The Sword in the Stone (film)
From Wikiquote
The Sword in the Stone is a Disney film from 1963 based on parts of The Once and Future King (1958) by T. H. White, in which Merlin the Magician gives social and magical lessons to a young boy known as Wart, who eventually pulls a magical sword from a stone and anvil to become hailed as King Arthur.
- Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. Written by Bill Peet and T.H. White.
[edit] Dialogue
- [First lines]
- Balladeer: [sings]
- A legend is sung of when England was young,
- And Knights were brave and bold.
- The good King had died, and no one could decide
- Who was rightful heir to the Throne.
- It seemed that the land would be torn by war,
- Or saved by a miracle alone —
- And that miracle appeared in London town:
- The Sword in the Stone.
- Narrator: And below the hilt, in letters of gold, were written these words: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise King born of England." Though many tried for the Sword with all their strength, none could move the Sword, nor stir it. So the miracle had not worked, and England was still without a King. And, in time, the marvelous Sword was forgotten. This was a Dark Age, without law and without order. Men lived in fear of one another, for the strong preyed upon the weak.
- Merlin: A dark age indeed! An age of inconveniance! No plumbing! No electricity! No... nothing! [he almost falls into the well] Oh, hang it all! Hang it all! [he finally gets his water and tries to leave, but cannot] Oh, now what?! [sees the chain wrapped around his leg] Here, leave off! LEAVE OFF! Oh, you fiendish chain, you! [kicks it away] Everything complicated! One big medieval mess!
- Merlin: Now, let me see. He should be here in, I'd say, half an hour.
- Archimedes: Who? Who? I'd like to know who!
- Merlin: I told you, Archimedes, I am not sure. All I know is that someone will be coming, someone very important.
- Archimedes: Oh, pinfeathers!
- Merlin: Fate will direct him to me, so that I, in turn, may guide him to his rightful place in the world.
- [Arthur falls through Merlin's roof]
- Merlin: Well! So, you did drop in for tea after all! Oh, you are a bit late, you know?
- Arthur: Oh, I am?
- Merlin: Yes. Now, my name is Merlin... Come, come, who are you, my lad?
- Arthur: Oh, my name's Arthur, but everyone calls me Wart.
- Arthur: How did you know that I would--
- Merlin: Oh, that-that you would be dropping in? Well, I happen to be a wizard! A soothsayer! A prognosticator! I have the power to see into the future! Centuries into the future! I've even been there, lad.
- Merlin: Oh, big news, eh? Can't wait for the London Times - first edition won't be out for at least [looks at his watch] 1200 years. Archimedes, would you mind sailing down there and-
- Archimedes: Not interested.
- Merlin: Oh, come now! You're as wet as you can get!
- Archimedes: NO! No, no, no!
- Merlin: Archimedes! I'll turn you into a human!
- Archimedes: You wouldn't dare!
- Merlin: I will! So help me, I will!
- Archimedes: All right! All right!
- Merlin: Works every time. Just like magic!
- Merlin: Science? One dummy trying to knock off another dummy with a bit of a stick.
- Archimedes: And the Wart's just as hot for it as the rest of them.
- Merlin: Yes. That boy's got real spark, lots of spirit. Throws himself, heart and soul, into everything he does. And that's really worth something. If it could only be turned in the right direction.
- Archimedes: Ha-ha! Fat chance of that!
- Merlin: Oh, I intend to cheat of course. Use magic! Every last trick in the trade if, I have to.
- [Merlin is being chased by a not-so good-looking female squirrel, eventually falling off a treebranch and into a bush.]
- Merlin: By George! I've had enough of this nonsense! ALAKAZAM!
- [In an atom bomb explosion, Merlin changes back into as human, causing the female squirrel to scream.]
- Merlin: There! You see? I'm an ugly, horrible, grouchy old man!
- [The female squirrel runs up a tree and chirps angrily at Merlin. In response, Merlin barks like a dog, scaring her off.]
- Arthur: Merlin!
- [Merlin turns around to see a girl squirrel hugging Arthur tightly.]
- Merlin: So, here we are.
- Arthur: Quick, Merlin, the magic!
- Merlin: Snick, snack, snorum!
- [Merlin turns Arthur back into a human and Arthur laughs, which causes the girl squirrel to gasp.]
- Arthur: There, now you see? I'm not a squirrel, I'm a boy.
- [The girl squirrel chirps as if asking a question.]
- Arthur: I tried to tell you. I'm, I'm a boy. A human boy!
- [The girl squirrel climbs up to a knot on her tree and sniffs.]
- Arthur: Oh! If you could only understand.
- [The girl squirrel runs up to the hole in the tree and cries her heart out as Arthur and Merlin remorsefully walk away.]
- Merlin: Ah, you know, lad... that love business is a powerful thing.
- [The girl squirrel, sobbing, pokes her head out of her tree hole and watches Arthur and Merlin slowly walk away.]
- Arthur: Greater than gravity?
- Merlin: Well, yes, boy, in its way, I'd, uh- Yes, I'd say it's the greatest force on Earth.
- [The girl squirrel climbs to the top of her tree to get one last look at Arthur and sobs one last time as the screen fades to black.]
- Arthur: Oh, I'm not really a sparrow, I'm a boy.
- Madame Mim: A boy?!
- Arthur: Merlin changed me with his magic, he's the world's most powerful wizard.
- Madame Mim: Merlin? [laughs] Oh, Merlin - the world's most powerful bungler. Why, boy, I've got more magic in one little finger! Now don't tell me you've never heard of the marvelous Madame Mim?
- Arthur: Well, no, I don't guess so.
- Archimedes: Madame Mim! [flys off] Good heavens, good heavens, good heavens.
- Madame Mim: Why, boy, I'm the greatest! I'm truly marvellous! [sings] With only a touch, I have the power, zim-zam-rim-vim, to whither a flower. I find delight in the gruesome and grim--
- Arthur: Oh, that's terrible.
- Madame Mim: Thank you, my boy. But that's nothing, nothing to me. Because I'm the magnificent, marvellous, mad Madame Mim!
- Archimedes: What's going on, boy?
- Arthur: They're having a wizard's duel. What's that mean?
- Archiemdes: Oh, it's a battle of wits. The players change themselves into different things in an attempt to destroy one another.
- Arthur: D-d-destroy?
- Archimedes: Just watch, boy. You'll get the idea.
- Madam Mim: Now, if you don't mind, I'll make the rules.
- Archimedes: Rules indeed! Why, she only wants rules so she can break them!
- Madam Mim: [to Archimedes] I'll take care of you later, feather-brain. [to Merlin] Rule 1: No mineral or vegetable, only animals. Rule 2: No make-believe things like, oh, pink dragons and stuff. Rule 3: No disappearing.
- Merlin: Rule 4: No cheating.
- Merlin: Now, Mim! No dragons, remember?
- Madam Mim: Did I say no purple dragons? Did I?!
- Narrator: So, at last, the miracle had come to pass in that far off time, upon New Year's Day. And the glorious reign of King Arthur was begun.
- [Last lines; Merlin magically enters the throne room wearing 20th century style clothes.]
- Arthur: Oh, Merlin! You're back from Ber-ber-ber-
- Merlin: Bermuda? Yes, back from Bermuda and the 20th century! And believe me, you can have it! One big modern mess! Alakazam! [magically changes back into his regular clothes]
- Arthur: I'm in an awful pickle! I'm King!
- Archimedes: He pulled the Sword from the Stone.
- Merlin: Aha! Of course, of course! King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table!
- Arthur: Round Table?
- Merlin: Oh, would you rather have a square one?
- Arthur: Oh, no, round will be fine.
- Merlin: Boy, boy, boy.... You'll become a great legend. They'll be writing books about you for centuries to come. Why, they might even make a motion picture about you.
- Arthur: Motion picture?
- Merlin: Well, uh.... that's something like television. Without commercials.
[edit] Cast
Wart (voice) - Rickie Sorensen
Merlin (voice) - Karl Swenson
Archimedes (voice) - Junius Matthews
Sir Ector (voice) - Sebastian Cabot
Sir Kay (voice) - Norman Alden
Madam Mim (voice) - Martha Wentworth
[edit] External Links
The Sword in the Stone quotes at the Internet Movie Database
