The Railway Man Page #3

(STARTER TURNING ENGINE)

(SOLDIER IN JAPANESE)

No good. Yeah.

(SOLDIER IN JAPANESE)

(TURNS ON STARTER)

(MUSIC BUILDS UP)

(MUSIC STOPS)

(CRACKLE)

Ready?

What if Hitler's in London?

What do we tell the men?

I can't say it

sounds very likely.

It's running!

(STATIC)

(TUNING)

(MUSIC OVER RADIO)

It's working.

ANNOUNCER:
This is the BBC

Home and Forces program.

This is Bruce Belfidge.

The Axis forces

in the Western Desert

after twelve days and nights

of ceaseless attacks

by our land and air forces

are now in full retreat.

Their disordered columns

are being relentlessly attacked

by our land forces and by the Allied

air forces by day and night.

In the morning

there was a rumour

that German tanks were

just over the hill.

Armed patrols went

out on the road.

Trees were felled at roadblocks

and thunderbolts and lightning appeared

low over the town and began weaving...

(ANNOUNCER'S VOICE FADES)

ANNOUNCER:
What we have

done is rekindle a fire

in British hearts

here and all over the world

which will glow...

(ANNOUNCER'S VOICE SLOWLY FADES)

Major... Major York.

The Russians have

retaken Stalingrad.

Got them on the run, sir.

Sir?

Come on, sir.

We've got Hitler on the run.

That's it, sir.

And we're bombing

Germany 24 hours a day,

now the US Air Force

has joined in.

(JAPANESE SOLDIER SHOUTS)

The men, sir, right?

You've got to let them

know it's going our way.

(SHOUTS IN JAPANESE)

We've got Hitler on the run.

Pass it round.

The Russians have

taken Stalingrad.

Be careful.

ANNOUNCER:
Went on fighting

until they had little ammunition left.

Our troops in the north

put down a smokescreen

and under cover

they withdrew a little

while our bombers went

in in three deadly waves

to deliver a large aerial

bombardment and one

of the heaviest

of the whole campaign.

They rang the church bells at home for the first

time since the beginning of the war.

(DISTANT CHIMES)

(BELL ALARM)

(ORDERS IN JAPANESE)

(FOREBODING MUSIC)

(SHOUTS IN JAPANESE)

(EXCHANGE OF ORDERS IN JAPANESE)

(ORDERS IN JAPANESE)

(YELLS IN JAPANESE)

(PANTS)

(JAPANESE OFFICER YELLS)

(YELLS IN JAPANESE)

(MUSIC STOPS)

(JAPANESE OFFICER SHOUTS)

(ORDERS IN JAPANESE)

Thorlby.

Finlay.

Withins.

Lomax.

Lomax!

(TRUCK ENGINE ROARS)

(ENGINE STOPS)

(YELLS IN JAPANESE)

Soldier.

(THUD, GROAN)

(WITHINS COUGHS)

(WITHINS SCREAMS, MOANS)

(WITHINS SCREAMS)

(WITHINS GROANS, THEN COUGHS)

(BEATINGS, GROANS AND SCREAMS CONTINUE)

(SLOW MUSIC)

I think it was the bravest

thing I've ever seen.

(MUSIC BUILDS UP, NO OTHER SOUNDS)

(MUSIC SLOWS DOWN)

ROGERS:
Though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil.

For thou art with me.

Thy rod and thy staff,

they comfort me.

Thou prepares the table for me

in the presence of my enemies.

Surely goodness and...

(SIGHS)

Mercy will follow me

for the rest of my life.

(MUSIC BUILDS UP)

(JAPANESE SOLDIER GROWLS)

(MUSIC SLOWS DOWN)

It was...

madness.

(SIGHS)

But you can talk about it.

Why can't he talk

to me about it?

(MUSIC STOPS)

I told you, you couldn't possibly

imagine what he's been through.

What did I say? What?

Please, please.

Please don't shut me out.

Please.

(WHEEZES)

FINLAY:
We had him

for a little while.

A week or so.

We did our best to put

him back together again.

But we knew it wasn't over.

They came for him.

The young officer.

Kempeitai.

Their secret police.

Lomax. We are satisfied

you are guilty.

You will be killed shortly,

but it will be to your advantage

to tell me the truth.

(ORDERS IN JAPANESE)

Raise your arms.

You will come with me.

(FAST PACED MUSIC, MOTORBIKE ENGINE)

(MUSIC STOPS)

And then we didn't see

him for two weeks.

(SIGHS)

(JAPANESE SOLDIERS GROAN)

FINLAY:
He never told me

what they did to him.

(SLOW MUSIC)

(TRUCK ENGINE STARTS)

There are some things,

Patti, that are so bad,

so humiliating and...

shameful...

I'm not sure you could

ever talk about them.

Especially not

to someone you love.

Or want to love.

I have to try.

(SLOW MUSIC)

(RADIO TUNING)

(SLOW CLASSICAL MUSIC FROM THE RADIO)

Patti.

Eric.

(TURNS OFF RADIO)

(DOOR SLAMS)

I hope you're not planning

to throw yourself in there.

As a gentleman I'd feel

obliged to go in after you,

and that may well

be the end of me.

The men used to call me Uncle.

They thought

I'd look after them,

and I did, while we were there.

But here...

every month I stare

into those...

bitter, half-awake faces,

and I know they desperately need me

to put them back together again.

But I can't.

There's nothing I can

do for them now.

I think you do more

than you know.

Eric did something wonderful.

He stuck his neck out

to give us hope in a nightmare

5,000 Miles from home.

He should have...

medals and glory.

Can't you make him

understand that?

No.

It's too late.

The only time I've seen him light

up was when you came along.

Patti...

I have something.

I think it's the most

dangerous thing I've ever

held in my hand.

You must decide...

if Eric should see it.

It's him.

The young Kempeitai officer.

And he's alive.

Nagase.

I don't know what he will do...

if we tell him.

But doesn't Eric

deserve a chance...

for justice?

Will you stand by him?

Whatever he does?

(SLOW MUSIC)

Whatever he does.

I want to.

I can't imagine anything

worse than where he is now.

(THUD)

It's him, isn't it?

The bastard's back in Kanburi.

Back at the scene of the crime.

Can you believe that?

He's alive?

And he's living off it!

Showing the railway to tourists.

Bridge on the bloody

River Kwai holidays.

Nagase.

I've had it translated.

(HEART BEAT STARTS TO RACE, THEN SLOWS DOWN)

Look him up.

He won't have a clue

you're coming.

Element of surprise, Eric.

Always good.

The years I've spent,

imagining I'd found him.

Making him beg.

Making him scream.

I've nursed myself

to sleep on those sounds.

And the snapping of the hyoid bone,

and the chopstick through the eye.

Your timing's off.

What do you mean?

We're not soldiers

anymore, Uncle.

We're bank clerks,

school teachers,

engineers, retired persons.

If you'd come to me with this a year

ago, I'd have hunted him down.

But now I'm a husband.

And she means everything to me.

No husband would treat

her the way you do.

You punish her.

You punish her!

When we surrendered, the Japs

said we weren't men.

Real men would kill themselves.

Would die of shame.

But we said no.

We'll live to fight you.

We'll live for revenge.

But we didn't, no.

We don't live.

We're miming in the choir.

We can't love.

We can't sleep.

We're an army of ghosts.

What happened in that room?

What did they do to you?

I think you should go now.

Don't waste this.

At least one of us

deserves some peace.

It's too late for me

and the other guys but...

you were the strongest.

You were the best of us.

You do this for me.

(SLOW MUSIC)

Please.

Come on. We're walking

Finlay to the station.

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