| SCRIPTS |
| Early Script - Opening Scene to Inside Willow's House |
| "WILLOW" * Story by George Lucas * Screenplay by Bob Dolman * First Draft Third Revision November 14, 1986 * (c) LFL 1986 Lucasfilm LTD. |
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Act I
FADE IN: EXT.. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - DAY Under gloomy sky a huge fortress looms on a volcanic mountainside. From within WE HEAR the agonizing scream of a woman giving birth. INT.. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - DAY The scream continues as WE MOVE THROUGH the grim corridors of the castle TOWARD stairs leading down to a dungeon. INT.. DUNGEON - DAY Silhouetted in shadows, three Nockmaar MINIONS stand guard. In a jail cell, six fully pregnant WOMEN watch from behind iron bars. The screaming stops. There's a moment of silence. As WE MOVE INTO another jail cell WE HEAR a slap and the first cry of a newborn BABY. In the cell a black-robed DRUID watches intensely as ETHNA, a midwife, leans over the MOTHER and wraps the baby in swaddling. DRUID: Is it a girl? ETHNA: It is a girl. DRUID: Show me its arm. Ethna peels back the swaddling. On the baby's arm is a small marking. DRUID: It's true then. I must tell Queen Bavmorda. With great urgency the druid hurries up the dungeon stairs. Ethna gently places the baby on the mother's breast. The mother comforts the baby lovingly until it stops crying. Then she reaches out and clasps the midwife's wrist. MOTHER: Ethna, please. Help me. They're going to kill my baby. Ethna nervously looks out at the guards, then shakes her head at the mother. ETHNA: They'll kill you. MOTHER: Please save my baby. Ethna hesitates. Then decides. She quickly wraps together some rags and gives them to the mother. ETHNA: Pretend this is the child. MOTHER: Thank you, Ethna. Thank you. The mother kisses her baby and hands it to Ethna, who hides the baby inside the basket of rags. Ethna carries the basket past the guards and up the stairs. The mother lies back and sighs with relief. Then she hears clinking bootsteps and her eyes widen with fear. QUEEN BAVMORDA sweeps down the dungeon stairs, her black robes flowing behind her. The druid hurries alongside. BAVMORDA: We will start the ritual at dusk. You're certain this is the one? DRUID: It bears the markings. BAVMORDA: I must see for myself! Just as the omen foretold! The guards fearfully move aside as Bavmorda enters the cell. BAVMORDA: So. You *were* the one. MOTHER: Yes. But nothing you can do will stop the prophecy. BAVMORDA: This child will have no power over me.... Bavmorda grabs the rags away from the mother and anxiously tears them apart. BAVMORDA: (furiously) Where's the baby! One of the guards looks up the stairs. GUARD: The midwife! Bavmorda flies into a rage. BAVMORDA: Find that baby! Use the dogs! Sorsha! Two guards draw swords and charge upstairs. Bavmorda grabs the third guard and nods toward the mother. BAVMORDA: Kill her. Bavmorda storms away with the druid. WE SEE the shadow of the guard move over the terrified mother. War drums begin to beat out an alarm. EXT. SNOWY MOUNTAINSIDE - DAY TITLES BEGIN. The midwife hurries through swirling snow, clutching the baby. EXT. VILLAGE - DAY Nockmaar troops on horseback charge into a desolate village, driving ferocious DEATH DOGS into huts, violently searching for the baby. The oppressed, poor VILLAGERS are yanked into the street. Some of them are beaten. One is killed. The midwife hides behind a hut, still holding the baby, then runs away from the village. EXT. GRASSLAND - DAY Ethna treks across an open grass field. EXT. WOODS - NIGHT She huddles by a fire, exhausted and hungry, her clothes filthy and torn, and she rocks the crying baby. She hears dogs howling in the distance. She clutches the baby, kicks out the fire, and runs. EXT. OCEAN CLIFFSIDE - DAY She scrambles over rocks on a windswept coastline. EXT. FOREST - DAWN Ethna runs desperately for her life. Chasing her are two vicious DEATH DOGS. She scrambles across a shallow river. She claws at a rock and tears away sticks and driftwood matted together with weeds. Into this she places the baby and sets it afloat downstream. DEATH DOG: Bordak! The dogs lunge from the woods and splash across the river. The midwife claws her way up a steep bank, luring the dogs. As they attack her: MIDWIFE: I don't have her! No! No! She grabs a stick and tries to defend herself, thrashing at the snarling dogs. From the baby's view, as it floats down the river, WE SEE the dogs kill the midwife beyond the distant trees. EXT. DOWNRIVER - DAY - MONTAGE The little raft of sticks swirls precariously in the current. It glances off jutting rocks, tumbles over rapids, and scrapes under overhanging trees. EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY At last the raft catches in some weeds, almost dumping the baby. TITLE SEQUENCE ENDS Suddenly WE HEAR rustling leaves, possibly another Death Dog. Then WE HEAR giggling. Two children, RANON and MIMS, watch in amazement from the riverbank. EXT. UFGOOD FARM - DAY Holding onto a plow, WILLOW UFGOOD struggles behind a huge hog. From a heavy sack slung over his shoulder he tosses seeds. RANON: Dada! We found something in the river! Willow beams with joy as his son and daughter race toward him. They grab his sleeves and tug him away from his plow. WILLOW: I can't run off and play with you now. I've got work to do. RANON/MIMS: But Dada, you gotta see it! Hurry! Willow drops his sack of seeds. The ugly hog glares at him like a guilty conscience. The children squeal with excitement as their father runs toward the river with them. EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY WE SEE Willow from the baby's view. His eyes pop open. He quickly backs his children away. WILLOW: Back! Don't go near it. We don't know where it's been. It could be diseased. MIMS: It's a baby! RANON: It's not a Nelwyn baby. WILLOW: No, it's too big to be a Nelwyn baby. It looks like a Daikini... MIMS: Ooh, it's so cute... WILLOW: Mims! Get back here! It might bite you. Willow drags Mims away. Then the baby starts crying. RANON: Can't we keep it, Dada? WILLOW: Absolutely not. BURGLEKUTT: Ufgood! Willow Ufgood! Willow, in a sudden panic, sees BURGLEKUTT in the distance. He splashes into the river, grabs the raft, plunks it on the bank and tries to hush the crying baby. WILLOW: Shhh, shhh! It's the Prefect -- that's all I need. Mims, Ranon, keep this thing hidden... EXT. UFGOOD FARM - DAY Burglekutt's beady eyes spot Willow making a mad dash for his plow. Swinging his fat stomach, he angrily points his walking stick and goes after him. KIAYA: Mr. Burglekutt! He hasn't done anything wrong! Willow's wife KIAYA chases Burglekutt across the field, her beautiful long hair flowing behind her. Willow quickly gets behind his plow like he's been there all day. BURGLEKUTT: Ufgood! What do you think you're doing! I sell the planting seeds in this village. KIAYA: I told him we didn't steal it, Willow. Burglekutt furiously scoops a handful of seeds out of Willow's sack and shakes them under Willow's nose. BURGLEKUTT: You haven't paid your debts. Where did you get these seeds? With pride, Willow puts his arm around his wife. WILLOW: In the forest. My family's been gathering them since last fall. There's no law against that, Burglekutt. Suddenly the children laugh in the distance. KIAYA: Willow! You left the children alone by the river?? In alarm she runs off before Willow can stop her. Burglekutt sweeps the horizon with his walking stick. BURGLEKUTT: Too late, Ufgood. You'll never get your planting done before the rains start. You're gonna lose this land. He raises the seeds high above his head, then smashes them down at Willow's boots. He waddles away toward two of his MEN who wait by the road. Then: Kiaya SHRIEKS from the river. Burglekutt stops in his tracks and shakes his head as if to say "the whole family's crazy." Off he trudges. Willow watches and waits. Then runs as fast as he can to the river. EXT. RIVER - DAY Kiaya cradles the baby in her arms. Willow runs up, and with patriarchal authority, puts his fists on his hips. WILLOW: Absolutely, under no condition, is anyone in this family going to fall in love with that baby. They all fall in love as he speaks. The children follow Kiaya up on the bank, walking right past Willow. WILLOW: Kiaya! We can't keep that baby. Mims, Ranon. Hey! I will not be ignored! Ignored, Willow huffs after them across his unplowed field. INT. UFGOOD HOUSE - DAY Willow nervously paces as Kiaya pours water in a wood tub and the children entertain the naked baby with sticks and brightly colored cloths, apparatus for a magic trick. WILLOW: This is bad. If we're caught with that little Daikini it'll be the end of us. Careful, Ranon, I need that for the festival. (indicates magic cloth) Kiaya, what are we going to do? KIAYA: We're gonna give this baby a bath. The baby squeals with joy as Kiaya lifts her into the bath. WILLOW: Burglekutt's right. There's not enough time to finish plowing. We'll lose everything and I'll end up working in the mines. He shudders at the thought. KIAYA: Willow, do you think we should take her to the Village Council? WILLOW: No, no! They'll think it's a bad omen. There'll be a flood or a drought or a plague and everybody'll blame me for it! RANON: Look. What's that? Willow leans forward. On the baby's shoulder is a small branded scar in a circular design. It only adds to Willow's fears. WILLOW: I don't know. This is trouble. I'll talk to the High Aldwin about it tomorrow at the Festival. The baby kicks and splashes and giggles in the bath. |