Dunkirk Page #8

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Mr. Dawson holds his course...

CUT TO:

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -DAY

Farrier flies, distracted, glancing from his broken fuel

gauge to the switch for his reserve fuel tank...

FARRIER:

Sod it.

Farrier banks, coming around...

Farrier climbs, trying to gain advantage for the coming

encounter, lining up on the German planes threatening the

destroyer and the blue trawler...

CUT TO:

EXT. BASE OF THE MOLE -CONTINUOUS

Colonel Winnant makes his way towards the crowded mole.

Stretchers of French troops are brought down to the mole. A

Private comes out of the crowd, breathless.

PRIVATE:

The French’ve been forced back on

the western side, sir.

Colonel Winnant looks at explosions over the warehouses.

COLONEL WINNANT:

But they’re still holding

perimeter?

PRIVATE:

For now.

Colonel Winnant pushes on down the mole...

EXT. THE MOLE -MOMENTS LATER

He finds Bolton, but no ships...

44.

COLONEL WINNANT:

Where’re the destroyers?

COMMANDER BOLTON

There’ll be one soon.

COLONEL WINNANT:

One?

COMMANDER BOLTON

After yesterday’s losses, it’s one

ship on the mole at a time.

COLONEL WINNANT:

The battle’s here, what’re they

saving them for?

COMMANDER BOLTON

The next battle. The one for

Britain. Same with the planes.

COLONEL WINNANT:

(peers through his field

glasses)

But it’s right there! You can

practically

COMMANDER BOLTON

Seeing home doesn’t help us get

there, Captain.

Colonel Winnant turns to the flaming town at their backs.

COLONEL WINNANT:

They need to send more ships,

dammit! Every hour the enemy pushes

closer.

COMMANDER BOLTON

They’ve activated the small vessels

pool

COLONEL WINNANT:

Vessels pool?

COMMANDER BOLTON

The list of civilian boats for

requisition

COLONEL WINNANT:

Civilian? We need destroyers.

45.

COMMANDER BOLTON

Small boats could load from the

beach.

Colonel Winnant watches men struggling to load in the surf.

COLONEL WINNANT:

Not in these conditions.

COMMANDER BOLTON

I’d rather face waves than dive

bombers.

Colonel Winnant looks up at the cloudy sky

COLONEL WINNANT:

You’re right -they won’t get up in

this...

(points)

The Royal Engineers are building

piers from lorries -should help

when the tide comes back.

COMMANDER BOLTON

We’ll know in six hours.

COLONEL WINNANT:

I thought tides were every three?

COMMANDER BOLTON

Then it’s good that you’re army and

I’m navy, isn’t it?

Colonel Winnant allows himself a smile. Commander Bolton

spots a shape on the horizon.

COMMANDER BOLTON (CONT’D)

Vanquisher...

CUT TO:

EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

Mr. Dawson, at the helm, studies the horizon. Peter joins

him, glaring at the Shivering Soldier before taking a seat.

Mr. Dawson hears something, starts scanning the sky...

Spots a distant plane... Peter follows his gaze.

Mr. Dawson throws the wheel, bearing to starboard, hard,

throttling up.

46.

MR. DAWSON

Heinkel.

Mr. Dawson points at a minesweeper heading towards them...

MR. DAWSON (CONT’D)

They’ll go for the minesweeper.

PETER:

Shouldn’t we stand by? To pick up

survivors?

MR. DAWSON

To do that we have to survive

ourselves.

As the boat motors away, Peter looks back to see the Heinkel

and its two fighters moving towards the minesweeper...

CUT TO:

EXT. GROUNDED TRAWLER -DAY

The Highlanders approach, cautiously. The beach is deserted

here -just disabled army vehicles and dead bodies...

The blue trawler is tilted towards them. They circle the

hull, checking it... it seems sound enough.

Tommy and Gibson follow the Highlanders as they climb up onto

the abandoned trawler...

EXT. DECK OF GROUNDED TRAWLER -CONTINUOUS

Tommy looks over at the dunes above them. Alex looks around

the boat, turns to Highlander 1.

ALEX:

Where’s the crew?

HIGHLANDER 1

Probably got spooked after they ran

aground. Scarpered up the beach.

ALEX:

Why?

HIGHLANDER 2

We’re outside the perimeter. Enemy

could be right there

(points at the dunes)

(MORE)

47.

HIGHLANDER 2 (CONT'D)

Best shut ourselves inside and wait

for the high tide...

Highlanders heads down the companionway into the small hold.

ALEX:

How long’s that?

HIGHLANDER 3

Every three hours.

They descend into the hold, shutting the door behind them.

CUT TO:

EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

As the Moonstone ploughs through the swell, Peter looks back

at the Heinkel coming over the minesweeper...

Peter spots

PETER:

Spitfire! Dad, Spitfire!

Mr. Dawson turns to see two Spitfires diving at the German

bomber and its fighter escort. One Spitfire dives right

between two 109s, setting one alight.

PETER (CONT’D)

He got him, he got him!!

The other Spitfire flies close over the Heinkel, which turns

away from the ship. Mr. Dawson eases back on the speed...

MR. DAWSON

The Heinkel’s moved off...

As they watch, one of the Spitfires starts smoking...

PETER:

Oh no...

Mr. Dawson sees the smoke, throws the wheel, spinning the

yacht around to head back

MR. DAWSON

Watch for a parachute!

Mr. Dawson throttles up...

CUT TO:

48.

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 -DAY

Farriers hears his engine skip a beat, puts his gloved finger

on the reserve tank toggle switch, listening... His engine

evens out again. He puts his hand back on the stick, focusing

on the German planes...

He throttles up, speeding into the fray, climbing...

CUT TO:

INT. HOLD, GROUNDED TRAWLER -DAY

Dimly lit by a couple of small, dirty portholes.

The soldiers lie around the hold. Sleeping or chatting. Alex

is scrounging around the hold, finding nothing useful.

ALEX:

(to Gibson)

Poke your head out, see if the

water comes in.

Gibson shakes his head, pulling his arms tight around

himself. Alex glares at him

ALEX (CONT’D)

Talkative sod.

Tommy gets up, climbs up to the door, cracks it. Crawls up

into the well -peeks over the rail

The boat is in inches of water.

TOMMY:

Bugger. Barely come in at all.

ALEX:

For f***’s sake.

HIGHLANDER 3

Calm down. What goes out comes back

in, right?

ALEX:

Yeah, but how long?

Silence answers this. Clearly no sailors aboard.

CUT TO:

49.

EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL -DAY

The Moonstone pushes through the swell, full speed, diesel

engine straining...

Peter watches the smoke-trailing Spitfire fly lower and

lower...

PETER:

No parachute...

Mr. Dawson is watching the plane like a hawk, steering around

the waves by instinct...

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

The water flashes by blindingly fast...

Collins pulls back on the stick, raising the nose as the

plane

Hits the water with a jolt and a tearing sound. Collins

trashed against his belts, forward/back/left/right

Bang

EXT. MOONSTONE -CONTINUOUS

Peter watches the Spitfire ‘land’ on the surface of the

water

PETER:

He’s down.

INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 -CONTINUOUS

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