Darkest Hour Page #5

WINSTONS car is stationary in the internal courtyard atParliament. WINSTON, in the back seat (with ELIZABETH LAYTONin the front, her TYPE-WRITER on her knee, typing away)

dictates.

25.

WINSTON:

-I have nothing to offer butblood, toil--tears--and sweat.

EXTREME CLOSE ON: her keys typing: “sweat!”

CLOSE ON:
The PAGE being tugged from the TYPEWRITER.

WINSTON alights the car, and ELIZABETH passes the PAGES ofthe SPEECH, which he grabs, then hurries away.

INT. COMMONS/ PARLIAMENT - DAY

ANGLE ON:
ERNLE HASTINGS, unable to take his eyes offCHAMBERLAIN, waiting for the HANDKERCHIEF to be waved.

ANGLE ON WINSTON: readying himself for the final assault!

WINSTON:

We have before us an ordeal of the

most grievous kind. We have beforeus many, many long months ofstruggle and of suffering. You ask,

what is our policy? I say it is to

wage war by sea, land and air, withall our might and with all thestrength God can give us--to wage

war against a monstrous tyrannynever surpassed in the dark andlamentable catalogue of humancrime.

ANGLE ON:
HALIFAX, in the GALLERY - he shoots a look to

CHAMBERLAIN.

WINSTON (CONT’D)

That is our policy. You ask, whatis our aim? I can answer in one

word. Victory - victory at allcosts, victory in spite of terror,

victory however long and hard theroad may be. For without victory,

there is no survival.

WINSTON feels he must have won them over, but his confident

smile fades as he realises he stands alone.

Small KNUCKLE-KNOCKING begins - but it is MUTED.

SIMON and HOARE and the other CONSERVATIVE PLOTTERS all look

to CHAMBERLAIN, as he -

-puts his WHITE HANDKERCHIEF back in his BREAST POCKET!!!

The TORIES sit back - NONE APPLAUD.

26.

EXT - ROSE GARDEN/ DOWNING STREET - DAY

CHAMBERLAIN, attempting to catch his breath, sits on a benchlooking across the rose in bloom so ripe they’re almost

rotten.

HALIFAX sees, then approaches CHAMBERLAIN.

HALIFAX:

“Our policy is to wage war--At all

costs--No survival”. Winston is

incapable of pronouncing the word

peace, let alone engaging in peace

talks.

He sits next to CHAMBERLAIN.

CHAMBERLAIN:

Awful, the thought that I shall

never see my country at peace

again.

HALIFAX:

Neville?

CHAMBERLAIN turns and faces HALIFAX - ashen faced.

CHAMBERLAIN:

I have cancer.

HALIFAX:

Oh Neville.

CHAMBERLAIN:

Winston must be removed from

office.

HALIFAX:

How?

CHAMBERLAIN:

A vote of “no confidence”.

HALIFAX:

If we can get him to declare that

he refuses to consider a negotiated

peace with Germany then perhaps you

and I will have grounds to resign.

The party wont stand for that,

you’re still the chairman for

heavens sake, that will force a

vote of “no confidence” in his

leadership and he’ll be finished.

CHAMBERLAIN:

And would you agree to be Prime

Minister?

27.

HALIFAX:

With Winston out of the way ... whocan say, but the important thing,

Neville, is that your policies, ofpeace and the protection of thisnation, would be back on the table.

CHAMBERLAIN:

On record.

HALIFAX:

Pardon?

CHAMBERLAIN:

He must declare on record his

refusal to engage in peace talks,

we must have it in writing.

HALIFAX’s eyes glisten with renewed purpose.

EXT. HM TREASURY - LONDON - DAY

ELIZABETH LAYTON makes her way to work, but today it’s a newlocation - the grand TREASURY BUILDING in WHITEHALL,

crossing, through traffic, Horse Guards Road and enteringthrough the pillared main doors...

INT. TREASURY - CONTINUOUS

ECU - Elizabeth’s hand signs the Official Secrets Act which

is duly stamped.

An elderly CIVIL SERVANT hands her a security pass.

JOHN EVANS meets ELIZABETH in the lobby and leads her down toan INCONSPICUOUS DOOR where a SOLDIER checks her security

pass.

INT. WAR ROOMS/ UNDERGROUND BUNKER - DAY

EVANS leads ELIZABETH down a narrow staircase that leads to

the SECRET WAR-ROOMS, the underground nerve centre of BRITISHHIGH COMMAND.

But the place is very humble, low ceiling and narrowhallways, the rooms small. No hint of luxury here. AusterityBritain.

JOHN EVANS:

Follow me.

ELIZABETH:

What goes on down here?

28.

JOHN EVANS:

That’s a need to know. And youdon’t.

JOHN EVANS keeps walking at a brisk pace through thetelephonists room.

ELIZABETH, clocking her surroundings, notices a door with adial lock that reads “VACANT”.

ELIZABETH:

The lavatory?

EVANS:

For the PM’s use only.

EVANS leads her down the corridor, through a narrow room ofbunk beds...John Evans gestures towards them.

EVANS (CONT’D)

Sleeping quarters, for when youmiss the last train.

They pass the MAP ROOM -

JOHN EVANS:

That’s the Map Room. No womenallowed.

ELIZABETH LAYTON

What department is this?

JOHN EVANS:

Indiscretion in conversation, or

any other form, within or withoutthese rooms regarding what happenshere is a statutory offense andpunishable by up to two yearsimprisonment with hard labour.

Clear?

ELIZABETH:

Crystal.

JOHN EVANS:

Good.

Elizabeth follows Evans as they stop at the War Cabinet Room.

JOHN EVANS (CONT’D)

That’s the War Cabinet room--never!

Don’t mean to be rough on you butthem’s the rules.

They arrive at the TYPISTS POOL ROOM, full of NINE bustTYPISTS.

29.

JOHN EVANS (CONT’D)

This is the typists room, you areallowed in here.

TYPISTS:

(In Unison)

Good Morning Sir.

And then indicates another Room - the door is ajar, its nobigger than a shoe-box!

JOHN EVANS:

And here’s you.

ELIZABETH enters the tiny, windowless room not much biggerthan a cupboard, containing only a desk and a chair.

CUT TO:

She arranges her effects - a BLACK PEN, a RED PEN and a HOLEPUNCH on her desk, and then sets carefully a PHOTOGRAPH of aHANDSOME SOLDIER.

INT. MAP ROOM/ WAR ROOMS - NIGHT

The CHIEFS OF STAFF brief WINSTON: IRONSIDE for the ARMY,

DOWDING (a New Zealander) for the AIR FORCE, and a NAVALADMIRAL (DUDLEY POUND).

CHAMBERLAIN and HALIFAX are also present - as other OFFICERSall crowd in and look up at -

THREE LARGE OPERATIONS MAPS of EUROPE hang on three differentwalls, each full of pins and strings to show positions - ONEfor the ARMY, ONE for the NAVY, ONE for the AIR-WAR.

Down the centre of the room runs a long table bearingMULTIPLE TELEPHONES of different colors which are alwaysRINGING...and being answered by OFFICERS of the three

services.

The BRIEFING begins in front of - the ARMY MAP - showing(with pins and colored string) how far WESTWARD the GERMANLINE has advanced.

GENERAL IRONSIDE

Belgium and Holland may fall anyhour.

WINSTON:

The French?

30.

GENERAL IRONSIDE

The entire French ninth army--some

two hundred thousand men--have

capitulated.

HALIFAX:

All of them?!

GENERAL IRONSIDE

Capitulated. Surrendered. Deserted.

It was a rout. All our land forces,

roughly 300,000 men, are now in

full retreat.

WINSTON:

(to DOWDING)

Air-cover? For our troops?

AIR MARSHALL DOWDING

The Luftwaffe control the skies.

We simply don’t have enough planes

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