An adaptation by David Mimran, intended for a short motion picture. 1 Prologue, 3 scenes. Unity of time, action, place (hum) .

§1 Prologue. Hera (for Dido) and Aphrodite (for Aeneas) , in light togas, are shopping rue du Faubourg Saint Honore. They enter Laduree to have tea and discuss business. Aphrodite - Honey, I love your new bag, does it come from Italy? Hera - Not yet darling. I've had it made from real Nile crocodile. It's sweet and soft, isn't it? And it smells like cinnamon. Aphrodite - So, we must find partners for our little babies. Since he left Helsinki, My sweetie Aeneas has been roaming the world endlessly. His quest to found a New World might prove to be a hopeless one. I want to see him settle, but He deserves the best of females. Hera - Certainly certainly, but my Dido needs a nice sweet husband. I don't like the way she looks since the previous one died, and that she is now the lonely Queen of Paris. Your little boy better treat Dido right, or else... Aphrodite - I think they'll make a nice couple. Let's see (she takes a little mirror out of her bag and looks at it carefully) , Aeneas is at Heathrow, on his way to the other side, a little snow storm and he'll have to take the next available Eurostar to Paris instead. A view of a London Map to a 'snow ball' with the Eiffel tower.

§2 I. THE MEETING A. At the Palace, A view of Aeneas at the station, coming from London, clean cut, in a leather jacket. In front of her Palace (the Louvre? La Grande Bibliotheque?) , Dido waits. A young girl in funky clothes. Dido - So, you finally came, my dear. I've been aware that your train has been rerouted. He bows on one knee and kisses her hand. Aeneas - Yes, my primary destination was the other continent, where, by Jove, I shall found a new world. But I've had to take this Eurostar instead. Crossing the sea has not been as hard as I thought it would be, but the coffee was pretty bad. Dido - I am glad you are here now. Take the time to discover our city. I'm sure you'll find here what you could look for somewhere else. We have many beautiful gardens and means of transportation, and even a brand new stadium. Are you fond of Music? Music had been my only delight since the death of my husband. I am now a lonely Queen. They leave the station.

§3 B. The Witches' Place A windy place, or a noise of wind in the background. The three Walkure . Marla, Moncia, Mira. In ... maybe a living room with a sofa, and cocktails. Three witches, dressed like Walkyries, with blonde hair and horns, and a nice Chanel-style tailleur, gothic looking. All together - Dido ? With Aeneas? Aeneas?? With Dido?? 1. Marla - Ah Ah Ah, by all the gods, they shall not escape, that is their fate. 2. Moncia - Oh yes Oh yes, never never will they spend a moment of happiness. 3. Mira - Hi Hi Hi, Screw me, They shall not get away with glee. All three - each her turn, then together 1. No One more pretty than Us, Nobody Cooler than We 2. No more Vodka, No more Bossa 3. The wave is gone 1. No more Condom, No more Bosom 2. No more Ice cream, No more Sun cream 3. The beam is gone 1. No more lakes, No more Cheese Cake. 2. No more brick road, no more slippers of Gold 3. Melted is the yellow one 123. Silly Silly Silly but Mean, that is what we mean. A phony phone call we'll send him, and off he'll go, As for Dido, we all know: Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep Sleep. Sleep ? Really? Ah Ah Ah Good Starry Night, Sweetheart. Sound of Thunder. They all fade away.

§4 II. THE FALLING A. The Bridge We find Dido and Aeneas later on a bridge (le pont des Arts, the new passerelle...) . Dido - So, you have seen so many places, and you speak so many languages. Have you ever wondered what you would do if you didn't have those obligations? Sometimes, I like to get lost in my own Palace. It is very big, you know. And there are rooms I have never seen. And yet, I still feel this urge to go visit the city outside. Do you find that strange? Aeneas - My palace has been destroyed, and I am doomed to roam. There is no room for me but outside now. I did have friends, and I did have family, but I left them, and I won't return to them. I like to sit on the grass, and count the grass leaves. It is a difficult exercise. The more I have ever counted was 354. It took me a whole morning, but I was happy then. The greatest tasks are not the ones that make you happy. Dido - Pleasure is not what brings you happiness. Aenas - Oh, but I don't search happiness in pleasure. Happiness is something you're always afraid to lose. Pleasure is something you just feel lucky you've won. It is not as despairing. Dido - I don't think like you do. My happiness is lost, and I've never known what pleasure was. She looks at him with insistence, try to catch his eyes. He looks at the sky and avoids her. Aenas - I must find a way to get where I had to go. A blank. To himself. But things seem much harder now. He looks at her now. Let's go hunting. There's a grove nearby.

§5 B. The Grove. In the jardin des Tuileries? Dido - This is so pretty, I love this place, how did you know? Aenas - I didn't know. A blank. They avoid each other's face. Dido - Why did you bring me here? Aenas - I didn't think about it, it just seemed like the right thing to do. You know, I don't think much about what I do. It just happens. How did I end up in this Eurostar, and then in your Palace, and now here in the Grove. Where do I go now? Dido - Don't you want to stay here now. She runs a hand through his hair. He first moves back, but then immediately takes her in his arms.

§6 Insert Hera and Aphrodite. We see them facing, watching the scene on their TV screen. Hera - By Jove, your boy is slow. Haven't you taught him anything? Is that the new generation. A century of feminism for that? Aphrodite - Well, look at her now, she's all over him. If I wasn't who I am, I might be shocked. Hum, she's hooked, right? So what more do you want?

§7 Dido kisses Aeneas. They're lying on the grass, Dido on top. Filmed from above. Sound of thunder. It is going to rain. Dido - We're going to be all wet. Let's go, hurry up. Aeneas - Hurry you first, I don't want you to get wet. He's picking up the things they have: Dido's hand bag, her shoes, his bag, his jacket.

§8 His Mercury phone (create a logo for Mercury Phone) rings, a message appears on his screen 'Aeneas, have you forsaken me? Recall your destiny, and set off for the other world It is the 25th hour, and it is time to go.'

§9 Aeneas looks devastated.

§10 He remembers his trip, his motherland Helsinki. Pictures of the boat trip, Maybe Helsinki.

§11 Dido's waiting under the Carousel Arc de Triomphe.

§12 She's far away, and as he walks toward her, it seems he's walking for hours. We don't see him reaching her.

III. THE LEAVING §13 A. The embarcadero Equivalent of the sailors's scene. Maybe a picture of gay men in le Marais. A psychedelic intermezzo. Maybe images of Aeneas as he is already going, but maybe to let understand that it is not so yet. A picture of the Batofar, where in the last scene Aeneas is going to leave.

§14 B. Departure at the Palace We must not see the two characters together on any picture. Aeneas - Here I am now before my Queen. Dido - Doesn't look at him. She holds her hair in her hand, her fists are clutched. When she speaks, she is calm and no anger is in her voice. She speaks for herself. In the Grove, I greened, and I oranged, And I swelled, and I gently seethed. Aeneas - Before my Queen I must leave, I must. And so it has been said. Fondu au flou - Exit Aeneas. Dido - In the Grove she mildly joined hands. The blood has been spoiled for once was I a little girl. When I am no more, I want no stones over my face, and no fancy dress over my breast, and no waxy cream in my hair. Leave the tangles, and the hair, and the skin without unguent, and no milk on my cheeks. I will no longer take the subway to the station, and get there way in advance just to keep my anguish growing, and wait, and check the time, and look at the arrival's board. I will no longer climb a caddie to look into the crowd, and hold a corner of my toga to dry my eyes. I won't see at last, and know that my thorny waiting has been so brief and so delightful. She had slowly started to collapse, holding to a column. She falls against the column, holding it like a person.

The End A Paris, Du Samedi 3 juin au Lundi 5 juin 2000