De-Lovely (2004)

Kevin Kline: Cole Porter

Photos 

Quotes 

• Monty Woolley : Cole, he's only an actor but he still may be right. He's tried it 7 times already, the song's a problem.

  Cole Porter : The song is not a problem, it's a challenge. Jack! Jack my boy, how can I help you? Ask me anything.

  Jack : Write another song.

  Cole Porter : Oh God, that cuts me right to the quick. I know it's God awful but it's the best I can do and we open in three days.

  Jack : Where do you get your ideas?

  Cole Porter : I get them all from a little Chinese man in Poughkeepsie.

  Jack : Mr Porter, the song goes so high and so low it's impossible.

  Cole Porter : It's not impossible. I wrote this with you in mind, I can sing it and I have a range of three notes.

• Cole Porter : What is discretion but dishonesty dressed up in a little good breeding?

• Linda Porter : You knew so much about me when we met, don't you think I'd heard a thing or two about you?

  Cole Porter : So you know that I... that I have other interests... interests some may see as unfair to you?

  Linda Porter : You mean men?

  Cole Porter : Yes, men.

  Linda Porter : Let's just say you like them more than I do.

• Cole Porter : I'm worried about you.

  Linda Porter : You don't need to worry about me or your show. It's all taken care of. I'm in God's hands, the show's in yours. I do wish it were the other way around.

• Linda Porter : What's that?

  Cole Porter : An idea for a song. I think this part would go well with I love you. What do you think?

  Linda Porter : I think that would be beautiful.

  Cole Porter : I do you know.

  Linda Porter : You don't have to love me the way I love you Cole, just love me.

  Cole Porter : It's so easy.

• Linda Porter : Grace personified.

  Cole Porter : Was that me? Because I really hadn't planned on sweeping you off your feet for quite a while.

• Cole Porter : And chorus, keep those consonants crisp. We don't want the audience to think you're saying "an annoying opening for an ugly show". They'll come to that conclusion on their own.

• Cole Porter : I really can't do it justice. Wait until opening night, hear it sung properly.

  Linda Porter : I think it sounds fine now. And I won't be there dear.

  Cole Porter : What? Why wouldn't you be?

  Linda Porter : You know the doctors.

  Cole Porter : I wrote this for you. Why play it if you won't be there?

  Linda Porter : That's why I want you to play it for me now. All the way through.

• Cole Porter : If I can survive this movie, I can survive anything.

• Cole Porter : An unmanned piano!

• Cole Porter : I'm making such a mess trying to say this, I'm glad I'm not trying to write it as a song.

  Linda Porter : It would be a beautiful serenade.

• Cole Porter : Champagne? Or how do you want to play this? Comedy? Tragedy? Musical Comedy? Farce?

  Linda Porter : Why don't we just... play?

• Cole Porter : [dressed as Caesar at a costume party]  I'm being hailed.

• Cole Porter : I think we define "woman" differently. I don't define it as "punching bag", for example.

• Cole Porter : Miss Morrison. The line is "away we go" not "off we go", dear. You couldn't manage to make me hear you before and now that I can hear you, you've got it wrong.

• Linda Porter : I'm so sorry darling. I know how late I must be.

  Cole Porter : Late? Linda you missed the whole thing.

• Cole Porter : You can sing this. The problem is you're not having any fun.

• Linda Porter : Thank you dearest.

  Cole Porter : For what?

  Linda Porter : For all of this. For our future. For being with me with Edward just now.

  Cole Porter : That? That was just pest control. That's all.

• Linda Porter : Your song was absolutely delirious.

  Cole Porter : Thank you. I'm never quite sure if they get the joke, especially when it's on them.

  Linda Porter : You should learn to trust your audience.

  Cole Porter : I trust it. I just wish I could expand it.

• Linda Porter : They love your song.

  Cole Porter : Don't you?

• Cole Porter : We couldn't hear songs the same way anymore. The words sounded like code.

• Cole Porter : Monty! I didn't recognize you under all that hair!

  Monty Woolley : We've all changed since school. At Yale the only grooms who interested you were in the stables.

• Cole Porter : I don't want to fight.

  Linda Porter : I don't want to fight and I don't want to blame. But if things are going to be... different. I'd like to know.

  Cole Porter : I'll tell you as soon as I know.

• Cole Porter : Good catch!

  Linda Porter : I always thought so.

• Sara Murphy : Cole, I know this is your song but it doesn't sound like you.

  Cole Porter : Linda thinks it does.

  Sara Murphy : You should put it in the new show you're working on.

  [Cole shakes his head] 

  Sara Murphy : Why not?

  Cole Porter : Because it doesn't sound like me.

• Cole Porter : I have a little something for you. It's a whole new flower. A gentleman in Spain did it up for me. It's a hybrid of two varieties of rose thought to be completely incompatible yet look at it. It's perfect. The Linda Porter rose.

  Linda Porter : Exquisite.

  Cole Porter : Just a pale reflection of our life together.

  Linda Porter : It wasn't all beautiful.

• Cole Porter : Two people who wanted too much from each other.

• Gabe : You loved her then?

  Cole Porter : I said the words. I meant them.

• Linda Porter : I think a change would be good for us.

  Cole Porter : Yes.

  Linda Porter : Yes we'll go?

  Cole Porter : Yes it would be a big change.

• Cole Porter : I really can't do this song justice. Wait til opening night, hear it sung properly.

  Linda Porter : I think it sounds fine now, and I won't be there dear.

  Cole Porter : Why not? Why wouldn't you be?

  Linda Porter : You know the doctors honey, they're so boring.

  Cole Porter : I wrote this for you. What's the point of doing it if you're not going to be there?

  Linda Porter : That's why I want you to sing it for me now, all the way through.

• Linda Porter : We've become such fast friends. I was hoping you might. He'd be a good companion for you.

  Cole Porter : Linda?

  Linda Porter : I don't want you to be lonely.

• Cole Porter : You see how far I'd go to win you back?

  Linda Porter : I think you've gone *too* far this time, but I ought to be used to it by now.

• Cole Porter : Non-stop fun.

• Cole Porter : You're playing with my life.

  Gabe : It's my show.

• Cole Porter : Why does Linda come back to Cole?

  Linda Porter : Because he's Cary Grant. And she misses the music as do I.

• Cole Porter : Did somebody die?

  Gerald Murphy : I think it was us Cole.

• Cole Porter : Linda, what were you thinking? You couldn't have lost it.

  Linda Porter : I had hoped not.

  Cole Porter : What do you mean?

  Linda Porter : Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Definitively nothing. Shall we go? I'd hate to compound the felony by making us late for the party, that would be something too hard to b-

  [stands up and gasps] 

  Cole Porter : What's wrong?

  Linda Porter : Nothing, it's just a little thing. Not like missing an opening night or a party, just a little thing that... stopped growing.

  Cole Porter : Oh, my sweet girl. I'm so sorry.

• Cole Porter : Isn't that Linda Lee Thomas with Sara?

  Gerald Murphy : I don't know.

  Cole Porter : It is, just as they described, the most beautiful divorcée in Paris. My God, she's ravishing.

  Gerald Murphy : Is this going to be another Cole Porter obsession without preliminaries?

  Cole Porter : Obsessions don't have preliminaries.

• Cole Porter : Mr Thomas, you have the most peculiar sense of timing.

• Linda Porter : You don't have to love me the way I love you Cole. Just love me.

  Cole Porter : That's so easy.

• Linda Porter : You knew so much about me when we met Cole, don't you think I'd heard a thing or two about you?

  Cole Porter : Then you know that I... that I can be... that I have outside interests the pursuit of which may seem unfair to you?

  Linda Porter : You mean men?

  Cole Porter : Yes, men.

  Linda Porter : Let's just say you like them more than I do.

• Cole Porter : There are no little memories with you.

• Gerald Murphy : So, Cole... When are we gonna get another lyric from you? Huh?

  Cole Porter : I haven't the wit nor the will to write any more.

  Sara Murphy : Cole, you could write from everything you remember. You've had the most fascinating life.

  Cole Porter : Sara, Sara... Memories... it's like the phantom pains I get in my missing leg. They are not real and they hurt too much. I'm a toy balloon that's fated soon to pop.

  Sara Murphy : Please, don't.

  Cole Porter : Oh, my God...

• Cole Porter : You were always my life-to-be.

  Linda Porter : I remember that song.

  Cole Porter : It was about you. They were all about you.

  Linda Porter : Not all. But some I hope.

• Cole Porter : A few people may have been carried out of my shows but no-one's ever been carried in.

• Linda Porter : Ellin says lrving is having a great run in Hollywood. The Gershwins are there...

  Cole Porter : You want me to leave at the top of my game?

• [first lines] 

  Gabe : Hello, Cole. I let myself in.

  Cole Porter : We're not late, are we? I hate to be late.

  Gabe : No, no. We're fine. That sounded lovely.

  Cole Porter : I hate funeral music. Though, under the circumstances, I suppose I should say my prayers.

  Gabe : Why start now?

  Cole Porter : Exactly.

• Gabe : [about Cole's song]  You wrote that about Linda, of course.

  Cole Porter : Did I? Songs don't have to be about someone, you know.

• Cole Porter : [about Linda]  God, she was beautiful.

  Gabe : She could stop your heart.

  Cole Porter : No, start it.

• Linda Porter : I'm so terribly sorry, darling. I know how late I must be.

  Cole Porter : Late? Linda, you missed the whole thing.

  Linda Porter : I misplaced the cigarette case.

  Cole Porter : I'd rather have had you.

  Linda Porter : It would've been bad luck.

  Cole Porter : To hell with luck.

  [camera points to Cole and Gabe] 

  Cole Porter : [to Gabe]  This feel very wrong. I don't like bringing up this whole thing. It happened and then it was over and that was that. We never brought it up again. Finished, done.

  Gabe : Done, maybe. Finished...?

  Cole Porter : I won't have it.

  Gabe : It's not your choice.

• Gabe : Sorry, we have to move on.

  Cole Porter : Please, please, let me enjoy this. It took two years to get the backers interested in this show. No one wanted anything to do with it. They thought I was finished.

  Gabe : We have to move on.

  Cole Porter : [pause]  Very well.

• Cole Porter : [seeing the x ray]  So this promises what? Surgery number 25?

  Dr. Moorhead : 26.

  Cole Porter : Oh, good God. And how long do I have to wear the cast this time?

  Dr. Moorhead : A few months. We'll see how you mend.

  [shows another x-ray] 

  Cole Porter : What's that?

  Dr. Moorhead : It's Linda.

  Cole Porter : It's gotten that bad then?

  Dr. Moorhead : Even if she did great, I don't think surgery would help. The lungs are too damaged.

  [takes cigarette from Cole] 

  Cole Porter : Dr. Moorhead, are you saying that Linda's dying?

• Cole Porter : My dear friends, I'm boring you. Let us repair to the living room for some goodbyes, some coffee, and some traveling music, shall we? Bill is all packed and you all have a long drive ahead of you.

  Bill Wrather : The invitation was for the weekend.

  Cole Porter : Let's pretend it's Sunday.

  Bill Wrather : We'll be right there.