Dunkirk Page #8

She's been hit amidships.

[MEN SCREAMING]

SOLDIER 1:
They didn't stand a

chance. Bastards.

SOLDIER 2:
We gotta go

in one of them things?

[SOLDIERS CHATTERING]

Here, what's on, then, chum?

They're gonna take us off

in ships, so I heard.

Take this lot off in ships?

The whole bloody army's

here.

It ain't, you know, love.

Some of them went days ago.

Days ago? How'd they get

them away, then?

The navy, of course.

Good old navy.

MAN:

They ain't that good.

I've had two tries,

ain't got away yet.

How far does this beach go?

Twenty miles.

Don't I know, I walked it.

Runs right through here

to Belgium.

Belgium started it,

did you know?

Where's the HQ, then?

What HQ?

Why, God's, of course.

In the pan, ain't it?

No, he's gone. He hasn't,

you know, he's still here.

Did you hear that, Tubby?

Old God's still here.

Ah, don't talk soft.

He is, I see him today.

Nah. Eh, aye. It's just jolly

you've seen him.

Looks like a pier

over there, sir.

But it can't be. It's open

beaches all the way along here.

It's men, sir. Men.

MAN:
If you can bring her

up to it here,

we'll steady her.

MAN2:

How many can you take?

MAN 1:
About 20, I should think.

Perhaps more.

MAN 2:

First 20 men, forward!

Come on, lads, keep in line,

there! Get back in line!

MAN 2:
Into the cabin,

as many of you can get in.

Wait up for the rest of you.

Come on, move along, there!

[UNINTELLIGIBLE DIALOGUE]

What's the matter with you?

MAN 1:

Shake it up in the front, there.

MAN 2:
All right, what a

Jerry hole, isn't it?

MAN 4:
What do you think

I'm doing here?

Come on, move on.

Move on, now!

MAN 5:
All right, all right,

that's the lot.

Right. Stay clear.

MAN 6:

Fall ahead.

Civvy, wasn't he?

No, navy, he must've been.

OFFICER:

I'll be back.

SOLDIER:

Thank you, sir.

All right, boys,

we'll hang on.

Blasted cold, sir.

SERGEANT:
All right, you men.

On your feet.

Get moving along the dunes

to the mole.

Take all your orders

from the navy.

BINNS:

Come on, lads.

SERGEANT:

On your feet. Get mobile.

Now, keep together,

all of you.

Understand? Keep together.

NAVAL OFFICER [ON PA]:

Get those boats cleared

as quick as you can, sir.

Hang on for me,

Mr. Foreman!

NAVAL OFFICER [ON PA]: Coxswain,

move those troops up forward.

Keep 'em moving.

Get the wounded to the

sick-bay as quick as you can.

How many did you bring

off, Mr. Foreman?

Thirty.

Fifteen for us.

Right. Speed it up, lads.

Thank you,

we're pulling out now.

CHARLES:

But you're not full yet!

I know.

We've been ordered back.

We just hung on

to pick up this lot.

But why? What do we do now?

There's nothing else about.

Well, there still seem

to be some old destroyers

working down by the mole.

I'd try there,

if I were you.

There's only one ship

alongside, here.

We'll never get aboard her.

Be ruddy lucky if you did.

It's my fourth try.

Go on, chums.

Close up there. Close up.

Go on, keep moving, lads.

YEOMAN:
It's one of the "I's,"

I think, sir.

I can't get her

pennant number.

I think she only came in

half an hour ago.

SUB-LIEUTENANT:

What's that, chief?

Tell Commander Clouston, sir

Another of the "I's"

has just pulled out.

Could be Impulsive or Intrepid.

CLOUSTON:

Intrepid was damaged yesterday.

Oh, that's right, sir.

Must be the Impulsive.

That's four of the big ones

gone in the past hour, sir.

CLOUSTON:
None of 'em can't be

full, neither.

I can't make it out, sir.

CLOUSTON:
I've given up trying

to make sense of anything.

We take what comes.

But I'll say they're pulling

the big destroyers out of it.

[SOLDIERS SCREAMING]

SOLDIER:

I can't see! I can't see!

[SCREAMING]

[EXPLODING]

SOLDIER:
Stand back, there.

Come on, let us through.

Now. Right, catch!

Hup! Stand back.

Heave. Heave.

Keep moving, keep moving.

[SOLDIERS CHATTERING]

LIEUTENANT:

Come on, let's have you.

Close up down the end, there.

Get a move on.

Come on, Corporal, get on board.

Wait a minute. I've got to see

my lads on first.

How's it going, chief?

Well, we can still

take a few more, sir.

We were lucky.

We just made it.

And it's flat calm, at that.

I shall be sick,

just the same.

Well, you can't.

I can be sick on

Finsbury Park Lake. I have.

All right, that's it!

That's enough!

[SOLDIERS CHATTERING]

Tell the engine room

to stand by.

Engine room, stand by.

CAPTAIN:

Let go aft, chief. Let go aft!

MAN:

All gone aft, sir.

CAPTAIN:
Let go for'ard.

Let go for'ard.

ALL:

All gone for'ard!

[ALL CHATTERING]

[FIGHTER PLANE WHINING]

[SOLDIERS SCREAMING]

Christ almighty!

There'll be hundreds

of them in the water.

[SOLDIERS GROANING]

[SOLDIERS CHATTERING]

You all right, Tubby.

I can't take

any more!

Hang on to these!

[GROANING]

[]

SOLDIER:

Harper! Harper!

Back where we started now.

Bad luck, Corp.

Barlow!

Niles! Niles!

You still with us,

Corporal?

Seen the others?

Where's Barlow?

I don't know.

He's bought it, I reckon.

Barlow!

Barlow!

Corporal Binns!

Corporal Binns!

Corporal Binns!

Corporal Binns!

Tubby!

Tubby! Over here!

Harper's calling you, Corp.

Over there.

Perhaps the others

have turned up.

Everybody here?

Good.

Reckon were just

lucky, that's all.

We had to get back to you,

Corp.

We knew you couldn't get

by without your glamour boys.

Glamour!

Do you think we'll get another

ship, Corp?

What, after that lot?

Don't make me laugh!

I heard they lost three ships

in the last two hours.

Well, I think we've had it

now, Sergeant.

Let's get ashore

and try and dry out.

Okay, sir.

[]

Come on, on your feet!

Hold on!

Who's gonna do it

if you don't?

I'm all right.

B Company, about turn!

[SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY]

Come on, lads.

Off on the beach.

We're gonna get off,

sir?

They'll come in again

tonight.

The navy won't let us down.

FIRST SEA LORD [OVER PHONE]:

First Sea Lord speaking.

DOVER:

This is Vice-Admiral Dover, sir.

Ah, Ramsay.

What's this protest of yours

about the big destroyers?

I've got to have them back,

sir.

We can't do that, Ramsay.

We've considered

the whole position.

We've lost too many destroyers

already.

We've got to have them,

sir.

There are nearly 200 thousand

men ashore still.

You've only left me ships

enough to lift 40,000 a day.

The perimeter's breaking

already, sir.

Ramsay, you know that we've got

to guarantee the convoys

that there's a possibility

of invasion.

If we get the army

back to England, sir,

we shall have a chance of

standing up to the invasion.

If I have the big destroyers

we'll get the army back.

If you lose the destroyers...

We've got to take that chance,

sir.

We've got to balance chances,

Ramsay.

There are 30,000 men on the

open beaches at this moment.

There are 50,000

in the dunes behind them.

There are 100,000 men

in the country

between the dunes

and the canal.

We've got to get them out,

sir.

The French are doing

everything they can.

They've lost heavily in ships,

too.

Abrial's doing

his damnedest in every way.

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