PEARL HARBOR
DANNY
Well guys...I reckon there's just one
thing to do...
INT. OAHU BAR - DAY
Danny and the pilots are in Hawaiian shirts, their party in
full swing. A bucket-sized hollowed-out volcano sits in the
middle of the table, with twelve straws emerging from the
crater. It's full of booze -- or was; Danny and the other
guys are pulling heartily at the straws, and they gurgle as
the last liquid is sucked dry.
RED
More m-mai-tai's!
Coma is sitting there with them, beside Red.
COMA
Absolutely right.
Everybody's having a ball, the new arrivals fitting right in
with the others. Danny's a bit off to himself, lost in his
own thoughts. Billy and Anthony are doing the hula to the
Hawaiian music playing.
COMA
No, you guys aren't doing it right. It's
in the hands. They talk story.
Coma stands and starts demonstrating, explaining the gestures
of his hula.
COMA
Fish swim in ocean... Happy in the Mother
Sea... Girl, beautiful girl, with big
jugs, walks into water...waves lapping at
her thighs...
ANTHONY
I never knew those dances were so
sophisticated.
COMA
...Fish nibble at her breasts...
Coma's really into his dance, his hands over enormous
imaginary breasts; but as he turns toward the windows --
COMA
A more beautiful girl walks by...
The guys see Evelyn passing on the other side of the street,
gorgeous in the sunshine. Coma's hands start squeezing the
imaginary breasts of his hula.
BILLY
Hey, isn't that Evelyn?
Danny moves up to look.
DANNY
Rafe's girl, Evelyn?
COMA
You guys know her?! I gotta have an
intro! Man, I'd like to --
Danny's hand is suddenly around Coma's larynx.
DANNY
A friend of mine's in love with her. So
you don't even look -- not ever.
Danny releases him and Coma staggers back to the table to
nuzzle up to one of the straws of the mai-tai volcano.
Danny looks out the window again and sees Evelyn's beautiful
form disappear around the corner, on her way back to the base
hospital. Danny moves back to the table, and as two burly
Hawaiian waiters set another full loaded mai-tai volcano onto
the center of the table, he picks up a glass and dips it full
of the potent liquid. He shouts to the whole room --
DANNY
I'm a better pilot than any son-of-a-
bitch on this island! So I'm the one to
say this! Here's to Rafe McCawley! A
better pilot...and a better man...than
me.
The other pilots drink up -- from glasses or from straws.
OTHER PILOTS
To Rafe.
Danny drains the whole glass at one chug, and slams it down
onto the table. Then he blinks, puts a hand on his stomach,
and frowns. Coma recognizes the look.
COMA
Uh oh. Volcanic eruption!
Danny bends at the waist; his head obscured by the table.
COMA
Shit, he's puking on my feet!
RED
Well, you p-puked on his feet.
COMA
Yeah, but he was wearing shoes!
INT. ADMIRAL KIMMEL'S OFFICE - OAHU - DAY
ADMIRAL KIMMEL is Commander of the American Pacific Fleet.
Two members of his staff are standing uncomfortably in front
of him, having delivered a message from the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
ADMIRAL KIMMEL
...transfer twelve more destroyers to
Atlantic Fleet, and all the available
anti-aircraft weaponry?! Washington has
gone insane!
Kimmel's STRATEGIC ANALYST speaks up.
STRATEGIC ANALYST
We've done what you ordered, Admiral, and
war gamed the likely outcome of a
Japanese attack against each of our major
bases in the Pacific. Wake, Guam,
Midway, the Philippines. In each case,
we lose.
ADMIRAL KIMMEL
You left out Hawaii.
STRATEGIC ANALYST
Pearl Harbor can't be attacked
effectively from the air. It's too
shallow for an aerial torpedo attack.
Pearl Harbor's safe. It's everywhere
else that we're vulnerable.
ADMIRAL KIMMEL
Step up surveillance of Japanese
communications. They're gonna do
something somewhere. I can feel it.
EXT. THE SKIES ABOVE OAHU - DAY
A seaplane takes tourists on an excursion above Pearl Harbor
and around the island of Oahu. One Japanese tourist shoots
pictures rapidly...first of the ships as seen from overhead;
then he leans to the other side of the plane and shoots
pictures of the airfield below them.
EXT. PEARL HARBOR - DAY
Another Japanese tourist hikes through the hills above Pearl
Harbor. He takes an excellent camera from his picnic basket,
and shoots pictures.
CLOSE - THE PICTURES, being carried down a hallway, into --
INT. JAPANESE PLANNERS OFFICE - DAY
The courier places the pictures onto the table in front of
Yamamoto, Genda, and the other JAPANESE OFFICERS.
GENDA
Look at the ships -- all grouped. Perfect
targets!
JAPANESE OFFICER
And the planes! They are -- what is that
American expression? Sitting geese?
YAMAMOTO
Sitting ducks.
JAPANESE OFFICER
How can they be so foolish?
YAMAMOTO
They think no one would be stupid enough
to attack them at Pearl Harbor.
GENDA
Or perhaps they think no one is capable.
Look at this...
He moves to a diagram displayed on the wall -- a simple
display showing water depth and ship displacement.
GENDA
Pearl Harbor's depth of only forty feet
makes them feel safe. A torpedo dropped
from an airplane plunges to one hundred
feet before it can level off. That is a
conventional torpedo. But we have been
experimenting.
From a stand beside his diagram he takes a set of wooden
fins, attached to a circular metallic band.
GENDA
Wooden fins. We are testing them
tomorrow.
EXT. JAPANESE ISLAND - DAY
Yamamoto and his planners have flown to a quiet Japanese
island, sunlit and pleasant. They are gathered on the shore
of the island's natural harbor. Wooden targets -- basically
huge plank barriers -- are sunk into the water like ships at
anchor. A squadron of Japanese planes zooms overhead, taking
up attack positions.
GENDA
We have chosen this place because its
depth is exactly the same as Pearl
Harbor's.
Genda speaks into a field radio. A lone plane drops out of
formation and goes into a low-level approach, speeding up and
dropping its torpedo.
BELOW THE SURFACE we see the torpedo as it plunges at two
hundred miles an hour into the sunlit sea. With the wooden
fins the torpedo makes a sharp dip and levels off above the
sea floor.
ABOVE THE SURFACE the planners see the path of the torpedo;
it hits the wooden barrier with a satisfying THUNK. The
planners are impressed -- but Yamamoto is not satisfied.
YAMAMOTO
Uncharged torpedoes have different
balance.
GENDA
I have arranged a live fire drill -- with
your permission.
Yamamoto nods; Genda speaks again into his radio, and another
plane swoops down and drops a torpedo. Genda holds his hands
to his ears, causing the others to do the same; even though
they wonder at the need.
The torpedo hits the barrier, and the explosion is deafening,
and of shocking force; the entire barrier is blown to
toothpicks.
GENDA
Of course against a ship the explosion
will not be dissipated, and will have
more force.
The planners, nearly blown off their feet, nod as if they
knew that all the time.
INT. MILITARY BASE - PILOTS' BARRACKS - NIGHT
The pilots are getting slicked up.
BILLY
Are you sure they're here?
ANTHONY
If Evelyn's here, the rest are here!
Red moves up beside him to frown at the mirror. His hair is
plastered down and parted, his uniform's immaculate.
ANTHONY
Looking good, Red.
RED
Shut up.
Red moves away, to polish his shoes.
ANTHONY
What is it with Red? I've never seen him
this way.
BILLY
He's been like that all day. Hey Danny,
you coming?
DANNY
Nah, I'm gonna stay here. Read.
Anthony and Billy look at each other; Danny's in his bunk,
and he's not reading, just staring at the ceiling.
INT. NURSES' BARRACKS - PEARL HARBOR - NIGHT
The nurses are primping to go out; Evelyn is in her uniform
getting ready to go back to work.
BARBARA
Now listen, it's hands off Billy. I
mean, you can put your hands on him if
you want to, but then my hands will break
yours.
BETTY
He was that good?
BARBARA
No, I was.
EXT. NURSES' QUARTERS - OAHU - NIGHT
Creeping through the vegetation, Red leads Anthony and Billy
to a spot outside the nurses' barracks; they can see the
girls through the barracks window.
BILLY
Red, Peeping Tom stuff can get us court-
marshaled.
RED
Shhh!
Anthony and Billy are baffled, even more so when Red strides
into the open, right outside the nurses' window.
And then, Red begins to sing.
RED
(singing)
Oh...Betty, Betty, Betty, you're the one
for me, Betty, Betty, Betty, Betty, can't
you see...
Anthony and Billy look at each other, dumbfounded. The
nurses move to the open windows. Red's singing is pretty
good -- though not that good. But he doesn't stutter when he
sings.
RED
(singing)
I'll be yours for eternity, Betty, Betty,
Betty, Betty, Betty!
Anthony and Billy are hysterical, trying to keep their
laughter hidden. But then they see the effect this is having
on the women -- especially on Betty. She's smitten.
Red repeats the verse, really getting into it; when he
finishes, Betty runs out and hugs him, as all the nurses
applaud. They move off into the darkness, arm and arm.
The nurses go back to their primping.
Anthony and Billy are changed men. Anthony stands up;
Billy's baffled. Anthony moves out and starts singing.
ANTHONY
(singing)
Oh Sandra...I like you...love you...
He's terrible. The nurses pelt him with hairbrushes,
curlers, shoes...
EXT. BASSINGBORNE AIRFIELD - BRITAIN - DAY
Coming out of the blustery skies at the end of another deadly
day, a squadron of Spitfires chirps in for landings. The
planes are shot up and battered.
Rafe is one of the pilots; the fuselage below his cockpit is
marked with four swastikas, symbols of his victories. He
taxis to a stop, and is met by IAN, a Scottish mechanic, who
is dismayed at the state of the plane.
IAN
Leapin' Jesus!
RAFE
(climbing down)
The struts are loose, the hydraulics are
leaking, and the electrical system's
shorting out in the cockpit.
IAN
Well which of those three ya want fixed?
RAFE
All of 'em.
Rafe starts away, and Ian calls to his back --
IAN
If ye'd wanted a bloody Cadillac ya
should'a stayed in the bloody States!
RAFE
And if you don't give me a plane that can
handle combat, you better start learning
to speak German.
IAN
Fook ya!
RAFE
Learn English, then!
IAN
Fook ya dooble!
Rafe moves to the barracks; Ian keeps the fueling hose going,
and moves to help the armorers reload the guns.
INT. BRITISH AIRFIELD BARRACKS - NIGHT
Rafe falls down onto his cot, exhausted. The other pilots do
the same, everybody spent from the day's combat. Then they
hear the SIREN. Rafe's out of his bunk, with the others,
everybody running.
BRITISH PILOT
Bloody Krauts! Night raid!
EXT. BASSINGBORNE AIRFIELD - BRITAIN - NIGHT
They race across the runway. Rafe reaches his Spitfire, just
as Ian is removing the fueling hose.
IAN
I have'na been able ta --
RAFE
Crank her!
Ian gives the prop a spin, and the engine roars to life.
IAN
God speed ya, laddie.
EXT. SKIES OVER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL - NIGHT
It's dark, but there are breaks in the clouds, giving way to
patches of light from a full moon. The squadron of Spitfires
tightens up for battle.
Rafe is positioned just right of the squad leader; he sees
planes breaking out of the dark clouds ahead.
RAFE
Here they come.
The clouds break, revealing a huge attack formation.
BRITISH SQUAD LEADER
Alpha group, on the bombers! Beta group,
take the fighters!
They peel off, into action.
EXT. THE AIR BATTLE OVER THE CHANNEL - NIGHT
We stay with Rafe as he and the Squad Leader rush side by
side at the lead bomber, blasting away with their guns.
INT. GERMAN BOMBER - IN THE AIR - NIGHT
The Spitfires' bullets rip into the pilot and also kill the
nose gunner; the bomber dips as the copilot struggles to take
control.
INT. RAFE, IN HIS SPITFIRE - NIGHT
As he streaks past, Rafe sees the bomber wobble in the air.
RAFE
We've got him hurt, stay on him!
Rafe throws his plane into an ultra-tight, high speed turn,
right between the tails of the leader German group and the
noses of the second. His turn is so tight that the plane
flexes with the g-force.
Rafe comes out of his turn ahead of the Squad Leader, and
races back up through the formation of German bombers, moving
above them where their weapons and armaments are the weakest.
He stitches a trail of bullets from tail to nose of the
wounded lead bomber; it begins to smoke.
The second Spitfire, the Squad Leader's, takes fire from the
other German bombers, and shears off, heading through the
smoke of the plane Rafe has on the ropes.
RAFE
We've got him going!
Rafe does a half-loop and half-spin, to bring him around to
face the bombers again. This time the g-force of the turn
pops an oil line inside Rafe's cockpit; hot, pressurized oil
begins to spray everywhere -- all over Rafe, his controls,
and worst of all, over the inside of his cockpit glass.
He wipes at the oil with his hands and that just smears it
and makes it worse.
His wingman sees him veering away from the bombers...and sees
the German fighters moving up to meet him.
SQUAD LEADER
McCawley! Get to the clouds! Get into
the clouds!
RAFE, IN HIS PLANE, is flying blind.
RAFE
I can't see the clouds!
His problems are just beginning; the fluid is dripping down
onto his cockpit's corroded electrical wiring; the fluid
causes an arc...a spark...and suddenly a fire is spreading
through Rafe's plane.
He grabs his fire extinguisher and triggers a cloud that
snuffs the fire but fills the entire cockpit with choking
smoke; between that and the smeared fluid on his glass, he
can't see a thing.
And the Messerschmidts are swarming over him.
Rafe's wingman dives in, raking the German planes as he
passes.
Rafe tries to open his cockpit cover to clear the smoke, but
it's jammed; he pulls out his .45 pistol and BLAM! BLAM!
BLAM! He blows out the glass; the smoke clears enough for
him to take a breath and try to see. He fights the stick,
but the plane won't respond.
The Messerschmidts rake him again, bullets riddling his
engine.
SQUAD LEADER
Get out of there, McCawley! Get out of
there!
Rafe's plane descends, ever faster, passing through clouds,
then clear air again. The Squad Leader tries to chase and
cover him, but Rafe's dropping fast, and still isn't out of
the plane as the Germans dive on him again, firing.
Rafe's Spitfire hits the broken fog over the water -- the
Squad Leader loses sight of it for a moment -- and then the
plane hits, splashing and exploding all at once.
The Squad Leader winces, and ducks into the clouds as he
reports on his radio...
SQUAD LEADER
McCawley down. No 'chute.
EXT. BATTLESHIP WEST VIRGINIA - PEARL HARBOR - DAY
The sailors have assembled on deck for the ship's heavyweight
championship fight, a contest made more interesting to the
sailors because one of the combatants is white and the other
is black.
The battle is more toughness than technique. The guys
throwing haymakers and shoving each other around the roped
area, as their shipmates cheer and make wild bets. The white
guy digs a punch deep into the black guy's ribs, and the
black guy slams a double left hook into the white guy's
belly, making him back up and say --
WHITE BOXER
You hit hard -- for a cook.
The black guy rushes the white guy, only to catch a right
cross that wobbles his knees and makes him stagger, with a
fresh cut over his right eye. The white guy now rushes in,
and the black guy (his name is DORIE MILLER) throws an upper
cut that drops his opponent like a sack of rocks.
The sailors cheer wildly. Dorie steps back, and rubs his
glove across his brow. It's really bleeding now.
EXT. MILITARY BASE - DAY
Evelyn is returning from church with six of her nurse
friends. It's very quiet on a Sunday morning, almost nobody
at the base; they walk along the path.
BARBARA
Let's get into civvies and find a bar.
MARTHA
Right after church?
BARBARA
You've gotta sin some, to get
forgiveness. Come with us, Evelyn. You
need some sin.
EVELYN
I've got to write some requisitions.
We're undersupplied with morphine.
BETTY
Morphine? We've been here a month and
nobody's had worse than a sunburn.
Evelyn smiles softly and walks toward the base hospital.
BETTY
I wish she could forget him.
BARBARA
You don't forget love, Honey. Not ever.
EXT. HOSPITAL - PEARL HARBOR - DAY
Evelyn approaches the hospital and finds the black boxer
peering in the window. He's in a T-shirt and navy pants.
EVELYN
Can I help you, sailor?
As Dorie turns, she sees the cut on his head, closed only
with a band-aid; it's dripping blood down his T-shirt.
DORIE
'Scuse me, 'Mam. All the ship's doctors
is golfing, and I couldn't find nobody to
look at this.
EVELYN
Our doctor's gone too.
DORIE
Sorry to trouble you.
EVELYN
Wait, let me look at that... You better
come in here.
INT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - DAY
Miller is sitting on a stool; Evelyn bathes the wound.
EVELYN
How'd you get this?
DORIE
Boxin'.
EVELYN
Win?
DORIE
Yes'm.
He says it without pride. She puts down the basin.
EVELYN
What's your name?
DORIE
Dorie Miller, 'Mam.
EVELYN
I'm Evelyn. And I'm just a nurse. But
I'm not playing golf, and that cut needs
sewing, or else it's gonna make a big
lumpy scar. Whatta ya say?
INT. HOSPITAL - PEARL HARBOR - LATER
Evelyn clips the ends of her carefully applied stitches;
Dorie's eyes are rolled up as if he could watch from inside
his skull.
EVELYN
How often you fight like this?
DORIE
Every other Sunday. I'm heavyweight
champion of the West Virginia.
EVELYN
What do you get for winning?
DORIE
Respect.
She hands him a mirror. He studies her work.
DORIE
No doctor would'a give me that good.
She walks him to the door.
DORIE
Thank you, 'Mam.
EVELYN
Tell me something, Dorie. A man as big
as you -- and smart too, you knew where
to come when your ship couldn't help --
do you still have to fight with your
fists to get respect?
DORIE
I left my Mama and joined the Navy to be
a man. They made me a cook -- and not
even that, really -- I clean up after the
other sailors eat. I shine the officer's
shoes. In two years, they've never even
let me fire a gun.
Now Evelyn understands.
EVELYN
You take care, Dorie.
DORIE
You too, 'Mam.
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - SUNSET
Dorie walks away, down the path between the palm trees. She
watches him go, and then is transfixed by someone else
coming, silhouetted by the light of the setting sun. She
can't make out his face, but he's wearing a pilot's dress
uniform, and coming to her right out of the warm orange
sunset that she has stared at so many times. Her heart slams
against her ribs; she takes a few steps forward.
EVELYN
...Rafe...
She moves toward him, and he draws near her, walking slowly.
And then she sees his face...
It's Danny. His face as sad as death itself.
And even before he tells her, she knows.
DANNY
Lieutenant... I'm Danny Walker. I'm Rafe
McCawley's best friend.
EVELYN
Were. Isn't that what you mean? Were.
Because he's dead, isn't he? And that's
why you've come.
EXT. A BENCH - OVERLOOKING PEARL HARBOR - SUNSET
Evelyn and Danny sit on the bench, with a sweeping view of
the harbor and the lights winking on all around it as the sun
settles beyond the horizon. Evelyn is stoic, numb; Danny is
the one who is struggling.
DANNY
Before Rafe left, he asked me to be the
one to tell you, if it happened.
EVELYN
He told me about you. That he had no
other friend like you.
DANNY
Rafe's folks had a crop dusting business,
owned their own planes. Real straight,
frugal. My father was the town drunk.
Went to sleep one night on the railroad
tracks and was still there when the Dawn
Express came along. Rafe and I were the
only ones at the funeral. He took me
back to his house, and I never left.
EVELYN
You were more like brothers.
DANNY
I taught him to drink beer. He taught me
how to fly.
EVELYN
He said you're the only one he ever saw
who was better in the air than him.
DANNY
...He said that?
Evelyn nods, still staring away from Danny. This pierces
Danny; he looks away, struggling not to let the emotions pull
him completely under.
DANNY
Look, uh...Rafe's dad...he wrote me with
the news, and it took me a couple of days
to work up the guts to come here and tell
you. I'm not as brave as Rafe, or as
noble. But if there's anything I can
ever do to help -- you let me know, okay?
She stares into the distance. He stands and puts his hand on
top of hers, as much for his comfort as for hers.
DANNY
I understand why Rafe loved you. You're
as strong as he was.
Since she's still not looking at him, he starts to move away.
When he reaches the turn in the path, he looks back, and sees
her figure in the gathering darkness. She's begun to break
down; and as he watches, her whole body starts convulsing,
and she doubles up in shattering grief.
Danny can't just stand there; he moves back to her, and puts
a hand on her shoulder. He sits beside her again, and
suddenly she turns to him and sobs upon him. Danny wraps her
gently in his arms, and then he breaks down, having found the
first place he can truly grieve.
EXT. JAPANESE BOMBING PRACTICE - JAPANESE ISLAND - DAY
The Japanese have constructed a replica of Pearl Harbor on
their practice island; erecting new target barriers and
silhouettes of the various ships anchored at Pearl. Streams
of Japanese planes skim overhead in practice bombing runs,
dropping dummy torpedoes and bombs. From a control platform
erected on the beach, Yamamoto and Genda oversee it all.
YAMAMOTO
Everything real except the fact that no
one is shooting back at us.
GENDA
If we achieve surprise, they will offer
little resistance.
YAMAMOTO
Set up teams of radio operators to send
out messages the Americans will
intercept, concerning every potential
American target in the Pacific. Include
Hawaii -- the clutter will be more
confusing that way.
GENDA
Brilliant, Admiral.
YAMAMOTO
A brilliant man would find a way not to
fight a war.
He looks out at the planes roaring into his practice harbor
at top speed...
INT. PRESIDENTIAL BEDROOM - NIGHT
Roosevelt's valet leans over him.
Roosevelt wakes; beside the valet is a Presidential AIDE.
AIDE
Mr. President, we've received a message
from the Argentinian ambassador to Japan.
His sources tell him the Japanese are
assembling their fleet to attack us.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
We're picking up warnings for every
American base in the Pacific. Does this
ambassador know the target?
AIDE
Not for sure. But he thinks it's Pearl
Harbor.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
Tell the Pentagon.
The Aide leaves quickly and Roosevelt starts to get out of
bed; his valet comes to help him.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
No, George, I need the practice, in case
there's a fire.
Roosevelt drags himself out of bed, crawling toward the
bathroom, his powerful arms dragging his lifeless legs.
INT. PENTAGON - DAY
ADMIRALS and other OFFICERS are gathered around a giant map
of the Pacific.
ADMIRAL
The attack seems inevitable. The
question is where? The way to answer
that question is to ask: if we were the
Japanese, how would we do it?
He nods to a VICE ADMIRAL, who stands over the map.
VICE ADMIRAL
Between America and the Far East are the
sea lanes where the winds and the
currents make the best route for
shipping. Far above is the northern
route, between Canada and Russia.
Between these two is something they call
the Vacant Sea. If I were the Japs, I'd
send a task force there. You could hide
the entire land mass of Asia in the
Vacant Sea, and nobody would know.
ADMIRAL
So they pop out and attack where?
VICE ADMIRAL
That's the problem, Admiral. They could
hit anywhere they want.
Nobody has any solution.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY
A huge Japanese fleet steams toward Hawaii. It is an awesome
sight. Carriers, battleships, destroyers, and entire battle
group, traveling under complete radio silence, their hulls
power through the waves. On the lower decks of the carriers
are hundreds of planes -- fighters and bombers.
EXT. PEARL HARBOR - DAY
The American ships are lined up at anchor, calm, placid.
EXT. BEACH - DAY
The sailors and soldiers bask in the sun, play volleyball.
The aircraft carrier Lexington steams past toward the harbor
entrance.
VOLLEYBALL PLAYER 1
Where's the Lexington going?
VOLLEYBALL PLAYER 2
Out on maneuvers, like the Enterprise.
EXT. GOLF COURSES - OAHU - DAY
Men in military haircuts -- officers -- stroll the golf
courses, enjoying themselves.
INT. DENTIST'S OFFICE - DAY
The DENTIST, an ethnic Japanese, is working on a patient with
his mouth agape. The DENTIST ASSISTANT intrudes.
DENTAL ASSISTANT
Dr. Takanawa, you have a call from Tokyo.
DENTIST
Please excuse me. Just relax.
Leaving his patient with a mouth full of instruments, the
Dentist moves to his outer office, which looks directly out
over Pearl Harbor. He speaks in Japanese.
DENTIST
Takanawa... Yes?...
He seems confused by the call, but he responds by looking out
over the harbor, then saying into the receiver --
DENTIST
Yes, they are all...no wait, I see the
big one moving. The one that's flat on
top, what do they call it?...
INT. SURVEILLANCE BASE - DAY
Some tired Army Intelligence types -- A LISTENER, a TRACKER,
and an INTELLIGENCE SUPERVISOR, are sitting at a bank of
phones. The LISTENER is a Japanese-American.
LISTENER
Here's something, over the line from
Tokyo.
He switches on the recording equipment and looks to the
TRACER, sitting at a battery of equipment.
TRACER
It's connected to a local dentist. His
office is beside Pearl Harbor.
INTELLIGENCE SUPERVISOR
This dentist, is he a spy?
LISTENER
Sounds too innocent. His accent is from
the old country. Somebody official-
sounding calls, he thinks it's
discourteous not to respond.
INT. BARBER SHOP - DAY
Admiral Kimmel is settling into the barber chair when his
AIDE enters and nods for the barber to move a few paces away,
so that he can speak privately.
AIDE
Sir, we just had an intelligence
intercept. Someone from Tokyo called a
local dentist whose office looks over
Pearl. They wanted to know the exact
location of the ships.
ADMIRAL KIMMEL
Someone from Tokyo asks a dentist how the
ships are sitting... What are we supposed
to do about that?
AIDE
I...don't know, Sir. But it just seemed
significant.
ADMIRAL KIMMEL
Have intelligence keep monitoring him.
The Admiral sinks back into the chair.
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - DAY
A young amateur PHOTOGRAPHER, about 16, wearing a hat with
"PICTURES OF PARADISE" printed on it's crown is ready
to snap
a shot of Evelyn and her nurse friends having a picnic lunch
on the lawn outside the hospital.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Closer, ladies! Closer! Now smile!...
Great! Next week I'll show you a print
and you can order your Pictures of
Paradise!
He hustles off. Betty hands out picnic baskets.
BETTY
Barbara, here's yours...and Evelyn, here
you are.
Evelyn opens her basket, and finds a lei of Hawaiian flowers
stuffed in the top. Betty scoots over and puts the flowers
around Evelyn's neck.
BETTY
It's been a month and you haven't smiled.
We just want you to know we love you.
Evelyn's touched -- but before she can react two P-40's zoom
out of the skies, wings clipping the tops of the palm trees
as they blast over head.
INT. COCKPIT'S OF THE P-40'S - DAY
Danny and Anthony are the pilots; as they pull up and away,
they pass over some officers on the golf course, scaring the
shit out of them as they putt.
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - DAY
The nurses have sprawled to the ground; now even Evelyn is
smiling.
BARBARA
What is it with nurses and pilots?
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - PEARL HARBOR - EVENING
Evelyn walks out of the hospital. She's still wearing her
lei. The sun is going down in a spectacular sunset.
She stares at the orange glow at the edge of the world. She
breathes in the sea air, and tries to breathe out the
sadness. The water of the harbor laps close to where she
stands, the sunset polishing its surface.
She takes the lei from her neck, plucks a single flower, and
holds it like the rose Rafe once gave her. Then she tosses
the rest of the lei into the ocean and watches it float away,
as the sun sinks behind the horizon.
INT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Evelyn finds her purse, and tucks the flower into it. She's
alone in the hospital, everyone else has gone; she turns her
mind toward work, something to lose herself in.
EXT. MILITARY BASE - NEAR THE PILOTS' BARRACKS - DAY
Danny is walking toward the barracks when a COLONEL hopping
mad, confronts him.
COLONEL
You're Walker, right?
DANNY
Yes Sir.
COLONEL
That was a nice little stunt you pulled,
buzzing the base.
DANNY
You liked that?
COLONEL
Oh yeah. I liked it so much I'm cutting
you out of the squadron.
DANNY
Sir?
COLONEL
I don't buy that hot dog shit. So you
and your buddies are gonna transfer your
planes up to Haleiwa.
DANNY
Hale-what?
COLONEL
You'll love it. No base, no bars, just
lots of sun and aircraft maintenance.
DANNY
Sir, I --
COLONEL
Too late for apologies, Walker.
DANNY
I wasn't gonna apologize, Sir. I was
just gonna say it was worth it to feel
like a real pilot again, even if it was
only for five seconds.
The Colonel glares at him and stalks away.
INT. BASE CANTEEN - NIGHT
Danny and Evelyn are having coffee at the base canteen.
DANNY
How's everything?
EVELYN
We got some soldiers in traction from a
jeep accident, but it's quiet. Except
for the occasional fighter plane buzzing
us.
DANNY
That might not have been such a good
idea. They're making us fly out of a
half-paved airfield. The real punishment
is that I won't be back to the barracks
till it's too late for dinner or coffee.
So I guess it's goodbye for awhile.
EVELYN
I was just thinking that war is a series
of goodbyes. Do you think that's why
we're meeting. To help us say goodbye to
Rafe?
DANNY
I swore not to talk about him tonight,
but there's all this stuff I think I
ought to tell you, that he didn't get a
chance to. Rafe was...he was lonely. He
had such high expectations of himself
that he always felt empty. The week he
met you he told me he felt his heart had
always lived in winter, and for the first
time in his life he has seen the spring.
He's been lost in his own thoughts of Rafe; now he notices
the tears welling up in her eyes.
DANNY
Sorry.
EVELYN
He told me he didn't want to leave me
with regret. Now that's all I have.
DANNY
Hey, have you seen Pearl Harbor at night?
EVELYN
Well...sure.
DANNY
From the air?
EXT. HALEIWA AIR FIELD - NIGHT
A P-40 takes off from the remote airfield, lit only by the
full moon.
INT. P-40 - NIGHT
Evelyn sits on Danny's lap, like Rafe sat in his Daddy's lap
years before. Danny flies easily, the cockpit open, his arms
slipped under hers.
The sky above them is startlingly clear; a billion stars
dancing around a full moon.
EVELYN
So beautiful!
DANNY
Hang on.
He spins the plane in an easy half turn, inverting their
heads above Pearl Harbor, gorgeous in the moonlight, the
battleships aglow, the moon reflected in the peaceful water,
embraced by the island of Oahu.
EXT. HALEIWA AIR FIELD - NIGHT
The P-40 soars easily in and settles to earth. Danny shuts
down the engine. Danny carefully removes the harness around
her. She looks overhead. The stars are still bright above
them.
EVELYN
I didn't realize until tonight that I've
stopped wanting to live.
She turns in his lap, and looks at him. Their eyes connect.
Tentatively, almost reluctantly, they kiss.
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
The POV of someone moving through the gathering darkness
approaches the hospital.
The lights from within the hospital, and the pristine white
beds beneath those lights, give the place a kind of glow,
where Evelyn moves alone and beautiful, like a ballerina in a
giant's jewel box.
Now we see the shoulders of the figure, from behind, and can
tell that it is a man in uniform, but at first we can't tell
who. He's standing dead still, transfixed in watching Evelyn
through the windows.
INT. BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Evelyn moves to her desk, and sits down. She looks at the
calender turning back to October, where she wrote on the
square of October 22, "Order supplies" -- she counts
the
weeks from then to today, December 6.
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
We see the full figure of the man watching her. And now we
see his face. It is Rafe.
His left hand is bandaged, but he is very much alive --
though seeing Evelyn has taken his breath, and even seems to
have robbed him of the power to move. His eyes pick up every
detail of her -- her face...her hands.
And as Rafe watches Evelyn, he has the SUDDEN JOLTS OF
SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACKS...punctuated by fragments of the letter
she wrote to him, and INTERCUT with Rafe in the present,
watching Evelyn.
EVELYN'S VOICE
Dearest Rafe --
IN SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACK, RAFE'S SPITFIRE, crippled and
trailing smoke, passing through a patch of cloud as Rafe
hurls himself from the cockpit and jerks the ripcord of his
chute.
IN THE PRESENT...Rafe's face winces with the memory, and he
rivets his eyes on Evelyn, as if to force himself to know
that this moment is real.
SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACK...RAFE LANDS IN THE WATER, and the shock
of its coldness travels up his body faster than his body
sinks into the water. He's cloaked in the fog; his
parachute, pushed by the wind, is pulling him along face
down. He fights with the straps, flips himself over, and
pulls the release...
But he's still in desperate trouble; in his flying clothes,
his heavy leather jacket soaking with sea-water, he's going
down; his body sinks beneath the surface...
EVELYN'S VOICE
...Every sunset...
IN THE PRESENT, Rafe's chest trembles... Is it from the
memory of the frozen water, from the emotion of seeing Evelyn
again -- or both?
SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACKS -- Below the surface of the North Sea,
Rafe's body drifts, but he fights his way back up...he kicks
off his shoes, sheds the jacket, strips off his pants and
starts tying the cuffs into knots.
Then, in a CUT, he is floating in the water, his pants turned
into a makeshift life preserver, his body shaking
convulsively from the cold.
Then in another CUT we see him after he's been in the water
for so long that his body no longer trembles; he's lost
consciousness. He has no strength, no will to live... His
face settles into the water...his body slips from his
preserver, and drifts beneath the surface...
EVELYN'S VOICE
...gather it's heat into my heart, and
send it to you...
IN FLASHBACK, Rafe beneath the surface... His eyes come open.
From his POV beneath the water, he sees something above the
surface. It's only in his mind, but that makes it no less
real...an orange glow, the warmth of the sunset, and her face
above the surface... His limbs come to life, and he fights
his way up, breaking the surface. The whole sea around him
is dark and empty, but he grabs his makeshift preserver and
holds on for dear life...and for Evelyn.
IN THE PRESENT Rafe stares through the window, at Evelyn, but
he can't go in. He backs away from the window.
INT. PILOT'S BARRACKS - NIGHT
A Japanese-American MESSAGE BOY parks his motorbike outside
and enters the barracks.
MESSAGE BOY
Daniel Walker?...
Danny rises from his bunk and accepts the telegram. As the
message boy leaves, Danny reads... The news he learns stuns
him...
EXT. BENCH - OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Rafe is still lost in thought. He hears steps running up --
and sees Danny -- who spots him at the same moment.
DANNY
Rafe!
INT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Evelyn puts away the calender.
EXT. MILITARY BASE HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Rafe is sitting at the bench, his head down.
ANGLE - Evelyn on the path; she sees someone on the bench,
his form hauntingly familiar. He hears her, and looks up.
It's Rafe.
From Evelyn's POV, the whole world spins. She faints.
Rafe jumps to catch her before she slams to the ground. He
gathers her into his arms, and she looks up into his face.
He's real, very real.
RAFE
Evelyn.
She's trembling, shaking. He lifts her to her feet, and
moves her to the bench.
RAFE
I sent telegrams, I guess the military
traffic held them up.
EVELYN
Why were you sitting here, instead of...
RAFE
I saw you, I couldn't go in, I...just
stood there wondering if you knew. You
looked...sad, and I had to sit down a
minute.
EVELYN
How did you?...
RAFE
...Survive? I jumped in a patch of fog,
and nobody could see me. I hit the water
hard. And it was so...cold.
He looks toward the horizon, when the last light of day fades
to black. There's something he thinks about saying, and
doesn't. Then...
RAFE
I don't know how long I was in the water.
A Norwegian freighter picked me up. They
were headed to Spain. They docked in La
Rota, right beside a German ship, and
told me to stay hidden below. I was
afraid they'd turn me in, so I stole some
clothes, jumped ship, and found a church,
where the priest contacted the
resistance, and got me on a freighter to
New York.
He looks at her, then looks down again.
RAFE
I called my folks, then Colonel
Doolittle. The Colonel sent a man to
pick me up. They wanted to debrief me.
I told the Colonel I needed to see
somebody first, and he had a supply
flight heading out in an hour.
(beat)
I've done a lot of talking. You haven't
said anything.
EVELYN
I'm just...so amazed, so glad to know
that you're okay. You are okay, aren't
you?
RAFE
Nothing that won't heal. I guess.
At these words, she looks at him for a long, long moment.
EVELYN
It's been...so different, being so sure
you were dead.
RAFE
I'm so sorry for what you must've gone
through, but I'm back.
He sees the troubled look on her face.
RAFE
Maybe I've assumed too much. Has
something changed?
(beat)
I'm afraid to ask what. And I'm afraid
not to.
(beat)
Have you fallen in love?
She nods; she can't even say it. Rafe's dying inside.
RAFE
It's all right. Danny always said I see
things with my emotions instead of my
eyes.
EVELYN
It's not your fault, Rafe. The letter I
wrote you, they --
RAFE
Don't worry about that. Guys away from
home, lonely, good-hearted women try to
cheer them up.
EVELYN
It's not that I didn't mean everything I
wrote. It's just that -- I thought you
were dead. And now --
Danny runs up, through the darkness.
DANNY
You're alive!
Rafe and Danny stare at each other; Danny hesitates, looking
from Rafe to Evelyn, wondering what they've said. Then Rafe
looks at Evelyn, and picks up the look on her face. In that
moment he puts it all together.
RAFE
Aw, God. Oh my God.
Danny's speechless, and for a moment Evelyn is too.
EVELYN
Rafe --
He puts up a hand, to silence her, and walks away suddenly.
Evelyn and Danny are left frozen.
EXT. SHORE OF PEARL HARBOR - NIGHT
Rafe stares out at the harbor, seeing nothing. As he stands
there alone and shattered, he has one more
SUBLIMINAL FLASHBACK
Rafe is in the water of the North Sea; he seems dead, but his
makeshift preserver is keeping his face above the surface.
Something slides through the water and stops beside him; it's
a dinghy, and behind it is a trawler.
Hands grab Rafe and drag him onto the dinghy...
In a QUICK CUT, Rafe's body is laid out on the deck of the
trawler. The crewmen think he's dead. His body is stiff,
his lips white; and they say so, in Norwegian...
But one of the other crewmen notices a quiver in his eyelid,
then quickly covers Rafe with his on wool peacoat and presses
back an eyelid to see his pupils. Rafe's white lips move.
The crewmen realize he's trying to say something.
And Rafe does utter something, barely audible; something the
Norwegian crewmen don't understand.
RAFE
Evelyn...
IN THE PRESENT Rafe struggles to bury that memory so far that
he'll never feel it again.
EXT. NURSES' QUARTERS - NIGHT
Danny escorts Evelyn back to her quarters.
DANNY
Don't worry. I'll find him.
He hugs her; their embrace earnest yet tingled with guilt,
and Danny leave quickly. Betty steps out of the nurses'
quarters and hands Evelyn a telegram.
BETTY
This came while you were gone.
Evelyn knows it's the telegram from Rafe, to tell her he's
alive. Without opening it, she begins to cry, and hurries
away from the barracks so the other nurses won't see.
EXT. HICKAM FIELD - NIGHT
Danny crosses the tarmac toward the clustered P-40's. He
spots what he's looking for. Sitting in the cockpit of one
of the P-40's is Rafe. Rafe won't look at him. Danny climbs
up on the wing, and sits down there.
DANNY
You'd always go sit in a plane whenever
you were upset.
RAFE
Upset? Why should I be upset?
DANNY
Let's go get a drink. Unless you're
scared to talk about it.
CLOSE - A Mai-Tai volcano clunks onto a table.
INT. FUNKY OAHU BAR - DAY
DANNY
Drink up. Then we'll talk.
Rafe takes the challenge, and takes a long pull on one of the
straws. Red, Anthony, Billy, and several others enter the
bar.
ANTHONY
Rafe?!
They rush the table...
INT. FUNKY OAHU BAR - LATER
They're all drinking, and the whole bar is rocking. Rafe
uses glasses to show his buddies tactics.
RAFE
They'll go under you because their planes
are faster, then they run so you can't
catch 'em. But then they'll come around
and take you from behind -- like some
Americans will.
The last words bring the group to silence. The other guys
drift away, to give them room.
RAFE
Sorry.
DANNY
Why be sorry? That's what you feel, it's
better to come out with it.
RAFE
I didn't mean it.
DANNY
Sure you did. So come on. Say what you
think.
RAFE
Waitress! Four beers!
DANNY
You don't wanna put beer over mai-tai.
RAFE
If you can't keep up, don't drink yours.
The waitress delivers four bottles to the table. Rafe takes
a slow sip, then stares at Danny.
RAFE
We gotta face some facts here.
DANNY
What facts are those?
RAFE
I understand how it could happen. I know
why any guy would love her. And I can't
blame you that it happened. You thought
I was dead, she was grieving, you were
trying to help her.
DANNY
I was grieving too.
RAFE
Yeah, right. Anyway, you didn't know.
DANNY
So what are you saying?
RAFE
I'm saying now you do know. So it's time
for you to fuck off.
DANNY
You left her. How's that for a fact?
RAFE
How's this for a fact? I loved her
first.
Danny takes a long pull of beer, and Rafe does the same.
DANNY
You know, you're a lousy drinker.
Drinking's supposed to make men feel
bigger. It only makes you stupid. And
weak.
Rafe nods thoughtfully, and sets down his beer.
RAFE
How's this?
BAM! He knocks Danny out of the chair, flat on his ass.
Danny backhands the blood from the corner of his mouth.
DANNY
You want it, you got it.
He kicks Rafe in the back of the knee, then mule kicks him in
the chest as he goes down, and the fight is on.
The bar's bouncer, a big Samoan, moves over to break them up
-- but Anthony steps in his way.
ANTHONY
Let 'em fight, they need it.
The bouncer tosses Anthony aside, but before he can move in
to interrupt the fight, Red breaks a lava volcano of Mai-Tai
over the bouncer's skull. The bartender picks up the phone
to call the M.P.'s.
Rafe and Danny are exchanging punches in the middle of the
room. Sailors sitting at the bar have swung around on their
stools to watch the action. The other pilots are wincing
with the punches their friends exchange, and bobbing and
weaving as if in the fight themselves. A SAILOR tapes Billy.
SAILOR
Is this a private fight or can anybody
jump in?
Billy hits him. The whole bar erupts.
Rafe and Danny are really having at it, fueled by so much
emotion that nothing hurts. They're on the floor now, trying
to rip each other apart. They struggle to their feet and
Rafe manages to knee Danny in the balls. Danny doubles over
in pain.
RAFE
That hurt? I didn't think you had any
balls.
Without looking up, Danny lunges at Rafe, tackling him around
the waist, driving him at the wall.
But they don't hit the wall; they tumble through the back
window of the bar -- not covered in glass, but fronds and
wood -- and out into the back alley.
They're lying there in the debris when they see the M.P.
jeeps coming. They drag each other to their feet, and run
away.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT
The Japanese task force rumbles through the night, the bows
of the great ships blasting through the crashing waves.
INT. AIRCRAFT CARRIER AKAGI - NIGHT
Yamamoto's flagship. The clock reaches midnight, and a
sailor tears off it's calender. It's December 7, 1941.
YAMAMOTO
The submarines will be reaching the
harbor soon. I hope they don't set off
the alarm too soon.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NEAR PEARL HARBOR - NIGHT
An American destroyer, the SELFRIDGE, leads a squadron of
destroyers on patrol, near the entrance of Pearl Harbor.
LOOKOUTS on the bridge think they spot something.
INT. CONTROL ROOM - DESTROYER SELFRIDGE - NIGHT
The WATCH OFFICER listens to a report on his headset and
turns to the CAPTAIN.
WATCH OFFICER
Captain, lookouts report a sighting, two
points off the starboard beam.
The sonar operator looks up and nods.
SELFRIDGE CAPTAIN
How big?
SONAR OPERATOR
...I've lost it.
SELFRIDGE CAPTAIN
Probably a blackfish. I've seen them
look like subs.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NEAR PEARL HARBOR - NIGHT
Another destroyer, the RALPH TALBOT, cruises behind the
Selfridge. On it's bridge, the DUTY OFFICER speaks to the
CAPTAIN.
DUTY OFFICER
Sir, Selfridge reports a contact, then
lost it. Now our sonar reports the
contact.
The Captain looks toward the Selfridge, then trains his
binoculars on the water were the Duty Officer points. He
sees something dark and black slipping along beneath the
surface. He gets onto his intercom.
CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT
Radio room! Raise the Selfridge. Tell
the Squadron Commander we have spotted a
sub and request permission to depth
charge.
He looks again at the black shape, passing a few hundred
yards from them.
CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT
We're five miles from Pearl Harbor and
it's moving in from the open sea.
Prepare to move to attack speed.
The INTERCOM comes alive.
INTERCOM
Sir, the Squadron Commander on Selfridge
denies permission.
CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT
What?
INTERCOM
Denies, Sir. He says it's a blackfish.
The Captain chokes back his frustration and shuts down the
intercom -- but then he says to the Duty Officer, as they
watch the shape disappear toward Pearl Harbor...
CAPTAIN OF THE RALPH TALBOT
If it's a blackfish, it has a motorboat
up it's ass!
EXT. OAHU - ROAD - NIGHT
Danny has pulled his Buick convertible off the road; Rafe is
bent over, his head out of frame; he's throwing up. Danny's
banged up from the fight and still drunk himself; he waits
beside Rafe, who chokes out between heaves --
RAFE
How come you're not pukin'?
DANNY
I guess I'm used to it. I've felt like
throwing up every minute since you got
back.
Rafe straightens up, but the waves of sickness come back over
him and he bends over again. Danny looks at his friend, and
the pain is written on Danny's face.
DANNY
Don't blame her, Rafe. It's not like
you're thinking.
RAFE
(between heaves)
Fuck you.
DANNY
She loves you. I know that. And part of
what she loves in me is how much of you
she sees in me.
Rafe doesn't seem to be listening; but Danny knows he is.
DANNY
We were both torn up. I started dropping
by to see her, because we understood what
each other felt. We'd have coffee and
try not to talk about you, but we always
would.
Rafe stands to face Danny; this is hard for Danny to say.
DANNY
She said I was so much like you. I said,
No, I'm not. I'm like I am because of
you, but I'm not you, not as good as you.
Everybody else saw me as a loser with a
big chip on his shoulder. But you saw
the better part of me, the part of me
that could be like you, and changed me.
You made me who I am.
RAFE
How sweet. Is that when you put the move
on her?
Danny slams his fist into Rafe's sick gut. Rafe doubles over
again, coughing, nothing left in his belly to come up.
Rafe stand slowly, nodding as if he knows the punch was what
he deserved. Danny's about to apologize when once more Rafe
knees him in the balls.
Danny folds up, drops to his knees, and starts to retch.
RAFE
That's better.
Rafe crawls into the back seat of the car and passes out,
Danny still collapsed at the side of the road.
EXT. PACIFIC - NIGHT
The Japanese task force storms on.
INT. JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS - NIGHT
IN THE PREP DECKS, the planes are being armed with bombs and
torpedoes.
IN THE PILOTS' QUARTERS, the pilots individually sit before
personal shrines, saying private prayers, writing letters.
EXT. JAPANESE CARRIERS - FLIGHT DECKS - NIGHT
The planes are brought up on the elevators; deck crewmen
start rolling them into position.
EXT. UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE PACIFIC - NIGHT
A Japanese submarine with a midget sub attached to its hull
runs silently toward Pearl Harbor.
EXT. OCEAN SURFACE - NIGHT
The periscope of the submarine breaks the surface.
INT. JAPANESE SUB - NIGHT
The sub commander looks through the periscope and sees the
lights of Oahu far in the distance.
SUB COMMANDER
Prepare to launch midget sub.
INT. BUNK AREA OF SUB, BETWEEN TORPEDOES - NIGHT
The sailor who will drive the midget sub completes his
ceremonial sponge bath, and places a handwritten letter on
his personal shrine.
SAILOR'S VOICE (LETTER)
My revered father, I go now to fulfill my
mission and my destiny.
INT. THE LAUNCH OF THE MIDGET SUB - NIGHT
We see the sub surface, and the sailor exit the main hatch of
the big sub, then force himself through the tiny hatch of the
midget sub.
SAILOR'S VOICE (LETTER)
I hope it is a destiny that will bring
honor to our family, and if it requires
my life I will sacrifice it gladly, if
you can think of me and my hope to be a
good servant of our nation, and a worthy
son. With love and devotion, Kazuyoshi.
EXT. FLIGHT DECK, JAPANESE CARRIER - NIGHT
A single scout plane launches into the air.
INT. SCOUT PLANE - NIGHT
The plane climbs to a high altitude, toward the dawn and
Pearl Harbor.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT
The Japanese carriers turn into the wind and raise combat
pennants. A color guard raises the Japanese flag as the deck
crew stand at attention, seeing the rising-sun flag snap
potently in the wind.
EXT. JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS - NIGHT
The first wave of Japanese planes begins to launch. It is a
stirring sight for the Japanese; the pilots waiting in their
cockpits, the officers watching from the bridge, the seamen
on the flight deck.
The first plane taxis along the flight deck and lifts into
the sky. The seamen cheer and wave their caps.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NEAR PEARL HARBOR - NIGHT
The American destroyer WARD cuts through the water, moving
back into port after a night patrol. It's CAPTAIN is on the
bridge, and its lookouts are still scanning the waters.
LOOKOUT
Captain, do you see that, in our wake?
The Captain raises his binoculars and looks out behind the
ship. He sees something small and black there.
CAPTAIN OF THE WARD
That's a conning tower.
OFFICER
Could it be one of ours?
CAPTAIN OF THE WARD
He's trying to follow us through the sub
nets, into the harbor. Sink the son of a
bitch.
EXT. DECK OF THE DESTROYER WARD - NIGHT
The deck gun barks, aimed toward the conning tower of the
Japanese sub in the distance. The first shot sails directly
over the tower, missing.
INT. THE SUB'S CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
The Japanese sub commander sees, through his periscope, the
flame erupt on the Ward's deck; he's being fired upon. He
snaps orders --
JAPANESE SUB CAPTAIN
Dive! Dive!
EXT. THE DECK OF THE WARD - NIGHT
The gunners snap in another shell and fire again. It's a
direct hit, the sub is ripped apart, it rolls over.
INT. WARD'S BRIDGE - NIGHT
The Captain watches the sub sinking and snaps an order.
CAPTAIN OF THE WARD
Fleet command, from destroyer Ward. Have
fired upon and sunk enemy submarine
seeking to enter Pearl Harbor.
EXT. ESTABLISHING - RADAR STATION - PEARL HARBOR - DAWN
INT. RADAR STATION - PEARL HARBOR - DAWN
There are two guys left in the room, yawning over their new
radar equipment. The Officer, ELLIS, checks his watch; it's
a few minutes after seven a.m.
ELLIS
Time to shut her down. That was a good
first session. You'll get the hang of
this new radar soon.
PRIVATE
Thank you, Sir. Hey...what's this?
His screen shows a huge cloud of blips, heading toward them.
ELLIS
I've never seen anything like that
before.
He gets on the telephone.
INT. ARMY HEADQUARTERS - DAWN
The phone rings and an officer answers.
OFFICER
Watch command... Coming from which
direction?... Hold on.
He covers the phone and tells his commander --
OFFICER
Radar station has picked up a cloud of
blips, coming in from the northeast.
He switches on the radio, and tunes it to KGMB; hearing the
Hawaiian music reassures him something...
COMMANDER
KGMB is on early. That means we've got a
flight of B-17's coming in from the
mainland, they use the radio music for a
homing beacon.
INT. RADAR STATION - PEARL HARBOR - DAWN
Dismayed, Ellis listens to the response from the
headquarters.
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