Peter pulls the Shivering Soldier away from the wheel.
PETER
Calm it down, mate.
The Shivering Soldier looks at him, shocked. Confused.
Peter calls down the companionway –
PETER
George?
Nothing.
PETER
George?!
Nothing. The Shivering Soldier watches as Peter climbs down to find –
INT. CABIN, MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
George, sprawled out at the foot of the steps, on his back, quietly groaning, bleeding from the back of the head. Peter grabs a life jacket and puts it behind George’s head.
PETER
It’s okay. You’re okay. It’s okay.
George blinks at Peter. Frightened.
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier chases the 109, gradually closing …
Up ahead, a convoy of ships is gathered around the entrance to the harbour …
Farrier passes over a fishing trawler with a blue cabin, covered with soldiers, strangely low in the water, water washing across its decks …
He looks up ahead to the 109, just coming into range …
He spots German planes in the distance, heading towards him – he sights the 109 … Fires a short burst … Nothing …
He remembers his fuel gauge … Pointlessly pushes the button next to the cracked gauge.
No response.
Farrier checks his position on his chart. Checks the last fuel reading he grease-penciled … knows he should turn around –
Farrier sights the 109, banking slightly to bring it across his sights …
Farrier fires – the 109 starts smoking, dropping –
Farrier spins around – turning away from the approaching planes. Heading for Dover … for home.
As he passes over the sinking blue trawler, he sees men jumping into the water, swimming for a destroyer nearby …
In his rear-view mirror: the enemy planes approaching …
Farrier looks at his cracked fuel gauge … Thinking …
Cut to:
EXT. BEACH AT ZYDECOTE (7 MILES EAST OF DUNKIRK) – DAWN
The surf has picked up since yesterday …
Tommy, Gibson, Alex lie on the beach, sleeping as the light comes up on a stormy day.
In the distance, towards the dark smoke of Dunkirk, the lines of men extend into the sea.
Nearby, small groups of soldiers attempt to climb onto small vessels. Row boats are being swamped and overturned in the surf, overcrowded boats are grounded on the sand –
MALE VOICE
Right. Three of you out, or the rest’s stuck.
Soldiers give up their places. Some head back out of the surf. Some wade out past the break …
EXT. BEACH AT MALO LES BAINS – CONTINUOUS
Colonel Winnant walks the beach, surveying. He approaches a group of Engineers driving trucks onto the sand, taking the air out of their tires, laying duckboards on top …
ENGINEER
(brightly)
A pier. When the water comes back in. Tide’s turning, now.
Colonel Winnant looks out at the churning water.
COLONEL WINNANT
How can you tell?
ENGINEER
(quietly)
The bodies come back.
Colonel Winnant looks out at the water – men in line, chest deep, gently push floating bodies aside as they wash in.
EXT. BEACH AT ZYDECOTE – CONTINUOUS
Tommy bangs a tin of vegetables on a rock. It springs a leak and he sucks the juice. Gibson holds out his hand. Tommy keeps sucking for a beat or two, then hands it over.
Tommy watches Vanquisher loading troops from the vast crowd lining the mole. Despairing.
Alex opens his eyes and sits up. Spots some Highlanders walking past, away from Dunkirk in loose formation …
ALEX
Hey! Highlanders!
Tommy watches as Alex gets to his feet, heading over to his regimental comrades.
ALEX
What’s that way?
HIGHLANDER 1
(points)
A boat.
Alex follows his gesture to a fishing trawler with a blue cabin, listing in the shallows a mile up the beach.
ALEX
She’s grounded.
HIGHLANDER 2
Not when the tide comes in, she isn’t.
Tommy and Gibson are already on their feet. Alex nods at them as they follow the Highlanders down the beach towards the grounded trawler …
Cut to:
INT. CABIN, MOONSTONE – DAY
Peter goes down below to check on George. He checks the bleeding on the life jacket behind George’s head.
PETER
What’d you want to come along for, George?
GEORGE
Sea cadet? You and Mr Dawson? Best thing I ever done. Only thing I ever done. I told my dad I never done nothing at school. I told my dad I’d do something one day. Maybe get in the local paper.
PETER
The Herald? Why?
GEORGE
Maybe teachers would see it. Make my school proud.
PETER
(laughs)
Who cares what your bloody school thinks, George?
George looks up at Peter, desperate.
GEORGE
Please! Please don’t laugh at me!
Peter looks at George, deciding how to respond.
PETER
I’m going to laugh at you, George – cos you’re being bloody silly.
George is crying.
PETER
Now, stop it. I need you back up on deck.
George keeps crying.
GEORGE
I can’t. I can’t see.
Peter looks at him. Gets a blanket, puts it across George’s chest.
PETER
Get some rest.
Peter gets up. Looks down at the softly weeping boy.
I’ll need you as soon as you’re able.
George nods. Smiling through his tears.
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
Peter comes up on deck.
The Shivering Soldier, crouched in the well, stares at him. Mr Dawson is at the helm. Peter comes close. Speaking low –
PETER
The blood won’t stop. Should we turn back?
Mr Dawson looks back towards Britain. Then forward to France. Thinking. Shakes his head.
MR DAWSON
Come too far.
BOOM! Explosions nearby –
The Shivering Soldier moves into a foetal position.
Mr Dawson and Peter look ahead to where plumes of water rise, seemingly in slow motion, amongst the ships up ahead. German bombers drifting overhead, 109 fighters buzzing around them …
Mr Dawson holds his course …
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier flies, distracted, glancing from his broken fuel gauge to the switch for his reserve fuel tank …
FARRIER
Sod it.
Farrier banks, coming around …
Farrier climbs, trying to gain advantage for the coming encounter, lining up on the German planes threatening the destroyer and the blue trawler …
Cut to:
EXT. BASE OF THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
Colonel Winnant makes his way towards the crowded mole. Stretchers of French troops are brought down to the mole. A Private comes out of the crowd, breathless.
PRIVATE
The French’ve been forced back on the western side, sir.
Colonel Winnant looks at explosions over the warehouses.
COLONEL WINNANT
But they’re still holding a perimeter?
PRIVATE
For now.
Colonel Winnant pushes on down the mole …
EXT. THE MOLE – MOMENTS LATER
He finds Bolton, but no ships …
COLON
EL WINNANT
Where’re the destroyers?
COMMANDER BOLTON
There’ll be one soon.
COLONEL WINNANT
One?
COMMANDER BOLTON
After yesterday’s losses, it’s one ship on the mole at a time.
COLONEL WINNANT
The battle’s here, what’re they saving them for?
COMMANDER BOLTON
The next battle. The one for Britain. Same with the planes.
COLONEL WINNANT
(peers through his field glasses)
But it’s right there! You can practically –
COMMANDER BOLTON
Seeing home doesn’t help us get there, Captain.
Colonel Winnant turns to the flaming town at their backs.
COLONEL WINNANT
They need to send more ships, dammit! Every hour the enemy pushes closer.
COMMANDER BOLTON
They’ve activated the small vessels pool –
COLONEL WINNANT
Vessels pool?
COMMANDER BOLTON
The list of civilian boats for requisition –
COLONEL WINNANT
Civilian? We need destroyers.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Small boats could load from the beach.
Colonel Winnant watches men struggling to load in the surf.
COLONEL WINNANT
Not in these conditions.
COMMANDER BOLTON
I’d rather face waves than dive bombers.
Colonel Winnant looks up at the cloudy sky –
COLONEL WINNANT
You’re right – they won’t get up in this …
COLONEL WINNANT
(points)
The Royal Engineers are building piers from lorries – should help when the tide comes back.
COMMANDER BOLTON
We’ll know in six hours.
COLONEL WINNANT
I thought tides were every three?
COMMANDER BOLTON
Then it’s good that you’re army and I’m navy, isn’t it?
Colonel Winnant allows himself a smile. Commander Bolton spots a shape on the horizon.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Vanquisher …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
Mr Dawson, at the helm, studies the horizon. Peter joins him, glaring at the Shivering Soldier before taking a seat.
Mr Dawson hears something, starts scanning the sky …
Spots a distant plane … Peter follows his gaze.
Mr Dawson throws the wheel, bearing to starboard, hard, throttling up –
MR DAWSON
Heinkel.
Mr Dawson points at a minesweeper heading towards them …
MR DAWSON
They’ll go for the minesweeper.
PETER
Shouldn’t we stand by? To pick up survivors?
MR DAWSON
To do that we have to survive ourselves.
As the boat motors away, Peter looks back to see the Heinkel and its two fighters moving towards the minesweeper …
Cut to:
EXT. GROUNDED TRAWLER – DAY
The Highlanders approach, cautiously. The beach is deserted here – just disabled army vehicles and dead bodies …
The blue trawler is tilted towards them. They circle the hull, checking it … it seems sound enough.
Tommy and Gibson follow the Highlanders as they climb up onto the abandoned trawler …
EXT. DECK OF GROUNDED TRAWLER – CONTINUOUS
Tommy looks over at the dunes above them. Alex looks around the boat, turns to Highlander 1.
ALEX
Where’s the crew?
HIGHLANDER 1
Probably got spooked after they ran aground. Scarpered up the beach.
ALEX
Why?
HIGHLANDER 2
We’re outside the perimeter. Enemy could be right there – (Points at the dunes.) Best shut ourselves inside and wait for high tide …
Highlanders heads down the companionway into the small hold.
ALEX
How long’s that?
HIGHLANDER 3
Every three hours.
They descend into the hold, shutting the door behind them.
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
As the Moonstone ploughs through the swell, Peter looks back at the Heinkel coming over the minesweeper …
Peter spots –
PETER
Spitfires! Dad, Spitfires!
Mr Dawson turns to see two Spitfires diving at the German bomber and its fighter escort. One Spitfire dives right between two 109s, setting one alight.
He got him, he got him!!
The other Spitfire flies close over the Heinkel, which turns away from the ship. Mr Dawson eases back on the speed …
MR DAWSON
The Heinkel’s moved off …
As they watch, one of the Spitfires starts smoking …
PETER
Oh, no.
Mr Dawson sees the smoke, throws the wheel, spinning the yacht around to head back –
MR DAWSON
Watch for a parachute!
Mr Dawson throttles up …
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier hears his engine skip a beat, puts his gloved finger on the reserve tank toggle switch, listening … His engine evens out again. He puts his hand back on the stick, focusing on the German planes …
He throttles up, speeding into the fray, climbing …
Cut to:
INT. HOLD, GROUNDED TRAWLER – DAY
Dimly lit by a couple of small, dirty portholes.
The soldiers lie around the hold. Sleeping or chatting. Alex is scrounging around the hold, finding nothing useful.
ALEX
(to Gibson)
Poke your head out, see if the water’s coming in.
Gibson shakes his head, pulling his arms tight around himself. Alex glares at him –
Talkative sod.
Tommy gets up, climbs up to the door, cracks it. Crawls up into the well – peeks over the rail –
The boat is in inches of water.
TOMMY
Bugger. Barely come in at all.
ALEX
For fuck’s sake.
HIGHLANDER 3
Calm down. What goes out comes back in, right?
ALEX
Yeah, but how long?
Silence answers this. Clearly no sailors aboard.
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
The Moonstone pushes through the swell, full speed, diesel engine straining …
Peter watches the smoke-trailing Spitfire fly lower and lower …
PETER
No parachute …
Mr Dawson is watching the plane like a hawk, steering around the waves by instinct …
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
The water flashes by blindingly fast …
Collins pulls back on the stick, raising the nose as the plane –
Hits the water with a jolt and a tearing sound. Collins thrashed against his belts, forward/back/left/right –
Bang –
EXT. MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
Peter watches the Spitfire ‘land’ on the surface of the water –
PETER
He’s down.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
With a shooosh, the plane is floating over the swell, like a sprinter hearing the gun. Collins releases his belts, starts inflating his life vest, pulls the catch on the canopy, yanking it back along its track. It jams … He thrusts his hand through the gap, struggling … From outside it looks like he is waving …
He looks up to see Farrier’s Spitfire shoot over, dipping a wing in salute …
Collins sits in the gently bobbing plane, collecting himself as he watches the wate
r start to rise around the slowly sinking plane.
Collins tries the canopy again –
Jammed.
He is trapped in the sinking plane …
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier levels off, looking down at the Heinkel approaching –
It has a single fighter escort – an ME 109 off the port wing …
Cut to:
INT. HOLD, GROUNDED TRAWLER – DAY
Tommy jolts awake – there are steps outside. He moves up to the door. Highlander 1 gets his rifle, moves in front of the door. Aims. Nods at Tommy …
Tommy throws open the door. A Seaman stands there –
SEAMAN
Nee, nee!
Highlander 1 is confused.
Tommy grabs the Seaman, pulling him down into the hold. Highlander 1 holds his gun on him –
ALEX
Kraut?
The Seaman looks uncomprehendingly up at Alex –
ALEX
Are you German?!
SEAMAN
Dutch! Dutch! Merchant navy. Here to pick you up. To help you.
They sit him up.
ALEX
Why’d you leave your boat?
SEAMAN
In case Germans come. We wait up the beach with the soldiers. Wait for the tide.
HIGHLANDER 2
You came back, the tide must be in.
SEAMAN
Coming, yes. But more hours till we float.
ALEX
Hours?! Why’d you come back?
The Seaman gestures around the packed hold –
SEAMAN
Not so heavy when I left!
Alex and the others take this in.
A gunshot penetrates the hull – everybody lies flat, Tommy stares at the bullet hole, which lets in light …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
Mr Dawson pushes the boat towards where the plane went down.
PETER
There was no ’chute, dad …
Mr Dawson ignores him. The engine is screaming …
Dunkirk Page 7