Author Notes: I re-watched "A Star Is Unborn" today, and, what can I say,
I'm a total sucker for that scene on the staircase. Here's a bit of musing
on it from Maxwell's point of view, in 400 words.
Shakespeare had always entranced him. The language was so rich; the possibilities for interpretation were so deep. There was magic in the words; poetry in the telling of the tale. That so many modern stories mimicked the basic plots of Shakespeare's plays, especially Romeo and Juliet, made perfect sense. Miss Fine getting cast as Juliet, however, defied explanation. That voice! It was just not made for the stage. Maxwell considered the dichotomy, and decided that it didn't really matter – even today, hardly a week into the rehearsals and with Miss Fine getting her lines all wrong – she'd infused her own brand of romance into the part. And, she'd won him over; bowled him over, really.
When he uttered his lines, "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast! Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!" he'd meant every single word.
Then, they'd kissed. It wasn't the first time; there'd been that brief, if perhaps ill-conceived, kiss when Miss Fine had managed to be interviewed about his play, which had been in such danger of getting bad reviews from Frank Bradley. That was a kiss of gratitude; somewhat spurred by instinct. Maxwell hadn't known what'd come over him. He wasn't prone to those kinds of public displays of affection; nor private ones, either, come to think of it.
Today's kiss had little to do with gratitude; and it was all about instinct. This time, he knew very well what had come over him: Fran Fine. It'd been so natural; a perfectly normal expression of the chemistry they were experiencing in acting out the romance of the star crossed lovers. There was an undeniable attraction between them; Maxwell had read scenes with CC dozens of times, even romantic ones, and they'd never even been close to kissing!
Kissing Miss Fine was simply electric. No, it was heavenly. Tender, yet brimming with passion. Maxwell hadn't felt that kind of physical draw to someone in years. There was something so very unique about Miss Fine that intrigued him – attracted him. And now, with that kiss on his mind, he could hardly sleep for all the memories of it playing in his thoughts. Not just memories, but fantasies. What if no one had been home and they'd been alone?
What if? Maxwell wondered as he drifted to sleep, a smile on his face, and Miss Fine awaiting him in his dreams.
END
Shakespeare had always entranced him. The language was so rich; the possibilities for interpretation were so deep. There was magic in the words; poetry in the telling of the tale. That so many modern stories mimicked the basic plots of Shakespeare's plays, especially Romeo and Juliet, made perfect sense. Miss Fine getting cast as Juliet, however, defied explanation. That voice! It was just not made for the stage. Maxwell considered the dichotomy, and decided that it didn't really matter – even today, hardly a week into the rehearsals and with Miss Fine getting her lines all wrong – she'd infused her own brand of romance into the part. And, she'd won him over; bowled him over, really.
When he uttered his lines, "Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast! Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!" he'd meant every single word.
Then, they'd kissed. It wasn't the first time; there'd been that brief, if perhaps ill-conceived, kiss when Miss Fine had managed to be interviewed about his play, which had been in such danger of getting bad reviews from Frank Bradley. That was a kiss of gratitude; somewhat spurred by instinct. Maxwell hadn't known what'd come over him. He wasn't prone to those kinds of public displays of affection; nor private ones, either, come to think of it.
Today's kiss had little to do with gratitude; and it was all about instinct. This time, he knew very well what had come over him: Fran Fine. It'd been so natural; a perfectly normal expression of the chemistry they were experiencing in acting out the romance of the star crossed lovers. There was an undeniable attraction between them; Maxwell had read scenes with CC dozens of times, even romantic ones, and they'd never even been close to kissing!
Kissing Miss Fine was simply electric. No, it was heavenly. Tender, yet brimming with passion. Maxwell hadn't felt that kind of physical draw to someone in years. There was something so very unique about Miss Fine that intrigued him – attracted him. And now, with that kiss on his mind, he could hardly sleep for all the memories of it playing in his thoughts. Not just memories, but fantasies. What if no one had been home and they'd been alone?
What if? Maxwell wondered as he drifted to sleep, a smile on his face, and Miss Fine awaiting him in his dreams.
END