Dunkirk Page #13

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How many you got in there?

The Shivering Soldier is taken ashore, wrapped in blankets.

Tommy and Alex stick together as they are handed hot cups of

tea and shepherded out of the harbour in long lines.

Peter supervises as George’s body is taken ashore.

As Collins steps off the boat a soldier from another boat

spots his RAF uniform SOLDIER

(furious)

Where the hell were you!

Collins just stands there. He feels a hand on his shoulder.

It is Mr. Dawson. He indicates the men filing off the

Moonstone MR.

DAWSON:

They know here you were.

Mr. Dawson puts his hat on. To go home.

75.

EXT. WEYMOUTH RAIL YARD -NIGHT

Tommy and Alex, exhausted, downcast, are herded across the

tracks towards a train. Before getting on they are handed a

blanket and cup of tea by an Elderly Man, who looks at their

hands, not their faces, as he hands the rough blankets over

ELDERLY MAN:

Well done, lads... well done,

lads...

ALEX:

All we did is survive.

ELDERLY MAN:

That’s enough. Well, done, lads,

well done, lads...

Alex steps up onto the train. The Elderly Man reaches out to

Tommy, touching his face -clearly blind.

INT. TRAIN -CONTINUOUS

Tommy flops down, lying across the seat. Alex is slumped

opposite, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

ALEX:

That old bloke wouldn’t even look

us in the eye.

No response. He looks over. Tommy is already asleep.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE MOLE -EVENING

The mole is empty but for bodies.

A Private opens his eyes. He sits up, alone on the deserted

mole, his comrades gone, mistaken for dead...

COMMANDER BOLTON (O.S.)

Come on, then, Private...

The Private looks down at the water to see Commander Bolton

standing in a launch full of army officers.

COMMANDER BOLTON (CONT’D)

I know we’re officers, but it’s us

or the enemy, so now’s not the time

to be particular...

76.

The Private scrambles down into the launch, where Colonel

Winnant stands talking to Commander Bolton.

They look out at the vast deserted beach, littered with

corpses and abandoned equipment...

COLONEL WINNANT:

(to Commander Bolton)

Churchill got his thirty thousand.

COMMANDER BOLTON

And then some. Almost three hundred

thousand. So far.

Commander Bolton steps back up onto the mole.

COLONEL WINNANT:

So far?

COMMANDER BOLTON

I’m staying.

(off look)

For the French.

The launch pulls away from Commander Bolton on the mole.

CUT TO:

INT. TRAIN -MORNING

Sunlight flickering on Tommy’s eyelids wakes him. We have the

sense that he has been asleep for a very long time.

The train full of soldiers rolls to a halt. Alex opens the

window, spots a Boy near the tracks

ALEX:

Hey! Where are we?!

BOY:

Siding. You’ll put in in a minute

ALEX:

What station?

BOY:

(surprised)

Woking.

Alex spots stacks of newspapers waiting to be loaded.

ALEX:

Grab me one of them papers.

77.

The Boy hesitates.

ALEX (CONT’D)

Go on!

The Boy pulls the paper off the top and stretches up to hand

it to Alex. Alex slumps into his seat. The headline:

CHURCHILL ADDRESSES DUNKIRK EVACUATION

IN COMMONS:

Alex thrusts the paper at Tommy.

ALEX (CONT’D)

I can’t bear it. You read it.

TOMMY:

Can’t bear it?

ALEX:

They’ll be spitting at us in the

streets. If they’re not locked up

waiting for the invasion.

CUT TO:

EXT. WEYMOUTH TOWN -DAY

Peter walks down the deserted high street. He stops. Walks

into the office of the local paper, the Herald...

INT. HERALD OFFICE -CONTINUOUS

Peter hands the Editor a photograph. Of George.

CUT TO:

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier checks his canopy is locked, stows loose items,

pumping the handle all the while...

EXT. SPITFIRE 1 -DAY

The landing gear inches out of its housing...

CUT TO:

78.

INT. TRAIN -DAY

Tommy looks down at the paper. Starts to read. Poorly.

TOMMY:

“Wars are not won by evacuations.”

Alex shakes his head at this.

The train starts to pull into the station...

The platforms is crowded with civilians. Alex slinks down

into his seat, turning away from the window...

A Civilian bangs on the glass, peering in...

ALEX:

I can’t look,

TOMMY:

“But there was a victory inside

this deliverance which should be

noted...”

Alex turns. The Civilian grins, holding up two beer bottles.

The platform is packed with cheering and waving civilians...

Women with sandwiches and drinks rush up to the windows...

TOMMY (CONT’D)

“Our thankfulness at the escape of

our army -”

Alex opens the window , grabbing food and drink as Tommy

continues to read...

TOMMY (CONT’D)

“-Must not blind us to the fact

that what has happened in France...

is a colossal military disaster...”

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -DAY

Farrier pumps the handle

EXT. SPITFIRE -CONTINUOUS

The landing gear inches past halfway down...

79.

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Pumping the handle, Farrier checks his belts

TOMMY (V.O.)

“And we must expect another blow to

be struck almost immediately...”

Farrier holds the plane steady in its descent towards the

sands...

EXT. BEACH AT LA PANNE -CONTINUOUS

Spitfire 1 swoops onto the flat sand, wheels down.

TOMMY (V.O.)

“We shall go on to the end, we

shall fight in France...”

Farrier slides back the canopy and climbs out of the plan...

INT. MR. DAWSON’S HOME -DAY

Peter, gets up from the kitchen. Mrs. Dawson is at the stove,

her back to us.

As Peter grabs his coat he runs into Mr. Dawson, letters in

hand, looking at the Herald. He hands it to Peter...

TOMMY (V.O.)

“We shall fight on the seas and

oceans...”

The small headline:

LOCAL BOY, GEORGE MILLS, JUST 17,

HERO AT DUNKIRK:

Peter looks at his father. Nods with satisfaction.

EXT. BEACH AT LA PANNE -DAY

Farrier brushes sand from the wing of his beloved Spitfire...

TOMMY (V.O.)

“We shall fight with growing

confidence and growing strength in

the air...”

Farrier pulls his flare gun... He shoots into the cockpit...

80.

INT. TRAIN -DAY

Alex hangs out of the window, guzzling from a beer bottle,

grinning at the women outside...

TOMMY:

“We shall defend our island...”

Alex turns, deliriously happy, beer running down his chin

ALEX:

What?!

TOMMY:

(louder, over the

celebration)

“We shall defend our island,

whatever the cost may be -we shall

fight on the beaches, we shall

fight on the landing grounds...”

EXT. DUNKIRK HARBOUR -EVENING

Bodies gently bob in the water...

TOMMY (V.O.)

“We shall fight in the fields and

the streets...”

Abandoned trucks and anti-aircraft guns, piles of boots,

stacks of rifles catch the last light...

TOMMY (V.O.)

“We shall fight in the hills; we

shall never surrender...”

Bodies line the length of the mole...

TOMMY (V.O.)

‘And even if, which I do not for a

moment believe, this island... were

subjugated and starving...”

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