To End All Wars Page #2

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Probably teach.

I've always fancied teaching.

I thought I'd see the world

first, though.

You got that wish.

Aye.

When I get out of here,

I'm gonna go into business

for myself

and get stinking rich.

What kind of business?

Black market.

Prostitution.

I'll tell you what,

mate.

You're not gonna make much money

as a prostitute,

I'll tell you that.

What about you, sir?

What are you gonna do

after the war?

Start preparing

for the next war.

In the bushido code,

the nation is everything.

The individual is nothing.

Conformity is how they gain

their sense of purpose,

and they expected us

to fall in line, as well.

What are we saying,

dusty?

Loyalty, politeness,

frugality.

Soldier's duty.

Well, isn't that

just dandy?

Carry on,

sergeant major.

Parade!

Parade!

About face!

Man:
All show respect

for honorable

lieutenant colonel nagatomo,

chief of Thailand

p.O.W. Administration.

I think she fancies me.

It is great pleasure for me

to see you at this place.

You are few remaining skeleton

of our victory

and are pitiful victim.

You should weep

with gratitude

at his imperial majesty,

the emperor,

who pity you

for being coward!

What's he talking about --

cowards?

Rules of bushido.

They believe the losers

should kill themselves.

You will give me

great pleasure

to build a railroad

through the jungle

to the glory of his imperial

majesty, the emperor!

Savior of Japan!

Savior of Asia!

We will build this railroad

if we have to build it

over the white man's body.

It is your purification.

Railroad to be

from chungkai base camp

to thanbyuzayat in north.

You will build the railroad

in 18 months.

How will my men

manage that on the rations

you're feeding them, hmm?

Officers work,

as well.

Royal engineer

will oversee building.

Where are

the signed papers?

Gentlemen...

...as you have violated

the Geneva convention,

the hague convention,

and every human right

for properly supervised

prisoners of war,

may I respectfully recommend

Stuart:
That you and

your fascist monkeys

stick your head

up your ass,

because we will not sign

your bloody paper!

Now translate that!

I am sick

of this drivel!

Gentlemen.

Man:
Sir.

Look after my boys, Ian.

It is regrettable,

but we take each of you

and shoot one by one...

Man:
Come on, man.

Let's go.

Sir!

...until you respect

emperor!

Come on.

Out of here.

Out of here.

Come on!

Sir!

Come on, man!

Come on out of here!

Come on, man!

Out of here!

The bastard!

Out of here!

The bastard! Bastard!

Let me go.

Major, what happened?

What happened?

Bastards!

Major, where's the --

where's the --

it's the colonel's blood!

It's the colonel's blood.

It's the colonel's blood!

The colonel's blood!

It's the colonel's...

The bastard!

Major.

Man:
Major, the colonel!

No.

Man #2:

Don't let him go!

Man #3:
No, don't.

There's nothing

you can do.

There's nothing

you can do.

How can he die?

What are we gonna...

What are we gonna do?

It's all right.

What are we gonna do now?

Shh.

What are we gonna do now?

"Verily, verily,

I say unto you,

"'except a corn of wheat

fall into the ground and die,

"'it abideth alone.

But if it die,

it bringeth forth much fruit.'"

there is suffering

before glory.

There is a cross

before the crown.

Outward turn!

Slow...

March!

Cheers.

I'm not leaving.

What?

I said,

"I'm not leaving."

What about our plan?

I owed the colonel

my life,

and I watched him die

in front of my eyes,

and I just stood there,

doing nothing.

You think you're

the only one suffering here?

You think

you're the only one --

now waken up!

There's a reason

why every escape has failed,

and there's a reason

why the japs

don't give a toss

about security.

We were fools to think

we even stood a chance.

I've got

my own plans now.

You are

a selfish bastard.

Come on, Ernie.

Ernie!

Fine!

Ernest:
Yanker,

wait a minute!

Yanker, wait!

You'll never make it

on your own in that jungle.

It's suicide!

Take a look around you!

Take a look

in the eyes of these men.

You tell me

what you see.

That's right, Ernie.

They're dead already.

You know it,

and I know it.

At least with escape,

it gave us one thing --

hope.

Hope, Ernie.

Because without that,

we might as well be

sitting in there

with our thumbs

up our asses,

waiting for the end

to come.

Is that what you want?

Let me tell you something

about me.

I am not a stupid man,

and I am not a kamikaze.

If I can't escape,

I'll do the next best thing.

I will take care

of myself,

and that's exactly

what I plan on doing.

Yanker!

We are all in this --

all of us together!

Sure, kid.

Every single one of us.

The Japanese

were preparing to invade India.

The railway would be

their supply line.

We would be the means

to their end.

When you're living to die,

every minute is an eternity.

Days are lost.

Months blend into one another.

And the only reality you know

is in the moment,

and the moment hangs over you

like death.

It's difficult to describe

what it's like

to live with permanent hunger

in your belly

and the stench of disease

and death all around you

with every breath you take.

Malaria, diphtheria,

pellagra, dysentery

sucks every ounce of fluid

right out of your body.

Your muscles cramp up,

and your circulation collapses.

Major!

He's burning up.

Ernie.

Doctor:
I don't know anybody

who could survive that lot.

Oh, Ernie, son.

You are a good soldier...

...and a good friend.

So, this is death...

...dark...

Cold...

...all alone.

No more reason to fight,

so they give up on you.

In death,

there is no second chance.

So that's what you think about

when you're dying --

the real value of all that

you've done with your life,

and all that

you might have done,

if only you'd had

a second chance.

Bloody hell.

These nip bastards are eating

like the prince of wales.

Life doesn't wait

for the individual,

especially life

as a prisoner of war.

If you want to survive,

you need a bit of luck,

a quick wit,

and a mate to pick you up

when you fall.

Where am I?

You've been unconscious

for days.

I thought if I could get you

out of the death house

and into some fresh air,

you'd have a better chance

of surviving.

I don't know

if I want to survive anymore.

Open up.

How did you get the food

away from the line?

I have my connections.

Come on. Open up.

Why are you doing this?

Hey, Ernie.

Uh, me and the cobbers,

we've been chewing it over,

and, uh, we got thinking.

What's the purpose

in what we've been suffering?

I mean, where's the justice

in -- in nips bashing us

and working us to death?

And what's worse,

we're killing each other

to save our own skins.

What exactly

are you asking me?

You said you wanted to be

a teacher.

Yeah.

We thought that you might have

some answers, sir.

Would you like me

to take a lecture

on the meaning of life?

Oh, that's

a bloody fine idea, sir.

Please...

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