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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the 2003 third film in The Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and based on the The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson.
There can be no triumph without loss. No victory without suffering. No freedom without sacrifice. (taglines)

Frodo Baggins

[edit]
  • The Ring is mine!

( no audio, music playing and wind blowing )

  • And thus it was a Fourth Age of Middle-earth began. And the Fellowship of the Ring, though eternally bound by friendship and love, was ended.
  • Thirteen months to the day since Gandalf sent us on our long journey, we found ourselves looking upon a familiar sight: We were home.
  • How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand...there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold.

Aragorn

[edit]
  • I do not fear death.
  • Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand! Men of the West!
  • For Frodo.
  • [after being crowned as King of Gondor] This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together rebuild this world that we may share in the days of peace.
  • [last words to the four Hobbits of the Fellowship, following Mordor's defeat] My friends...you bow to no one.

Gandalf the White

[edit]
  • [To Pippin, in the extended edition] They guard it because they have hope. Faith and fading hope that one day it will flower. That a king will come and this city will be as it once was before it fell into decay. The old wisdom that was borne out of the West was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high, cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin. The line of Kings failed, the White Tree withered, and the rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men.
  • [to Pippin]: Now, listen carefully. Lord Denethor is Boromir's father. To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo, or the Ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. [hesitates] In fact, it's better if you don't speak at all, Peregrin Took.
  • We come to it at last; the great battle of our time.
  • The board is set. The pieces are moving.
  • Send these foul beasts into the abyss!
  • This is no place for a Hobbit!
  • [after Pippin kills an Orc] Guard of the Citadel, indeed.
  • [to soldiers panicking from the attacking Ringwraiths] Hold them back! Do not give into fear! Stand to your posts! FIGHT!
  • You are soldiers of Gondor! No matter what comes through those gates, you will stand your ground!

Gimli

[edit]
  • There's plenty for the both of us. May the best dwarf win.
  • [after Legolas takes down an oliphaunt and its crew] That still only counts as one!
  • Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?
  • [after Aragorn kills the envoy at the Black Gate; extended edition only] I guess that concludes negotiations...

Gollum

[edit]
  • They cursed us. 'Murderer', they called us. They cursed us, and drove us away! And we wept, precious. We wept to be so alone. And we forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind. We even forgot our own name. My precious.
  • Naughty little fly! Why does it cry? Caught in a web! Soon you'll be...eaten.
  • Clever hobbits to climb so high!

Samwise Gamgee

[edit]
  • [to Shelob, who's caught Frodo] Let him go, you filth! Let him go! You will not touch him again! Come here and finish it!
  • [kills an Orc] That's for Frodo! [kills another Orc] That's for the Shire! [kills the third Orc] And that's for my old Gaffer!!!
  • [to Frodo in Mount Doom] Don't you let go! Don't let go! Reach!
  • [last lines] Well, I'm back.

Others

[edit]
  • Denethor: [to Gandalf before dropping the torch to set himself and Faramir on fire; extended edition only] You may triumph on the field of battle for a day, but against the power that is risen in the East, there is no victory!
  • Arwen: From the ashes, a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king.
  • Legolas: [talking to Aragorn] The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East, a sleepless malice...The Eye of the Enemy is moving. [reacts with horror as he senses Pippin looking into the Palantir] He is here!
  • Éomer: [to Éowyn, about Merry] You know as little of war as that Hobbit. When the fear takes him, and the blood, and the screams, and the horrors of battle take hold, do you think he would stand and fight? He would flee. And it would be right to do so. War is the province of Men, Éowyn.
  • Theoden: Reform the line. Reform the line! Sound the charge; take them head on! Charge!!
  • Gothmog: The Age of Men is over. The time of the Orc has come.

Dialogue

[edit]
[Flashback, 500 years ago, hobbits Smeagol and Deagol are fishing in the Anduin river when suddenly Deagol falls from the boat as he is pulled by a large fish he has catched. Underwater, Deagol catches sight of the One Ring and takes it. He emerges out of the river. As he recovers, Deagol looks at the One Ring and is mesmerized by it]
Sméagol: [approaches Deagol and is quickly mesmerized by the Ring. Then he hisses] Give us that, Déagol, my love.
Déagol: Why?
Sméagol: Because it's my birthday...and I wants it.
[Déagol refuses, and the two get into a fight that ends with Sméagol strangling him to death. Sméagol then takes the Ring]
Sméagol: My...Precious... [puts the Ring on his finger, causing him to be transported into the Shadow World]
[The scene changes to Sméagol's slow and horrifying transformation into Gollum]
Gollum: [voice over] They cursed us. 'Murderer', they called us. They cursed us, and drove us away!
Sméagol: [coughs] Gollum! Gollum! Gollum!
Gollum: [voice over] And we wept, precious. We wept to be so alone. And we forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind. We even forgot our own name. My precious.
[Hours after the Ents attack Isengard, Merry and Pippin are sitting on top of the broken section of Isengard's walls. They are happily smoking]
Merry: It's good! Definitely from the Shire! Longbottom Leaf! [he and Pippin smile]
Pippin: I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon. A mug of ale in my hand, putting my feet up on a settle, after a hard day's work.
Merry: Only, you've never done a hard day's work. [he and Pippin chuckle]
[The Hobbits are soon delighted to see the Three Hunters, Gandalf, and King Theoden arrive]
Merry: [standing up] Welcome, my lords! To Isengard!
Gimli: You, young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on and, here we find you feasting, and... And smoking!
Pippin: We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying some well-earned comforts. [holding a piece of bacon] The salted pork is particularly good!
Gimli: [smiling] Salted pork?
Gandalf: [groans] Hobbits.
Merry: We're under orders from Treebeard, who's taken over management of Isengard!
[Extended Edition, the victors of Helm's Deep arrive in Isengard to confront Saruman who is stranded atop Orthanc]
Saruman: You have fought many wars and slain many Men, Théoden king, and made peace afterwards. Can we not take council together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?
Théoden: [angrily] We shall have peace. We shall have peace, when you answer for the burning of the Westfold, and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace, when the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the Gates of the Hornburg, are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet, for the sport of your own crows, we shall have peace!
Saruman: Gibbets and crows?! Dotard! [to Gandalf] What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess - the Key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the keys of Barad-dûr itself, along with the crowns of the Seven Kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!
Gandalf the White: Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk. But you could save them, Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's council.
Saruman: [smiling] So you have come here for information. I have some for you. [holds out the Palantír] Something festers in the heart of Middle Earth. Something that you have failed to see. But the Great Eye has seen it. Even now, he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon. You're all going to die. But you know this, don't you, Gandalf? [indicates Aragorn] You cannot think that this Ranger will ever sit upon the Throne of Gondor! This exile, crept from the shadows, will never be crowned king! Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those closest to him, those he professes to love. Tell me, what words of comfort did you give the halfling, before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death.
Gimli: I've heard enough! [to Legolas] Shoot him, stick an arrow in his gob!
Gandalf the White: No. Come down, Saruman, and your life will be spared.
Saruman: Save your pity and your mercy! I have no use for it! [shoots a ball of fire from his staff at Gandalf, who emerges unharmed]
Gandalf the White: [sternly] Saruman! Your staff is broken! [as he speaks, Saruman's staff shatters in his hands. From behind him, Gríma Wormtongue appears]
Théoden: Gríma! You need not follow him. You were not always as you are now. You were once a Man of Rohan! Come down.
Saruman: "A Man of Rohan"? What is the House of Rohan, but a thatched barn, where brigards drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs?! Victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you, Théoden Horse-Master! You are a lesser son of greater sires!
Théoden: [to Gríma] Gríma, come down. Be free of him.
Saruman: Free?! He will never be free!
Gríma Wormtongue: [last words] No.
Saruman: Get down, cur! [hits him across the face]
Gandalf the White: Saruman! You were deep in the enemy's council. Tell us what you know.
Saruman: [last words] You withdraw your guard and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here!
[From behind him, Gríma suddenly stabs him in the back repeatedly. Legolas shoots him with an arrow to the heart, killing him, while Saruman topples from Orthanc to his death on a spiked wheel below]
Gandalf: [to his companions] Send word to all our allies! The Enemy moves against us, we need to know where he will strike!
Samwise: [hands Frodo some lembas bread] Here.
Frodo: What about you?
Samwise: I'm not hungry. Leastways, not for lembas bread.
Frodo: Sam.
Samwise: Alright. We don't have that much left. We have to be careful or we're going to run out. You go ahead and eat that, Mr Frodo. I've rationed it. There should be enough.
Frodo: For what?
Samwise: The journey home.
Aragorn: No news of Frodo?
Gandalf the White: No word. Nothing.
Aragorn: We still have time. Every day Frodo moves closer to Mordor.
Gandalf the White: Do we know that?
Aragorn: What does your heart tell you?
Gandalf the White: [smiles] That Frodo is alive. Yes. Yes, he is alive.
Sméagol: [talking in his sleep] Too risky, too risky.
Gollum: [also in his sleep] The thieves! They stole it from us. Kill them. Kill them. kill them both!
Smeagol: [wakes up, alarmed] No!
Gollum: Shhh! Quiet! Mustn't wake them, mustn't ruin it now!
Sméagol: But they knows, they knows. They suspects us! [walks to the nearby pond. Smeagol looks at his own reflection who is actually Gollum]
Gollum: [mockinly] What's it saying, my Precious, my love? Is Sméagol losing his nerve?
Sméagol: No! Not! Never! Sméagol hates nasty Hobbitses! Smeagol wants to see them...dead.
Gollum: And we will. Sméagol did it once, he can do it again. It's ours. Ours!
Sméagol: We must get the Precious. We must get it back!
Gollum: Patience! Patience, my love. First we must lead them to her.
Sméagol We lead them to the winding stair.
Gollum Yes, the stairs. And then?
Sméagol: Up, up, up, up, up the stairs we go. Until we come to...the tunnel!
Gollum And when they go in, there's no coming out. She's always hungry, she always needs to feed. She must eat, all she gets filthy Orcses.
Sméagol: And they doesn't taste very nice, does they, Precious?
Gollum No...not very nice at all, my love. She hungers for sweeter meats. Hobbit meat. And when she throws away the bones, and the empty clothes, then we will find it!
Sméagol: [happily] And take it for me!
Gollum: [growls] For us.
Sméagol: [cowed] Yes, we...we meant for us.
Gollum: [coughing] Gollum! Gollum! The Precious will be ours...once the Hobbitses are dead! [sees Sam's reflection over his shoulder, having heard everything]
Samwise: You treacherous little toad! [hits Gollum and begins strangling him]
Gollum: [as Sméagol] No! No! Master!
Frodo: [wakes up] No, Sam! Leave him alone!
Samwise: I heard it from his own mouth! He means to murder us!
Gollum: [as Sméagol] Never! Sméagol wouldn't hurt a fly! [screams] He's a horrid, fat Hobbit, who hates poor Sméagol, and who makes up nasty lies!
Samwise: You miserable little maggot! I'll stove your head in!! [lunges at Sméagol, but Frodo restrains him] Call me a liar?! You're a liar!
Frodo: You scare him off, we're lost!
Samwise: I don't care! I can't do it, Mr. Frodo, I won't wait around for him to kill us!
Frodo: I'm not sending him away.
Samwise: You don't see it, do you? He's a villain.
Frodo: We can't do this by ourselves, Sam. Not without a guide. I need you on my side.
Samwise: I'm on your side, Mr. Frodo.
Frodo: I know, Sam. I know. Trust me. Come, Sméagol.
[Smeagol follows Frodo and looks at Sam; Gollum grins evilly at Sam]
[Pippin is shocked with terror after looking into the Palantír. Gandalf races to him and wakes him up]
Gandalf: Look at me.
Pippin: Gandalf, forgive me.
Gandalf: Look at me. What did you see?
Pippin: There was a tree. A white tree, in a courtyard of stones. It was dead. The city was burning.
Gandalf: Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?
Pippin: [his voice trembling with fear] I saw...I saw him! I can still hear his voice in my head!
Gandalf: What did you tell him? Speak!
Pippin: He asked me my name. I didn't answer.
Gandalf: What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?
[Pippin looks at him, still horrified]
Gandalf the White: There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool, but an honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the Palantír a glimpse of the Enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our Enemy one thing. He knows the Heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still, strength enough perhaps to challenge him. Sauron fears this. He will not risk the Peoples of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a King return to the Throne of Men. If the Beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war.
Théoden: Tell me, why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?
Aragorn: I will go.
Gandalf the White: No.
Aragorn: They must be warned.
Gandalf the White: They will be. You must come by another road. Follow the River. Look to the Black Ships. Understand this. Things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith. [glances at Pippin] And I won't be going alone.
Gandalf: Of all the inquisitive Hobbits, Peregrin Took, you are the worst! Hurry! Hurry!
Pippin: [to Merry] Where are we going?
Merry: Why did you look? Why do you always have to look?!
Pippin: I don't know. I couldn't help it.
Merry: You never can.
Pippin: Look, I'm sorry, alright! I won't do it again!
Merry: Don't you understand? The Enemy thinks you have the Ring. He's going to be looking for you. They have to get you out of here.
Pippin: And you? You're coming with me, right?
Merry: [marches toward the stables] Come on!
Pippin: [to Gandalf] How far is Minas Tirith?
Gandalf: Three days' ride, as the Nazgul flies. And you better hope we don't have one of those on our tail.
Merry: Here. [hands Pippin a packed Longbottom leaf] Something for the road.
Pippin: The last of the Longbottom Leaf.
Merry: I know you've run out. You smoke too much, Pip.
Pippin: But we'll see each other soon? Won't we?
Merry: I don't know, Pip. I don't know what's going to happen.
Pippin: Merry?
Gandalf: Run, Shadowfax. Show us the meaning of haste.
Pippin: Merry! [Gandalf rides off with him atop Shadowfax]
[Merry climbs a nearby watchtower to see Gandalf and Pippin leave. Aragorn follows him from behind]
Merry: [to Aragorn] He's always followed me everywhere I went, since before we were tweens. I would get him into the worst sort of trouble but I was always there to get him out. [sadly] Now, he's gone, just like Frodo and Sam.
Aragorn: [comforts him] One thing I've learned about hobbits: they are the most hardy folk.
Merry: Foolhardy, may be. He's a Took! [both he and Aragorn smile]
Arwen: You have the gift of foresight. Tell me what you have seen.
Elrond: I looked into your future and I saw death.
Arwen: But there is also life. You saw there was a child. You saw my son.
Elrond: That future is almost gone.
Arwen: But it is not lost.
Elrond: Nothing is certain.
Arwen: Some things are certain: if I leave him now, I will regret it forever.
[Gandalf and Pippin have arrived in Minas Tirith. As the two walk through the court, Pippin notices the dying White Tree he saw in the Palantir]
Pippin: The White Tree. Gandalf. Gandalf!
Gandalf: Yes, the White Tree of Gondor, the Tree of Kings. Lord Denethor, however, is not the king. He is a Steward, a caretaker to the throne. [stops by the citadel's door and looks at Pippin, sternly] Now, listen carefully, Lord Denethor is Boromir's father. To give him news of his beloved son's death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo, or the Ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. [hesitates] In fact, it's better if you don't speak at all, Peregrin Took.
[Pippin nods and he enters the citadel with Gandalf]
Gandalf the White: Hail, Denethor, Son of Ecthelion, Lord and Steward of Gondor. I come with tidings in this dark hour, and with counsel.
Denethor: Perhaps you come to explain this? [holds up Boromir's broken horn] Perhaps you come to tell me why my son is dead?
Pippin: Boromir died to save us, my kinsman and me. He fell, defending us from many foes.
Gandalf the White: Pippin!
Pippin: [kneels before Denethor] I offer you my service, such as it is, in payment of this debt.
Denethor: This is my first command to you. How did you escape and my son did not, so mighty a Man as he was?
Pippin: The mightiest Man may be slain by one arrow. Boromir was pierced by many.
Gandalf the White: [nudges Pippin with his staff] Get up. [to Denethor] My Lord, there will be a time to grieve for Boromir, but it is not now. War is coming. The Enemy is on your doorstep! As Steward, you are charged with the defense of this city. Where are Gondor's armies? You still have friends. You are not alone in this fight. Send word to Théoden of Rohan. Light the beacons.
Denethor: You think you are wise, Mithrandir, yet for all your subtleties you have not wisdom. Do you think the eyes of the White Tower are blind? I have seen more than you know. With your left hand you would use me as a shield against Mordor and with your right you would seek to supplant me. I know who rides with Théoden of Rohan. Oh, yes. Word has reached my ears of this Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and I tell you now, I will not bow to this Ranger from the North! Last of a ragged house, long bereft of Lordship.
Gandalf the White: Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the King, Steward!
Denethor: The rule of Gondor is MINE! And no other's!
[Extended edition only]
Gandalf the White: All has turned to vain ambition! He would even use his grief as a cloak! A thousand years this city has stood. Now, at the whim of a madman, it will fall. And the White Tree, the Tree of the King, will never bloom again.
Pippin: [referring to the guards surrounding to the tree] Why are they still guarding it then?
Gandalf the White: They guard it because they have hope. A faint and fading hope, that one day it will flower. A King will come, and this city will be as it once was. Before it fell into decay. The old wisdom born out of the West was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living, and counted the names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls, musing on heraldry, or in high cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so, the people of Gondor fell into ruin. The line of Kings failed. The White Tree withered. The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men.
Pippin: [staring towards Mordor] Mordor.
Gandalf the White: Yes, there it lies. This city has dwelt ever in the sight of its shadow.
Pippin: [notices the approaching dark clouds that looms over the city] A storm is coming.
Gandalf the White: This is not the weather of the world. This is a devise of Sauron's making, a broil of fume he sends ahead of his host. The Orcs of Mordor have no love of daylight. So he covers the face of the sun to ease their passage along the road to war. When the shadow of Mordor reaches this city, it will begin.
Pippin: Well, Minas Tirith, very impressive. So where are we off to next?
Gandalf the White: Oh, it's too late for that, Peregrin Took, there's no leaving this city. Help must come to us.
[Extended edition only]
Samwise: Must be getting near teatime. Leastways it would be in decent places where there is still teatime.
Gollum: [as Sméagol] We're not in decent places.
Samwise: [turns back to Frodo, who has paused suddenly] Mr. Frodo? What is it?
Frodo: It's just a feeling. I don't think I'll be coming back.
Samwise: Yes, you will. Of course you will. That's just morbid thinking. We're going there and back again, just like Mr. Bilbo. You'll see.
[The hobbits and Gollum continue walking, passing by an ancient statue of a Gondorian king, vandalized by a boulder bearing Sauron's eye]
Frodo: These lands once belonged to the Kingdom of Gondor. Long ago, when there was a king.
[The trio pass by the decapitated head of the statue, filled with vines. As the sun shines for a moment, the sunlight magically makes the vines bloom white like flowers]
Samwise: [noticing the flowers bloom] Mr. Frodo, look! The king's got a crown again.
[Frodo and Sam smile, comforted for a short while until the sunlight disappears, covered by the thick dark clouds, and the flowers on the king's head disappear]
Gollum: [to the hobbits] This way, Hobbitses! Follow me!
Pippin: [looking at his armor] So, I imagine this is just a ceremonial position. I mean, they don't actually expect me to do any fighting. Do they?
Gandalf the White: You're in the service of the Steward now. You're going to have to do as you're told, Peregrin Took, Guard of the Citadel! [coughs] Ridiculous hobbit.
Pippin: [approaches a coughing Gandalf with a cup of water. Gandalf takes and drinks from the cup while Pippin looks to the night skies] There's no more stars. [turns to Gandalf] Is it time?
Gandalf: Yes.
Pippin: It's so quiet.
Gandalf the White: It's the deep breath before the plunge.
Pippin: I don't want to be in a battle, but waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse. Is there any hope, Gandalf... for Frodo and Sam?
Gandalf the White: There never was much hope. Just a fool's hope. [looks eastward] Our enemy is almost ready, his full strength gathered. Not only Orcs, but men as well; legions of Haradrim from the South, mercenaries from the coast - All will answer Mordor' s call. This will be the end of Gondor as we know it. Here the hammer stroke will fall hardest. If the river is taken, if the garrison at Osgiliath falls, the last defence of this city will be gone.
Pippin: But we have the White Wizard. That's got to count for something. [Gandalf does not answer] Gandalf?
Gandalf the White: Sauron has yet to reveal his deadliest servant. The one who will lead Mordor's armies in war. The one they say no living Man can kill. The Witch-King of Angmar! You've met him before. He stabbed Frodo at Weathertop. He is the Lord of the Nazgûl, the greatest of the Nine. Minas Morgul is his lair.
Faramir: Mithrandir! They have broken through our defenses! They've taken the bridge and the west bank. Battalions of Orcs are crossing the river.
Irolas: It is as the Lord Denethor predicted. Long has he foreseen this doom.
Gandalf: Foreseen and done nothing! [Faramir stares at Pippin] Faramir? This is not the first halfling to have crossed your path.
Faramir: No.
Pippin: You've seen Frodo and Sam?
[Faramir nods, both Gandalf and Pippin show a sign of relief]
Gandalf: Where? When?
Faramir: In Ithilien. Not two days ago. Gandalf, they're taking the road to the Morgul Vale.
Gandalf: And then the pass of Cirith Ungol.
Pippin: What does that mean? What's wrong?
Gandalf: Faramir, tell me everything. Tell me all you know.
Denethor: [angrily] This is how you would serve your city? You would risk its utter ruin?
Faramir: I did what I judged to be right.
Denethor: What you judged to be right? You've sent the Ring of Power into Mordor! In the hands of a witless Halfling! It should have been brought back to the Citadel to be kept safe. Hidden. Dark and deep beneath the vaults. Not to be used. Unless...At the uttermost end of need.
Faramir: I would not use the Ring. Not if Minas Tirith were falling in ruin and I alone could save it.
Denethor: Ever you desire to appear lordly and gracious as a king of old. Boromir would have remembered his father's need. He would have brought me a kingly gift.
Faramir: Boromir would not have brought the Ring. He would have stretched out his hand to this thing and taken it. He would have fallen.
Denethor: You know nothing of this matter!
Faramir: He would have kept it for his own! And when he returned, you would not have known your son.
Denethor: [rising up in rage] Boromir was loyal to me! Not some wizard's pupil! [suddenly falls and as Faramir tries to help him, he smiles desperately] My son! [sees the spirit of Boromir, returning then he vanishes, only to see Faramir again; bitterly] Leave me.
[Faramir acquiesces]
Gollum: [as Sméagol] Master? Master carries heavy burden. Sméagol knows. Heavy, heavy burden. Fat one cannot know. Sméagol look after Master. [puts his hand on Frodo's head] He wants it. [as Sméagol] He needs it. Sméagol sees it in his eye. Very soon, he will ask you for it. You will see. [as Gollum] The fat one will take it from you.
[Frodo looks at Sam suspiciously]
Witch King: Send forth all legions. Do not stop the attack until the city is taken. Slay them all!
Gothmog: What of the wizard?
Witch King: I will break him.
[In Denethor's court, Pippin has just joined the Tower Guards]
Pippin: [nervously] Here do I swear fealty and service to Gondor. In peace or war. In living or dying. From... from this hour henceforth, until my lord release me, or death... take me.
Denethor: And I shall not forget it. Nor fail to reward that which is given. [holds out his ringed hand which Pippin kisses] Fealty with love. Valor with honor. Disloyalty with vengeance. [sits down and starts to eat. He then looks at Faramir with cold eyes] I do not think we should so lightly abandon the outer defenses. Defenses that your brother long held intact.
Faramir: What would you have me do?
Denethor: I will not yield the river and Pelennor unfought. Osgiliath must be retaken.
Faramir: My lord, Osgiliath is overrun.
Denethor: Much must be risked in war. Is there a captain here who still has the courage to do his lord's will?
Faramir: [appalled] You wish now that our places have been exchanged? That I have died and Boromir had lived?
Denethor: [coldly] Yes. I wish that.
Faramir: Since you are robbed of Boromir, I will do what I can in his stead. If I should return, think better of me, Father.
Denethor: That will depend on the manner of your return.
[While Frodo and Sam are sleeping, Gollum wakes up, takes the Elven bread, sprinkles some onto a sleeping Sam, and throws the bread off the cliff they are on, to frame Sam]
Samwise: [waking up] What are you up to? Sneaking off, are we?
Gollum: [as Sméagol] Sneaking? [indignant] S-Sneaking?! Fat hobbit is always so polite. Sméagol shows them secret ways that nobody else could find, and they say "sneak"! Sneak?! Very nice friend. Oh, yes, my precious. Very nice, very nice...
Samwise: All right! All right. You just startled me is all. What were you doing?
Sméagol: [sarcastic] Sneaking.
Samwise: Fine. Have it your own way. [wakes Frodo] I'm sorry to wake you, Mr. Frodo. We have to be moving on.
Frodo: It's dark still.
Samwise: It's always dark here. [notices the bread is missing] It's gone. The Elvin bread!
Frodo: What?! That's all we have left!
Samwise: [looks at Gollum] He took it! He must have!
Gollum: [as Sméagol] Sméagol?! No, no, not poor Sméagol. Sméagol hates nasty Elf bread.
Samwise: You're a lying rat! What did you do with it?!
Frodo: He doesn't eat it. He can't have taken it.
Gollum: ["notices" the crumbs on Sam's cloak] Look. What's this? [takes the crumbs off the jacket and gasps] Crumbs on his jacketses! He took it! He took it! I've seen him. He's always stuffing his face when Master's not looking.
Samwise: That's a filthy lie! [punches Gollum] You stinking, two-faced sneak!
Frodo: Sam! Stop it! Sam! [pulls Sam away from Gollum] Sam! No!
Samwise: Oh, my! I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to go so far. I was just so, so angry. Here, let's, let's just rest a bit.
Frodo: I'm all right.
Samwise: No. You're not all right. You're exhausted. It's that Gollum. It's this place. It's that thing around your neck! I could help a bit. I could carry it for a while. [the words echo in Frodo's mind] Carry it for a while...I could carry it...I could carry it...Share the load...Share the load...The load...The load...
Frodo: [pushes Sam away upon hearing the echoes] Get away!!
Samwise: I don't want to keep it! I just want to help.
Gollum: [smiling behind Frodo] See? See? He wants it for himself.
[Frodo looks at Sam in shock]
Samwise: Shut up, you! Go away! Get out of here!
Frodo: No, Sam. It's you. I'm sorry, Sam.
[Gollum smirks; his plan is working]
Samwise: But he's a liar. He's poisoned you against me!
Frodo: You can't help me anymore.
Samwise: [shocked] You don't mean that.
Frodo: Go home.
[Sam breaks down crying, as Frodo and Gollum leave to continue their climb to Mordor]
Gandalf: Faramir! Faramir, your father's will has turned to madness! Do not throw your life so rashly!
Faramir: Where does my allegiance lie if not here? This was the great city of the Men of Numenor. I would gladly give my life to defend her beauty, her wisdom. [sadly] Her memory.
Gandalf: Your father loves you, Faramir! He will remember it until the end.
Éomer: [about Merry] You should not encourage him.
Éowyn: You should not doubt him.
Éomer: I do not doubt his heart. Only the reach of his arm.
[Gamling chuckles]
Éowyn: Why should Merry be left behind? He has much cause to go to war as you do. Why can he not fight for those he loves?
Éomer: You know as little of war as that Hobbit. When the fear takes him, and the blood, and the screams, and the horrors of battle take hold, do you think he would stand and fight? He would flee. And it would be right to do so. War is the province of Men, Éowyn.
Theoden: I take my leave.
[The hooded figure Theoden was talking to reveals himself to be Elrond]
Aragorn: My Lord Elrond.
Elrond: I come on behalf of one whom I love. Arwen is dying. She will not long survive the evil that now spreads from Mordor. The light of the Evenstar is failing. As Sauron's power grows, her strength wanes. Arwen's life is now tied to the fate of the Ring. The Shadow is upon us, Aragorn. The end has come.
Aragorn: It will not be our end but his.
Elrond: You ride to war, but not to victory. Sauron's armies march on Minas Tirith, this you know. But, in secret he sends another force which will attack from the river. A fleet of Corsair ships sails from the south. They'll be in the city in two days. You're outnumbered, Aragorn. You need more men.
Aragorn: There are none.
Elrond: There are those who dwell in the mountain.
Aragorn: Murderers. Traitors. You would call upon them to fight? They believe in nothing. They answer to no one.
Elrond: They will answer to the king of Gondor. [pulls out Anduril] Anduril, Flame of the West, forged from the shards of Narsil.
Aragorn: Sauron will not have forgotten the Sword of Elendil. [draws out Anduril from its scabbard] The blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith.
Elrond: The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be. Take the Dimholt Road. Ónen i-estel edain. ("I give hope to mankind")
Aragorn: Ú-chebin estel anim. ("I keep none for myself")
[Aragorn readies to take the Paths of the Dead. He leads his horse towards the entrance and passes by Gimli, who stops him]
Gimli: Where do you think you're off to?
Aragorn: Not this time, Gimli. This time you must stay.
Legolas: [walks up to them, leading his horse] Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?
Gimli: You may as well accept it. We're going with you, laddie.
[The Three Hunters ride into the Paths of the Dead, to the shock of the Rohirrim who all try to call them back]
Rohirrim: Why does he leave on the eve of battle?
Gamling: He leaves because there is no hope.
Theoden: He leaves because he must.
Gamling: Too few have come, we cannot defeat the armies of Mordor.
Theoden: [shakes his head, honestly] No, we cannot. But we will meet them in battle, nonetheless.
Legolas: [reading the inscription over the cave] The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut.
Aragorn: I do not fear death. [enters, followed by Legolas]
Gimli: Well this is a thing unheard of! An Elf will go underground, when a Dwarf dare not! [enters] Oh, I'd never hear the end of it!
King of the Dead: [suddenly appears from behind] Who enters my domain?
Aragorn: One who will have your allegiance.
King of the Dead: The Dead do not suffer the living to pass.
Aragorn: You will suffer me.
King of the Dead: [laughs and summons his army] The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut. Now you must die!
[Legolas shoots an arrow at the King of the Dead, but it goes right through him]
Aragorn: I summon you to fulfill your oath!
King of the Dead: None but the king of Gondor may command me. [swings sword; Aragorn blocks him with the sword Anduril] That line was broken!
Aragorn: [takes him by the throat] It has been remade. [he releases the King of the Dead] Fight for us, and reclaim your honour! What say you? What say you?!
Gimli: You waste your time, Aragorn! They had no honour in life; they have none now in death!
Aragorn: I am Isildur's Heir! Fight for me, and I will hold your oaths fulfilled! WHAT SAY YOU?! [the King of the Dead laughs] You have my word! Fight! And I will release you from this living death! WHAT SAY YOU?!
Gimli: STAND, YOU TRAITORS!
[The Army of the Dead vanishes away and, suddenly, a powerful earthquake shakes the tomb. Skulls start falling and the temple-like structure behind the Three Hunters collapse. Falling out of it are skulls. The Three Hunters start running until they reach the tomb's exit. Outside, the Three Hunters witness a Gondorian port attacked by corsairs. Aragorn trembles and despairs. As Legolas comforts him, the King of the Dead appears from behind]
King of the Dead: We fight.
Denethor: [shocked to see an unconscious Faramir brought before him] Tell me not that he has fallen.
Irolas: They were outnumbered. None survived.
Denethor: [despairs and walks away] My sons are spent. The house of Stewards has failed.
Pippin: [walks to Faramir's body and finds that he is still breathing] He's alive! [to Denethor] He needs medicine, my lord!
Denethor: My line has ended! [he soon catches sight of Sauron's massive army surrounding Minas Tirith and bombarding its lower levels] Rohan has deserted us. [angrily] Theoden's betrayed me. [to the soldiers] ABANDON YOUR POSTS! FLEE! FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!
[As Denethor turns around, he is suddenly struck down by an angry Gandalf]
Gandalf: [to the soldiers] Prepare for battle! Follow, Men! To the wall! Defend the wall! Return to your posts! Send these foul beasts to the abyss!
[Under Gandalf's command, the invigorated Gondorian soldiers defend Minas Tirith from Sauron's armies]
Gothmog: [as the Orcs retreat from Minas Tirith's gate] What are you doing, you useless scum?!
Orc Captain: The door won't give! It's too strong!
Gothmog: Get back there, and smash it down!
Orc Captain: But nothing can breach it!
Gothmog: [smiles] Grond will breach it. Bring up the Wolf's Head!
[The orcs proceed to bring out the battering ram Grond to destroy Minas Tirith's impregnable gate]
[The Corsairs have just burned a port and they are on their way to Minas Tirith when they suddenly encounter the Three Hunters on the banks of the Anduin River]
Aragorn: You can go no further! You will not enter Gondor!
Corsair bosun: Who are you to deny us passage?!
Aragorn: [to Legolas] Legolas, fire a warning shot past the bosun's ear.
[Legolas nocks and draws his bow. Just as he is about to lose, Gimli shoves Legolas's bow with his axe, making him miss his shot. Legolas kills a corsair instead, much to his and Aragorn's dismay]
Gimli: That's it, we've warned you! Prepare to be boarded!
Corsair bosun: [laughs with his crew] Boarded?! By you and whose army?!
Aragorn: This army.
[The Army of the Dead suddenly appears and charges head on to the corsair ships. All the corsairs scream in horror]
[extended scene]
Gandalf: Go back to the abyss! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your master!
Witch-King: Do you not know death when you see it, old man?! [Pippin screams] This is MY HOUR!
[The Witch-king draws his sword and holds it aloft; his blade bursts into flame. As Gandalf readies, his staff shatters and he falls off Shadowfax]
Pippin: Gandalf!
[The Witch King looms over Gandalf. Pippin draws his sword to intervene but the Witch King's fell beast roars at him, paralysing the Hobbit in terror]
Witch-King: You have failed. The world of Men will fall.
[As the Witch King pulls back his sword for the death blow, a horn blows in the distance; the army of Rohan has arrived. With a shriek of fury, the Witch King departs to confront the new threat]
Gothmog: Form ranks, you maggots! Form ranks! Pikes in front, archers behind!
[The Orcs form into battle lines]
Theoden: Eomer. Take your Èored down the left flank. Gamling, follow the King's banner down the center. Grimbold, take your company right, after you pass the wall. Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken! Shields shall be splintered! A sword day...A red day...ERE THE SUN RISES!
[The Rohirrim and Orcs ready their weapons for battle]
Eowyn: [to Merry] Whatever happens, stay with me. I'll look after you.
Theoden: [rides past his men, hitting their spears with his sword as he goes] Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending! DEATH!
All: DEATH! [the chant is repeated twice more]
Theoden: FORTH, EORLINGAS! [To a chorus of horns, the Rohirrim charges]
Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.
Gandalf the White: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass...then you see it!
Pippin: What? Gandalf? See what?
Gandalf the White: White shores...and beyond. A far green country, under a swift sunrise.
Pippin: Well, that isn't so bad.
Gandalf the White: [smiles] No...no, it isn't.
Witch-King: [referring to King Théoden] Feast on his flesh.
[Éowyn, in a warrior's uniform, suddenly appears, standing between the Witch-King and the fallen King Théoden]
Éowyn: I will kill you if you touch him!
Witch-King: Do not come between the Nazgûl and his prey!
[The Witch-King's fell beast lunges at Éowyn, who decapitates it with her sword. The fell beast's body collapses to the ground with the Witch-King, who rises to face Éowyn. He swings at her with a spiked ball and chain, after several swings, he lands a blow to her shield, shattering it and breaking her arm, knocking her to the ground]
Witch-King: [grabbing Éowyn by the throat] You fool! No Man can kill me. Die now!
[Merry suddenly appears from behind and stabs the Witch-King in the leg, dropping the Witch-King to his knees. Merry's dagger is burned to ash shortly afterward, and he screams in pain as the heat reaches his hand. Éowyn takes off her helmet, revealing herself]
Éowyn: I am no Man.
[she looses a warcry and stabs the Witch-King straight into his face, killing him]
Théoden: [dying] I know your face. Éowyn, my eyes darken.
Éowyn: No, no. I'm going to save you.
Théoden: [last words] You already did. Éowyn, my body is broken. You have to let me go. I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company, I shall now not be ashamed. Éowyn. [dies]
Gandalf the White: Frodo has passed beyond my sight. The darkness is deepening.
Aragorn: If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it.
Gandalf the White: It's only a matter of time. He's suffered a defeat, yes, but...behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping.
Gimli: Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?
Gandalf the White: Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom. I've sent him to his death.
Aragorn: No. There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time...and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that.
Gimli: How?
Aragorn: Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate.
Éomer: We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms.
Aragorn: Not for ourselves. But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves.
Legolas: A diversion.
Gimli: Certainty of death, small chance of success...What are we waiting for?
Gandalf the White: Sauron will suspect a trap, he will not take the bait.
Aragorn: Oh, I think he will.
Aragorn: Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!
[The Black Gate opens and the Mouth of Sauron comes out to meet them]
The Mouth of Sauron: My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome. [scowls] Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?
Gandalf the White: We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this: the armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return.
The Mouth of Sauron: [smiles] Ahh, old Greybeard. I have a token I was bidden to show thee. [reveals Frodo's mithril vest and throws it at them]
Pippin: [whispers] Frodo...
Gandalf: Silence.
Merry: No!
Gandalf: Silence!
The Mouth of Sauron: The halfling was dear to thee, I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would've thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf, he did. [Aragorn rides towards the Mouth of Sauron] And who is this? Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a King than a broken Elvish blade...
[Aragorn angrily cuts off the Mouth of Sauron's head with one stroke of Anduril]
Gimli: I guess that concludes negotiations.
Aragorn: [to Gandalf] I do not believe it!!! I will not!!! [the Black Gate opens and coming out through it is a massive horde of orcs and trolls] Pull back! Pull back! [the Fellowship rides back to the Rohirrim and Gondorian soldiers who are starting to cower upon seeing Sauron's massive army coming to them] HOLD YOUR GROUND! Hold your ground!!!

( no audio )

Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of Fellowship! But, it is not' this day!!! An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes CRASHING DOWN! BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY! THIS DAY WE FIGHT!

( music playing )

By all that you hold dear on this good earth, [raising Anduril] I BID YOU STAND! MEN OF THE WEST!

[The invigorated armies draw their swords, ready to fight Sauron's horde]
Gimli: I never thought I'd die fighting side-by-side with an Elf.
Legolas: What about side-by-side with a friend?
Gimli: [smiles] Aye...I could do that.
Samwise: Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo? It'll be spring soon, and the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket. And they'll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields. And they'll be eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?
Frodo: No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. Instead, I'm...naked in the dark. There's nothing. No veil between me and the wheel of fire! I can see him...with my waking eyes! [starts to cry]
Samwise: Then let us be rid of it! Once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you...BUT I CAN CARRY YOU! Come on! [carries Frodo]
[Extended Edition only]
Gollum: [choking Frodo on Mount Doom] Mustn't go that way! Mustn't hurt the Precious!
Frodo: You swore! You swore on the Precious!
Gollum: [mockingly] Oooh...
Frodo: Sméagol promised!
Gollum: [grins] Sméagol lied.
[After destroying the One Ring]
Frodo: [finally being released from darkness] It's gone! It's done!
Samwise: Yes, Mr. Frodo. It's over now.
[They made it to the makeshift rock as the lava spread]
Frodo: [closes his eyes] I can see the Shire. The Brandywine River. Bag End. Gandalf's fireworks, the lights, the party tree.
Samwise: Rosie Cotton dancing. She had ribbons in her hair. If ever I was to marry someone...it would have been her. [starts crying] It would have been her.
Frodo: [comforting Sam] I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.
[In a newly rebuilt Minas Tirith]
Gandalf: [placing the crown on Aragorn's head] Now come the days of the king! May they be blessed.
Aragorn: [stands up and faces the crowd who gleefully cheers him] This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together rebuild this world that we may share in the days of peace.
[the crowd cheers as Aragorn sings the oath of Elendil in Elvish. He then walks through the crowd, encountering Eowyn who is now married to Faramir, Eomer who is now the king of Rohan, and the Elves; among the Elves is Arwen whom he passionately kisses as he is happy to see her alive. Aragorn and Arwen then encounter Frodo and his friends who all bow to him]
Aragorn: My friends...You bow to no one.
[he, Arwen, and the crowd bow to the hobbits, much to their surprise]
[In Bag End, a very weak-looking Frodo is writing down his memoir in Bilbo's Red Book. As he suddenly feels an aching pain on his left shoulder, Sam comes in]
Sam: Mr. Frodo, what is it?
Frodo: [weakly] It's been four years to the day since Weathertop, Sam. It's never really healed.
[Sam comforts Frodo. He then looks at the title page of the Red Book with amazement in his eyes]
Sam: There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins. And The Lord of the Rings, by Frodo Baggins. [smiles] You finished it.
Frodo: Not quite. [closes the Red Book] There's room for little more.
[At the Grey Havens]
Galadriel: The power of the Three Rings is ended. The time has come...for the dominion of Men.
Elrond: [in Elvish] The Sea calls us home.
Bilbo: [smiling] I think I'm...quite ready for another adventure. [climbs on board with Elrond. Galadriel follows with Celeborn]
Gandalf the White: Farewell, my brave Hobbits. My work is now finished. Here at last, on the shores of the sea...comes the end of our Fellowship. I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil. [heads to the ship, then turns around, waiting] It is time, Frodo.
Samwise: What does he mean?
Frodo: We set out to save the Shire, Sam. And it has been saved...But not for me.
Samwise: [crying] You don't mean that. You can't leave.
Frodo: [hands Sam the Red Book] The last pages are for you, Sam.
[Frodo hugs Merry, Pippin and Sam, and gently kissed Sam's forehead then turns to board the ship. He pauses on the gangplank, then turns back one final time and smiles warmly at them and boards. As the ship departs, Merry and Pippin turn and walk back, whiles Sam stays to watch the ship disappear across the horizon]
[Last lines]
Frodo: [voice over] My dear Sam. You cannot always be torn in two. You have to be one and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be and to do. Your part in the story will go on.
Samwise: [to his family] Well, I'm back.
[He enters his home with his family. The motion slows down as he closes his door. Fade to black, and the story ends with these words: The End]

Cast

[edit]

Taglines

[edit]
  • A King Will Return.
  • The Beginning of the End of All Things.
  • The Fate of a Hobbit Lies in His Hands.
  • This Christmas. The Journey Ends.
  • There can be no triumph without loss. No victory without suffering. No freedom without sacrifice.
  • For Middle-Earth, and For the Fellowship!

See also

[edit]
[edit]
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
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