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| Lots of firing - C47's still coming - men jumping into hell. Medic's Field Notes, Airborne Museum, Saint Mer Eglise Normandy |
In April of 2024 I visited the beaches and areas of Normandy made infamous on June 6, 1944. Our tour guide, Valentine, inspired this screenplay that I submitted for a competition (got great feedback, but did not advance). He told us of a French professional cyclist who had been able to "train" in Normandy but was actually doing work with and for the French Resistance.
There are so many unknown stories and heroes form France that helped the Allies as they prepared for the D Day invasion. Also, the BBC would transmit codes within their broadcasts to those who dared have a hidden transistor radio.
*The formatting is off, but please take a moment to read. It felt nice to be back in script mode.
JUMPING INTO HELL
Members
of the French Resistance, led by a professional cyclist, gather intel to free
their town and country from the German occupation. A story of lovers,
unexpected spies, and a wager with freedom.
EXT.
DIRT ROAD – LONGUES SUR MER - NORMANDY FRANCE JUNE 1944 - DAY
Foggy
day with rain imminent. The wind picking up in intensity.
SUPER:
“June 5, 1944 – Normandy”
VALENTINE
(26) a professional cyclist is training along the ocean near three large German
batteries with their guns being positioned in opposite directions. He was given
special permissions to train in the countryside. He owns a bicycle shop in
Bayeux.
He
stops, dismounts, and looks at his back tire. He sighs emphatically and looks
up and around his surroundings. Around the bunkers are numerous German soldiers
appearing to ready their equipment. GERMAN SOLIDER ONE (30) confronts
Valentine.
GERMAN
SOLDIER ONE
Foolish to be out here with this weather. Papers.
Valentine reaches into this shirt pocket for his papers and hands them to the soldier.
VALENTINE
I have an issue with my tire. I will be going
as soon as just fix the derailleur. Won’t be long.
The soldier looks at the papers and emphatically gives them back to Valentine.
GERMAN
SOLDIER ONE
No more than one minute. And this area is
off limits
starting in two minutes.
As
Valentine takes his papers, three German military vehicles filled with soldiers
speed by to one of the furthest batteries.
GERMAN
SOLDIER ONE
Thirty seconds.
Valentine
quickly puts his papers away and then assess the gear on his bike, He quickly
mounts and rides away, not looking back.
EXT. DIRT ROAD OUTSIDE OF BAYEUX – MIDDAY
The
rain is now coming down sideways and Valentine is trying to ride his bike but
the roads are beginning to get too muddy. He keeps trying to pedal, even going
into the grass to get away from the mud. He is run off the road by a German
truck filled with soldiers. He pedals for a few more meters, stops, gets off
his bike, and begins to run with his bike to a nearby house.
As he stands under the eaves, breathing heavily, the door opens suddenly causing Valentine to jump.
JEAN
(23), who is blind, is at the door.
JEAN
Valentine,
why are you breathing heavily
at my door in the
pouring rain? Get in.
Get in, I have news for you.
Valentine enters the house, which doubles as a music teaching studio. He wipes his feet and stays near the door. As he does this, Jean makes his way to the small kitchen.
VALENTINE
I don’t want
to get mud all over your floor.
I’ll just
stay here.
Jean feels his way to a burner and pours some warm calvados into a mug for Valentine. He also picks up a towel for his friend.
JEAN
Graciously
appreciated. It’s really raining
so hard. Let me
get you some warm calvados.
We can’t have you
catching death now especially
(pause) with the
longing sobs of the violins, you’ll
hurt my heart with monotonous languor.
Valentine perks up.
VALETINE
Officially? Right,
lots of troops. They were,
they were moving
the guns in the batteries.
But the weather today?
Valentine meets Jean part way and takes the towel and drink. He sips carefully before drying his face and hair.
JEAN
Yes, there have been a lot of trucks today.
VALENTINE
Thank you
for this, by the way.
(lifts cup in
thanks)
You know, Miriam
and I have room.
JEAN
It won’t be
necessary, but thank you.
More
trucks speed by outside Jean’s house, causing them to pause. Valentine lowers
his voice to a whisper.
VALENTINE
You’ll
be safer with us. At least we
have the
wine cellar. You have what?
A French
horn and a bassoon to protect
yourself?
JEAN
(laughs
quietly)
That won’t
be necessary. As soon as the
Allies
arrives, our friends will leave us alone,
and quickly.
Valentine makes a questioning face.
JEAN
(CONT’D)
I truly wish
I could visualize your face.
I’m sure its
quite amusing. I’ll bet you,
three of my
finest Calvados Pays d'Auge,
let’s say
1940.
VALENTINE
You really
think we’re safe here? Those
Allies are
going to be jumping into hell.
I’ve seen
the batteries, the guns, the
amount of
troops.
JEAN
I hear
things. People think I’m deaf not
blind. Hell
will not be here. Close, but not here.
Three of my
Calvados or, I don’t know,
maybe two of
your Château Mouton
Rothschild. 1940,
of course. 1939 was off.
Valentine
gulps down the remainder of the calvados.
VALENTINE
I personally
think you’re mad, not blind.
(beat)
Deal. Thank
you again, Jean.
Valentine
exits. Jean sighs.
MONTAGE:
-
Valentine
in the torrential rain trying to ride his bicycle.
-
Valentine
getting stopped by the Gestapo and handing over his papers.
-
Gestapo
pointing in the opposite direction for Valentine to take.
-
Valentine
trying to go around a blockage of barbed wire to find a bridge has been
destroyed.
-
Valentine
talking to FATHER MICHEL (45) at his church.
-
Valentine
exiting a market with bread.
-
Valentine
arriving at his bicycle shop.
INT. WINE CELLAR – BAYEYX – NORMANDY FRNACE 1944 – EVENING
MIRIAM (24) is Valentine’s co-resistance member and his pregnant wife. She is moving bottles of wine to the side exposing a cabinet. She hears the cellar door open and stops. She sees it is Valentine and continues moving the bottles.
Valentine has brought some dry clothes into the cellar with him He kisses Miriam before starting to change. As they talk Miriam continues to move bottles away from the cabinet.
MIRIAM
I was
getting worried.
VALENTINE
You were
getting hungry.
MIRIAM
That too. I
heard the invasion is imminent.
But seeing
that you’re soaked I’m guessing
it will be
tomorrow.
VALENTINE
I stopped by
to see the Doves. They’ve been
flooded with
messages today. I made it to
Longues sur Mer
this morning. They are moving
the batteries into
place at, Jean is convinced the
Germans are
leaving town when the invasion starts,
I think he’s mad, the
bridge has been taken out at
the Loup, oh I saw
Father Michel...
Miriam
opens the cabinet doors as Valentine finishes changing. In the cabinet is a
Phillips radio. It is programmed to pick up the BBC. When the doors open, it
completes the loop to power it.
MIRIAM
The news.
They
both get close to the radio as it is turned down low.
BBC
RADIO – MALE VOICE
This is
London calling in the European news
service of
the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Here is the
news. But first here is some news for
our friends
in occupied countries. The virgin war
will not be
held. John is growing a very long
beard this
week. The long sobs of the violins
of autumn fill
my heart with monotonous languor.
It is hot in
Suez. The dice are on the table.
Miriam and Valentine both look at each other.
MIRIAM
Be safe.
VALENTINE
You get to
the tower if you don’t feel safe.
Promise me?
The ladies have a deep cellar
there…while
the world comes to save us
by dropping loads
of bombs on the Germans.
Oh, I told Jean he
should come here. He knows
the signal.
They
hug each other quickly and then kiss. Valentine kisses his fingers and places
them on Miriam’s pregnant belly.
EXT. ALLEYS OF BAYEUX – EVENING
The rain has stopped. Valentine walks quickly through the streets that are not fully empty as it is not curfew. He passes by the German recruitment office across the street from a hat store. He crosses the street and tries the door of the shop. The sign reads closed. He rings the bell. GERMAN SOLDIER TWO (35) is exiting the recruitment office.
GERMAN
SOLDER TWO
Can you not
read? It is closed? Go home.
VALENTINE
I am not
here for a hat. The owner is my wife’s
midwife. My
wife is having, she is having
complications and
I want her to be seen before
curfew.
An
OLDER WOMAN (50) answers the door. The soldier waits.
VALENTINE
Hi! Sorry to
trouble you so late. You see
Miriam is
having some complications.
I knew
coming here was a roll of the dice,
but it would
wound my heart if anything
happens to
our child.
OLDER
WOMAN
Oh no
bother. Come in while I get my bag.
Valentine
enters the shop. The soldier begins to walk away. He stops and turns as the
door is closed. He pauses and then continues walking.
INT. HAT SHOP – EVENING
The
older woman peers out of the window blinds.
OLDER
WOMAN
He’s been a
pain all day.
(beat)
It’s really
happening?
VALENTINE
Lots of
troops and they are readying the
batteries. I
encountered so many roadblocks
today and my
papers were no good. But, little
did they
know, I love being told to go another
way around.
OLDER
WOMAN
Surprising
they actually made it out of Poland.
I’ll take
sector 15. You reported the battery
placement to
the Tower?
VALENTINE
Took me half
a day, but yes. And I’ll take 23.
The
older woman puts on her coat and grabs her bag.
OLDER
WOMAN
Let’s leave
together, we can walk past your shop,
just in
case.
EXT.
ALLEY WAY – NIGHT
Valentine
and the older woman walk quickly down the block. When they get to the bicycle
shop, they split up.
INT.
BAR – NIGHT
German
soldier two is talking to GERMAN SOLDER THREE over drinks.
GERMAN
SOLDER TWO
No one will
believe me. There are messages in
those
broadcasts.
GERMAN
SOLDIER THREE
Secret
messages? Coming from the British?
To whom?
Just because you’ve heard some curious
statements
from the locals, you think the invasion
is coming
soon?
GERMAN
SOLDIER TWO
Yes.
GERMAN
SOLDIER
Why don’t
you have another drink? Then get
some sleep.
There is nothing going on here
except maybe
your wild imagination.
German
soldier two finishes his drink and crosses his arms in disgust.
MONTAGE:
-
Valentine
meeting with a GROUP OF MALE RESISTANCE FIGHTERS in a barn.
-
Older
woman marking up a map with GROUP OF FEMALE RESISTANCE FIGHTERS in a hosiery
shop.
-
Miriam
listens to the radio via a headset in the wine cellar.
-
Jean
listens out his window as vehicles move in the opposite direction from which
they came earlier in the day.
-
Father
Michel talking to British Soldiers.
-
Tracks
on a rail bridge being broken by RESISTANCE FIGHTERS.
-
Communication
lines being cut by RESISTANCE FIGHTERS.
EXT.
STREET IN FRONT OF BICYCLE SHOP – DAY
BBC
RADIO – MALE VOICE (V.O.)
In the early
morning hours of this morning, it was
announced that
from Supreme Headquarters, Allied
Expeditionary
Force, that Allied troops have captured
Bayeux, and have
crossed the road connecting Bayeux
with Caen at
several points. Beyeux is the first French
town whose capture
has been announced. It stands
about five miles
inland from the Channel coast, on the
main road and
railway running west from Caen towards
the Cherbourg
Peninsula. It’s an ancient town with a
peace-time
population of about seven thousand; famous
for its early
Gothic Cathedral and for the Bayeux Tapestry,
which used to be
kept in the olds Bishop’s Palace….
It was reported by
a correspondent that French folk sang
and cheered as
British armor passed through their village,
and somehow,
within the hour or two, every French boy
had a British
badge on his beret and every girl a badge
on her blouse.
EXT.
COBBLESTONE STREET – BAYEUX – DAY
As
the Allied Troops roll into town, the citizens celebrate in the streets,
singing and welcoming them. Valentine and Miriam stand outside of the bicycle
shop, their arms around each other. A YOUNG BOY (11) runs up to them.
YOUNG
BOY
Excuse me,
are you Valentine?
VALENTINE
It depends,
who is asking, young man?
YOUNG
BOY
Jean. He
sent me to collect his wine.
BLACK SCREEN
SUPER: “In June of 1944, members of the several French Resistance units in the town of Bayeux were guided by daily secret BBC news messages in their hidden radios. This along with numerous Resistance members being vigilant of their surroundings brought word of the Allied Invasion they had all been waiting for.”
“Resistance members such as French cyclist Guillame Mercader, blind music teacher Jacques Lusseyran, Germaine Limeul and Julia Picot the “Doves in the Tower” providing and sharing valuable information gathered, Father Dom Aubourg, who had told the nearby British soldier of the Germans leaving Bayeux en masse on June 6-7, subsequently sparing the town from British bombing, were the ordinary members of French life who extraordinarily helped the Allies and spared Bayeux from harm.”
“While
their paths did not all cross in the real timeline, their stories exemplify the
hundreds of French Resistance Fighters of World War 2.”
FADE
OUT
