GERMAN CORPORAL: The British and French
are about to throw everything they've got at us.
Do you think this is it?
Whatever happens here...
It'll be the end of it?
You seen any Germans yet?
- Not yet. - You will.
Everyone will remember that this is where we won the war!
- (GUNSHOT) - (EXPLOSIONS)
Here at the Somme.
The_Passing_Bells - S01 - E04 Re-Sync & Edit Tharindu_Lakmal_Jeewantha
Cyril!
(BIRD CHIRPING)
(CHIRPS AGAIN)
I can see him.
Every night before I sleep.
If I sleep.
And again every morning.
Sometimes, I'll forget.
Lost in a task.
Then I'll remember.
And it's like watching him go for the first time all over again.
(CHEERING AND CLAPPING)
ANNIE: We've lost him. DAVID: Course we haven't.
ANNIE: Yes, we have.
Even if he comes back, he won't be the same boy who left, will he?
Our little boy.
How could he be?
You have to stop thinking like this, Annie.
Then tell me he will.
Lie to me.
It's coming up to three years.
We're fighting over a patch of ground 10 miles from here.
We're bringing troops back from the east.
So, we get more troops and the Americans will join the British.
Whatever happens...
We're going round in circles.
The whole world's going nowhere.
We're fighting over the same field.
We can still win.
- Win what? - (EXPLOSIONS)
(EXPLOSIONS CONTINUE)
(SOLDIERS SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
SOLDIER 1: Watch out! SOLDIER 2: Get down from there!
Sentry, get back down!
Raid! They're coming!
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(STRUGGLING AND GRUNTING)
(GRUNTING)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(COUGHING)
Here, Sergeant!
(INDISTINCT TALKING)
(COUGHING)
They're moving us back up to where we started.
Started the war?
All this time.
We might have moved.
What if it never stops?
What if no one wins and no one gives up?
(SOLDIER SHOUTING ORDERS)
(COUGHS)
I mean, what if this is all there is?
All there's ever gonna be?
They tell us we're moving forward, or
north or east or back where we started,
but half the time we've no idea where we are.
We fire at these figures in the distance,
but we don't really know who we're shooting at.
This isn't the war like I read about in school.
Like I thought it was gonna be.
We're not conquering anything.
Marching into towns with flags.
What if...
- What if it never ends? - Wars end.
Yeah, but there's never been a war like this, has there?
If there's never been a war like this, how do we know
it will end?
It will. It has to.
Maybe when there's no one left to fight any more.
There's no more leave before we go, Edwards, I'm sorry.
It's just...
- I haven't seen her for a month. - Orders.
We have to move out this morning.
Been a rough ride, eh?
In the thick of it.
Same for everyone.
I'm just...
I know.
Look. We ran some raids this morning.
There's a BWI prisoner detail leaving in half an hour,
they could use another man.
The camp's half a mile from where she'll be.
Now, I daresay they'd let you stop off there
if something terrible happened, like you sprained your ankle on the way.
(JOYFULLY) Yes, Sergeant.
Thank you, Sergeant.
- But I don't want to go without you. - You'll be fine.
Just stick with the other lads.
I'll meet you there.
Save me a decent bunk, all right?
The Sergeant said you needed a hand.
Mission of mercy, I was told.
- Girlfriend? - That's right.
All right, get them up!
- Up, up! - Come on! Come on! Everybody.
They don't seem so different to us.
I bet if we'd met before the war, in a bar,
we'd have talked, laughed together.
Maybe.
Well, anyway.
At least the war's over.
What?
We fought hard, and now we're prisoners. What...
What else can we do?
We can escape.
Get back to our lines.
(SOLDIER CRYING)
(GRUNTS)
What's going on?
Deserter.
Time to move out.
(GUNSHOTS)
(INDISTINCT TALKING)
SOLDIER 1: Be quiet.
I'm watching you.
We'll rest up here.
Gentlemen, all in a line. Now.
SOLDIER 2: Line up! Line up!
You have an hour.
A minute longer, you'll be a deserter.
And don't move.
Do not move.
(INDISTINCT TALKING AND LAUGHING)
- (THOMAS LAUGHS) - (JOANNA WHIMPERS)
I haven't got much time.
They're moving us on again and I had to see you.
- Can you get a break? - Wait.
Are you all right?
Yeah. I am now.
All those sweet boys...
What's wrong?
I'm pregnant.
(VOICE TREMBLING) You hate me?
No!
No! No! I love you.
I'm just shocked.
Good. Me too.
But you're happy?
Yeah!
We'll have to get married.
- You don't have to. - No.
No, I want to.
I don't know how it all works and that, but I can find out.
What?
I just thought...
I want to marry you.
Then, what's wrong?
I always dreamed the day I'd get married.
I'd be on my father's arm.
I don't know where he is.
- I don't even know if he's still alive. - He's alive.
All right?
And we'll wait for him.
- You don't mind? - No.
(LAUGHS)
We'll have to think of a name.
Two names!
Two?
One for a boy, one for a girl.
Oh! Right. Yeah.
Maybe we don't need to do it right now.
- Yeah. - (BOTH LAUGH)
But,
you know, when it comes.
I mean, you can't stay here.
I could go home, but I don't have one.
I can't go back to Cracow.
One of the medics said there is a convent not far from here.
No.
No. I'll write to my parents, you can stay there.
I don't even know them.
They will love you,
just like I do.
Our lines should be on that side of those woods.
They'll shoot us.
There's only four of them.
There's eight of us. If we scatter, the odds will be good.
Does it look like any of us can run?
Here's the address.
I'll write home and tell them you're coming.
Go as soon as you can.
I will.
All right! On your feet!
Rise! You heard the Corporal. On your feet! On your feet!
Now! Get up!
- How was she? - Beautiful.
Thanks, Corporal.
I can't do this.
- You have to come with me. - I can't do it any more.
I'm done. It's over.
- We don't know where they're taking us. - We're prisoners of war.
What does that mean?
How do we know they're not just gonna take us somewhere and shoot us?
- They can't. - How can you say that?
- After all we've seen? - I'm tired, Mikey.
(SOFTLY) I need to get back to Katie.
I have to finish this.
For Stefan and Lanzo and Rudi. Finish it and go home!
I know.
Look, I'm a fast runner, I'm used to running over fields.
- They won't... They won't catch me. - No. But a bullet will.
I have to try.
I can get you a head start.
I'll run that way.
Not far and not fast.
As soon as they shout, I'll stop and put my hands up.
Should give you a few seconds.
I'll see you when the war's over.
No, Fre...
- Hey! - Stop or we'll shoot.
- Stop! - (GUNSHOT)
There's another one!
Don't let him escape! Stay with the prisoners!
(PANTING)
Where is he?
Long gone.
There's no chance we'll catch him.
Lucky bastard!
Come on.
Let's get back.
You didn't think I'd leave you on your own, did you?
(LAUGHING)
FREDDIE: Give her a kiss from me. RUDl: And me!
LANZO AND STEFAN: And me!
LANZO: Oh, I can smell bacon.
FREDDIE: They say run, we run, they say pack, we pack.
STEFAN: Don't know where we're going, but they don't normally...
RUDl: Because the ones that were there first are dead.
(GUNSHOT)
(MACHINE GUN FIRING)
(WIND WHOOSHING)
(EXHALES)
- (CHURCH BELLS TOLLING) - (CLAPPING)
(EXHALES)
You got away from the British?
Yeah.
How many of you?
Just me.
What were they like?
The British.
(INDISTINCT TALKING)
- (EXPLOSION) - (DEREK GASPS)
(PANTS)
(EXPLOSION)
(MACHINE GUN FIRING)
(FIRING INCREASES)
(EXPLOSION)
(GUNSHOTS)
SOLDIER: Oi!
Cover for us!
Derek!
- What is it? - There's someone out there.
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
I'm going to shoot him.
- (GUNSHOT) - (DEREK WHIMPERS)
Derek!
Leave them.
What?
Derek!
- (GROANS) Get off! - You'll get us both killed!
(DEREK GRUNTS)
(WHIMPERING) Please! I just want to go home.
How you going to get there, you daft sod?
Please! (PANTING)
Just let me go.
- Please! - Lf I could,
I'd carry you all the way home on my back, I swear it.
- But there's no way through. - Please! Please!
There's Germans on one side and our officers on the other.
A shot, as the enemy or a deserter, you're just as dead.
I want to go home!
- I know you do. - Yeah.
Yeah. And you will.
- I won't. - I promise.
You just can't go yet. That's all.
- All right? - (DEREK SNIFFS)
You said it.
You said that there's nothing else,
and that this is all there is, all there will ever be.
You said it, Tommy! (WHIMPERS)
I know I did.
And after three years, that's how it feels sometimes.
But we can't just give up hope.
We have to keep trying,
to do the best that we can.
Joanna told me she's having a baby.
Yeah?
A baby that's gonna need a dad.
And you've got your mum and dad and they need a son.
So, however bad it gets,
even if it's only for them,
you can't give up.
And if it wasn't us here doing it, it'd be someone else.
Someone else with people worrying about 'em.
I'm so scared all the time.
I know you are, and so am I.
Right?
So don't leave me to be scared on my own.
All right?
It's dark now.
We can't see any light.
But there will be.
There has to be.
(WHIMPERS)
They've gone now.
You think I was wrong?
I don't know.
(BLOWS)
There were 19 boys in his class at school.
Eleven of them are dead.
Eleven!
We have no food,
there are riots.
I just...
I just want it to be over. I don't care who wins any more.
I go into the village and I smile and nod but...
Hilda and Eva.
I can't even look them in the eye any more.
I feel guilty because our son is still alive, while theirs aren't.
That's only natural.
Hmm.
Maybe that's the problem.
We've created a world where something like that is normal.
Michael will be all right.
He told us in his letters.
He's being looked after, he's safe.
He's not too close to the fighting.
And what do we say when we write to him?
That there's no food? No oil? No medicine? No. We...
We tell him everything's all right.
Everything is exactly the same as it was the day he left.
There's a fire burning in the grate, there's food on the table.
His bed, freshly made, waiting for him.
One of those is true.
But if we're lying to him, what if he's lying to us?
What if things are so bad he's afraid to tell us? (WHIMPERS)
How could he bear it?
(PLATES CLATTERING)
(WHISPERS) Come back.
Ahh!
(INFANT CRYING)
You think I want to be here?
(SHOUTING) Do you think any of us want to be here?
Do you think I'm a coward?
Don't ever say that.
If this armistice happens, we'll all be home for good soon.
It's got to be over soon.
I don't know if I can do much more.
- You think this is it? - Something's happening.
"The Germans are becoming isolated."
"The armistice grows nearer by the day."
They won't keep fighting, will they?
- Not while they're talking. - Probably.
But who knows what we'll be going back to.
Does it matter?
As long as we're home.
All we're hearin' is "push forward".
- Why let more boys die? - That's not the way they see it.
Why not?
The_Passing_Bells - S01 - E04 Re-Sync & Edit Tharindu_Lakmal_Jeewantha