Dunkirk Page #3

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INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -DAY

Farrier spots the ME 109 coming out of the sun

FARRIER:

Bandit -eight o’clock.

FORTIS LEADER:

(over radio)

Break.

EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL -CONTINUOUS

The three Spitfires dart away from each other. The German

plane takes the left one (Collins), hurtling down

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

Collins dives, rolling, glancing back

13.

COLLINS:

He’s on me!

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier banks around, lining up on Collins’ pursuer.

FARRIER:

And I’m on him

CUT TO:

EXT. HOSPITAL SHIP -EVENING

Tommy and Gibson shuffle around the deck, looking for a spot

to settle...

The Able Seaman manning the gangplank calls over

ABLE SEAMAN:

You two, get a shift on!

Tommy reluctantly follows Gibson onto the plank.

EXT. THE MOLE -CONTINUOUS

As he shuffles down the gangplank he looks over at the

thousands queuing on the mole...

A Second Lieutenant on the mole waves Tommy along

SECOND LIEUTENANT

Off you two! Back up the line!

As Tommy steps off the plank he hears a noise: Gibson, finger

to his lips, ‘shush’, is crouched in the crisscross structure

below the mole where he can’t be seen by the officers on top.

He beckons Tommy to join him...

PETTY OFFICER:

That last barrage damaged the

rudder!

The Second Lieutenant turns to the Petty Officer. Tommy slips

down beside Gibson

SECOND LIEUTENANT

Tie up again while we try to fix

it.

14.

They settle in on the beams just above the water line...

CUT TO:

EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL -MORNING

Mr. Dawson comes to the back of the well, fits the tiller, to

steer from outside, Peter at his side. George, on the bow,

looks across at several naval vessels on the same course.

Suddenly he spots a bomber overhead

GEORGE:

Mr. Dawson!

Mr. Dawson’s eyes don’t leave his course

MR. DAWSON

One of ours, George.

George looks up at the plane. A Blenheim passes over.

Looking down to his left -a fishing trawler bobbing along.

Further back down the convoy he sees a Thames paddle steamer.

A destroyer approaches from the opposite direction. As George

peers, he starts to make out shapes of men on the decks.

The destroyer passes close enough that George can see the

boat is packed with soldiers. Weary, bedraggled, dispirited

soldiers. George stares at the haunted faces.

As the Moonstone rides over the wake of the destroyer, an

ominous boom reverberates in the distance. Too sudden for

thunder, the boom multiplies into a distant barrage...

Mr. Dawson comes forward, drawn by the sound. He stares at

the horizon -distant black smoke precisely where they’re

headed. More booms. Mr. Dawson looks at George. Who is

scared. He puts his hand on his shoulder. Nods reassuringly.

CUT TO:

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier concentrates, trying to angle his plane at the tail

of the ME 109 ahead... but the German plane keeps pulling out

of his sights, turning right, pulling g’s, rolling...

FARRIER:

On my mark -draw him left, Fortis

2... Three, two, one, mark

15.

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

Collins pulls hard left, rolling up and left as tracer fire

streaks past.

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier watches the ME 109 cut left to follow Collins. He

pushes the button on his stick to strafe the plane with his

cannons... Smoke starts trailing from the German plane.

FARRIER:

Clear.

EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL -CONTINUOUS

The ME 109 trails heavy smoke as it tips towards the water

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

Collins straightens out, tries to look back

COLLINS:

Is he down?

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier watches the ME 109 smash into the water, breaking up

in a fiery mess

FARRIER:

Down for the count

Tracer fire smashes into Farrier’s plane, sparking inside and

out. Farrier banks hard right as a second 109 streaks away.

He straightens up.

FARRIER (CONT’D)

Fortis leader, one bandit down...

Nothing.

FARRIER (CONT’D)

Fortis leader, do you read?

Nothing.

Farrier looks around, spots a Spitfire

16.

FARRIER (CONT’D)

Fortis 2, I have you to port -no

eyes on Fortis Leader. Over.

COLLINS:

(over radio)

Understood, Fortis 1. Orbit for a

look...

Farrier looks all around as he pulls right on the stick...

CUT TO:

EXT. THE MOLE -EVENING

Eerie quiet.

Tommy and Gibson sit in the structure, unseen, listening...

Commander Bolton checks his progress on board the hospital

ship.

COMMANDER BOLTON

How long, Lieutenant?

LIEUTENANT:

We need to run a new cable, sir.

They’re scrambling.

Commander Bolton turns to Colonel Winnant, the army

representative.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Colonel, you’re going to have to

decide how many more wounded to

evacuate... one stretcher takes the

space of seven standing men.

Colonel Winnant takes this in.

Tommy crouches lower as he sees a launch approach...

A high-ranking officer is helped up the ladder onto the mole.

COMMANDER BOLTON (CONT’D)

(salutes)

Rear Admiral.

REAR ADMIRAL:

Commander.

(to Colonel Winnant)

At ease, Colonel. How’s the

perimeter?

17.

Colonel Winnant gestures towards the smoke-shrouded town

COLONEL WINNANT:

Shrinking ever day. But between our

rearguard and the French... we’re

holding the line. And the enemy

tanks I’ve stopped.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Why?

COLONEL WINNANT:

Waste precious tanks, when you can

pick us off from the air, like fish

in a barrel?

COMMANDER BOLTON

How long does London expect the

army to hold out before we make

terms?

The Rear Admiral looks sharply at the idea.

REAR ADMIRAL:

Make terms? They’re not stopping

here. We need to get our army back.

The Rear Admiral points across the dark water...

REAR ADMIRAL (CONT’D)

Britain’s next. Then the world.

Commander Bolton puts his field glasses to his face.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Christ, you can almost see it from

here...

COLONEL WINNANT:

What?

COMMANDER BOLTON

Home.

(turns to town)

What about the French?

REAR ADMIRAL:

Publicly, Churchill’s told them

bras dessous.

(off look)

Arm in arm. Leaving together.

COLONEL WINNANT:

And privately?

18.

REAR ADMIRAL:

We need our army back.

COLONEL WINNANT:

How many men are they talking

about?

REAR ADMIRAL:

Churchill wants thirty thousand.

Ramsay’s hoping we can give him

forty-five.

Commander Bolton looks out at the mass of humanity.

COMMANDER BOLTON

There are four hundred thousand men

on this beach, sir.

Down below, Tommy takes this in. Every man for himself.

REAR ADMIRAL:

We’ll just have to do our best.

Bolton straightens up.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Right, this mole stays open at all

costs.

Bolton points at the funnel and masts of sunken ships.

COMMANDER BOLTON (CONT’D)

We’re in range of artillery from

the west -anything else sinks out

here, the mole’s blocked and we’re

stuffed.

REAR ADMIRAL:

Can’t we load from the beaches?

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