| SCRIPTS |
| Early Script - Leaving the Village to Meeting Madmartigan |
| "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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INT. UFGOOD HOUSE - NIGHT
Kiaya's hair hangs down her back in a long tight braid. Near the fire she packs supplies into a travel sack. On the other side of the fire, Willow diapers the baby. The house is quiet. MIMS: Dada? Willow sets the baby down. He goes around an open wall and sits on his daughter's bed, straightening her blankets and toys. MIMS: Watch out for brownies, Dada. WILLOW: I will, Mims. Goodnight. He smiles and kisses her. Then crosses over to Ranon's bed. RANON: Dada, what's a Daikini? WILLOW: Daikinis are giant people who live far far away. RANON: Are you scared? Willow shrugs. Ranon sits up in bed. RANON: I could be your guard! I could carry your spear! WILLOW: (smiles) What a great son you are, Ranon. I wish I could take you with me. Now go to sleep... Ranon slides down under his blankets. Willow kisses him, looks at him a moment, then quietly withdraws toward the fire. EXT. SACRED HILL - SUNRISE The silhouette of a distant hill with druid stones on top. Carrying the baby, Willow climbs the hill with his family. He wears a papoose rig, supply pack, and a dagger. He hands the baby to Kiaya, then walks through the towering stones. The High Aldwin solemnly looks out at the distant forest. HIGH ALDWIN: Now, you know where you're going? (Willow shakes his head) Down there, through those trees, follow the river. You'll know the crossroads by a big Daikini structure. Willow, this is serious business. Don't waste any time, the outer world is no place for a Nelwyn. Give the baby to the first Daikini you see, then hurry home as fast as you can. WILLOW: If I'm not strong enough to be your apprentice, how can I do this? HIGH ALDWIN: You're strong enough. But you're going to need courage, Willow. WILLOW: I don't want courage. I don't want to be a warrior. All I've ever wanted was to do magic, real magic, like you! HIGH ALDWIN: Real magic, Willow, is simply the art of controlling the reality of others. You lack faith in yourself. You must learn to trust your intuition. The High Aldwin picks up a rock. With intense concentration he squeezes it in his outstretched hand. Then throws it in the air. It changes into a bird and flies away. HIGH ALDWIN: Go in the direction the bird is flying. WILLOW: (amazed) Oh, if I could do that I'd--I'd turn Burglekutt into a toad! HIGH ALDWIN: Waste magic on revenge? You have much to learn, Willow... The High Aldwin touches Willow's shoulder and turns away. The children are playing tag among the stones. Willow hugs them. Kiaya places the baby in the papoose. KIAYA: Willow, we've never been apart. I miss you already. Take this. It will bring you luck. Kiaya, whose head is covered with a kerchief, places a braided necklace on her own hair around Willow's neck. WILLOW: You cut your hair, Kiaya? He kisses her. The adjusts the papoose and heads off down the hill. The others wave goodbye sadly. KIAYA: Willow!! Kiaya rushes down the hill and passionately throws her arms around Willow, tears in her eyes. At last they break apart, and Willow begins the journey. EXT. WOODS - DAY - MONTAGE Willow hikes through strange and wondrous terrain, amazed and frightened. Animals rustle in the brush and he stumbles into a thistle patch, jumping out picking burrs off his legs. He hides from a fierce bear. The bear sees him and runs away. Willow hurries along, shifting the papoose, getting used to the baby's weight. EXT. ROAD - EVENING The baby is fussing hungrily. Willow impetuously digs a bladder of goat's milk from his sack and struggles to feed her. Then he hears something. Sensing danger, he clutches the baby and runs down a nearby riverbank. He hides under a bridge. NOCKMAAR SOLDIERS on horseback thunder toward the bridge, led by the knight SORSHA whose face is hidden under a black helmet and visor. In the other direction Willow sees a LIEUTENANT and two DEATH DOGS. They all meet on the bridge. The hideous soldiers are part human, part beast. LIEUTENANT: We've patrolled the hills. This is where they killed the nursemaid. SORSHA: She must have done something with the child. Widen the search! One of the Death Dogs is chewing on the Lieutenant's stirrup. LIEUTENANT: Get away from there! The dog panics and gnashes at the Lieutenant's arm, ripping away a piece of armor with its teeth. Horses rear. The Lieutenant draws his sword lightning-fast. He slices and kills the Death Dog. The baby begins to cry but the death-howl of the beast drowns her out as it does hurtling off the bridge into the river below. The soldiers gallop off into the woods. Willow falls back against the riverbank, shrinking away from the murdered Death Dog which lies bloody and twisted in the water. The terrified baby cries in his arms. EXT. ROAD - MORNING A harmless rabbit springs across Willow's path. Willow trips over a stone and almost falls flat on his face. WILLOW: I hate this. Where am I? I should stick you in a tree and go back home. (looks at baby) I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. He hurries along the road, looking over his shoulder. EXT. LANDSCAPE - DAY - MONTAGE Various VIEWS of Willow and the baby trekking across vast hills and valleys. EXT. HILL - DAY Gasping with exhaustion, Willow staggers up a sloping hill and drops to his knees. His eyes brighten. In the distance he sees a junction marked by a high wooden scaffolding. WILLOW: That's it. The crossroads... He stands and heads toward it cautiously. EXT. CROSSROADS - DAY The place is disgusting. Littered with junk, buzzing with flies, plagued with rodents. Willow creeps toward the scaffolding, covering his face against the stench. From it hang two cages. In one is a heap of filthy rags. In the other a half-clothed skeleton with one bony arm dangling out. Willow unpacks the papoose and looks up the deserted road. He shivers with cold. WILLOW: I hate this. EXT. CROSSROADS - DAY - LATER Willow waits uneasily, brushing flies off his face. The baby fusses and squirms. He peeks inside her diaper. WILLOW: I hate this. He looks anxiously up and down the road. The baby's crying gets worse. He begins to change her. EXT. CROSSROADS - SUNSET Willow finishes building a fire, lighting it with flint and blowing it into flame. The baby lies quietly nearby in a kind of porta-crib made of papoose and twigs. Nightfall teems with spooky noises: crickets, frogs, bats, owls and howling wolves. Then a terrible moan frightens him. WILLOW: I really hate this. Not sure where it came from. he backs away from the fire, under the rag-filled cage. Suddenly a hand reaches down and yanks Willow up off the ground! Willow screams. The baby cries. And WE SEE the haggard unwashed unshaven face of MADMARTIGAN pressing against the bars of the cage. MADMARTIGAN: Hey, Peck...get me some water...or you'll diiiiie...! Madmartigan shakes Willow like a rag-doll until Willow nods his head yes. Then drops him. Instantly Willow races around that fire, picking up everything he owns. WILLOW: I will--I'll getcha water--getcha lotsa water--anything you say--! Willow grabs the baby and makes a beeline for the bushes. MADMARTIGAN: Peck! He dives headfirst into the weeds. Madmartigan rattles his cage. MADMARTIGAN: You're a weasely little Peck! Gimme some water! Willow peeks at him and shakes his head. WILLOW: I'm not coming near you! They stare at each other across the fire. Then, Madmartigan puts on a very phony smile. MADMARTIGAN: Please? I'm dyin' of thirst in here. WILLOW: Good. How long will it take? Madmartigan drops the smile and spits at the fire. MADMARTIGAN: Don't make me angry, Peck. WILLOW: You be careful. I'm a powerful sorcerer. I could turn you into a toad just like that. MADMARTIGAN: Miserable Pecks. Willow throws a rock at him. It bounces off the cage. Madmartigan sags down into a heap of rags again. EXT. CROSSROADs - NIGHT The wind howls through the distant trees as darkness falls. Willow rocks the baby and eats some bread. Madmartigan watches him hungrily, sighing, forlorn, his eyes asking for pity. Willow glances at him. Finally, he can't take any more and he puts down the baby and pours some goat's milk in a cup. He reaches up on tip-toes and offers the milk to Madmartigan. MADMARTIGAN: That's more like it. Madmartigan snatches the cup and guzzles the milk, retching horribly at the taste. Then he tosses the cup back. WILLOW: Do any other Daikinis ever come by here? MADMARTIGAN: Why? WILLOW: I have to give this baby to somebody. Madmartigan grabs the bars and raises himself up. MADMARTIGAN: I'm somebody. Lemme out and I'll take care of your baby. He makes little kissing noises to the baby, trying to be sweet. However, his teeth are filthy. WILLOW: No. Somebody put you in there for a reason. I'll wait for somebody else. Willow retreats to the fire. Madmartigan whacks the cage with the back of his hand. EXT. CROSSROADS - NIGHT- LATER By the blazing fire Willow feeds the baby. WE HEAR hoofbeats. WILLOW: Hey! Somebody's coming! MADMARTIGAN: Peck! Quick! Douse the fire! Excited, Willow tosses more wood on the fire, picks up the baby and waits. MADMARTIGAN: No, you fool! Put it out I say! Out! Torches appear up the road. A horse-drawn wagon clatters full-speed toward the fire. WE HEAR loud drunken voices, far from friendly. Willow quickly dives into the bushes. Four boorish PICTS, with tattooed faces and arms, halt at the crossroads, yelling and waving their torches. Madmartigan is hidden under his rags. For fun the Picts set fire to the skeleton cage. Then head for the other. MADMARTIGAN: No!! He rises up in the torchlight. The Picts taunt him. PICT: Whose fire? They jab their torches at Madmartigan. MADMARTIGAN: No! Help! Stop! PICT: Where are they? Where did they go? Madmartigan points way up the road. The Picts ride away. As they go, they swing his cage and st fire to the floor of it. Madmartigan frantically beats the flames. His sleeves ignite. Willow scrambles out of the bushes and scoops up handfuls of dirt, which he chucks at Madmartigan. MADMARTIGAN: (spitting out dirt) Thanks for your help, Peck. WILLOW: Are you okay? MADMARTIGAN: As if you care. I saved your life, Peck. Those guys woulda killed us! (points dramatically) You wanna give your baby to them?? They eat babies! WILLOW: I don't know. Madmartigan literally licks his wounds, dragging his parched tongue along the length of his forearm. Willow begins to walk away. MADMARTIGAN: The world's gone insane. Good men locked in cages, criminals running free. It doesn't pay to be honest, Peck. Willow stops and turns around. WILLOW: Don't call me a Peck. My name is Willow. Madmartigan slinks down like a cat and slowly extends his dirty hand through the bars. MADMARTIGAN: Hello, Willow. I'm Madmartigan. Willow stares warily at the hand. Madmartigan smiles. Willow quickly shakes his hand and jumps away. Madmartigan laughs in a harmless, friendly way. MADMARTIGAN: You a woodcutter? WILLOW: Farmer. MADMARTIGAN: Farmer! I knew it! You're a victim, Willow. Yep, you and me: victims of a rotten, corrupt, corrupt, rotten world. A rat lumbers out of the darkness and sniffs toward the baby in the porta-crib. Madmartigan suddenly points. Willow screams and chases the rat away. Madmartigan shakes his head as solemnly as an undertaker. MADMARTIGAN: Listen, Willow my friend. I'm really a good man. Give me my freedom, and I'll look after that baby for you. Trust me. After a moment, Willow takes out his dagger. He stands on his toes under a cage, reaches up, and hacks at the chain lock. Madmartigan's eyes widen over-eagerly. he rubs his hands together and licks his lips. MADMARTIGAN: That's it--good--good--like that, yes, good, good, the chain--that's it, come on--come on--! Willow suddenly steps away. WILLOW: Nooo, I don't think I should. Madmartigan goes berserk. His arms flail and the whole cage shakes and swings and he bangs his head on the roof. MADMARTIGAN: Peck!! Stupid Peck! I'll kill ya! Let me out! Willow scrambles back to the fire and scoops up the baby and rocks her in his arms. |