INT. HOLD, TRAWLER – CONTINUOUS
Gibson dives for the exit. He is blasted back by water, dragged down with the sinking trawler …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, WATER OUTSIDE DUNKIRK HARBOUR – DAY
Peter, Collins and the first oil-covered men pull more oily men from the water, the decks of the yacht rapidly filling. Mr Dawson looks at the oil slick, concerned. He addresses the oily survivors –
MR DAWSON
Below deck.
OILY SURVIVOR
No fear.
MR DAWSON
We need to get as many of you on board as we can before the oil catches fire. Get below or get off my boat – your choice.
The oily survivors head below decks. Peter runs back to the companionway to shout down –
PETER
Careful there!
INT. CABIN, MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
Peter pokes his head down, sees two oily survivors moving George from the bottom of the steps –
PETER
Careful!
The oily survivors look up at him. Alex is one of them –
ALEX
(quiet)
He’s dead, mate.
Peter takes this in …
PETER
So be bloody careful with him!
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
Commander Bolton stares at the shapes in the distance …
He grabs the field glasses from Colonel Winnant, puts them to his eyes –
Boats. Civilian boats. All shapes and sizes. An armada.
Colonel Winnant peers over Commander Bolton’s shoulder …
COLONEL WINNANT
What can you see?
Commander Bolton slowly lowers the glasses.
COMMANDER BOLTON
(gentle)
Home.
Colonel Winnant grabs the glasses, confused …
EXT. DECK OF A DESTROYER – CONTINUOUS
The soldiers peer over the railing at the absurd collection of vessels passing them in the opposite direction:
Yachts, paddle steamers, fishing trawlers, day sailers, ferries, dredgers, dinghies, row boats …
Crewed by:
Fishermen, merchant navy sailors, naval officers, civilian crew, naval crew, nurses, retired sailors …
The exhausted soldiers lining the decks of the Basilisk start to clap, then to cheer … Some are crying …
EXT. MOONSTONE, WATER OUTSIDE DUNKIRK HARBOUR – CONTINUOUS
Peter steps out of the cabin, reeling. Meets his dad’s questioning glance with unmistakable shock –
SHIVERING SOLDIER
(out of shot)
The lad …
Peter turns. The Shivering Soldier is looking up at him with terrified eyes, blanket tight around his shoulders.
Will he be okay?
Peter looks at the Shivering Soldier. Sees the white knuckles clasping the edge of the rough blanket. Peter nods.
The Shivering Soldier turns, staring out at the destroyer.
Peter catches Mr Dawson looking at him. Approving.
Collins, pulling a man from the water, looks up at Spitfire 1 chasing down the Heinkel –
COLLINS
Come on, Farrier …
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier strafes the Heinkel – no apparent effect. Zipping over it, he dives down out of range of its turret, banks hard left to line up for another shot. A 109 cuts across him, Tracer fire shooting past.
Cut to:
EXT. WATER, JUST OUTSIDE DUNKIRK HARBOUR – DAY
Tommy swims for the Keith …
He hears an airplane … looks up to see a Heinkel coming in over the Keith … The bombs drop, plumes of water shoot upwards all around the ship. Tommy dives under the water for protection. The explosions are deafening – he holds his ears with his hands –
Tommy breaks the surface. The barrage is over, the Keith is still afloat. Tommy swims for it. Getting closer, Tommy realizes he’s swimming in oil, the black sludge covering his head and arms. He looks back – the blue trawler is gently slipping beneath the water …
Tommy makes for the Keith, even as he sees men jumping into the water from her decks, lifeboats being lowered …
Tommy spots another craft – a yacht heading towards them.
Tommy pulls for the yacht as hard as he can …
Cut to:
EXT. BEACH AT MALO LES BAINS – CONTINUOUS
The rag-tag collection of small ships works the beach, picking men up in the shallows, ferrying them out to bigger ships …
Small open boats use the truck ‘pier’ to load men as the Engineer looks on with pride …
EXT. MOONSTONE, WATER OUTSIDE DUNKIRK HARBOUR – DAY
The Moonstone is filled with oil-covered men, throughout the hold and across the decks – many more still in the water …
The Keith lists, men jump off the far side, away from the oil slick, where small ships are gathering to pick them up …
Collins moves up the side, watching Farrier bank hard to get behind the Heinkel. A 109 zips across his path, guns blazing …
Collins looks down at the oil-covered water …
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier pulls around, hard. The Heinkel is in front of him, side on, heading in for another run at the Keith.
Farrier banks and pulls up to keep the bomber in his sights as he fires his cannons –
The Heinkel catches fire and starts falling …
EXT. MOONSTONE, WATER OUTSIDE DUNKIRK HARBOUR – CONTINUOUS
Collins sees the Heinkel catch fire – turns to Mr Dawson.
COLLINS
GO! GO! GO!
Mr Dawson throws the engine into gear, turns the wheel –
The Heinkel falls flaming towards the oil slick …
Peter has hold of one last oil-covered survivor, who hangs on for dear life as the boat drags him through the oily water –
The men left in the water shout with despair as the Moonstone motors away –
The flaming Heinkel hits the water – explodes –
The surface of the water catches fire, spreading across the water. Men duck underwater to escape the flames.
Underwater: Highlander 1 pushes down under, looking up at the fire. The surface is aflame as far as he can see …
Peter holds on to the oil-covered soldier –
Who is now being washed with cleaner water as they come out of the slick. As the oil comes off his face we see that it is Tommy …
Collins watches, appalled, as the men in the water are engulfed by relentless flames … The Keith is going down – survivors on the far side are picked up by the various small ships …
Under the water, Highlander 1’s air runs out. The flames rage above …
His instinct to breathe pushes him up into the flames where he is engulfed, screaming, dying –
Tommy lies on the deck at Peter’s feet, eyes closed …
TOMMY
(a whisper)
Take me home.
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier sees the Heinkel explode, turns away towards the beaches …
He looks down at –
The thousands of men on the beach.
The small ships ferrying out to the larger vessels.
The narrow mole with its endless rope of men …
Farrier is awestruck …
He hears his engine start to sputter …
It dies and the prop stops …
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
Commander Bolton watches with satisfaction as a paddle steamer ties up. He calls up to a Stewardess (fifty-nine) –
COMMANDER BOLTON
Where’re you from?
STEWARDESS
Out of Dartmouth!
Bolton shakes his head in joyous disbelief. He watches men load into a small open sailboat crewed by two young men.
COMMAN
DER BOLTON
From Deal?
They nod.
Mind the current at the mouth, boys.
Bolton spots Spitfire 1. It soars overhead. He waves –
MALE VOICE
(out of shot)
Where’ve you been all my life?!
Commander Bolton sighs at this … then notices. No engine noise.
He watches the Spitfire, concerned, until –
Hears something – another engine … A high whine … He turns to see –
A Stuka …
The men lining the mole shift restlessly. Trapped …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – EVENING
The Moonstone chugs along, low in the water, men laying down along her decks …
INT. CABIN, MOONSTONE – CONTINUOUS
Men lie on every available space, packed in like sardines. Tommy catches sight of Alex looking at him. Tommy nods.
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – CONTINUOUS
Mr Dawson is at the helm. Collins hears a distant engine –
COLLINS
That’s a fighter –
MR DAWSON
ME 109, from the South. Peter, take the wheel, listen for my instructions.
Mr Dawson steps up onto the seat to look above the roof of the cabin …
Point her south.
Peter turns the wheel, the Moonstone swings to port, straightens up. Mr Dawson spots the 109, closing …
Cut to:
EXT. THE MOLE – DAY
Commander Bolton turns to see the Stuka approaching, its distinctive kinked-wing silhouette bearing down like an awful bird of prey …
The soldiers stir, some crouching, some closing their eyes. Commander Bolton takes a knee, bracing. He bites his lip as the Stuka goes into its dive, that terrible whine building …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – EVENING
Mr Dawson stares at the approaching 109 –
MR DAWSON
Full speed ahead.
Peter throttles up –
The 109 is growing close now …
MR DAWSON
Get ready to pull hard to port … Before he fires he’ll have to lower his nose, I’ll give you the signal …
Peter reaches over to the side of the wheel, ready to throw it. The 109 is practically upon them …
Cut to:
EXT. THE MOLE – DAY
Commander Bolton is mumbling a prayer as he watches the Stuka come at them –
BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM!!
The Stuka is strafed with fire as Spitfire 1 flashes past –
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier darts past the Stuka, gliding, guns blazing …
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
The Stuka never fires, it just smashes into the sea … The soldiers all along the mole cheer.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier watches the Stuka disintegrate on the surface of the water. He nods … feeling the unaccustomed silence …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – EVENING
Mr Dawson stares at the approaching 109. Peter glances back and forth between the 109 and his father …
MR DAWSON
Wait for it … wait till he’s committed to his line …
The nose of the 109 dips down –
MR DAWSON
NOW!
Peter throws the wheel, the Moonstone lurches to port –
The guns on the 109 light up, strafing the water to starboard –
The 109 flashes over … Collins watches it recede.
COLLINS
He’s off.
MR DAWSON
Bigger fish to fry.
Collins looks at Mr Dawson. Curious.
COLLINS
How’d you know all that, anyway?
Mr Dawson steps onto the deck.
MR DAWSON
My son’s one of you lot. I knew he’d see us through.
Mr Dawson moves forward. Collins steps up beside Peter.
COLLINS
You’re RAF?
PETER
Not me. My brother. Flew Hurricanes. He died third week into the war.
Collins looks forward at the proud father standing by the mast.
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier sits in the silence, gliding … looking to see how far he might make it up the beach …
Cut to:
INT. CABIN, MOONSTONE – EVENING
Tommy gets to his feet, steps over other men as he slips over to the stairs …
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – EVENING
Tommy and Alex poke their heads out –
PETER
Stay below, please.
TOMMY
We just want to see the cliffs –
Tommy looks over at white cliffs, ghostly above the dark water.
TOMMY
Dover?
Peter shakes his head, amused.
PETER
Weymouth.
Alex shakes his head, sadly.
ALEX
We let you all down, didn’t we?
Peter just looks at this exhausted, ragged boy his own age.
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – DAY
Farrier glides, banking, looking for a suitable stretch of beach to ditch …
In the strangely silent plane, he passes over the troops, lines up on the vast stretch of sand beyond Malo les Bains …
Cut to:
EXT. HARBOUR AT WEYMOUTH – NIGHT
Soldier after soldier climbs out of the yacht. The Corporal handing out travel chits marvels at the absurd amount …
CORPORAL
How many you got in there?
The Shivering Soldier is taken ashore, wrapped in blankets.
Tommy and Alex stick together as they are handed hot cups of tea and shepherded out of the harbour in long lines.
Peter supervises as George’s body is taken ashore.
As Collins steps off the boat a soldier from another boat spots his RAF uniform –
SOLDIER
(furious)
Where the hell were you!
Collins just stands there. He feels a hand on his shoulder. It is Mr Dawson. He indicates the men filing off the Moonstone –
MR DAWSON
They know where you were.
Mr Dawson puts his hat on. To go home.
EXT. WEYMOUTH RAIL YARD – NIGHT
Tommy and Alex, exhausted, downcast, are herded across the tracks towards a train. Before getting on they are handed a blanket and cup of tea by an Elderly Man, who looks at their hands, not their faces, as he hands the rough blanket over –
ELDERLY MAN
Well done, lads … well done, lads …
ALEX
All we did is survive.
ELDERLY MAN
That’s enough. Well, done, lads, well done, lads …
Alex steps up onto the train. The Elderly Man reaches out to Tommy, touching his face – clearly blind.
INT. TRAIN – CONTINUOUS
Tommy flops down, lying across the seat. Alex is slumped opposite, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.
ALEX
That old bloke wouldn’t even look us in the eye.
No response. He looks over. Tommy is already asleep.
Cut to:
EXT. THE MOLE – EVENING
The mole is empty but for bodies.
A Private opens his eyes. He sits up, alone on the deserted mole, his comrades gone, mistaken for dead …
COMMANDER BOLTON
(out of shot)
Come on, then, Private …
The Private looks down at the water to see Commander Bolton standing in a launch full of army officers.
COMMANDER BOLTON
I know we’re officers, but it’s us or the enemy, so now’s not the time to be particular …
&n
bsp; The Private scrambles down into the launch, where Colonel Winnant stands talking to Commander Bolton.
They look out at the vast deserted beach, littered with corpses and abandoned equipment …
COLONEL WINNANT
(to Commander Bolton)
Churchill got his thirty thousand.
COMMANDER BOLTON
And then some. Almost three hundred thousand. So far.
Commander Bolton steps back up onto the mole.
COLONEL WINNANT
So far?
COMMANDER BOLTON
I’m staying. (Off look.) For the French.
The launch pulls away from Commander Bolton on the mole.
Cut to:
INT. TRAIN – MORNING
Sunlight flickering on Tommy’s eyelids wakes him. We have the sense that he has been asleep for a very long time.
The train full of soldiers rolls to a halt. Alex opens the window, spots a Boy near the tracks –
ALEX
Hey! Where are we?!
BOY
Siding. You’ll pull in in a minute –
ALEX
What station?
BOY
(surprised)
Woking.
Alex spots stacks of newspapers waiting to be loaded.
ALEX
Grab me one of them papers.
The Boy hesitates.
Go on!
The Boy pulls the paper off the top and stretches up to hand it to Alex. Alex slumps into his seat. The headline:
CHURCHILL ADDRESSES DUNKIRK EVACUATION IN COMMONS
Alex thrusts the paper at Tommy.
Dunkirk Page 9