Guys, guys. Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but I just gotta tell you about this idea for a new movie. What? I got 5 minutes. Sure.
We start in World War 1. Our hero, the corn fed Minnesota farm boy Jack Mayo (Ben Hanks) finds himself in Luxor, Egypt� where he meets� a bunch of likeable Aussie larrikins. They teach him a song about a beaut sort called Matilda.� He then meets his own beaut sort called Mahtil Da' and soon falls for this pretty daughter of a local pyramid guard (picture the young lovers kissing high on the pyramid as the sun sets).�
However her father forbids Mahtil Da'� from seeing Jack. Heartbroken, he seeks out his Aussie buddies. It turns out they are soldiers.� He talks his way into their troop ship. Even though it's late June, the midsummer days are still chilly.� Jack asks his Aussie friends where they are going again?� Mmm. He's never heard of it. Gallipoli.
Cut to a few days later. Jack and the Aussies are in the first wave that storm the beach at Anzac cove. Lotsa fighting and stuff. Most of them make it, including Jack.
Later we move to Jack and his buddies at Gallipoli as they are about to go over the top of the trenches and take on the enemies machine guns, head on. The camera (without a single edit) pans up from the Aussies, over the barbed wire and down to the enemy side.� We are inside the enemies trenches.
A reflective Hans is holding a faded photograph of Lotti. We hear the sad refrain of 'Lilli Marlene' in the background as� Hans says (subtitled) "I will always love you Lotti. But now I must fight for the fatherland."��
We fade back to the Aussie side and there is Jack, holding a photograph of Mahtil. (we probably won't need any dialogue here, I think the audience can work out the message)
The Aussies - and Jack - launch their attack as the Blue Danube music swells up behind them (note the bitter irony. War as a dance. Soldiers choreographed by higher forces. Just beautiful. Must add this to the liner notes for the soundtrack CD).� All of the lads are gunned down as they make their way� across no mans land. All except Jack.
He throws his one last hand grenade. It hits the enemy, but the shrapnel also strikes Jack (we can do a Matrix style 3D slow-mo thing here). As Jack falls he sees Hans' dead hand holding the photo of Lotti.� Jack glances back and sees a battlefield full of fallen Aussies. Their slouch hats covering their faces. Jack passes out from his wounds.
We fade out to black and back in again. We are on a submarine. The caption says 1941.
Okay guys, I'll be quick. So Jack is now on an American Submarine. They are escorting a ship full of Aussie troops.� We cut to a German submarine 100 miles away that is using an Enigma machine to send and receive scrambled messages from high command.� The enemy sub is heading straight for the Aussies!��
Using a pen and paper, Jack is quickly able to decrypt the intercepted Enigma messages. He also deduces where the enemy sub actually is,� based upon the direction and strength of the radio signal. However it's now a race against time as the German sub is bearing down on the Aussies with its torpedo doors opening. The order comes (subtitled) : ready, aim.�� Suddenly a US destroyer appears and blows up the sub.
However the concussion damages Jacks sub. After minutes of tension, it sinks. All appear lost.
Suddenly Jack pops up to the surface. The sole survivor. The Destroyer steams towards him and the movie ends.
Not quite.� We fade to Jack kneeling over a grave. He is wearing a slouch hat. He takes it off and puts it on the headstone. "There you go, mate. Say Gerday to heaven for me"
We pull back. A full orchestra playing Waltzing Matilda fades up. It cross-fades and merges with The Star Spangled Banner.�
Copyright © 2004 David Sidwell (Artwill Services) Back to Freelance Writing