The Americanization of Emily Page #10

over the oppressed peoples of Europe...

and security for ourselves in a free world.

Cmdr. Cummings wants us

on the bridge, sir.

Where the hell are we, sailor?

About five miles off the coast of France.

You better get up on the bridge, sir.

Yes?

Charlie, come in. Close the door.

Got a real break.

There's a Navy camera unit assigned

to the ship.

This is photographer's mate Enright.

He'll show us how these cameras work.

- Go ahead, sailor.

- I don't quite understand your assignment.

Let me see if I can get this straight.

You're going to get in the water

at the same time as the engineers?

As I understand, sir,

that's four feet of water.

Pretty rough sea, sir.

You'll be lucky if you can keep your feet.

These cameras are heavy.

I've got a suggestion, sir.

You and your men stay in the LCVP

with our crew. It'll be pretty bouncy...

but your camera will be steady.

We want to be on the beach

with the very first men. Don't we, Charlie?

My helmet's off to you, gentlemen.

I guess I better get some gelatin

and waterproof those cameras.

We'll be down in the water room

getting a bite to eat.

Men, before we go down to eat,

I want to read you...

a message from our supreme commander.

"Soldiers, sailors, airmen

of the Allied Expeditionary Force...

"you are about to embark

on a great crusade...

"toward which we have striven

these many months.

"The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving

people everywhere go with you. "

All right, sergeants, line them up.

Come on.

Now hear this...

Point the camera in the direction

you want to shoot...

- and press this switch over here.

- What about this one here?

First you got to turn this one on.

Charlie, you're not paying attention.

Let's go.

All right, men, into the trucks. Let's go.

Lower the boats, damn it!

Okay, first demolition team over the side!

Let's go.

- Where's the kid?

- He's too sick, sir.

All right, Charlie, this is it.

All right, First Division.

Easy with the camera now, Charlie.

Okay.

You're up next, sailor.

- How much further on, Ensign?

- Maybe 5,000, maybe 6,000 feet.

Should see the low-water mark any time.

There's the low-water mark.

Stand by to load the raft.

They're shooting at us. Lower the raft.

This is it, Charlie. Let's go.

- I'm cold.

- Let's go.

No, the other way! The beach is that way!

I know which way the beach is!

What's the matter with you?

You yellow rat, go to that beach.

What's the matter with you?

They're shooting at us!

Take pictures!

What?

He's the first dead man on Omaha Beach

if that means anything, Commander.

Emily...

Cmdr. Cummings is here to condole again.

Mother, I can't very well be condoled with.

I'm still pretending Charlie's alive.

As long as you know it's still pretending.

I do think, Emily, we've had enough

of this sinister withdrawal of yours.

It's eight days since you went off

into this medieval retreat.

You know, you're doing just what I did,

and you'll end just as dotty.

I promise you,

there's very little satisfaction in it.

Absolutely wooden with grief.

Sends her best but asks to be excused.

Yes, of course, I understand.

I just stopped by to show her this.

Thought it might make her feel better.

It's yesterday's New York Globe.

I'm onto that.

What did you want me to see?

The photograph, ma'am.

It's Charlie Madison...

the first American on Omaha Beach.

It's on the front page

of the New York Globe.

It can't be said to be a very good likeness.

It's mostly his back, isn't it?

This photograph was on the front page

of almost 200 papers in the US alone.

We honestly didn't think

it would catch on that big.

Our press office people just sent it out

as a standard release...

and first thing we knew it was...

Mrs. Barham, this picture was in almost

every London newspaper yesterday.

- I was sure you'd seen it.

- No.

Charlie's a hero, ma'am.

Our public relations office is talking now...

of holding some sort of ceremony

over his grave...

building some sort of monument.

A monument?

Probably nothing more

than a simple bronze plaque...

but the French have indicated

they'd be willing...

to declare Charlie's grave

a French national shrine.

That's depraved.

As soon as I get an extra copy of Life

I'll bring it to you.

What on earth for?

This picture of Charlie

is on the front cover of Life magazine.

That's shoddy.

A French national monument.

I suppose one must expect

that sort of thing from the French.

But you're supposed to be his friend.

Couldn't you've done something to keep

this sordid business out of the press?

We're all very disappointed in Charlie...

but he's paid his price,

and there's no need to rake it up.

I don't think you have this exactly right.

Charlie's a hero.

Mother?

There she is. Now don't say a word to her.

I'll tell her when I think she's well enough.

Going to work?

That's very sensible of you.

I don't know how

you've put up with me this long.

Don't forget that man's still here

to commiserate.

This is his third condolence visit...

and he's going to say comforting things.

So you'll be polite to him?

- He's just a bit sincere.

- I must say I find him grotesque.

Yes. Emily, you're doing the right thing.

Bury yourself in work.

We've all got to keep going.

Emily, I must warn you,

Charlie's picture is in all the papers.

They're going to put up a monument

on his grave.

What on earth for? All he did was die.

Dear me, we should be celebrating cancer

and automobile smashups next.

He didn't just die. He sacrificed his life.

That was very pagan of him.

He was the first American

to die on Omaha Beach.

Was there a contest?

Emily, why, I don't understand you.

I thought you'd be proud.

You might as well burn this

along with yesterday's Daily Mail...

which I fished out of the garden fire.

We no longer take pride

in death in this house, Bus.

What was admirable about Charlie

was his sensation of life...

his cowardly, selfish,

greedy appreciation of life...

unadorned and uncertain as it is.

I loved him very much.

I don't think I shall

ever love anyone as much...

but I shall try.

Are you going back

to the Navy building, Bus?

No, I have to stop by the hospital to pick

the Admiral up.

Drop me at the Edgware Road.

I'll take a bus from there.

I thought I saw her peering at me

when I was burning those papers.

I was damn fond of Charlie.

He's one of the few really decent

human beings I've ever known...

aside from being the best dog-robber

in the world.

What the hell was Charlie

doing on Omaha Beach anyway?

Sir?

What exactly was this movie

Charlie was making on Omaha Beach?

What was Charlie doing

making a movie in the first place?

He was making your movie, sir.

Yeah, you keep saying it was my movie.

What do you mean, my movie?

The movie you wanted made

about the demolition engineers.

I don't remember a...

Oh my God, Bus.

Was this some idea I conceived...

when I was cracking up?

And you went ahead and made it?

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