Cajun Visits Transcription, Cajun Visits
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Dennis- Violin player and husband of Jeanie
Jeanie - Wife of Dennis
Cheese - Violin player and husband of Ella
Ella - Gardener and wife of Cheese
Canray - Violin Player and husband of Otile
Otile - Wife of Canray
Leopold - Accordion player and husband of Ebrigit
Ebrigit - Wife of Leopold
Dewey - Violin player and friend of Leopold
Robert - Accordion player and friend of Dewey
[MUSIC] (Large red book with text on front)
Title: CAJUN VISITS VISITES CAJUNS
(Hands opening book)
Title: A FILM BY YASHA AGINSKY
(Hands turning page)
Text: PRODUCED BY AGINSKY PRODUCTIONS, SAN FRANCISCO WITH LES FILMS CINETRIES, MCNIREAL LES FILMS D’ICI, PARIS
(Hands turning page again)
Text: AND NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS FILM ARTS FOUNDATION LOUISIANA STATE DIVISION OF THE ARTS CENTER FOR GULF SOUTH HISTORY & CULTURE
(Hands turning page again)
Text: SOUTHWEST LOUSIANA, 1981 1981 DANS LA SUD-OUEST DE LA LOUSIANE
(Hands turning page again, picture of two women and two men)
Text: CARRIE, YASHA, DENNIS, JEANIE
00:35
(Picture of newspaper and news heading)
Text: GRANDDADDY OF CAJUN MUSIC WILL ENTERTAIN AT FESTIVAL
(Jeanie speaking in French)
JEANIE V/O:
Subtitle: WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING?
(Picture of older man and woman sitting together)
Text: JEANIE MCLERIE, DENNIS MCGEE
(Dennis speaking in French)
DENNIS V/O:
Subtitle: I STARTED WHEN I WAS 16. I HAD A LITTLE RED VIOLIN.
(Shot changes to Jeanie, sitting on porch, listening as Dennis, sitting across from her, continues)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: MY 14 YEAR-OLD COUSIN OFFERED ME A VIOLIN. HE CALLED ME “MAC”…
(Dennis talks in French without subtitles before beginning to talk in English)
DENNIS: I’m going to say that in English, because y’all don’t understand too much. He said, “I’m going to buy you this violin, would you like to have a violin?” I said, “You can’t buy me a violin.” He says, “You say I can’t? Why? Watch me,” he said. “I’m going to their plot right now, you stay over by their plot for right now.” He left, he’s going to his plot. Some time, he comes back with a box and a built violin. He put some string on it, and he had the bow, and he played this tune. Don’t you think, do you think I oughta play on in that tune?
MAN 2 O/C: Sure.
DENNIS: Okay.
(Dennis plays his violin)
[MUSIC:] (“Two for One”)
(He begins to sing in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: TWO FOR ONE, NEITHER ONE NOR THE OTHER WILL WIN HER… IT WILL BE ME, THE CAJUN WHO WILL HAVE HER, THE PRETTY LITTLE GIRL, IT WILL BE ME, THE CAJUN WHO WILL HAVE HER.
(Continues to play, while camera slowly slides down and focuses on his tapping feet)
(He ends the song, lowering his violin and speaking in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: “TWO FOR ONE”… THAT’S THE WALTZ HE PLAYED ME WHEN HE GAVE ME THE VIOLIN…
(He begins again to speak in English)
DENNIS: He put the strings on, and he played that tune, and now he said here, that’s yours, your, your, your on your own.
02:54
(Text appears on black backdrop)
Text: “REEL DE DESHOTELS”
DENNIS V/O: Sometimes he’d come and hire me for playing a dance.
(Goes back to Dennis on the porch)
(Begins to play again, as camera focuses on his stomping feet before coming back to him)
[MUSIC:] (“Reel De Deshotels”)
(Stops playing and begins to speak in English)
DENNIS: Alright, come on, let’s go!
(Begins to speak in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: MOVE UP, CHANGE PARTNERS!
(Speaks again in English, pointing wildly)
DENNIS: Come on, Come on!
(Speaks again in French, still pointing)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: MOVE UP, MOVE UP!
(Speaks in English)
DENNIS: Come on!
(Speaks again in French, imitating the atmosphere of a dance)
DENNIS:
Subtitles: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? HE DOESN’T MEAN A THING. PASS ME THAT THING. OH, THAT’S TOO BAD.
(Begins to play again)
(Stops playing, and speaks again in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitles: THANK YOUR LADY. DON’T FORGET TO THANK HER FOR THE GOOD DANCE. I’M GOING TO PLAY A WALTZ CALLED “PA JANUARY” IT’S AN OLD-TIME WALTZ… THE MAN PUT A HANKERCHIEF ON HIS HAND SO THAT WHEN THEY DANCED HE WOULDN’T DIRTY THE LADY’S DRESS. HE’D SAY, “MADAME, I’M PUTTING MY HANKERCHIEF ON MY HAND SO THAT I WON’T SOIL YOUR DRESS.” THEN THEY’D DANCE FAR APART. THEY’D DANCE LIKE THIS…
(Begins to mime the dancing while in his chair, pulling the violin up and down as if it was his partner.)
(Everyone laughs)
(He speaks again in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: I WAS TOO LITTLE. BUT THE OLD FOLKS DANCED AND THAT MADE ME WANT TO.
(Continues to speak in French with no subtitles before begining again to play)
[MUSIC:] (“Pas Janvier”)
05:27
(Text appears on black backdrop)
Text: THE WALTZ THAT ACCOMPANIED ALL THE OLD FOLKS TO THEIR GRAVE “PAS JANVIER” LA VALSE QUI ACCOMPAGNAIT TOUS LES VIEUX A LA MORT
(Goes back to Dennis playing on the porch, who suddenly stops playing and begins to sing in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: OH PA JANUARY, GIVE ME PAULINE… OH NOT PAULINE, PAULINE IS TOO YOUNG. OH PA JANUARY, SHE’S THE ONLY ONE I LOVE, SHE’S THE ONE I WANT, GIVE ME PAULINE. OH PA JANUARY, IT HURTS ME SO WHEN YOU REFUSE TO GIVE ME PAULINE. OH PA JANUARY, GIVE ME PAULINE… YOU’LL KILL ME IF YOU REFUSE. BECAUSE I LOVE HER TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH, PAULINE, GIVE ME PAULINE, DEAR LITTLE PAULINE, WHO I LOVE SO MUCH!
(Starts to play again, camera focusing in and out on his violin and fingers)
(Stops playing and starts to sing again in French)
DENNIS:
Subtitle: OH PA JANUARY, GOOD-BYE, PA JANUARY, YOU DENY ME MY DEAR DOLL WHO I LOVE SO MUCH. OH PA JANUARY, GIVE ME PAULINE… SHE’S THE ONLY ONE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY FOR ME. OH PA JANUARY, YOU BREAK MY HEART, GOODBYE, GOODBYE, GOODBYE FOREVER.
(Stops singing and speaks in English)
DENNIS: Whew!
(Switches to shot of the cabin they are in)
DENNIS V/O: I’m gone!
(Everyone laughs)
08:02
(Smaller picture of same cabin from the back, with caption underneath)
Text: LA BUVETTE
(Hand turns page to a new picture, with a woman standing outside and a caption underneath)
Text: ELLA MAC READ
(Hand turns page to a new picture, with a man holding a bow and a caption underneath)
Text: WALLACE “CHEESE” READ
(Words appear on a black backdrop)
Text: CHEESE & JEANIE “TOUS LES SOIRS”
(Jeanie and Cheese are both sitting outside the house, her with a guitar and him with a violin playing music)
[ MUSIC:] (“Tous les Soirs”)
(Cheese begins to sing in French)
CHEESE:
Subtitle: EVERY NIGHT AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN, I THINK OF YOU, CAN’T FORGET YOU… EVERY NIGHT I CRY ON MY PILLOW, MY HEART IS BROKEN, WHY DO YOU DO ME THIS WAY?
(He stops singing, continuing to play)
(The song ends)
09:54
(Shot shows Ella walking by a fence past some plants)
(Changes to shot of ducks walking within a fence)
(Ella stands in front of her fence, holding a farm tool and speaking French as she walks around her garden)
ELLA:
Subtitle: THESE ARE MY PEAS… I PLANT THEM IN WINTER, BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S. I PLANTED MY CORN IN FEBRUARY… IT’LL RIPEN IN JUNE. AND HERE ARE MY BEETS…
(Camera moves down to where she’s pointing with her hoe)
(Shot of plane flying through the air over them)
(Shot goes back to Ella in her garden, holding a branch)
MAN 2 O/C: What is that?
(Ella answers first in French, and then uses English)
ELLA: A peach tree.
(She switches again to French)
ELLA:
Subtitle: HOW DO YOU SAY THAT IN CANADA?
(MAN 2 also speaks in French)
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: THE SAME: A PEACH TREE.
ELLA: A peach tree.
(Ella walks further down her garden to another tree branch and speaks in French)
ELLA:
Subtitle: THIS HERE IS A GRAPEFRUIT.
(WOMAN 3 talks in French)
WOMAN 3 O/C:
Subtitle: YOU DON’T SAY PAMPLEMOUSSE? YOU SAY GRAPEFRUIT.
ELLA:
Subtitle: HOW DO YOU SAY THAT IN FRENCH?
WOMAN 3 O/C:
Subtitle: PAMPLEMOUSSE.
ELLA:
Subtitle: PAMPLEMOUSSE?
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: YOU NEVER HEARD THAT?
(Ella answers in English)
ELLA: No.
(MAN 2 also switches to English)
MAN 2 O/C: Always grapefruit?
ELLA: Yeah.
(She laughs)
11:17
(Shot switches to a road as a large vehicle passes by)
(Shot goes back to Ella in her garden, uprooting a couple of her vegetables)
(She speaks in French)
ELLA:
Subtitle: THAT’S FOR YOUR DINNER.
(MAN 2 also uses French)
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: OK, THANKS.
(Shot switches to Ella walking outside of her garden, by a fence. She opens a gate in the fence and enters, locking it behind her)
(Shot switches to another plane passing overhead)
(WOMAN 3 talks in French)
WOMAN 3 V/O:
Subtitle: CHEESE, WHAT’S THE STORY WITH ALL THE PLANES?
(Cheese also uses French)
CHEESE V/O:
Subtitle: OH, THE PLANES?
(Shot switches to Cheese and Ella, both sitting outside on the front porch)
CHEESE:
Subtitle: OH, PEOPLE ARE USING PLANES MORE AND MORE TO SOW SEED, TO SPREAD FERTILIZER, AND TO SPRAY POISON.
(Shot switches again to a plane riding overhead, as Cheese continues)
CHEESE V/O:
Subtitle: AND IT’S A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF DRIFT.
(Shot goes to a sign alongside road with text on it)
Text: ONLY MODOWN TAMES ALLIGATORWEED WITHOUT 2, 4-D DRIFT.
(Cheese continues to speak in French)
CHEESE V/O:
Subtitle: WHEN THE PLANE COMES TO SPRAY A FIELD, THE POISON DOESN’T JUST STAY THERE…
(Shot moves back to Cheese and Ella sitting on porch as Cheese goes on)
CHEESE:
Subtitle: THE WIND COMES UP AND BLOWS IT ELSEWHERE AS MUCH AS A HALF-MILE OR MILE AWAY DESTROYING LITTLE GARDENS AND TREES.
(Shot goes again to a plane, flying through the air as Ella also speaks in French)
ELLA V/O:
Subtitle: IN OUR GARDEN WITH ALL ITS GOOD INSECTS WE DON’T HAVE TO SPRAY MUCH WITH POISON.
(Shot returns to Cheese sitting on the front porch, speaking French)
CHEESE:
Subtitle: THEY KEEP US FROM SPRAYING SO OFTEN AND SO CONCENTRATED.
(MAN 2 speaks inaudibly from behind the camera, and both CHEESE and Ella interrupt him in French)
CHEESE & ELLA:
Subtitle: IT CHANGED OUR ROUTINE.
CHEESE:
Subtitle: MANY TIMES WE DON’T HAVE TO USE ANY POISON AT ALL… BECAUSE THE BIRDS DO OUR WORK.
ELLA:
Subtitle: LAST YEAR I DIDN’T NEED TO SPRAY MY TOMATOES. IN LOUISIANA, THAT’S RARE.
(MAN 2 also starts to speak in French)
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: WHAT DID YOU USE?
ELLA:
Subtitle: THERE WAS NO NEED.
CHEESE O/C:
Subtitle: IF THERE WERE TOO MANY INSECTS, ANYONE COULD SEE THE BIRDS COMING TO CATCH THEM AND EAT THEM.
ELLA:
Subtitle: MY HEART IS IN MY GARDEN AND IN MY GARDENING.
13:40
(Shot switches to a man waving a red flag as a plane passes overhead)
(Shot switches again to show four people out picking plants)
[MUSIC:](“Hathaway 2-Step”)
(Goes to close up of two women picking side by side)
(Switches again to show a pond)
(Shot moves again to a picture of a man holding a violin, with text underneath)
Text: CANRAY FONTENOT
(Hands turn page to reveal a new picture of Canray playing his violin, with text below)
Text: “HATHAWAY 2-STEP”
(Hands turn page to reveal another picture of Canray and a woman walking down their front porch steps with text underneath)
Text: OTILE & CANRAY FONTENOT
(The shot shows Canray and Otile walking together off their porch and leading the camera onto their property)
(Shot switches to a bare, grassy field with weeds around the edges)
(Shot switches again to a large farm vehicle moving through shallow water as seagulls fly around it)
[MUSIC ENDS]
CANRAY V/O: I know how to plant rice and how to raise it and all of that, how to cut it too. I used to be a combine man. They want you to do that like it’s your own crop, and you don’t get nothing but a little bit of pay.
15:22
(Shot switches to Canray sitting down by a door, holding his violin and talking)
CANRAY: I went and worked most of my life on the rice farm, but, uh, I wouldn’t do it no more now, (shakes his head and grunts) because it’s too much work and your involved in Sundays, working… It don’t ever stop, hardly. So… I wouldn’t do that. And I raised all them crew and, uh, most of them on 35, 40 dollars a week.
(Shot switches to a picture of Canray and Otile’s family)
WOMAN 3 V/O: So what do you do now?
CANRAY V/O: I work at the feed store, that’s a hard job too, but it’s on dry land all the time and on the flue.
(Camera slowly zooms out and pans across the room, showing several pictures of Canray and his family)
MAN 2 V/O: So are you, uh, are you happy with that job, do they, I mean, do they treat you well?
CANRAY V/O: Yeah, it’s good enough.
MAN 2 V/O: Do they let you travel to play music?
CANRAY V/O: Oh yeah. Whether they like it or not, when I get ready I go.
(Laughs)
(Shot switches to Canray, talking in French)
CANRAY:
Subtitle: I’VE PLAYED SINCE I WAS ABOUT 11… I COULDN’T REALLY PLAY BUT I COULD SECOND BEHIND AN ACCORDIAN. I BEGAN TO REALLY PLAY AT ABOUT 13… AND I COULD PLAY A BIT. I KEPT IT UP, STOPPED SOME TIMES, TOOK IT UP AGAIN…
WOMAN 3 O/C:
Subtitle: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST VIOLIN?
CANRAY:
Subtitle: A VIOLIN THAT WAS MADE FROM A CIGAR BOX. MY UNCLE HAD A VIOLIN, A LITTLE VIOLIN, AND HE GOT IT FOR A BIT OF RICE AND SOME EGGS. THEN WHEN HE BOUGHT A BETTER VIOLIN, HE GAVE ME THE OLD ONE, AND I HAD TO WORK IN FIELDS FOR THAT. I KEPT IT FOR YEARS… A LITTLE OLD VIOLIN. SO THAT’S THE STORY.
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: WAS “THE PRISON BARS” THE FIRST TUNE YOU LEARNED?
CANRAY:
Subtitle: YES, IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST I LEARNED. THE LATE DOUGLAS BELLARD RECORDED IT. I WAS LITTLE THEN… HE WAS THE FIRST BLACK FIDDLER TO RECORD SOMETHING… I PLAY THE SAME TUNE BUT NOT THE WAY HE DID IT. I DECIDED TO DO IT IN MY OWN WAY.
(Laughs)
17:58
(Switches to text on a black backdrop)
Text: “BARRES DE LA PRISON”
(Switches back to Canray, playing his violin)
[MUSIC:] (“Barres de la Prison”)
(Canray stops playing and starts to sing in French)
CANRAY:
Subtitle: GOODBYE DEAR OLD MOM GOODBYE POOR OLD POP GOODBYE TO MY BROTHERS AND MY DEAR LITTLE SISTERS I’VE BEEN CONDEMNED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IN THE PRISON BARS…
(He plays for a short time before again singing)
CANRAY:
Subtitle: I WANDERED AROUND AND MISBEHAVED I HAD A HARD HEAD GOT INTO TROUBLE NOW I’M CONDEMNED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IN THE PRISON BARS…
(He plays for a short time before again singing)
CANRAY:
Subtitle: MY POOR OLD MOTHER GOT DOWN ON HER KNEES HEAD IN HER HANDS CRYING FOR ME… SAYING, “MMM, DEAR BOY I’LL NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN YOU’VE BEEN CONDEMNED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN THE PRISON BARS…
(He plays for a short time before again singing)
CANRAY:
Subtitle: HE SAID, “DEAR OLD MOTHER DON’T CRY FOR ME BETTER PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD TO TRY TO SAVE HIS SOUL FROM THE FLAMES OF HELL”…
(starts to play again)
[MUSIC ENDS]
20:23
(shot goes to picture of a man with Canray with text underneath)
Text: BRUNO & CANRAY
(hand turns page, revealing another picture of two men with text underneath)
Text: LEOPOLD & RAYMOND FRANCOIS
(Leopold speaks inaudible French as a rooster crows)
(Hand turns page to reveal new picture, with three men and one woman together and text underneath)
Text: LEOPOLD, EBRIGIT & SONS
LEOPOLD: Leopold, P-O-L-D Pold, Francois.
(Switches to a shot of a Leopold walking amongst his chickens, feeding them)
(Begins to speak more French)
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: BUT I’VE TAKEN THE NAME JUST LEOPOLD… MY FATHER CAME FROM FRANCE. HE WAS BORN IN THE USA, BUT HE WENT BACK TO FRANCE. THE FRENCH WANTED HIM TO WORK. YOU HAD TO GIVE YOUR TIME; 20 YEARS OF YOUR SALARY FOR NOTHIING. SO MY LATE FATHER HAD RELATIVES
(Shot changes to Leopold sitting down in a chair, facing the camera)
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: WHO HAD A BIG STORE IN PRUDHOMME, A BIG STORE WHERE THEY MADE LEATHER, A TANNERY… FOR SKINS. HE WENT THERE AND GOT MARRIED THERE TO HIS FIRST COUSIN… MY LATE POP AND MY LATE MOM.
(Shot switches to Ebrigit, standing in the doorway)
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: MY LATE POP WORKED THE HARVESTS… PICKED COTTON FOR 6 CENTS A POUND.
(Shot switches to Leopold, once again sitting and speaking to the camera)
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: ME, I HARVESTED FOR AWHILE, THEN I WAS A CARPENTER. I HAD JOBS AT CAMP POLK, CAMP KLEB… FIRESTONE RUBBER PLANT, LAKE CHARLES, I WORKED A LOT AT CARPENTRY IN MY LIFE. I ALSO WORKED THE HARVESTS.
(Leopold coughs into his hand, then continues)
LEOPOLD:
Subtitles: I USED TO GO FISHING OVER NEAR CROWLEY WHERE WE’D CATCH SOME BIG FISH 45 OR 50 POUNDS… BY HAND…NO ICE BOX TO PUT THEM IN. SO YOU’D EAT YOUR FILL AND WASTE THE REST. I’VE DONE ALL KINDS OF FISHING.
22:45
(Shot changes to words on a black backdrop)
Text: DEWEY BALFA PAYS LEOPOLD A VISIT DEWEY BALFA REND VISITE A LEOPOLD
DEWEY:
Subtitle: LONG TIME SINCE WE’VE SEEN EACH OTHER. HOW’S YOUR HEALTH?
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: HEALTH IS OK, EXCEPT… MY LEGS ARE WEAK.
(Shot switches to Leopold and Dewey talking by the chicken coops)
DEWEY:
Subtitle: HOW’S YOUR EYESIGHT?
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: NOT TOO BAD. I ONLY WEAR GLASSES FOR READING. YOU LOOK YOUNGER THAN EVER.
DEWEY:
Subtitle: WELL, THANKS.
(The two laugh)
(Shot switches to text on a black back drop)
Text: “HAPPY HILL SPECIAL”
LEOPOLD: I heard this song when I was about nineteen years old.
(Shot changes to Leopold, talking to the camera in English now with his accordian)
LEOPOLD: I went across the railroad track in Unis where they called it Happy Hill, and they was playing that. And that’s where I heard it.
MAN 2 O/C: Did you learn a lot of music there?
LEOPOLD: Huh?
MAN 2 O/C: Is that where you heard a lot of music?
LEOPOLD: Well, I couldn’t play music then and I still can’t play.
MAN 3 O/C: Did you sell a bale of cotton before you went?
LEOPOLD: No.
MAN 3 O/C: No?
(They laugh)
MAN 4 O/C: It was probably a milk cow.
(More laughter)
MAN 2 O/C: Where was this piano player?
LEOPOLD: Uh, I don’t know who he was.
MAN 3 O/C: No, where was he in, was he in a bar?
LEOPOLD: He was in, well, he was a dancer, and every now and then he’d come and say “Three dollars to go upstairs, baby!”
(Everyone laughs)
MAN 3 O/C: Three dollars?
MAN 4 O/C: What they want to go to do up there?
LEOPOLD: Oh, I ain’t gonna say.
(They start to speak in French)
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: SING THAT ONE.
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: WHAT?
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: THE ONE YOU JUST SANG…
(Leopold tries to play a little uncertainly)
MAN 2 O/C:
Subtitle: THE ONE YOU SAID I DIDN’T KNOW.
MAN 3 O/C:
Subtitle: THE LAST ONE YOU PLAYED.
(Leopold begins to play his accordian, singing after a moment or two in French)
LEOPOLD:
Subtitle: ALL THESE HANDSOME YOUNG MEN WITH THERE PRETTY LITTLE WOMEN THERE’S A HOBO LIKE ME FOR EVERY DIVORCEE
(Goes on in English)
LEOPOLD: Let the sun come down and let mama come to me.
(He pauses, continuing to play)
(The camera zooms out to reveal the other men playing their instruments)
25:02
(The music continues as the screen switches to a picture of the three of them playing and a woman holding a sound boom with text underneath of it)
Text: DEWEY, LEOPOLD, RAYMOND, CARRIE
(Hands turn the page to reveal another picture of two younger men playing together with text underneath)
Text: DEWEY BALFA, ROBERT JANDELL
(Shot changes again, following a car going down a gravel drive where it stops, as Dewey gets out to meet Robert, talking in French)
[MUSIC ENDS]
DEWEY:
Subtitle: ARE YOU DOING ALRIGHT?
ROBERT: Oui.
(The shot focuses on a white house with chicken coops in the back)
ROBERT V/O:
Subtitle: I TRIED TO PHONE YOU THIS MORNING.
DEWEY V/O: Oh?
(Switches to follow Robert and Dewey as they walk)
DEWEY V/O:
Subtitle: ROBERT, TELL ME, HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO PLAY THE OLD STYLE OF ACCORDIAN RATHER THAN THE NEW STYLE?
ROBERT V/O:
Subtitle: THE OLD STYLE IS PRETTIER, TO ME… WHEN YOU LISTEN TO WALTZES
(The shot changes, showing Dewey and Robert sitting together inside with their instruments, with the camera zooming in on Robert as he speaks)
ROBERT:
Subtitle: PLAYED IN THE OLD WAY, THESE WALTZES CAN BREAK YOUR HEART. WHEN YOU LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW SONGS THE OLD WAY LIKE THEY WERE PLAYED IN THE FIELD OR IN THE FAMILY, IT CAN BREAK YOUR HEART. PEOPLE WHO PLAY NOWADAYS PLAY NASHVILLE STYLE, WHICH MAKES… … I DON’T KNOW… MAKES IT MORE A FARCE.
DEWEY O/C:
Subtitle: IT’S NOT A MUSIC OF THE FEELINGS.
ROBERT:
Subtitle: NO, IT’S NOT WHAT I LIKE. NOT EVERYONE HAS TO AGREE, WE’RE NOT ALL THE SAME, BUT IF YOU CAN DANCE AND LISTEN TO A RECORD, IF YOU KNOW MUSIC A BIT, AND YOU HEAR WALTZES PLAYED WITH FEELING, IT GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN. BUT PEOPLE WHO PLAY TODAY LIKE NASHVILLE MUSIC… I’M NOT SAYING THAT NASHVILLE IS NO GOOD. HEAR ME WELL… IT’S JUST NOT LIKE MUSIC WITH A HEART.
DEWEY O/C:
Subtitle: IT’S NOT CAJUN MUSIC.
ROBERT:
Subtitle: RIGHT.
DEWEY O/C:
Subtitle: I’D LIKE TO ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION:
(Shot changes to a close up on Dewey’s face as he speaks)
DEWEY:
Subtitle: WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THE FUTURE FOR FRENCH CAJUN MUSIC?
[MUSIC: “Lacassine Special”]
(Shot moves again to a close up of Robert, as he considers the question)
ROBERT:
Subtitle: FOR FRENCH MUSIC, I DON’T THINK IT WILL DIE. I THINK IT WILL REMAIN VERY POPULAR.
DEWEY O/C:
Subtitle: AND FOR YOU, IF YOU BELIEVE THERE’S A FUTURE FOR YOU IN THIS MUSIC… WILL YOU PLAY FOR MONEY, OR PLAY FOR YOUR HEART?
ROBERT:
Subtitle: I PLAY WITH MY FEELINGS… FOR MY HEART… I LOVE TO PLAY A DANCE THEN GO TO SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING I’VE PLAYED WELL AND MADE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD, THAT’S ALL I NEED… ALL I NEED.
27:43
(Shot changes to text on a black backdrop)
Text: “LACASSINE SPECIAL”
(Shot changes again to show Robert and Dewey, playing the music)
ROBERT: (as they play) Whoa! Yeah!
(Camera moves down to focus on Dewey’s and Robert’s fingers on their instruments)
(Shot changes again to show words on s black backdrop)
Text: FILMMAKERS
YASHA AGINSKY
CARRIE AGINSKY
BRUNO CARRIERE
JEANIE MCLERIE
KEN KEPPELER
BETSY BANNERMAN
(Shot changes as hand turns page to reveal new text)
Text: LABORATORY LEO DINER FILMS, SAN FRANCISCO POST PRODUCTION THE SOUND SERVICE, SAN FRANCISCO COMITE DU FILM ETHNOGRAPHIQUE, PARIS
MAN 2 V/O:
Subtitle: THAT’S BEAUTIFUL, ROBERT.
[MUSIC ENDS]
(Shot changes as hand turns the last page, closing the book so that you see its red back)
(Shot fades out)
28:40
(Film ends)
