LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU HAVE
SEEN HIM IN EVERYTHING FROM "HAMLET" TO "HARRY POTTER." PLEASE WELCOME FIVE-TIME ACADEMY
AWARD NOMINEE KENNETH BRANAGH! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING ) GOOD TO SEE YOU! COME RIGHT OVER HERE, SIR. AH, WE'VE NEVER MET BEFORE. >> WE HAVE NOT. >> Stephen: I'M SUCH A FAN. EVER SINCE HENRY V. WE GOT TO KNOW YOU IN AMERICA,
EXTRAORDINARY DEBUT FOR US. CHEERS AND "DUNKIRK." >> YEAH. >> Stephen: WHICH HASN'T BEEN
RELEASED. IT'S GOING TO BE THE MOVIE OF
THE SUMMER. PEOPLE SAY IT'S INCREDIBLY
EXCITING, DEEPLY AFFECTING, SHOWING BOTH THE HORROR OF WAR
AND THE BEAUTY OF HUMAN SACRIFICE AND LOVE FOR THEIR
FELLOW MAN AND WHAT THEY'RE WILLING TO DO FOR BOTH COUNTRY
AND HUMANITY. BUT WE IN AMERICA DON'T KNOW THE
STORY OF "DUNKIRK" VERY WELL. DID YOU GROW UP WITH THE STORY
OF WHAT HAPPENED? >> WE GREW UP WITH "DUNKIRK"
SPIRIT WHICH IS THIS SENSE OF NEVER SURRENDER, AND IT WAS BORN
OUT OF 1940, 40,000 MEN, MOSTLY BRITISH, WERE FORCED ON THE
ISLAND OF "DUNKIRK." >> Stephen: "DUNKIRK" IS
THERE, THEN FRANCE. 26 MILES? >> 26 MILES. THE ENTIRE BRITISH ARMY WERE
TRAPPED THERE AND THE GERMAN FORCES HAD THEM UNDER ATTACK
WITH LAND FORCES FROM ABOVE AND SEA. THERE WAS A THING CALLED
OPERATION DYNAMO AND IT WAS TO GET THE MEN BACK HOME. IT WAS INCREDIBLE AND PRODUCED
AN AMAZING MIRACLE WHICH WAS TO INVITE THE CIVILIAN FLEET OF
BOATS FROM THE SOUTHERN HALF OF ENENGLAND TO COME AND HELP. >> Stephen: FISHING BOATS. 15-FOOT BOTH. >> 26 MILES. 400,000 PEOPLE, THAT'S A LOT OF
PEOPLE. THE EXPECTATION, THE HOPE FROM
WINSTON CHURCHILL WHO HAD BEEN PRIME MINISTER FOR 16 DAYS AT
THAT POINT WAS THAT MAYBE THEY WOULD GET 30,000 MEN BACK. THAT'S WHAT THEY HOPED FOR. IN THE END, 360 PEOPLE WERE
RESCUED FROM THAT BEACH ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: AMAZING. AND THE THING IS THAT THIS IS
THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, THIS IS THE BRITISH ARMY. >> EXACTLY IS THAT YOU'RE ALL IN
HERE. IF THIS FORCE GETS WIPED OUT,
IT'S GOING TO BE A MUCH DIFFERENT WAR FOR ALL THE
ALLIES. >> YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. IF THAT RESCUE HADN'T OCCURRED,
IF HOME HADN'T COME FOR THEM, IF EVERY SORT OF MAN, WOMAN AND
CHILD HADN'T COME ACROSS THE 26 MILES OF WOULD YOU HAVE WATER
UN-- COME ACROSS ROUGH WATER UNDER ATTACK, WHO KNOWS WHAT
WOULD HAVE HAPPENED FOR EUROPE AND THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF YOURS. THANK GOODNESS. PART OF WHAT HAPPENED WAS I
THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE RESPONDED WITH SOME DELIGHT AND
SURPRISE AND AWE AND SAW SOME "DUNKIRK" SPIRIT AND I THINK IT
HAD A BIG IMPACT ON THE DECISION TO COME HELP US. >> Stephen: D.-DAY WAS A
DIRECT REVERSAL FROM THIS MOMENT, NOT FAR FROM THAT
SPOVMENT NORMANDY IS JUST DOWN THE BEACH A BIT. >> IT'S AMAZING. ALL THOSE PEOPLE LEFT IN 1940
AND WITH YOUR HELP CAME BACK FOUR YEARS LATER. WE MET SOME "DUNKIRK" VETERANS
LAST WEEK AT THE PREMIERE. >> Stephen: THAT MUST HAVE
BEEN EXTRAORDINARY. >> AMAZING. I SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE
FILM? THEY SAID, THE FILM WAS LOUDER
THAN THE BATTLE. ( LAUGHTER )
IT WAS. WHICH I THINK REALLY TICKLED
CHRIS NO LAND. THEY SAID EVERYTHING CHRIS NO
LAND PUTS IN THE MOVIE WAS AS THEY EXPERIENCED IT. IN THAT SENSE, IT WAS BEYOND
EXHILARATING AND SCARY, BUT THE NOISE OF THE BOMBS AT "DUNKIRK"
DID FOUL ON THE AIR. IT'S A MASSIVE STRETCH OF BEACH. BUT TRAPPED IN CHRIS NO LAND'S
AMAZING VISION OF THIS CONFLICT, YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM THE
SOUND OF THE BOMBS. >> Stephen: NING THIS CLIP,
YOU ARE ROYAL COMMANDER WHO? >> BOLTON, A NAVAL COMMANDER. THIS WAS A PIECE WHERE THE
TENSION BETWEEN THE NAVY AND THE ARMY ABOUT WHAT'S THE BEST WAY
TO GET THE MEN OFF THIS BEACH. >> Stephen: JIM? BUT IT'S RIGHT THERE. YOU CAN PRACTICALLY SEE IT. >> SEEING HOME DOESN'T HELP US
GET THERE, COLONEL. >> THEY NEED TO SEND MORE SHIPS. EVERY HOUR THE ENEMY PUSHES
CLOSER. >> THEY'VE ACTIVATED THE SMALL
VESSELS. >> SMALL VESSELS? THE LIST OF CIVILIAN BOATS
FOR REQUISITION. >> CIVILIAN? WE NEED DESTROYERS. >> SMALL BOATS GET CLOSER TO THE
BEACH. >> NOT IN THESE CONDITIONS. I WOULD RATHER FACE WAVES
THAN DIVE BOMBERS. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: I LOVE THIS STORY. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE. WHEN I WAS A BOY THE FIRST BOOK
I CHOSE TO READ IN A SINGLE SITTING WAS SILENCE OVER
"DUNKIRK." IT'S AN AMAZING STORY. I CAN'T WAIT. ONE OF THE INCREDIBLE THINGS
ABOUT THIS IS THAT, ACE SAID, WE FIRST GOT TO KNOW YOU IN "HENRY
V," WHICH ENDS WITH A BATTLE WHICH IS JUST BELOW WHERE THAT D
IS IN "DUNKIRK" THERE, AND THAT'S, WHAT, 800 YEARS AGO? >> ABSOLUTELY. >> Stephen: SO BATTLES HAVE
BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THIS. >> THEY HAVE. I THINK IN HENRY, THIS BATTLE
WAS ANOTHER AMAZING UNDERSTORY PIECE OF DRAMA. 5,000 BRITS AGAINST 30,000
FRENCH AND THEY WON IN AN INCREDIBLE REVERSAL OF FORTUNE. SOMETHING ABOUT THE UNDERDOG
STORY, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT WAS PART OF YOUR INTEREST IN
READING THAT BOOK, BUT THE HUMAN MIRACLE OF "DUNKIRK" IS WHAT
TAKES YOU PERSONALLY INTO THE HEART OF THESE STORIES. ONE OF THE AMAZING THINGS OF
CHRIS NO LAND'S FILM IS YOU'RE AWARE OF ITS SCALE. SUCH A WHITE KNUCKLE EXPERIENCE. IF YOU SEE THIS MOVIE, YOU NEED
TO GET READY FOR SOMETHING. BUT YOU EXPERIENCE THE EPIC
THING, BEING AMONG THE 4 MILLION, AND FEELING THE BOMBS
AND BOATS AND WEATHER CHANGING, BUT YOU RELIVE IT IN PERSONAL
STORIES AND INVITE YOU TO GO, WHAT WOULD I DO? I'VE SEEN IT THREE TIMES. THE FIRST TIME, I WAS AWASH, IT
WAS SO EMOTIONAL. THE SECOND TIME, I FOUND MYSELF
UNDERSTANDING HOW BRILLIANT CHRIS NO LAND'S SCHEME WAS, AND
THE THIRD TIME I WAS EXHILARATED BIT, ADMIRING IT SO MUCH. IT'S THAT HUMAN TOUCH. HE PUTS THE PERSONAL AND THE
EPIC TOGETHER. HE'S DONE A WONDERFUL THING. HATS OFF TO HIM. IT'S MARVELOUS. >> Stephen: I HAD A FRIEND WHO
SAW IT AND SHE SAID IT IS A DEEPLY EMOTIONALLY AFFECTING
MOVIE, AND SHE SAID IT'S LIKE A TWO-HOUR PANIC ATTACK THAT
YOU'RE SO GLAD YOU HAD. >> I FEEL YOU SHOULD TAKE A BOX
BEFORE YOU GO IN AND SAY FIGHT OR FLIGHT BECAUSE YOU'RE
ABSOLUTELY IN AN ADRENALIZED MOMENT. WHAT HE DOES, HE SEEMS TO MAKE
THE AUDIENCE SORT OF SIGN SOMETHING THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW
WHAT? I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU TIME
TO THINK. YOU WILL ONLY HAVE TIME TO FEEL
AND REACT JUST LIKE THESE PEOPLE IN THE MOVIE SO THAT BY THE END
OF IT YOU FEEL YOU ARE RIGHT THERE WITH THEM. >> Stephen: AS I WAS SAYING, I
FIRST GOT TO KNOW YOU IN HENRY V AND WE'VE SEEN YOUR HAMLET AND
YOUR "AS YOU LIKE IT." DID YOU ALWAYS LOVE SHAKESPEARE? EVEN AS A BOY DID YOU TAKE TO
IT? >> NO, I CAME FROM A WORKING
CLASS BELFAST FAMILY AND MY PARENTS WERE NOT REMOTELY
ASSOCIATED WITH BOOKS OR SHAKESPEARE. >> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENED TO
YOUR ACCENT? >> I GUESS WHEN I WAS NINE I
CAME TO ENGLAND, AND AT THAT TIME I GUESS YOU WANT TO JUST
KIND OF BLEND IN AND FIT. >> Stephen: SURE. FRANKLY, ALSO, YOU WANT TO BE
UNDERSTOOD. AND PEOPLE WERE SO INCREDIBLY
INTOLERANT OF ACCENTS. I THINK PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE
TOLERANT OF ACCENTS NOW, DON'T YOU THINK. >> Stephen: AH -- SURE. ACCEPTING THIS GREAT
DIVERSITY. >> Stephen: SURE, YEAH. BUT PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE YOUR
ACCENT AS A BOY? >> WELL, I THINK IT WAS
SOMETHING THAT -- THERE WAS QUITE A LOT OF RIBBING ABOUT IT. >> Stephen: DOES IT COME BACK
IS THIS. >> OF COURSE, IT DOES, STEPHEN. MY ACCENT COMES BACK BECAUSE I
THINK IF THERE WAS A SECOND MOVIE OF TIRKIN I COULD POSSIBLY
PLAY LIAM NEESON'S GRAND-DAD AND SAY I HAVE A VERY PARTICULAR SET
OF SKILLS ( LAUGHTER )
AND IF YOU DO NOT RETURN MY DAUGHTER TO ME, I WILL FIND YOU
AND I WILL KILL YOU. ( IN IRISH ACCENT )
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I INTERRUPTED YOU
BE SHAKESPEARE. YOU'RE A YOUNG BOY OR MAN AND
DIDN'T LIKE IT? >> WE WERE ASKED TO READ IT WHEN
I WAS 13 IN SCHOOL. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN READING
THE PHONE DIRECTORY. WE WENT TO SEE ROMEO AND JULIET. I FELT DURING THAT SHOW I WENT
THROUGH PUBERTY. IT WAS SO THRILLING. THERE WERE FIGHTS AND GANGS. I WANTED TO BE IN THE GANGS. IT SEEMED KIND OF COOL. THE GUY CLIMBED THE BALCONY
LOOKED PRETTY BUTCH, THAT WOULD BE THE WAY TO GET THE GIRL, YOU
KNOW, HE SPOKE A LOT. I THOUGHT, THAT'S A TECHNIQUE AS
WELL. I THOUGHT, MAYBE I SHOULD SPEAK
A LOT AND HANG OUT ON THE BALCONIES. BUT IT WAS MAINLY, I THINK,
FRANKLY, SHAKESPEARE EQUALS SEX, THAT'S WHAT GOT ME. >> Stephen: YEAH, I DON'T
THINK YOU'RE ALONE. LOVELY TO MEET YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE. >> Stephen: "DUNKIRK" OPENS
TODAY. IT'S OUT NOW. KENNETH BRANAGH, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK
