Dunkirk
Page 4
JONATHAN In terms of the actual making of a film, it takes two years of often extremely complicated sequences like this film and then you compress it into an hour and 45 minutes. And there’s your experience.
CHRISTOPHER People are always saying, ‘How do you get layers into the film? I only spotted this or spotted that,’ and I say, I’ve had years, what do you mean? (Laughter.)
JONATHAN (Laughter.)
CHRISTOPHER You got to sit there and watch it for two hours. If we weren’t putting things in there that you couldn’t pick up on the first time, we would have failed pretty miserably. In the end, your only job really is to amplify everything, and just make everything as impactful as it can be.
Dunkirk
THE SCREENPLAY
Black screen.
Water slaps hollow metal, metal knocks creaking wood …
Super title:
DUNKIRK
Fade in:
Paper. Falling like snow. Six young, filthy Tommys raise their heads along a deserted street, checking rubbish bins, windows … One crouches to check a coiled garden hose. He tries the tap – nothing …
Title 1:
THE ENEMY HAVE DRIVEN THE BRITISH AND FRENCH ARMIES TO THE SEA
One Tommy plucks paper from the air … Propaganda leaflets showing their position … ‘YOU ARE SURROUNDED’ …
Title 2:
TRAPPED AT DUNKIRK, THEY AWAIT THEIR FATE
He wads the leaflets up, crouches, drops his trousers … The Tommy with the hose carefully lifts each side …
Title 3:
HOPING FOR DELIVERANCE
He gets a tiny dribble of water which he licks from the nozzle –
Title 4:
FOR A MIRACLE
BLAM BLAM BLAM! Tommy jolts, grabs his trousers. All six race away from us, towards a fence twenty yards away. One by one, five are shot down. The survivor climbs the fence. Gunfire bursts through the fence, ten feet away –
Tommy tries to reload his rifle – fingers struggling with the magazine, training forgotten. Gunfire splinters the fence, five feet away –
Tommy thrusts his index finger into the breech of his rifle again and again, scraping skin. A round jumps into the chamber –
Gunfire three feet away –
Tommy tries once, twice – slides the bolt forward –
Gunfire right next to him –
Tommy spins around, fires blind until empty, scrambles out the back. He races down narrow Dunkirk streets. Breathing. Kit jangling … Building after building … He rounds a corner –
BLAM! Bullets hit dirt and bricks near him. The street ahead is barricaded, manned by French troops.
TOMMY
ANGLAIS! ANGLAIS!
The French stop firing and wave him through.
He scrambles over their sandbag barricade, taking in their dirty, frightened faces as he passes …
A French Soldier grabs him –
FRENCH SOLDIER
Allez, Anglais.
Tommy’s mouth opens at the man’s bitterness.
FRENCH SOLDIER
(contempt)
Bon voyage.
He shoves Tommy down the street behind their protection.
Gunfire behind. Tommy takes off again, hurtling down the dark street, heading towards the blazing light of –
EXT. BEACH AT MALO LES BAINS – CONTINUOUS
The longest, widest beach he’s ever seen, sunlight dazzling off the water, endless dark fences snaking across the sand and out into the water. Tommy squints – not fences, lines of men, hundreds of thousands of men …
Tommy looks around, clutching his stomach. He clambers over a dune, feverishly undoing his belt, dropping trousers and squatting before he realizes –
He’s not alone –
Another soldier, British army shirt undone, sweating with the labour of burying a body. This is Gibson.
The other man notices Tommy, but barely pauses. Tommy finishes, pulls up his trousers and moves towards him. Tommy helps scoop sand over the body.
Tommy notices the corpse’s stockinged feet, then watches Gibson stoop to tie his boots …
Gibson looks up at him. Tommy shrugs, gestures for Gibson’s water can. Gibson hands it over and Tommy takes a swig, carefully catching drops in his hand, then licking them off his palm.
Tommy leaves Gibson buttoning his shirt and heads back onto the beach.
There are destroyers out on the water, too far to reach.
Tommy wanders down to join one of the long, snaking lines which extends into the sea, soldiers up to their chests in water, waiting patiently for ships which do not move.
The man at the back turns to Tommy, unwelcoming. Points at his own insignia.
MAN
Grenadiers, mate.
Tommy moves off. Looks around at other impossibly long lines, At the unattainable ships. Futile.
A line of stretcher-bearers comes past, carrying wounded men along the beach towards the harbour …
Looking where they’re headed, Tommy sees a long, narrow breakwater extending out into the sea, packed with soldiers. A hospital ship at the end of it.
This breakwater extends a kilometer into the sea. It is called the Mole.
Super title:
1. THE MOLE
one week
Tommy becomes aware of the sound of distant aircraft. Soldiers peer up into the sky …
MALE VOICE
(out of shot)
DIVE BOMBERS!
Tommy spots the distinctive kinked wings of the notorious Stuka dive bomber, its nightmarish howl rising as it picks up speed, diving at the beach …
The lines of men instantly vanish – soldiers scattering back to the dunes, burrowing into the sand … The first bombs lift sand into the air.
The stretcher-bearers put down their loads, lying across them, protecting them as the area is hammered …
The first Stuka pulls out of its dive, revealing two more Stukas diving. There are nine more about to follow …
Tommy sees a soldier lying on his back, rifle aimed at the sky, firing defiantly, desperately at the attacking plane … The ground around him lifts into the air with the second wave of bombs.
Tommy buries his face in the sand as the bombs blast and blast and blast –
The explosions stop. Tommy lifts his head. BOOM! Another wave of bombs explodes in series up the beach. Then, finally, quiet. Tommy rises …
The stretcher-bearers, back on their feet, lift their burdens (four bearers per stretcher, one at each corner).
Several stretchers are left behind on the sand.
Soldiers on the beach watch in despair as one of the destroyers is slipping below the water, smoke billowing.
MALE VOICE
WHERE’S THE BLOODY AIR FORCE?!
Cut to:
EXT. ENGLISH COAST, WEYMOUTH HARBOUR – MORNING
A lanky youth runs down to the masts of the crowded harbour.
He races along the wooden dock, jumping over ropes as he rushes to a large yacht, the Moonstone.
Super title:
2. THE SEA
one day
The youth, George (seventeen), leaps from the dock into the well. Two naval officers emerge from the cabin, pushing past. George watches them go, confused …
Mr Dawson (fifties, civilian dress) hands George a stack of china plates and ducks back inside.
A second young man, Peter (nineteen), emerges, carrying boxes.
PETER
Navy’s requisitioned her – there’s some men across the Channel, at Dunkirk, need taking off. (Points at dock.) They told us to strip her and load those life jackets.
George looks along at the dock. At a pile of hundreds of life jackets. George looks at Peter. Surprised.
GEORGE
Some men?
PETER
Navy’ll be back in an hour. My dad wants to be ready before then …
Cut to:
EXT. SKY – DAY
Moving through billowy pea
ks, three sleek, beautiful Spitfires streak into frame. Elegant. In confident formation.
Super title:
3. THE AIR
one hour
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
The pilot, Farrier, has a light touch on the controls. He checks his left and right, scanning the skies.
VOICE ON RADIO
Check fuel, Fortis 1 and 2.
Farrier reaches forward to his fuel gauge, pushes the button beside it – the needle shoots up to three-quarters full.
FARRIER
Seventy gallons.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
The pilot, Collins, checks his fuel gauge –
COLLINS
Sixty-eight gallons, Fortis Leader.
FORTIS LEADER
(over radio)
Stay down at five hundred feet to leave fuel for forty minutes fighting time over Dunkirk.
COLLINS
Understood. Vector 128, angels point five.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier checks his chart.
FORTIS LEADER
Keep an eye on that gauge, even when it gets lively – save enough to get back.
With a glance at his fuel gauge, Farrier pulls on the stick.
EXT. SKY – CONTINUOUS
The three planes bank left in perfect harmony as we –
Cut to:
EXT. BEACH AT LA PANNE – LATE AFTERNOON
Tommy looks down at several patients on stretchers left behind, bearers dead or disappeared …
One of them groans. Still alive.
Tommy looks around. Gibson is there.
They grab the stretcher and hustle down the beach towards the mole …
EXT. BASE OF THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
A Warrant Officer tries to keep order as men line up to start the shuffle out along the eight-foot wide concrete mole.
The line of stretcher-bearers approaches …
From the base all you can see is the the backs of helmeted heads queuing out onto the narrow breakwater.
The Warrant Officer sees the stretchers, waves them past –
WARRANT OFFICER
Along the mole. All the way, she’s leaving –
A ships’s whistle –
WARRANT OFFICER
That’s it. (He turns.) MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!
The stretcher-bearers squeeze past …
EXT. BEACH – CONTINUOUS
Tommy and Gibson hear the ship’s whistle. They start running with the stretcher, heading for the base of the mole …
EXT. BASE OF THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
The Warrant Officer addresses a group of French soldiers.
WARRANT OFFICER
NO FRENCH! NON FRANÇAISES – SEULEMENT ANGLAISES! ENGLISH ONLY, YOU’LL HAVE YOUR OWN SHIPS!
Tommy and Gibson arrive, panting. The Warrant Officer looks at them. The ship’s whistle – the Warrant Officer points up –
WARRANT OFFICER
That’s two minutes – you’ve missed it.
He turns back to arguing with the French …
Tommy pushes forward with the stretcher. Soldiers try to let him through on the narrow mole –
The Warrant Officer, seeing Tommy, just shakes his head.
EXT. HOSPITAL SHIP – CONTINUOUS
Stretchers are loaded up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship, supervised by a Petty Officer.
He checks his watch, then looks along the mole at the remaining stretchers …
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
Tommy weaves along the mole, squeezing past the mass of troops jamming the breakwater …
Tommy leans out over the edge where the rail is missing, a twenty-foot drop to the churning water …
Gibson follows, echoing Tommy’s route and footing.
EXT. HOSPITAL SHIP – CONTINUOUS
The last of the line of stretchers is carefully, awkwardly raised up from the mole onto the deck of the ship. The Petty Officer speaks urgently to the last stretcher-bearer.
PETTY OFFICER
Last?
The Stretcher-Bearer nods, too breathless to speak, then follows his colleagues back down off the ship.
An explosion hits the water nearby –
Everyone hits the deck as shells impact the water.
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
Tommy is pulled up short as Gibson stumbles –
An ME 109 strafes the length of the mole with gunfire – soldiers hit the deck, several are hit …
Gibson struggles up.
Cut to:
EXT. WEYMOUTH HARBOUR – DAY
Peter and George rush things off the boat, then start loading the orange life-preservers. Mr Dawson looks up from his charts to see naval officers and crew coming along the harbour, assigning crew members to boats …
Peter follows his gaze –
INT. MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
Peter bursts into the cabin, stacking life vests.
EXT. MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
The pile of life vests on the dock shrinks … Mr Dawson watches the naval men coming closer –
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier lightly brushes his fingers over the dashboard.
COLLINS
(over radio)
Dunkirk’s so far, why can’t they load at Calais?
Farrier looks over at his wing mate, Collins (Fortis 2).
FORTIS LEADER
(over radio)
The enemy had something to say about it.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
Collins scans the skies above …
COLLINS
Down here we’re sitting ducks.
FORTIS LEADER
(over radio)
Keep ’em peeled. They’ll come out of the sun.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier looks around into the blinding sun …
Cut to:
EXT. HOSPITAL SHIP – CONTINUOUS
The Petty Officer barks orders at the crew –
PETTY OFFICER
Man the bow line! Ready on the stern!
Troops stuck down on the mole below look resentfully at the ship preparing to depart. One Soldier calls up –
SOLDIER
Any more room?
The Petty Officer glares down at him.
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
Tommy breaks through a tight crowd of soldiers and stops.
In front of him is a jagged chasm. One narrow plank laid across it. The drop is fifteen feet to rocks and concrete below.
The ship’s whistle sounds. Tommy stares –
SOLDIER
Take a run at it!
Tommy glances at the Soldier who spoke. Looks back at Gibson.
TOMMY
One, two, three!
Tommy bolts across, pure concentration, the plank bowing and bouncing as he crosses the middle, Gibson following. Tommy’s foot slips, he almost goes over, rights himself –
Helpful arms grab them as they hit the other side, a couple of cheers from the crowd. Tommy ploughs on –
EXT. HOSPITAL SHIP – CONTINUOUS
Tommy passes the stretcher-bearers coming back down the mole. One of them moves to help but Tommy shakes his head, pushing past …
The Petty Officer gestures at his men to pull the gangplanks –
PETTY OFFICER
PULL THE GANGPLANKS!
Tommy and Gibson arrive at the end of the mole.
TOMMY
Oi!
A gangplank is shoved back down.
They struggle up it with the stretcher.
When they make it to the deck they practically drop their burden, gasping for breath. Orderlies takes the stretcher below.
Tommy and Gibson look around for a place to perch, catching their breaths …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
Mr Dawson sees the Na
val Officers stepping onto their dock –
MR DAWSON
Ready on the stern line.
George hops onto the dock, unties the stern line. Stops. Looks at the approaching Officers. Then back to Mr Dawson –
GEORGE
Aren’t you waiting for the navy?
Mr Dawson starts the engine. Peter jumps down onto the boat with the bow rope …
MR DAWSON
They’ve asked for the Moonstone, they’ll have her. With her captain.
PETER
And his son.
The boat moves off. Peter looks to catch the line from George.
PETER
Thanks for the help, George.
Who, instead, jumps onto the stern, to Peter’s surprise.
PETER
You know where we’re going?
GEORGE
France.
MR DAWSON
Into war, George.
GEORGE
I’ll be useful, sir.
Mr Dawson looks at George. Pushes the throttle forward and they motor out of the harbour into the English Channel …
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – DAY
Collins spots something –
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier spots the ME 109 coming out of the sun –