AFFAIRS OF THE HEART aka FATAL ATTRACTION

I've always had love/hate feelings toward the 1987 thriller FATAL ATTRACTION. The love comes from the fact its a really solid thriller Directed by Adrian Lyne, from a screenplay written by James Dearden and Nicholas Meyer, with excellent performances by not just Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, but also the surrounding character actors who blend seamlessly with the backdrop to complete the world in which this film exists. As far as 1980s thrillers go, it was pretty edgy with its depictions of animalistic sexual urges, building on the foundation laid down by Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 thriller BODY HEAT, and the imitators which followed. The "hate" comes from the fact our protagonist is a man who cheats on his wife for no apparent reason other than an opportunity presents itself, which makes him not a nice guy and really hard to identify with. This aspect has always bothered me, and the only reason we root for him is because Glenn Close's character is so bat shit crazy, he's the lesser of the two evils. Which, narratively, is the only way one can be in Michael Douglas' corner during this bout.

When the spec script market in the horror genre began to overflow with product, I decided to move to a sandbox where nobody else seemed to be playing, and chose my other favorite genre, the "adult thriller". Nobody was writing the next BASIC INSTINCT, or BODY DOUBLE as far as I could tell, so I set out to come up with ideas which would set me apart from everything else floating around town. Just as I did when I decided to write MARROW, my contemporary giallo script which opened a lot of doors for me that were not only closed, but also locked, I decided to consume everything I could in the new genre in which I decided to work (my collection of giallo films continues to grow). This included not only watching films, but also reading as many of the original screenplays as I could get my hands on, since the final cut of a film is often very different from the script which got the project rolling. I wanted to see the drafts which inspired a studio exec to say "Yes. This. This is what we want."

When I decided to locate the original draft of FATAL ATTRACTION, which I'd always heard was very different from the final film, I discovered James Dearden was not only the original sole credited writer, but the original title was AFFAIRS OF THE HEART. Score one for the Paramount marketing department, Dearden's title does not scream "thriller" from the marquee.

The original iteration starts off pretty similar to what we see in the film; we get a portrait of Dan's (Michael Douglas) stable home life with his wife Beth (Anne Archer), a kid, a dog, and all the comforts afforded an Ivy League lawyer. But, it's right after this shared character establishment set-up that Dearden's script takes a radically different turn. That turn comes in the book release party scene.

In the film, this scene serves only to set-up the chance meeting between Dan and Eve (Glenn

Close -- the character was renamed "Alex Forrester" in the final film). In Dearden's draft, this sequence also sets-up the all important theme. Among the conversations had at the party, is one where a character described only as "Bespectacled Man" states: "The sixties was a time that was essentially selfish but pretended not to be. We all said let everybody be free and do their own thing - what we really meant was that we were going to do exactly what we pleased and fuck the consequences to everybody else!" Bam. There it is. The entire theme of the movie stated. What follows in the rest of the story are the fruits from the poisoned tree of narcissism.

As in the original, Dan's plans for an evening of intimacy with his wife are thwarted, but it's a much more realistic reflection of the rut their lives are in. Rather than their daughter suddenly showing up in their bed while Dan was walking the dog, in this draft Beth is "too tired" for sex, some other time, already happy to fall asleep. Dan presses. She finally agrees, but only if it's quick, and they end up having uninspired passionless sex. Routine. Perfunctory. And all too familiar to many married couples in the movie going audience. This element actually provides Dan with mildly valid (relatable) motivation for his actions, which makes this draft superior to the final version rewritten by Nicholas Meyer, as Dan's motive is sorely missing from the final film (Yeah, yeah, before you jump my shit for saying this is valid motivation for his actions, answer this: why do we root for the neglected wife to have an affair in movies, to take up with that nice guy character at work, but not the neglected husband?).

Also in line with the film, Beth really wants to move upstate, however Dan loves the city, doesn't want to make the commute, but the pressure to move doesn't just come from his wife, it also comes from his father-in-law, Arthur, who Dan actually works for in this version. While discussing the potential costly transition during a game of racquet ball, Arthur suggests having the place upstate, while also keeping a "home base" in the city. He'll even help foot the bill if it means he gets to see his grandchild more often. Dan tells him Beth would never go for it. Arthur asks if Beth trusts him? Dan isn't sure how to answer given this is his father-in-law, and tells him while Beth "has nothing to worry about", they have definitely seen too many examples where it leads to divorce, and, yeah, its usually because the guy ends up having an affair. Then, in another radical departure from the final film, Arthur tells Dan: "In my day it was a lot simpler. If a man got bored with his wife he took a mistress. An honorable institution, the mistress. A safety valve. Preserved many a marriage, that's for sure." Dan is floored by this comment. He's not only being told his dissatisfaction with the status quo is valid, but his own father-in-law is also telling him having a mistress is an acceptable band-aid. Again, we find Dan is being given a much better foundation for making his poor choices. And, boy, are all the choices bad, bad, bad.

Dan actually calls Eve as soon as his wife heads upstate to look at houses, rather than their

second meeting being due to legal work related to a mutual client. He and Eve go out, have dinner, do coke -- Dan is sinking down the rabbit hole of a second life radically different than the one he has been trudging through day to day. And it's all with the understanding that Eve is fully aware she is the mistress. Another interesting aspect is, during this entire fling before Eve loses her shit, Dan keeps insisting he is "happily married" when, clearly, he is not, and living in denial.

When Eve eventually becomes too attached, and Dan breaks it off, Eve's harassment is actually more well executed in this version. It's a slow burn, and grueling to watch as Dan is slowly consumed by the dumpster fire he started. But, it's the last half of the script where it bears little to no resemblance to the final product, and its much, much better.

Realizing Eve is never going to stop harassing him and threatening his family, Dan plots to kill Eve and make it look like a suicide. After coming up with an elaborate scheme to cover his tracks that would make Patricia Highsmith smile, Dan calls Eve, tells her he's leaving Beth, and he's coming back to the city. During dinner, Dan puts tranquilizers in Eve's wine, rendering her unconscious, then painstakingly wipes down the entire apartment, removing all traces of

himself. He then shoves Eve's head in the gas oven, turns it on, but, just as he is about to leave, he realizes he is not a murderer, can't do it, and saves her. When Eve comes to, she realizes what has transpired, and tries to kill Dan with a large knife. Dan disarms her, realizes things have gone way too far, and he tells Eve he is going to go home and tell his wife everything. It's over.

Dan does exactly that. The fall out is awful, and real. It's ugly. But, the weight of it all is finally off his shoulders. He can breathe easy now, despite his life being a smoldering ruin. Or... can he? The answer is: no. Dearden is not letting Dan off that easy.

A knock on the door. It's the cops. Homicide. Eve is dead. Stabbed in the stomach -- her pregnant stomach -- with the knife she tried to kill Dan with. The knife Dan took from her. The knife he held. Leaving his fingerprints on the handle. The knife Eve drove into her own stomach to frame Dan for her murder. Checkmate. And the final shot of Dearden's script... is of Dan sitting in a cell... on death row... with nobody believing he is innocent. The trail of his deceit all the incriminating evidence they need to prove otherwise.

With the exception of the original title, this James Dearden draft of FATAL ATTRACTION is superior to the final product on every level.

First: It gives us a realistic and relatable portrait of a marriage stuck in a rut. It gives Dan motivation for his actions. They are still reprehensible actions, but at least he has motivation in this iteration.

Second: The theme is clearly stated right away: "The sixties was a time that was essentially selfish but pretended not to be. We all said let everybody be free and do their own thing - what we really meant was that we were going to do exactly what we pleased and fuck the consequences to everybody else!" Narcissism has consequences. The narcissist leaves the emotional rubble of others in their wake. And the narcissist is eventually consumed by the false flame of "freedom" they pursue.

Third: The slow burn. The tension is much greater here. Rather than simply hitting all the necessary plot points, Dearden puts the screws to Dan. We know it will not end well. There is no way it can. But, watching Dan suffer the consequences of his choices is a painful, yet thrilling, process.

Four: Dearden flips the script. We go from a harassment thriller, to a murder plot, where the potential murderer actually suffers the consequences for not following through with his planned murder. What the what? Yeah. Dan would have been better served if he had killed her as he planned. It's an interesting twist. He would have been better off had he not committed the original sin, then better off if he had committed the ultimate sin.

Five: That ending. In the final version of the film, Dan suffers little for his choices. Yes, Beth is angry about his affair, horrified about what he has unleashed on the family, but, once Beth is forced to kill Eve in their new home, we are left with the impression all will be well. Not so in Dearden's vision. Dan's series of bad choices, starting with his phone call to Eve to start the affair to begin with, results in Dan on death row for a crime he did not commit. Punishment for the moral crimes he did commit.

If there is a flaw in this draft, it would be Dan's wife, Beth, is given little to do, other than represent the life Dan had become disillusioned with, then become the stability he wants get back to, and protect. It makes sense in this draft because that is what Dearden clearly wants Beth to represent. But, at the time this movie was finally entering production, Hollywood was shying away from the useless damsel in distress, and with the only other female in the movie being psychotic, it needed some balance. However, doing so was at the cost of Dearden's ending, which is far more fitting. In this instance, I would have sacrificed balance for the larger moral theme.

I learned a lot from reading this script. I would encourage you to read more first draft scripts from the films in the genres you are working. How often have you seen the final version of a film and asked "How the hell did this get made?" More than likely, it was from a superior first draft.

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