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In recent past issues of Scene4, I presented the beginning scenes of my screenplay The Goddess In Exile, a fictionalized account of the brief life of Cuban born artist Ana Mendieta that deals with themes of wife murder, the natural versus the man-made world and the mythic feminine. Ana Mendieta’s death at age 36 became a scandal that rocked the art world at its zenith making headlines. My screenplay adapts the basic story of her alleged murder by her husband, prominent conceptual artist Carl Andre, who was acquitted by a judge without a jury and explores the premise ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. My character Elvira creates art that celebrates the divine feminine while her husband Hans arranges geometric forms in abstract spaces. The action takes place in the vivid milieu of the New York City art scene in the 1970's, capturing the excitement of the elite intelligentsia with character vignettes from the
highest echelons of American artists and art world doyennes.
In my screenplay Elvira befriends her neighbor Sissy in her lower East Side tenement. When Sissy, a fictional black drag queen, takes her to Warhol’s Factory, she introduces Elvira to the in-crowd and performs her signature blues song “Ghetto Madonna”.
Andy Warhol’s Factory, located on 33 Union Square West, was a huge loft space that functioned as his studio and hang-out for his friends who worked as his assistants, partied, slept, OD’ed, rocked and shot films in the 1970’s. Warhol’s artistic fame with his paintings of soup cans and silk-screens and lithographs of celebrities spread to his soft-porn films starring outrageous drag queens and Hollywood wannabes who became underground Super Stars. Lou Reed’s hit song “Walk on the Wild Side” immortalized Holly Woodlawn, Joe Dallesandro and Candy Darling while Warhol’s band “The Velvet Underground” indulged in the depravity of drug abuse. In the true sense of avant-garde, this was the first time in American culture when gays, transgenders and drag queens were celebrated as legitimate pop stars. These eccentric members of
Warhol’s entourage may have also congregated at the VD clinic on 9th Avenue before the onset of the AIDS epidemic.
THE GODDESS IN EXILE
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42 - EXT. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM - WINTER DAY
MIKE parks his motorcycle in front of the museum. MIKE and ELVIRA head up the long staircase to the museum entrance.
43 - INT. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, NYC - DAY
As they track through the corridor of Greek statutes, MIKE looks impressed. ELVIRA finds her way to the Pre-Columbian room and studies the primitive statutes. At a bookstall, she buys a book on Pre-Columbian art.
SOUND of the Bike's Roar.
44 - EXT. MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, GARDEN, NYC - WINTER DAY
ELVIRA studies the legs of the La Chase nude sculpture in the garden. She takes out her sketchbook and draws.
SOUND of the Bike's Roar.
45 - INT. WHITNEY MUSEUM, NYC - DAY
ELVIRA and MIKE look with interest at the work of FRANK SMITH (a friend of HANS who will be introduced in the script later.) The paintings are massive monochrome canvases painted in blues, yellows and reds.
SOUND of the Bike's Roar.
46 - EXT. LOCAL BAR, NYC - WINTER DAY
The LOCAL BAR is a dingy hang out with bar and juke box for bikers on the Lower East Side. MIKE and ELVIRA enter the bar and sit on a stool. The bartender hands them two bottles of beer.
MIKE
Satch hangs out here - the owner of the gallery I told you about - should be coming in soon.
ELVIRA
But I don't look businesslike for a job.
MIKE unbuttons her sweater gently to show cleavage.
MIKE
You look just fine.
ELVIRA heads for the Lady's Room.
SATCH, a tall fashionable gay woman, enters the bar and sits next to MIKE.
MIKE
Satch. Great to see ya!
SATCH gives MIKE a kiss on the cheek. ELVIRA comes towards them. ELVIRA has let down her hair and put on red lipstick.
MIKE
My artist friend here, Elvira needs a job.
SATCH eyes ELVIRA.
SATCH
I need a desk person for my gallery on 10th Street, The Third Eye. Need someone to keep clientele interested.
ELVIRA
I'd love it.
SATCH shakes ELVIRA's hand.
47 - INT. THIRD EYE GALLERY, LOWER EAST SIDE NYC –
LATE WINTER DAY
CLOSE SHOT of a photo of the interior ELVIRA'S refrigerator filled with eggs, peppers and onions.
JOANNE, dressed in a tailored pants suit, eyes the photo and takes notes. ELVIRA, dressed in black with silver and turquoise jewelry, gets up from behind the desk where she works and goes over to JOANNE.
ELVIRA
That's my fridge.
JOANNE
What would you really like on your menu?
ELVIRA
I'd think I'd like one fancy man artist.
JOANNE
You've come to the right restaurant. It's called art critic, I serve them everyday.
ELVIRA
Come with me.
ELVIRA takes JOANNE to the back room where some of her Marys adorn a shelf. She hands one made in wood to JOANNE who admires it.
ELVIRA
I would love to work larger in clay but not before my
father ships me some clay from my mountain and I have a studio, I sculpt wood.
JOANNE
Right now I'm reviewing for GOTHAM ARTS - I want to cover
Madison Avenue - profile the top artists I drink with, but my publisher thinks I have a "feel” for 10th Street - eclectic refrigerators - graffiti."
JOANNE puts the sculpture back on the shelf and starts to leave.
JOANNE
Everyone wants to make it big - you don't need talent just...
ELVIRA
Big ego - big balls...
JOANNE
Ever been to Max’s Kansas City - I'll stop by one night and take you.
JOANNE nears the door of the gallery and takes the gallery post card to add to her notes.
JOANNE
What does "third eye" mean?
ELVIRA
It's the place where one leaves and the place one can
come back...
48 - EXT. THIRD EYE GALLERY, NYC - WINTER EVENING
ELVIRA leaves the gallery and locks the outside door. The glass exterior window has a sign that reads "THIRD EYE GALLERY". ELVIRA walks down the street.
49 - EXT. EAST VILLAGE CATHOLIC CHURCH - EARLY WINTER EVENING
ELVIRA stands outside the church and takes a sketchbook and pencils from the poncho bag. She enters the church, which is open for evening mass.
50 - INT. EAST VILLAGE CATHOLIC CHURCH - EARLY EVENING
ELVIRA walks through the empty interior of the church studying the artwork and statutes in the same way she did in the chapel in Peru. She sits in a pew near the back of the church and sketches a Pieta. Instead of the seated Mary holding the fallen Christ, she sketches Mary holding a fallen Mary.
ELVIRA'S (voice over)
It's the place where one leaves and the place one can come back...
POV ELVIRA, a PRIEST walks up the aisle heading towards the entrance where he will greet people for mass. He appears menacing to her and she closes her book. The PRIEST walks by her.
PRIEST
You are welcome to stay for Mass.
ELVIRA gets up and heads for the altar.
ELVIRA
No thank you Señor. I will come another day.
ELVIRA kneels at the altar.
51 - INT. TENEMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT
ELVIRA, wearing a robe, stands in front of the bathroom door knocking loudly.
ELVIRA
I have to pee.
SISSY (from inside bathroom)
That's me Sissy.
SISSY (a tall black drag queen wearing a wig and pink negligence) opens the door.
52 - INT. BATHROOM, TENEMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT
The bathroom has a pull string flush toilet, a sink and medicine chest with mirror. ELVIRA sits on the toilet and pees, while SISSY puts on makeup in the bathroom mirror.
SISSY
Is it that bad? Oh, I'm your new neighbor - you're that artist lady.
ELVIRA
I sculpt Madonnas. Would you like to pose?
SISSY
I'd love to pose. I could sit tonight honey only I've got a gig at Andy’s Factory. You'll see honey - New York isn't that tough to figure - everybody wants to be a star.
53 - INT. TENEMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT
POV ELVIRA from the open bathroom door, she watches SISSY glide down the hall towards her APARTMENT. SISSY's boyfriend (a slick looking Hispanic man wearing pants and no shirt) comes out of SISSY's APARTMENT drunk and swinging a gun in the air.
BOYFRIEND
You bitch - you took my money!
SISSY struggles to get the gun out of the boyfriend's hand. They thrash against the wall and stair balcony.
DOWNSTAIRS NEIGHBOR (voice over)
Shut up you fags or I'll call the cops!
The BOYFRIEND pushes SISSY against the stair balcony so hard that he falls over it and lands on the ground one floor below.
ELVIRA rushes over to SISSY who is slumped on the hallway floor.
ELVIRA
Can I help?
SISSY lets ELVIRA pick her up. SISSY's arm is bleeding. ELVIRA holds SISSY and brings her into her apartment.
54 - INT. ELVIRA’S TENEMENT APT. - NIGHT
SISSY sits on the tree trunk chair near the sculpture stand. ELVIRA pours SISSY a shot of scotch and wraps a clean towel around her arm.
ELVIRA
I'll fix you up.
ELVIRA studies SISSY's face.
ELVIRA
My father just sent me clay from the mountains and my ancestor trunk.
CLOSE shot of a keg of clay and an old Spanish trousseau trunk.
ELVIRA unwraps a clay sculpture of MARY on her stand. She starts to carve SISSY's face on the Mary. SISSY's face calms and she smiles.
SISSY
Well I'll be the first black drag Queen Madonna.
55 - INT. ELVIRA’S TENEMENT APT. - DAY
CLOSE SHOT of Madonna with SISSY's face now finished.
SOUND OF LOUD KNOCKING
VAL
It's Val.
ELVIRA
Just a momento.
ELVIRA goes to the kitchen draw and takes out $200, then lets VAL in. VAL looks around.
VAL
Very nice. You're a good artist.
ELVIRA
Here, I'll give you the whole rent.
ELVIRA puts $200 on the table.
VAL
No way. You keep your agreement.
VAL starts to unzip his fly. ELVIRA sits on her bed calculating. She seductively opens her blouse to reveal a lace bra and lets down her hair.
ELVIRA (challenging)
Why not everything?
VAL looks at her hard, frightened. He takes $150 from the table.
VAL
No, No. Next month you pay the whole rent.
VAL leaves and shuts the door behind him.
CLOSE on the Madonna sculpture.
56 – INT. MONTAGE OF MOVING SHOTS OF GALLERIES, NYC - MIDDAY
SISSY and ELVIRA tour the top Madison Avenue avant-garde galleries where they see the best in contemporary art. ELVIRA's instinct is to touch the work. She is stopped by security guards.
57 - EXT. NYC STREETS, MOVING SHOTS - DAY
SISSY and ELVIRA head down the street towards ANDY'S FACTORY. As ELVIRA walks, she looks at the postcards and brochures she collected from the galleries.
SISSY
Try to remember their names, girl. In the future when you see copycats you'll know the true innovators.
58 - EXT. ANDY'S FACTORY BUILDING – WINTER AFTERNOON
SISSY and ELVIRA approach a beat up door with a sign that says ANDY'S FACTORY.
59 - INT. ANDY'S WAREHOUSE BUILDING - WINTER AFTERNOON
SISSY and ELVIRA take an elevator to the second floor.
60 - INT. ANDY'S FACTORY LOFT - WINTER AFTERNOON
Groups of people are working on large canvases on the floor and lounging around, drinking and smoking weed. A drummer and guitarist jam on a stage. SISSY goes up on the stage, takes the mike and improvises.
SISSY
Well gang I'd like to introduce you to my new friend - Lady on the Scene -artist Elvira - from Peru.
CLOSE SHOT OF ELVIRA - She smiles.
SISSY
Come on stage girls and guys so she knows who you are. Candy Darling move that thing. Holly - show off your trashy butt girl. Joe's my heartthrob.
Eccentric characters who are the core of ANDY'S entourage come on stage. (CANDY DARLING is a pretty blonde drag queen, HOLLY WOODLAWN is a thin brown haired drag queen wearing a raggy dress and Joe Dallesandro is a handsome guy with a naked chest.)
SISSY (sings)
ALWAYS
You only know half of it
The part a story can tell
But he took all of me
What’s left is just a shell
A Ghetto Madonna
Queen – Hung like a star
From a tin ceiling
In a disco bar
He made me feel especially
Loved the times I wore a dress
Transformed the inside of me
To a real woman with class
My friends knew he was dealing
But I gave him all my heart
When he accused me of stealing
His lies tore me apart
Pissed off for no reason
He put a gun to my head
When the cops threw him in jail
I faced a big lonely bed
Stranded with the Blues
Branded on my Tattoo – Always
You only know half of it
The part a story can tell
But he took all of me
What’s left is just a shell
A Ghetto Madonna
Queen – Hung like a star
From a tin ceiling
In a disco bar
You only know half of it
The part a story can tell
But he took all of me
What's left is just a shell
ELVIRA sits on a long red sofa. ROTH (a shaggily middle aged man) moves closer to her and gives her a flyer. ELVIRA looks at it.
ELVIRA
What's a "Happening"?
ROTH
Just come - It's whatever happens.
ROTH puts his hand on ELVIRA thigh. SISSY spots this, comes down form the stage and slaps ROTH's hand.
SISSY
She's mine.
ROTH
What can you do with her?
SISSY
More than an old "has been".
SISSY brings ELVIRA on stage. ELVIRA takes out her flute and jams.
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