Dunkirk Page #4

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COLONEL WINNANT:

Better than standing out here when

the dive bombers come.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Impossible.

The Rear Admiral looks at the lines of men on the beaches.

REAR ADMIRAL:

Too shallow.

19.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Anything drafting more than three

feet can’t get near. We don’t have

enough small boats to ferry men out

to the destroyers.

The Rear Admiral nods.

REAR ADMIRAL:

The mole it is, gentlemen.

CUT TO:

EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

Mr. Dawson is on the bow, peering ahead. The distant smoke is

closer, small shapes in the sky move above distant ships,

accompanied by thunderous booms...

Much nearer:
a shape. A wreck. Upside down.

Mr. Dawson moves quickly down the yacht to the well and takes

the helm, throttling back. He gestures for Peter to head to

the bow.

The Moonstone approaches the wreck. Bodies surround the

overturned hull.

Crouched on the hull -a soldier.

Mr. Dawson reverses the screw, slowing to a crawl. Peter

stares out at the Shivering Soldier.

PETER:

Can you swim?

The Shivering Soldier stares back at Peter. Peter looks back

at Mr. Dawson.

PETER (CONT’D)

Can you get closer?

Mr. Dawson looks down the side of the boat, considers.

MR. DAWSON

Can’t risk it!

Mr. Dawson turns to George.

MR. DAWSON (CONT’D)

Take Peter a line.

20.

George grabs a coiled rope and heads up to the bow. Peter

takes the rope from George

PETER:

I’ll throw you a line!

The Shivering Soldier looks up at him, blank. Peter tosses

the line. It hits the water several feet in front of the

soldier who stares at it.

Peter gathers the line, then tosses it again.

The Shivering Soldier springs for it, grabbing it and hanging

on as Peter and George reel him in, pulling him around to the

stern ladder.

He is too exhausted to make it up the ladder, so they grab

his shirt, pulling him into the well.

George grabs a blanket and puts it around the Soldier’s

shoulders.

Mr. Dawson glances at the Soldier, then reverses from the

wreck the way they came in, and steers wide around the

visible portion of the wreck.

Once the water ahead is open, Mr. Dawson speeds up, heading

again for the dark smoke of Dunkirk.

CUT TO:

EXT. SKY ABOVE THE ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

The two Spitfires arc around the wreckage of the ME 109...

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier spots something

FARRIER:

Wreckage below.

He heads low over the wreckage.

COLLINS:

(over radio)

More of the 109?

Farrier banks, looking down, spots a half submerged tail clearly

RAF.

21.

FARRIER:

No, it’s Fortis Leader, over.

COLLINS:

Do you think he got out?

FARRIER:

Didn’t see a ‘chute.

Farrier straightens up. Considers.

FARRIER (CONT’D)

Record his position, then set

heading 128, height... one

thousand, over.

COLLINS:

Vector 128, angels 1. Understood.

Farrier reaches forward, pushes the button by his fuel

gauge... Nothing.

The glass is cracked. He taps it with his glove. Nothing.

FARRIER:

Fortis 2, what’s your fuel?

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

Collins checks his gauge.

COLLINS:

Fifty gallons, over.

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier takes this down with a grease pencil...

FARRIER:

Keep letting me know -my gauge

took a knock back there, over.

COLLINS:

Should you turn back?

Farrier methodically checks his other gauge and switches...

checks the responsiveness of rudder, ailerons...

FARRIER:

I’m confident it’s just the gauge.

22.

Farrier glances at his pencil mark, sets the bezel on his

watch.

He taps his gauge one more time. Nothing.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE MOLE -EVENING

Bolton watches the Rear Admiral motor away in his launch, the

engine noise fading to be replaced by A

familiar, dreaded sound, building. Stukas.

The men on the mole look up at the sky.

From high above we see how trapped and exposed this line of

men stretching a kilometer into the sea really is.

Restless, the soldiers look behind and in front. There’s

simply nowhere to go. The awful whine builds. Then changes

pitch as the bombers go into their dive.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM! The bombs impact the sea either

side of the mole. Soldiers crouch as low as they can The

onslaught is endless, terrible and inescapable.

BOOM! A direct hit to the hospital ship The

Stukas have gone.

Screams and shouts -people start jumping over the side of

the hospital ship onto the mole...

VOICES:

She’s going down! SHE’S GOING

UNDER!

Commander Bolton shouts at the men manning the lines

COMMANDER BOLTON

CUT HER LOOSE!

The crew are jumping off the side, the burning ship is

sinking.

SUB-LIEUTENANT

What about the wounded?

COMMANDER BOLTON

Cut her loose, and push her off! We

can’t let her sink at the mole!

23.

The men cast her off and push her off. Crew members and

orderlies leap from the deck into the water The

bow is blazing, sinking ship drifts away from the mole.

Tommy and Gibson pull soldiers up onto the beams of the mole.

As the bow comes around, the stern scrapes along the wooden

pilings, splintering them in its path

A flailing soldier is in its path, trying to swim free The

steel hull is about to crush him Tommy

grabs him by the shoulders and yanks with all his

might, pulling him clear just as the hull grinds against the

wood. Tommy looks down on the breathless, wet soldier. The

wet soldier focuses on Tommy.

This is Alex. He nods thanks. Tommy nods back.

Commander Bolton watches the ship slip down into the waves.

CUT TO:

EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

Mr. Dawson is back at the helm. The Shivering Soldier sits in

the well, blanket over his shoulders. Staring at the deck.

George watches him, then leans forward.

GEORGE:

Come below -it’s out of the wind.

The Shivering Soldier glances at the companionway. Shakes his

head.

GEORGE (CONT’D)

Really -it’s warmer.

George reaches out for the Shivering Soldier’s arm -who

smacks it away

MR. DAWSON

Leave him, George.

George looks up at the Commander.

MR. DAWSON (CONT’D)

He feels safer on deck. You would

too if you’d been bombed

24.

SHIVERING SOLDIER

U-boat. It was a U-boat.

PETER:

Get him some tea, George.

George darts downstairs. Useful.

CUT TO:

EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

The two Spitfires head towards the massive black smoke

hanging over the distant port of Dunkirk.

There are many different ships and boats of all sizes in the

water in front of them...

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

Collins pushes the button to check the fuel gauge

COLLINS:

Forty gallons, Fortis 1, over

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -CONTINUOUS

Farrier instinctively looks at his gauge. Nothing.

FARRIER:

Forty gallows, understood.

Farrier pulls out a grease pencil and notes fuel and time.

FARRIER (CONT’D)

We’re about five minutes out climb

to two thousand.

COLLINS:

(over radio)

That’s more fuel.

FARRIER:

I don’t want to get jumped again.

Get some altitude, dive down on the

bastards. Over.

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