Memphis Belle Page #16

211 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The fighters have disappeared. Everything is peaceful.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Keep calling 'em out.

VIRGE (V.O.)

They're gone.

RASCAL (V.O.)

Christ, you know what that means.

CLAY (V.O.)

Flak, nine o'clock level!

(CONTINUED)

89.

211 CONTINUED:

RASCAL (V.O.)

That's what I was afraid of.

Black PUFFS start to blossom in the sky around the

planes. They make a soft POOF as they EXPLODE. A red

flame can be seen for a brief second in the center of

each explosion. No sooner does the smoke start to dissipate

than fresh puffs appear.

LUKE (V.O.)

They've got something like 500

flak batteries around Bremen.

VIRGE (V.O.)

I could live without knowing that,

Lieutenant.

211A INT. TAIL

Clay is writing in the frost that has collected on the

inside of his left window.

JACK (V.O.)

Clay, what're the odds of us

getting out of here alive?

CLAY:

I was just figuring that out.

He writes "Three to One."

212 INT. BALL TURRET

A black PUFF EXPLODES not far from the turret and there's

a SHARP BANG on the side of the turret. Rascal jumps.

RASCAL:

Jesus!

DENNIS (V.O.)

Ball turret, what's wrong?

RASCAL:

A big piece of ass f***ing Nazi

flak just hit my turret!

DENNIS (V.O.)

Are you okay?

RASCAL:

I guess.

DENNIS (V.O.)

You guess or you are?

(CONTINUED)

90.

212 CONTINUED:

RASCAL:

I am.

One of the little windows on the side of the turret has

been knocked out. A frigid wind blows in. Rascal tries

to plug it up with his flight scarf.

213 INT. COCKPIT

The constant PATTERING CONTINUES, like metal rain.

DENNIS:

I hope we're all wearing our flak

jackets.

214 INT. WAIST

Eugene and Jack grab their heavy, bib-like flak jackets

from the floor and struggle into them.

215 INT. RADIO ROOM

Danny is putting on his flak jacket when the Rookie's

voice comes OVER the RADIO. Danny glances out his right

window at Mother and Country.

ROOKIE (V.O.)

(nervously)

Danny, quick question. This flak,

it's not like I expected. Can't

the captain do something, avoid it

or something?

DANNY:

Not this close to the bomb run.

You have to fly straight through

or you'll be off target. It's

just four minutes.

ROOKIE (V.O.)

(nervous laugh)

Just.

Suddenly, a BANG and a hole opens in the left wall of the

radio room and a small, SIZZLING piece of FLAK skates

across Danny's desk, digs a scar in the wood and lands

on top of his log book. It burns a little hole in the

top page. Danny brushes the jagged, black piece of

shrapnel away.

216 INT. COCKPIT

We're flying through a massive flak barrage. Constant

PINGING and RATTLING on the outside of the plane. It's

incessant, unnerving.

(CONTINUED)

91.

216 CONTINUED:

PHIL (V.O.)

This is the bomb run. We're

exactly four minutes from target.

Dennis puts his finger on the automatic pilot switch.

It's on the control box below the throttles.

DENNIS:

Bombardier, I'm turning on the

auto pilot. You're flying the

plane from here to delivery.

He flips the switch. Lights flicker on the instrument

panel.

217 INT. NOSE

Val is bent over the bombsight, making careful adjustments.

He works with great concentration, ignoring the

flak barrage that can be seen directly ahead through the

nose.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Seventy thousand pounds of bombs

are going to drop on your command.

I want pinpoint bombing.

VAL:

Yes, sir.

DENNIS (V.O.)

Pinpoint.

218 INT. COCKPIT

Black smoke is smeared all over the sky. Puffs appear

constantly. The RATTLING on the outside of the plane has

grown LOUDER. It doesn't give you a moment's peace.

LUKE:

Christ, I've never seen it this

thick before.

Suddenly, a LOUD BANG and blood sprays all over the cockpit.

The instrument panel, windshield, Dennis and Luke

are drenched.

VIRGE (V.O.)

What was that?

DENNIS:

Luke's hit!

(CONTINUED)

92.

218 CONTINUED:

LUKE:

Dennis is hit!

Virge rips off his oxygen mask and jumps down from the

top turret to look at them.

VIRGE:

Jesus!

Dennis and Luke examine themselves: Dennis rationally,

Luke in a panic.

DENNIS:

It's not me. It must be you.

LUKE:

It isn't me!

DENNIS:

(to Virge)

I think he's in shock.

LUKE:

I'm not in shock! You're in shock!

VIRGE:

Val, you better get up here fast.

VAL (V.O.)

I'm on the f***ing bomb run!

Virge sees something on the floor and reaches for it.

DENNIS:

It's not me.

LUKE:

Me, either!

DENNIS:

It's got to be somebody. There's

blood all over the cockpit.

Virge picks up Dennis's Thermos off the floor, cut in two.

VIRGE:

Tomato soup.

He starts to laugh. It takes Luke a moment to get over

his terror, but then he starts laughing, too. Dennis is

relieved. Then, suddenly, an incredible BANG and the

plane rocks violently.

(CONTINUED)

93.

218 CONTINUED:
(2)

DENNIS:

What was that?

RASCAL (V.O.)

There's a hole as big as my dick

in the left wing!

219 EXT. MEMPHIS BELLE

The hole is about two feet in diameter. It's between

engines one and two. Gas is leaking.

220 INT. COCKPIT

The needle on one of the fuel gauges is sinking.

LUKE:

We're losing fuel!

DENNIS:

Virge, get on the fuel transfer

pump.

Virge turns around, bends down and flicks the transfer

levers.

LUKE:

Hurry!

VIRGE:

The electrics must be out on the

left side. The pumps aren't

responding. I'll do it by hand.

DENNIS:

Luke, work with him. We've got to

save as much fuel as we can.

Virge runs into the bomb bay.

VAL (V.O.)

Two minutes to target.

CLAY (V.O.)

Let's drop those bombs and get out

of here!

221 INT. NOSE

Val pulls a lever on his control panel on the left side

of the fuselage.

VAL:

Bomb bay doors open.

94.

222 INT. BOMB BAY

Virge is standing on the narrow catwalk at the front end

of the bomb bay, working the fuel transport pump switches

when the bomb bay doors start to open. He looks down at

the ground, so far below. Suddenly, a flak SHELL BURSTS

right below the bomb bay. There's a frantic CLICKING as

pieces of SHRAPNEL HIT the bombs. Virge looks through

the bomb bay into the radio room and meets Danny's eyes.

223 INT. NOSE

Val takes his eye from the bombsight and looks out the

nose. Although the day is perfectly clear, the ground

ahead is covered with low-lying white smoke.

VAL:

Bombardier to Captain. The

target's covered. Looks like a

smoke screen.

Val flips down the safety latch on the bomb release

button. It's on the left side, next to the bomb bay

door control.

224 INT. COCKPIT

Virge comes out of the bomb bay.

VIRGE:

Fuel transport complete. We saved

some of it.

DENNIS:

Bombardier, how's that target?

225 POV THROUGH BOMBSIGHT - TARGET

Houses, a river and the beginning of the smoke screen.

There are two crosshairs which Val manipulates with

course knobs on either side of the bombsight.

VAL (O.S.)

Target totally obscured.

226 INT. NOSE

Val flips some switches and sets a couple of dials on the

control panel. He does this with quick precision, then

looks through the sight again.

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