A Town Like Alice Page #4

There we are, now.

Come on, lie down. Lie down, there's

a good boy. Be back in a minute.

Stop it, Timothy.

Stop it!

Ah!

[CHILDREN SHRIEKING]

[HOPEFUL MUSIC]

Wait for me, wait for

me, I'm coming!

Ah.

Oh..!

Ooorh!

YEARRH--YOWWW!

Look, Milesey. Bananas.

NER-YOW.

[SHOUTS IN JAPANESE]

[ADMONISHES IN JAPANESE]

[THREATENING MUSIC]

Gunso!

Gunso!

[PANICKED CRIES]

[CRYING]

[FREDDIE SCREAMING]

[CRYING WEAKLY]

Mummy.

Mummy. Mummy.

Mummy.

Freddie what is it?

What's happened?

Freddie, what is it? What is it?

What's the matter?

- [SPEAKS IN JAPANESE]

- What is it, what's that?

- [REPEATS IN JAPANESE]

- I can't understand! Freddie, what is it?

- [REPEATS IN JAPANESE]

- Snake!

- Ya, snake.

[FREDDIE CRYING]

[CRYING]

- Come along, dear, we'll go for a walk.

[SOBBING]

[WEAK, SHALLOW BREATHING]

[BREATHING STOPS]

Freddie!

Freddie.

[POIGNANT MUSIC]

[WEEPING]

I'm sorry, I can't have you here.

I have no facilities for

women prisoners.

No rations.

Tonight you will stay in school.

Tomorrow you must go elsewhere.

[BABY CRYING]

But, what's going

to become of us?

You've got to understand.

We've been walking for four months.

Four months, this way and that way.

Nobody taking any

responsibility for us.

Nobody caring.

Four of us have died already.

Now this little boy.

We must get to Singapore or

we shall all die.

Haven't you any ships?

- Yes, we have ships.

- For Singapore?

Well, the ships go to

Singapore, yes.

Oh, thank God.

When can you send us?

Tomorrow?

- Can we go tomorrow?

- You stay tonight, in the school house.

Tomorrow, we see.

You come here.

No you.

You got very nice baby.

He's not mine, his mother's dead.

I'm taking him to Singapore.

I have a order. No more

prisoners go to Singapore.

Strict order. Very sorry.

- What can we do? Can we stay here?

- You stay tonight, yes.

- But no longer?

- Sorry, many children need this school.

Well, can we build our own camp?

We won't ask you for anything.

Except food. No

food here for prisoners.

No, you go to prison camp.

[QUIETLY]

Oh.

You go to prison camp at Kuantan.

Kuantan?

But that's on the East Coast.

That's on the other side of Malaya,

nearly two hundred miles!

Okay, two hundred miles.

But how do we get there?

By rail, by truck?

Walk, is that it? We walk?

Women and children, two hundred

miles. We walk until the rest of us die.

That's what you want, isn't it?

WHY DON'T YOU HAVE THE

COURAGE TO SHOOT US ALL?

GO ON, SHOOT US. SHOOT US.

WOMEN AND BABIES, SHOOT! SHOOT!

- SHOOT!

- No.

All right, Captain.

We'll walk to Kuantan.

Come here,

come here, please.

Two hundred miles. Yes, that

is very far with a baby.

I make an arrangement.

- You could send us by truck.

- No, you stay here.

I make good arrangement.

You stay good house.

English house.

All of us, you mean?

Others walk Kuantan, you stay.

You keep baby if you want.

Japanese solider very

kind to women.

You will be very happy.

COME BACK.

COME BACK.

You, come here.

Kuantan.

Two hundred miles.

We'll never get over

the mountains.

Oh, yes we will.

[CAR STARTS]

[ENGINE REVVING]

- Ah, I think it's the carb.

- Yeah, it must be.

Thank you.

Jean!

Jean!

Jean!

[BABY GURGLES]

Jean, where've you been?

I thought you were going to

Port Swettenham.

We've been looking everywhere

for you. Where've you been?

Oh, Joe, they keep moving us on.

They won't let us stop.

They say there's no camp for us,

there's no camp anywhere.

[SHOUTING IN JAPANESE]

- Joe, go back.

- JOE!

- [SHOUTING IN JAPANESE]

- Can I get anything for you?

Can I get anything for the kids?

Them stinking Japs, they

mean business, Joe.

- Joe, go back. We'll be all right.

- COME ON, JOE!

Please go! You'll be killed!

- Come on, Joe.

- Where are you bound for?

- Kuantan.

- JOE:
Our chaps are at Kuantan.

We're up and down

that road every week.

I'LL FIND YOU!

[GUARDS SHOUTING]

[BABY CRIES]

I can't. I can't.

MISS HORSEFALL:
Ebbey!

MRS FROST:
Gunso.

[QUIET SOBBING]

Come along, dear.

Come along.

- Can't.

- Come on, now - try, try.

[MOANING WEAKLY]

Come along.

Come along.

Jean, you've been giving

Jane quinine.

I want some for Brenda.

You know there's been

none for a week.

I saw you giving it to her!

Does she look like it?

We must go on, we must

get out of the swamps.

How is she, Mrs Frost?

She can't go any further.

We'll rest here, till daylight.

There, darling.

Have a little rest.

Isn't there any drinking water?

Not till we boil some.

Jean.

Poor little Jane.

[WEEPS]

[SINGS] "There's a friend

for little children

Above the bright blue sky."

"A friend who never changes

"Whose love will never die."

"Our earthly friends may fail us

[BABY CRIES]

"And change with changing years.

This friend is always worthy

[BABY CRIES]

"of that dear name he bears."

[STRING REFRAIN]

- Hey, look.

- Huh?

Look.

It's them.

How many?

One, two.

- Three, four, five, six.

- There she is, the one with the baby.

[ENGINE NOISE]

[BEEPS HORN]

Okay for operation breakdown?

Yeah.

"Dear Mrs Boong."

Who's Mrs Boong?

[HORN BEEPS]

[GENTLE MUSIC]

Well, what's it like?

- What, Southampton?

- Yeah.

Full of docks and ships.

The countryside's green and cool.

I've had enough of heat and

sun and fever.

You're not kidding!

There's an ice rink there.

I used to skate a lot.

I could waltz.

- What, on ice?

- Mm.

- I'd like to have seen that.

- Hm.

What d'you do in Kuala Lumpur?

- Oh, just secretary, nothing special.

- Oh.

Look, ah, your feed tomorrow,

what d'you get?

We may be lucky tomorrow.

Oh, we'll be all right when we get to

Kuantan, to a real prison camp.

- In Kuantan?

- Yes, there's one there, isn't there?

Oh, sure, yes. Well, I wouldn't know.

Yeah, yeah, you'll be all right there.

I can get a couple of

chickens and...

...drop 'em off when we

come back up country.

Oh, Joe, I wouldn't like you

to do that.

Now, look, you attend to your business,

Mrs Boong, and I'll attend to mine.

Take everything you can get.

Prisoners' motto.

- And mine.

- Please don't take risks for us.

Look, anyone can run rings round the Japs

as long as you know how to scrounge.

All clear.

Just a minute.

Okay.

Oh, one other thing.

Mr Boong, did he get away?

There's no Mr Boong, Joe.

Oh.

- Here.

- Thanks.

Thanks mate.

[ENGINE NOISE]

[SINGING] "Wrap me up with

my stockwhip and blanket

"And bury me deep down below.

"Where the dingoes and crows

can't molest me

"Way down where the

coolibah grows.

"Way down where the

coolibah grows."

"If I had---

[BRAKES SQUEAL]

- "far over the---

- Hey, you stop!

For once I agree with him,

take it easy!

Okay, sweetie.

Goes for you two, Colonel.

All right, then.

How do we celebrate?

- Feed 'em chicken and champagne?

- Just chicken.

Just chicken. Just chicken?

I see. Know any?

[BOTH] "If I had the flight of

the bronzewing

"Far over these plains I would fly.

"And I'd fly to the arms of

my loved one

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes