

Pass the new green... What are we calling them?

Mangetout.

I would say it was the day I bought my first railway ticket.

I must have been 13.