| SCRIPTS |
| Early Script - The Journey to Nockmaar to Planning for Battle |
| "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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Madmartigan rides up to Airk Thaughbaer and their horses powerfully dance around each other. MADMARTIGAN: Out for a little ride in the country, Airk? AIRK: Thought you might get lonely, Madmartigan! Then they drop the bravado and clasp hands. MADMARTIGAN: Thank you, friend. AIRK: Let's go. They charge into the cave. The clamor of their hoofbeats echoes and then fades to silence. The valley is littered with fallen soldiers. Then, Raziel trots out of the castle. She clip-clops across the valley and follows the others to the cave. EXT. VOLCANIC MOUNTAINSIDE - DAY The Nockmaar horsemen race out of the cave and gallop up the obsidian mountain toward the dark castle. The army of Tir Asleen thunders out of the cave in pursuit. Arrows fire back and forth. The Tir Asleen army stays right on the enemy's tail. Willow hangs on to Madmartigan for dear life. Airk and Madmartigan ride side by side, perfect teamwork, and cut a few Nockmaar men down. Then Madmartigan turns and sees Sorsha ride up past everybody. What a rider she is! She surprises a couple of Nockmaar soldiers, swordfighting as she rides, killing them both. But she can't catch Kael. He rides ahead of everyone else, whipping his horse at an incredible speed toward the castle. The chase continues up the mountain. The Tir Asleen army keeps firing arrows at the enemy, or cutting them down with their swords, until only two Nockmaar men ride behind Kael. At last Kael reaches the castle drawbridge and leaps onto it as it begins to rise. His two remaining horsemen leap after him but fall short and tumble into the dry craggy moat. The drawbridge shuts with a loud echoing KLUNGG! Madmartigan and Airk screech to a halt on the brink of the moat. They look up. The castle loom, huge, dark, powerful, evil. MADMARTIGAN: Sorsha! Any way in there? Sorsha rides up to his side. SORSHA: No. The fortress is protected on all sides. The Tir Asleen warriors, dwarfed by the huge black wall, look at one another with doubt and worry. AIRK: Make camp! We'll assault at dawn. The army dismounts and begins to unpack supplies. It is late in the day and shadows lengthen toward evening. INT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - LATE AFTERNOON Kael carries the baby through the castle and climbs up the gloomy narrowing stairs of the QUEEN'S TOWER. He comes to a large door and hesitates a moment, showing fear. Then creaks the door open. INT. QUEEN'S TOWER BAVMORDA looks up. Kael cowers, afraid of her evil power. BAVMORDA: Kael! Carved in the floor is a MAGICIAN's CIRCLE, and in the very middle of this is a sacrificial altar made of shining copper. Bavmorda stands over the altar, wearing black robes. Behind her stand two decrepit DRUIDS. Kael bows. KAEL: Queen Bavmorda. I have the child. The baby squirms and cries. Seething with hate, Bavmorda reaches out her arms, then shrinks back. BAVMORDA: We must start the ritual! She hears noise outside the castle. BAVMORDA: Who is that? KAEL: An army of rebels and traitors. Bavmorda closes her eyes, holds out her hands and feels the vibrations and energy around her. Psychically: BAVMORDA: Where is Sorsha? KAEL: She has turned against you. Bavmorda opens her eyes furiously. To her druids: BAVMORDA: Purify the altar! Arrange the implements! I'll deal with Sorsha! The druids take the baby from Kael. Bavmorda storms out the door. EXT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - DUSK The Tir Asleen rebels pitch tents and build fires. Then they feel a terrible presence and look up at the castle wall. Amid torches and hideous minions, Bavmorda leers down at them and laughs. BAVMORDA: This is not an army! Sorsha looks up, and her mother seems to laugh right at her. Madmartigan steps forward. Seeing him in the armor of the King, Bavmorda stops l aughing, taken aback. RAZIEL: Willow! Get out of here! Quick! Hide! Raziel suddenly butts Willow into a tent. INT. TENT Willow tumbles into the tent and Raziel follows him. RAZIEL: Get down! The ritual chant! Quick! Protect yourself! WILLOW: Why? RAZIEL: Just do it! Willow takes out his philosopher's stone and begins to chant. EXT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE Madmartigan faces the queen. MADMARTIGAN: We've come for Elora Danan! Turn her over to us! Bavmorda stabs her finger down at him. BAVMORDA: You dare to challenge me? You are not warriors. You're pigs! She waves her hand, casting a horrible spell over the army. Madmartigan's body begins to change its shape. His armor breaks apart. He grows hideous. BAVMORDA: You're all pigs! The rebel soldiers panic and run. Slowly, horribly, they all expand and contort, ripping out of their armor and clothes, casting down their weapons and shields. SORSHA: Mother! No!! BAVMORDA: You made your decision! Bavmorda points at Sorsha, and Sorsha, too, begins to change. The mountainside becomes a sea of writhing flesh. Every one of the Tir Asleen army is transformed into a pig. INT. QUEEN'S TOWER - DUSK Bavmorda throws open the door. Her druids are binding the baby in a leather thong. BAVMORDA: Begin the ritual. Now! Light the first candle. A druid lights one of THIRTEEN ENORMOUS CANDLES. Bavmorda glares up at the roof. In the middle of it is a large circular hole showing the starlit sky. BAVMORDA: Come thunder. Come lightning. Touch this altar with your power. Come into my tower... Lightning flashes faintly and thunder rumbles in the distance. Bavmorda smiles with satisfaction. A druid places the baby on the altar. The other druid hits a loud gong, once. Bavmorda enters the Magician's Circle. Her face contorts as she recites: BAVMORDA: Dark runes, dark powers! Blend and bind, bind and blend, Universal night! And the might of Nockmaar! Magically she produces a razor-sharp knife. Lightning flashes again, getting closer. INT. TENT - NIGHT Willow is crouched on his knees, chanting with his eyes closed. RAZIEL: It's over, Willow. You did well. You protected yourself. Willow looks up. He hears the grunting outside. With great trepidation, he crawls to the tent door. EXT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - OUTSIDE TENT - NIGHT Willow shudders in horror at the grotesque sight. Amid horses and tents and weapons, hundreds of pigs wander about. Willow stands and walks through them. He looks down at one point and sees Rool and Teemo: two tiny baby pigs. Then he turns and runs back into the tent. INT. TENT - NIGHT Willow collapses to his knees beside Raziel. WILLOW: I've come all this way and now Elora Danan's going to die! RAZIEL: No! I can still defeat Bavmorda! WILLOW: She's too powerful, Raziel Raziel sternly stamps the ground with her hoof. RAZIEL: A true magician, Willow, never surrenders. She is a sorceress--I am a sorceress! Transform me now and I will destroy her! Hexagram! Willow grabs a sword and draws a hexagram around Raziel. He steps outside of it, holds up his philosopher's stone and begins his magic. WILLOW: Banish all disturbing forces from this place. Fire, water, above and below. Balance. Balance. Balance. Raziel begins to change. Willow wrestles with his own powers of concentration and will, now and then losing strength. RAZIEL: (voice distorted) Don't give up! Willow! He chants and strains. Raziel momentarily changes into a partly-formed grotesque creature. Then into a deer. Then she becomes human. At last she becomes herself, a once-beautiful and now elderly woman. Willow covers her unclothed body with a simple smock. WILLOW: Raziel! She looks down at her old hands. Then her eyes focus with purpose. RAZIEL: We've got a lot of work to do, Willow. Bring in our brave men. Willow opens the tent. Some pigs shuttle in, and Raziel begins to change them back into warriors. EXT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - NIGHT Stationed high on the castle wall, three Nockmaar MINIONS laugh and drink. Then they hear the terrible SCREAM of the baby. They look up at the Queen's Tower. INT. QUEEN'S TOWER - NIGHT A druid hits the ceremonial gong, twice. The baby shrieks. Standing over her, Bavmorda crushes a piece of glass with her bare hands and drops the fragments into a Witch's Bottle. BAVMORDA: Black fire forever kindled within, let the second rite begin! With a pair of razor-sharp shears she clips the baby's tiny fingernails and sprinkles them into the Witch's Bottle. The bottle glows and sparks, and the heavens answer with distant thunder. EXT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - NIGHT In the dark Tir Asleen camp some figures crouch low and hurry from tent to tent. CLOSER, the faces of rebel warriors, watching the castle wall. Fear. INT. TENT - NIGHT Willow, Raziel, Madmartigan, Sorsha, Airk Thaughbaer and a dozen rebel warriors argue back and forth. AIRK: Uphill with our rough weapons, we'll never make it! SORSHA: Elora Danan will die! RAZIEL: By dawn, upon thirteen tolls of the runic drum! WARRIOR: Bavmorda is too powerful. We need more forces. I say we retreat! The other warriors agree. RAZIEL: Bavmorda cannot transform you. I've protected this camp with a spell. MADMARTIGAN: Can you use your magic to get our men into the fortress, Raziel? Raziel shakes her head. RAZIEL: Bavmorda has shielded it with a spell of her own. The warriors grumble and protest. In a corner, Rool and Teemo poke their heads in under the canvas. Curiously they look at Willow, who sits in silence and deep thought, scratching the ground with his fingernail. The warriors rumble. WILLOW: Wait!! Willow jumps to his feet. They all turn to him. WILLOW: I have an idea. Back in my village we catch a lot of hedgehogs. MADMARTIGAN: Willow, this is war, not agriculture! WILLOW: I know, I know! But this is a way to get into that castle... They all gather around Willow to listen. INT. QUEEN'S TOWER - NIGHT Thunder rumbles. Bavmorda looks up. Her face is gradually becoming more grotesque as the ritual proceeds. A druid hits the gong three times. Now three candles are lit. The baby screams on the altar. With a demonic laugh, Bavmorda digs her hands into a deep vat of blood then raises them over her head. The blood runs down her arms into the folds of her black cloak. INT. TENT - NIGHT They all look at Willow. AIRK: It's too much work. WARRIOR: It can't be done. SORSHA: Kael will never fall for it. Willow looks hopefully at Madmartigan. MADMARTIGAN: (doubtful) I don't know, Willow. WILLOW: Madmartigan, you promised me you'd take care of Elora Danan like your own daughter. She is all that matters. Are you going to abandon her? Madmartigan turns away and scratches his beard. AIRK: Come on, Madmartigan. You gonna listen to a Peck? You and I are warriors. You know this plan will never work. Frustrated and torn, Madmartigan brushes Airk away. The men rally with Airk. Mdmartigan goes over to Sorsha. MADMARTIGAN: We'll probably die here, Sorsha. SORSHA: I have no family. The gong rings four time. Raziel turns to Airk and his men. RAZIEL: If we do not fight, and the baby dies, all hope for the future is lost. I shall face the danger alone if I have to. The men shake their heads. WILLOW: Me, too. Madmartigan, still torn by indecision, raises his arm and silences the protest. MADMARTIGAN: Time is running out. We must now decide who's going to leave and who is going to stay... EXT. NOCKMAAR CASTLE - NIGHT Light pulsates in the Queen's Tower. INT. QUEEN'S TOWER - NIGHT The druids cower behind Bavmorda, whose face has taken on the hideous features of a hellish beast. The baby has been streaked with ritual paint. BAVMORDA: Ocht veth nockkthirth bordak! Her voice growls a sickening chant, and light shoots out of her claw-like fingers, enveloping the baby. The baby levitates above the altar in a cocoon of light. |