FINDING NEVERLAND -- QUOTES
Peter Llewelyn Davies: That scepter's made of wood.
J.M. Barrie: Yes, well, we do dream on a budget here, don't we?
Mary Ansell Barrie: I'm tired of waiting, James. I'm tired of looking
like a fool.
J.M. Barrie: Well I can't very well give up the play.
Mary Ansell Barrie: No. Just... come home to me at the end of the day. No
more trips to the country, no more long evenings in the park. If you can't give
us that much of a chance... Then we must end this... and I will.
Michael Llewelyn Davies: Excuse me, sir, you're standing on my sleeve.
J.M. Barrie: [moves his foot and looks down to face Michael] Am I?
So sorry. I might point out you're lying under my bench.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: This is absurd. It's just a dog.
J.M. Barrie: Just a dog? *Just*?
[to Porthos]
J.M. Barrie: Porthos, don't listen!
[to Peter]
J.M. Barrie: Porthos dreams of being a bear, and you want to shatter
those dreams by saying he's *just* a dog? What a horrible candle-snuffing word.
That's like saying, "He can't climb that mountain, he's just a man", or "That's
not a diamond, it's just a rock." Just.
George Llewelyn Davies: Excuse me, is he bothering you, sir? My brother
can be an extremely irritating sort of person.
J.M. Barrie: Ah, Prince George, I take it. And what precisely is um...
[to Michael]
J.M. Barrie: What did you say your name was?
Michael Llewelyn Davies: Michael.
J.M. Barrie: What precisely is Michael's crime?
George Llewelyn Davies: He's my younger brother.
J.M. Barrie: Ah, fair enough. Sorry lad, I cannot free you.
Michael Llewelyn Davies: That's all right.
J.M. Barrie: In punishment for lack of an interesting pirate name, Peter shall walk the plank.
J.M. Barrie: Young boys should never be sent to bed... they always wake up a day older.
Michael Llewelyn Davies: [Jack and George are sword fighting] Stab him, George. You can do it!
Jack Llewelyn Davies: My name be Nibs the Cutthroat, feared by man and
greatly desired by the ladies.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: Jack!
Jack Llewelyn Davies: [Michael tries to fly the kite the first time]
Oh, I told you this wasn't going to work!
Peter Llewelyn Davies: I don't think he's fast enough.
J.M. Barrie: It's not going to work if no-one believes in him!
Charles Frohman: [talking about plans for Peter Pan] ... And you
have a pirate ship on stage, surrounded by tons and tons of water, James, that's
a lot of water.
J.M. Barrie: It's a lot of water?
Charles Frohman: Yes, and that's a lot of money.
J.M. Barrie: [discussing Sylvia's reluctance to accept her illness]
They can see it, you know. You can't go on just pretending.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: Just pretending? You brought pretending into this
family, James. You showed us we can change things by simply believing them to be
different.
J.M. Barrie: A lot of things, Sylvia. Not everything.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: But the things that matter. We've pretended for
some time now that you're a part of this family, haven't we? You've come to mean
so much to us all that now, it doesn't matter if it's true. And even if it isn't
true, even if that can never be... I need to go on pretending... until the
end... with you.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: It's just, I thought she'd always be here.
J.M. Barrie: So did I. But in fact, she is, because she's on every page
of your imagination. You'll always have her there. Always.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: But why did she have to die?
J.M. Barrie: I don't know, Peter. When I think of your mother, I will
always remember how happy she looked, sitting there in the parlor watching a
play about her family, about her boys that never grew up. She went to Neverland.
And you can visit her any time you like if you just go there yourself.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: How?
J.M. Barrie: By believing, Peter. Just believe.
Michael Llewelyn Davies: [about J.M. Barrie] Can we have him for
supper?
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: Have him to stay for supper, Michael. We're not
cannibals.
J.M. Barrie: We'll get them with the next one, Charles, I promise.
Charles Frohman: Of course we will, James.
J.M. Barrie: I know you put a lot into this one.
Charles Frohman: A fortune, James, but I am fortunate because I can
afford to lose a fortune.
J.M. Barrie: Can you?
Charles Frohman: No, I can't.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: I'm not Peter Pan.
[points at J. M. Barrie]
Peter Llewelyn Davies: He is.
Peter Pan: Do you believe in fairies? Say quick that you believe. If you believe, clap your hands!
Peter Pan: When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about. And that was the beginning of fairies.
Mrs. Emma du Maurier: A word with you, Mr. Barrie, before you go. We'll
only be a few minutes.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: Boys, why don't you go and play in the garden, go
on.
Michael Llewelyn Davies: Is he in trouble? Because I've been alone with
Grandmother and I know what it's like.
J.M. Barrie: What did you think?
Peter Llewelyn Davies: It's about our summer together, isn't it?
J.M. Barrie: It is.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: About all of us.
J.M. Barrie: That's right. You like it?
Peter Llewelyn Davies: It's magical. Thank you.
J.M. Barrie: No, thank you. Thank you, Peter.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: [as a preface to his play] This is just a
bit of silliness, really.
J.M. Barrie: I should hope so. Go on.
George Llewelyn Davies: [as Prince George, to J.M. Barrie] This is
Jack. Second in line to the throne. And that one's Michael. He's only five.
Michael Llewelyn Davies: And I'm in prison for it.
J.M. Barrie: [watching George react to the knowledge that his mother is seriously ill] Magnificent. The boy is gone. In the last 30 seconds... you became a grown-up.
J.M. Barrie: [watches Nana crawl across the stage and bump head-first
into one of the beds] Nanny? Nanny? Um, first you get the pajamas, then you
make the bed.
Nana The Dog: With my paws?
J.M. Barrie: You make the bed with your paws; the pajamas you get with
your teeth. Because in fact, being a dog, you haven't any proper digits, have
you?
Nana The Dog: Well I don't have any teeth either! I mean I can't see, I
can't breathe, all I've got is this rubbery snout.
J.M. Barrie: [looks back at Frohman] Can we get him some teeth?
Charles Frohman: He can have mine.
Charles Frohman: Twenty-five seats, given to orphans. Perfect. Now my nightmare is complete.
J.M. Barrie: Hello! Thought you could escape from Captain Swarthy, eh? Off to the ship with you, then.
J.M. Barrie: It seems to me that Peter's trying to grow up too fast. I
imagine he thinks that grown-ups don't hurt as deeply as children do when
they... when they lose someone. I lost my older brother David when I was just
Peter's age, and it nearly destroyed my mother.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: James, I'm so sorry. Your poor mother. I can't
imagine losing a child.
J.M. Barrie: She didn't get out of bed for months, she wouldn't eat. I
tried everything to make her happy but she only wanted David. So one day I
dressed myself in David's clothing and I went to her.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: You must have frightened her to death.
J.M. Barrie: I think it was the first time she ever actually looked at
me, and that was the end of the boy James. I used to say to myself he'd gone to
Neverland.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: Where?
J.M. Barrie: Neverland. It's a wonderful place... I've not spoken about
this before to anyone- ever.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: What's it like, Neverland?
J.M. Barrie: One day I'll take you there.
J.M. Barrie: You needn't steal my journal to get to know me, Mary.
Mary Ansell Barrie: No. I suppose I could just go see the plays.
J.M. Barrie: Who amongst you is ready to tie your hopes and dreams to the
sea?
Michael Llewelyn Davies: I am!
J.M. Barrie: Not finished yet.
George Llewelyn Davies: What have you written, Mr. Barrie?
J.M. Barrie: Well, currently I make my living entertaining princes and
their courts with my trained bear, Porthos.
[motions to his dog]
J.M. Barrie: If you command your brother Peter to join us I am willing,
Prince George, to give you just such a performance, in exchange for the freedom
of this prisoner, of course.
George Llewelyn Davies: Very well.
J.M. Barrie: Very well.
J.M. Barrie: Listen, what would you think of loaning Emma out to the
Davies' for the occasional evening? They don't actually have a cook.
Mary Ansell Barrie: I take it Mrs. Davies enjoyed the meal she had here?
J.M. Barrie: I imagine she could use an extra hand now and again, that's
all.
Mary Ansell Barrie: Oh, that's very charitable of you. Perhaps we can
send over some of the silver as well... and what about linen? I wouldn't be
surprised if some of hers was looking a bit shabby.
J.M. Barrie: Please, Mary, stop.
Mary Ansell Barrie: Maybe she can send over some of the things we've run
short on. My husband, for example. We rarely see him in this house.
J.M. Barrie: That hasn't seemed to bother you for some time now.
J.M. Barrie: [gives him a journal] Here you go.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: What's this?
J.M. Barrie: All great writers begin with a good leather binding and a
respectable title. Open it.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: [reads] "The Boy Castaways: Being a record
of the terrible adventures of the brothers Davies, faithfully set forth by Peter
Llewelyn Davies."
J.M. Barrie: Kipling would swallow his own ear for a title like that!
Peter Llewelyn Davies: I still have no idea what to write.
J.M. Barrie: Write about anything. Write about your family, write about
the talking whale!
Peter Llewelyn Davies: What whale?
J.M. Barrie: The one that's trapped in your imagination and desperate to
get out.
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: [after James appears wearing an Indian
headdress and face paint] James, we're just having some tea. You remember my
mother, of course.
J.M. Barrie: Yes, of course, how do you do?
Sylvia Llewelyn Davies: [pauses] May I take your hat?
J.M. Barrie: You find a glimmer of happiness in this world, there's always someone who wants to destroy it.
Theatre-goer: [regarding Peter, assuming he is one of the orphans at the play] Looks like we got one of the better dressed ones!
J.M. Barrie: How are you?
Mary Ansell Barrie: I'm all right. How are you?
J.M. Barrie: I'm sorry.
Mary Ansell Barrie: Don't be.
J.M. Barrie: [to the usher about the play] It's shite. Go, on. Say it. It's bulls... pizzle, Mr. Barrie.
J.M. Barrie: That... is Neverland.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: Stop lying to me. I'm sick of grown-ups lying to me!
Smee: [backstage] I just want you to know, I think you're a
wonderful dog.
Nana The Dog: Thanks.
Mrs. Emma du Maurier: Go upstairs George, now!
George Llewelyn Davies: Quit ordering me about! This isn't your home,
it's *our* home! Just because Mother's needed your help recently doesn't give
you the right to lord over her existence. She isn't a child anymore, and neither
am I. If she wants to see uncle Jim she can see uncle Jim. There's nothing you
can do about it!
Charles Frohman: [shaking his head at the success of the play Peter Pan] Genius.
Mrs. Snow: I suppose it's like the ticking crocodile, isn't it? Time is chasing after all of us, isn't that right?
J.M. Barrie: Peter, I was hoping to use your name for one of the
characters in my next play. If you will allow me, that is.
Peter Llewelyn Davies: I don't know what to say.
J.M. Barrie: [smiling] Say yes.
