분야
hwp Screenplay by
FRAN WALSH & PETER JACKSON
From an idea conceived by
EDGAR WALLACE & MERIAN C. COOPER
1st Draft
1996
EXT. SKIES OVER FRANCE 1917 - DAY
CAMERA drifts towards a large puffy cloud floating 6000ft above the
French countryside ...
... a roar of engines - sounding like angry buzzing bees - and three ...
six ... NINE SOPWITH CAMEL FIGHTER PLANES emerge from the cloud, flying
in tight formation. These are frail looking, but deadly single seat
BIPLANES, each armed with twin Vickers machine guns. The height of 1917
aircraft design, built for the sole purpose of blasting German planes
out of the skies.
SUPER "FRANCE 1917"
JACK DRISCOLL and his buddy, MATT HAMON are flying two of the CAMELS at
the rear of the formation. An UPTIGHT BRIT - McKECKNIE, is flying along
side them. Hes as JUMPY AS HELL, scanning the skies for enemy planes.
MATT looks around furtively. None of the other pilots are looking in
their direction. With practiced skill, MATT reaches down for something
in his tiny cockpit ... HE STANDS UP, wedging the control column between
his knees and turns back towards JACKS Camel ... a BASEBALL IN HIS
HAND!! With equal proficiency, JACK jams his control column between his
knees and stands, brandishing a BASEBALL BAT! Both pranksters have to
fight against the fierce slipstream as MATT THROWS THE BALL.I across
fifty feet of sky towards JACK! He prepares to swing, but the ball FALLS
SHORT, getting MINCED in JACKS propeller! A quick look around to make
sure no one is looking, and MATT reaches down again, grabbing ANOTHER
BASEBALL out of the bag of balls he carries in his cockpit!
MATT PITCHES it back towards JACK ... he swings and smashes the ball
into the side of McKECKNIES PLANE! He LEAPS WITH FRIGHT, his CAMEL
wobbling in the sky as he frantically spins around, thinking hes been
hit by enemy fire!
JACK and MATT sit in their cockpits, innocently looking the other way!
Sudden MACHINE GUN FIRE ... The SQUADRON LEADER has fired his guns to
attract the attention of all his pilots. He gestures down ...
JACK looks down ... 3 large GERMAN BOMBERS, escorted by 6 sleek
ALBATROSS fighters are heading towards Allied lines, about 1000 feet
below.
With a wave of the SQUADRON LEADERS arm, the NINE CAMELS peel away
towards the GERMAN PLANES. The fun is over for JACK and MATT as they
grimly steer their planes into the steep dive ...
WOOD CREAKS, WIRE WHISTLES as the CAMELS shudder against the wind
resistance. Wings sometimes crumple like matchwood in dives as steep as
this. JACK squints as he lines up an ALBATROSS in his gun-sights. The
Germans have not spotted the FAST APPROACHING CAMELS ...
The Camel Pilots OPEN FIRE virtually simultaneously - 18 MACHINE GUNS
send yellow TRACER BULLETS ripping into the German planes. Within
seconds, 3 ALBATROS are destroyed! One spins away in flames, another
literally collapses under a hail of bullets and the third collides with
one of the BOMBERS, causing both planes to tumble out of the sky.
Its a turkey shoot as the CAMELS fly through the German formation,
turning sharply to attack again before the enemy pilots can recover.
McKECKNIE blasts at the NOSE GUNNER of a German BOMBER, pumping so many
bullets into his plane, the NOSE SECTION DISINTEGRATES and the GERMAN
FALLS OUT ... This is in the days before parachutes ...
CLUNK!!! The GERMAN GUNNER LANDS ON JACKS WING!!! He desperately hangs
on, spread eagled, FINGERS GRIPPING the wing edges ... JACK stares at
him, amazed ...
This is one of those defining moments in life ... With a flick of his
CONTROL STICK, JACK could send this guy sailing into space. It is a
moment he will remember till the end of his days ... JACK makes EYE
CONTACT - the GERMAN is terrified, helpless ...
JACK reaches out to him.
JACK
(yelling above noise)
Here!
JACK struggles to keep his plane flying as smooth as possible - all
around the swirling DOGFIGHT continues. The German REACHES OUT for
JACKS HAND ...
BAM! BAM! BAM! A SUDDEN BURST OF GUNFIRE hits the GERMAN. He looks at
JACK with a kind of confused SORROW ... and ROLLS OFF THE WING.
JACK
(shocked)
NO!!
ANOTHER CAMEL is flying just a few feet off JACKS TAIL . .. It dives
away.
TRACER FIRE rips into JACKS PLANE ... He SPINS AROUND, confronted with
a TERRIFYING SIGHT!
The 24 gaudily painted FOKKER TRI-PLANES of VON RICHTOFENS FLYING
CIRCUS are diving down towards them. The hunters have just become THE
HUNTED! Before JACK can react, the TRI-PLANES swoop into the dogfight
...
The sky is suddenly filled with nearly 50 planes wheeling around in a
desperate life and death struggle. From a distance they look like a
swarm of angry bees against a spectacular backdrop of cumulous cloud
rising in towering columns.
Close in, its stomach churning, noisy and violent as terrified pilots
throw their planes around the sky in a desperate attempt to blast
bullets into each other. You may have seen movie dogfights before, but
you havent seen one like this!
JACK wrenches the control stick, sending his Camel through a
