Annotation Legend: Dialog that we found in the book is highlighted like this if it was taken directly from the book; like this if it was changed a bit; and like this is similar to the book.
Citations look like this: B1C1+5 [speaker]: [quote]. B1C1+5 means Book 1 Chapter 1, 5 pages into chapter. Pages are based on the First Ballantine Paperback Edition -- your edition may vary.

I amar prestar aen... (The world is changed)
han mathon ne nen... (I feel it in the water)
han mathon ne chae... (I feel it in the Earth)
a han noston ned 'wilith.  (I smell it in the air)
Much that once was is lost.   For none now live who remember it.

B6C6+9 Treebeard: "For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air. I do not think we will meet again."

~~~THE LORD OF THE RINGS~~~

Narrator: It began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else, desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made.

B1C2+12 Gandalf: "The Three, fairest of all, the Elf-lords hid from him, and his hand never touched them or sullied them. Seven the Dwarf-kings possessed, but three he has recovered, and the others the dragons have consumed. Nine he gave to Mortal Men, proud and great, and so ensnared them."

In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring, to control all others. And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life.

B2C2+4 Elrond: "For in that time he was not yet evil to behold, and they received his aid and grew mighty in craft, whereas he leared all ther secrets, and betrayed them, and forged secretly in the Mountain of Fire the One Ring to be their master."

B2C2+19 Gandalf: "...fraught with all his malice; and in it lies a great part of his strength of old."

"One Ring to rule them all." B1C2+11

One by one, the free lands in Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth.

B2C2+5 Elrond: "But Sauron of Mordor assailed them, and they made the Last Alliance of Elves and men...."

[Vast armies of Men, Elves and Orcs assemble on the battlefield. Gil-Galad, Elrond and Elendil regard their enemies as the orcs snarl back, taunting them. Then the Orcs attack the Alliance, rushing across the field that separates the two armies. Elrond gives the command to the elven archers to engage.]

Elrond: Tangado haid! Hado i philinn! (Hold [your] positions! Fire the arrows!)

[The Elves raise their bows and releases a slew of arrows at the incoming orcs, taking down the first line of orc defense. As the wave of the orc infantry reaches the first line of the elven troops, the elves swing their swords up, slicing the orcs as they come, one after the other down the line. Soon the elves and the men are fully engaged in combat, taking down many of the orc troops]

Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone.

[Sauron strides onto the battlefield. Elrond looks up in trepidation. The Dark Lord, towering over both elves and men, brandishes a mace and shows the Ring of Power glowing on his finger. In fear, some of the warriors back off. Sauron wields his mace, hitting a group of warriors and sends them flying across the field. He repeats it with another fell swoop. Elendil, raising his sword to strike, attacks Sauron, but Sauron parries his blow and flings him against the rock, crushing him to death. Horrified, Isildur runs to his fallen father]

It was in this moment when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword.

[Isildur grasps the hilt of Narsil but Sauron quickly stomps it down, shattering the blade. Sauron, with the Ring on his finger, reaches down towards Isildur. With a last desperate attempt, Isildur lets out a battle cry and strikes Sauron’s hand with the shards of Narsil, slicing the finger that bears the One Ring. Sauron lets out a cry as the Ring is separated from him. He implodes, sending a shock wave throughout the battlefield, knocking the warring troops off their feet. His armor falls unto the ground, his body vaporized]

Sauron, the enemy of the free-peoples of Middle-Earth was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever.

But the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the Ring of Power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost.

B1C2+17 Gandalf: "A ring of Power looks after itself, Frodo."

B1C2+17 Gandalf: "It had slipped from Isildur's hand and betrayed him...."

History became legend, legend became myth and for two and a half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer.

B1C2+13 Gandalf: "And there in the dark pools amid the Gladden fields.... the Ring passed out of all knowledge and legend."

Gollum:  My Precioussssss

Narrator: The Ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. And there, it consumed him.

B1C2P+18 Gandalf: "... and after that Gollum, and it had devoured him."

Gollum: It came to me, my own, my love, my own, my prrrrreciousssss! Gollum

Narrator: The Ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind. And in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forest of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the east, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come.

B1C2+21 Gandalf: "... and all folk were whispering then of the new Shadow in the South...."

It abandoned Gollum. B1C2+18 Gandalf

But something happened then the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable.

Bilbo:  What’s this?

Narrator: A Hobbit:  Bilbo Baggins of the Shire.

B1C2+18 Gandalf: "Only to be picked up by the most unlikely person imaginable: Bilbo of the Shire!"

Bilbo:  A ring.

Gollum:  (from afar) Losssst! My precious is lost!

Narrator: For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.

 

~~~THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING~~~

~~~The Shire... 60 years later~~~

[A hobbit, reading beneath a tree, hears a male voice singing. He closes his book and stands, listening. Recognizing the voice, he smiles then runs to the road. He finds an old man, wearing a gray cloak and a pointy hat, driving a horse-drawn cart filled with fireworks and such]

Gandalf (singing): The road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can... B1C1+19

Frodo: You're late!

[Gandalf does not look at the Hobbit at first, and then turns slowly, with an emphatic expression on his face that begins to twitch]

Gandalf:  A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

[Both he and Frodo slowly begin to grin and crack up into laughter]

Frodo: [leaps onto cart and hugs the old man] Its wonderful to see you Gandalf!

Gandalf: [laughs]Ooh! You didn’t think I’d miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday?

Frodo: What news of the outside world? Tell me everything.

B1C2+5 Re Frodo and Gandalf: "He pressed him for news of himself and of the wide world...."

Gandalf: Everything? Far too eager and curious for a hobbit, most unnatural. Well what can I tell you? Life in the wide world goes on much as it has this past age, full of its own comings and goings. Scarcely aware of the existence of hobbits... which I am very thankful.

B1C2+9 "I believe that hitherto... he has entirely overlooked the existence of hobbits. You should be thankful."

Hobbit folk: Look it's Gandalf! Its Gandalf!

[Gandalf grins and tips his hat slightly]

Gandalf: Ooh! The long expected party!   chapter title

[Hobbits raise a banner by the Party Tree that reads "Happy Birthday Bilbo Baggins." A hobbitess clasps her hands with pleasure and anticipation, looking at the sign]

Gandalf:  So how is the old rascal? I hear it’s got to be a party of special magnificence.

Frodo: You know Bilbo, he's got the whole place in an uproar.

Gandalf: Hmm, well now that should please him, hmmm.

Frodo: Half the Shire’s been invited.

Gandalf: Good gracious me!

Frodo: He is up to something.

Gandalf: Oh really...

Frodo: All right then keep your secrets. [Gandalf laughs] Before you came along we Bagginses were very well thought of.

Gandalf: Indeed?

Frodo: Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.

The Hobbit C1+0: "...people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected."

Gandalf:  If you’re referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door.

Frodo: Whatever you did, you’ve been officially labeled a disturber of the peace.

B1C1P+26 Gandalf: "They say that I am a nuisance and a disturber of the peace."

Gandalf: Oh really?

[cart drives past grumpy old hobbit (Mr. Proudfoot) with grim look]

Hobbit children: Gandalf! Gandalf! Fireworks? Gandalf?

[Gandalf pretends to ignore the children]

Hobbit children: [disappointed]Awwww.

[fireworks suddenly go off from the cart]
[hobbit children cheer]
[Gandalf laughs]
[grumpy old hobbit chuckles]
[grumpy old hobbitwife (Mrs. Proudfoot) comes out and gives a nagging look to grumpy old hobbit]
[grumpy old hobbit restores grumpy look]

Frodo: Gandalf, I'm glad you're back.

Gandalf: [as Frodo jumps off the cart] So am I, dear boy! So am I.

[Scene goes to Bag End. Gandalf pulls up to Bilbo’s house. He goes through a gate with a sign on it saying:  "No admittance except on party business. He then knocks on the door with his staff]

[knock, knock, knock, knock]

Bilbo: [from within] No thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers or distant relations!

Gandalf: And what about very old friends?

[Bilbo opens the door]

Bilbo:  Gandalf?

Gandalf:  Bilbo Baggins!

Bilbo:  My dear Gandalf! [gives Gandalf a hug]

Gandalf: Good to see you! One hundred and eleven years old --who would believe it? [looks at Bilbo in astonishment] You haven't aged a day.

[Bilbo and Gandalf laugh]

Bilbo:  Come on, come in! Welcome, welcome! [closes door]Oh, here we are. Tea? Or maybe something a little stronger? I've got a few bottles of the Old Winyard left. 1296 --very good year. Almost as old as I am! Hahaha! It was laid down by my father. What say we open one, eh?

B1C1+23 "Old Rory Brandybuck, in return for much hospitality, got a dozen bottles of Old Winyeards: a strong red wine from the Southfarthing, and now quite mature, as it had been laid down by Bilbo's father."

Gandalf: Just tea, thank you.

[Gandalf backs into the chandelier. He steadies it but then bumps his head onto the beam. Nursing the pain he enters Bilbo’s study and sees the map of the Lonely Mountain mounted on a frame. He picks it up to examine it. Meanwhile, Bilbo was puttering around in the kitchen]

Bilbo:  I was expecting you here last week! Not that it matters, you come and go as you please. Always have done and always will. You caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid. We have some cold chicken and pickles... Here's some cheese here- oh no it won't do. Uhhh. We've got raspberry jam, an apple tart... Not much for afters - oh no! We're all right. I've just found some sponge cake. [enters the study] I can make you some eggs if you like-- oh. Gandalf?

Gandalf: Just tea, thank you.

Bilbo:  Alright! [with mouthful of cake] You don't mind if I eat, do you?

Gandalf: Oh no, not at all.

[a sudden, incessant knock on the door] Woman (shouting): Bilbo! Bilbo Baggins!

Bilbo (whispering): I'm not at home!

Bilbo:  I've got to get away from these confounded relatives hanging on the bell--they never give me a moment's peace! I want to see mountains again, mountains Gandalf! And then find somewhere quiet where I can finish my book. Oh, tea!

B1C1+15 "I want to see mountains again, Gandalf--mountains; and then find somewhere were I can rest. In peace and quiet, with out a lot of relatives prying around, and a string of confounded visitors hanging on the bell. I might find somewhere where I can finish my book."

Gandalf: So, you mean to go through with your plan, then.

B1C1P+6 "You mean to go on with your plan then?"

Bilbo:  Yes, yes. It's all in hand. All the arrangements are made. [starts to pour water into the tea pot, Gandalf opens the lid] Oh, thank you.

B1C1+15 "I have made all the arrangements."

Gandalf: Frodo suspects something.

Bilbo:  ‘Course he does. He's a Baggins! Not some block-headed Bracegirdle from Hardbottle.

B6C9+0 "She [Lobelia S-B] gave it [Bag End] back to Frodo, and went to her own people, the Bracegirdles of Hardbottle."

Gandalf: You will tell him, won't you?

Bilbo:  Yes, yes.

Gandalf: He's very fond of you.

Bilbo:  I know. He'd probably come with me if I asked him. [chuckles] I think in his heart Frodo is still in love with the Shire:  the woods, the fields...little rivers. I'm old Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin --sort of stretched like butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday, a very long holiday, and I don't expect I shall return. In fact, I mean not to!

B1C1+15 "He would come with me, of course, if I asked him. In fact he offered to once, just before the party. But he does not really want to, yet.... he is still in love with the Shire, with woods and fields and little rivers."

B1C1+15 "I am old, Gandalf. I don't look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts.... Why I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread."

B1C1+15 "I feel I need a holiday, a very long holiday, as I have told you before. Probably a permanent holiday: I don't expect I shall return. In fact, I don't mean to."

[evening came. Outside, Gandalf and Bilbo are sitting and smoking pipe]

Bilbo:  Old Toby. The finest weed in the Southfarthing.

Prologue+9 "The best home-grown still comes from that district, especially the varieties now known as Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby and Southern Star."

[Bilbo first blows a ring of smoke and Gandalf blows a smoke ship that sails through it]

Bilbo:  Gandalf, my old friend. This will be a night to remember!

[Scene:  Bilbo’s party. The fireworks are going off and festivities are well underway]

Bilbo (to guest):  Hello, hello, Fatty Bolger, lovely to see you! Welcome, welcome!

[Frodo sees his friend Sam sitting alone, looking sidelong at hobbitlass Rosie Cotton dancing]

Frodo: [sits beside him] Go on Sam! Ask Rosie for a dance.

Sam (scowling):  I think I’ll just have another ale.

Frodo: Oh no you don’t. Go on. [pushes Sam to the dance floor and into Rosie’s arms. Frodo laughs aloud]

Gandalf: [setting off a firework] Whoa!

[fireworks explode over the party field, a huge glittering umbrella in the night sky then changes into spears and whizzes away into the distance]

[Bilbo speaks to the hobbit children gathered at his feet]

Bilbo: There I was, at the mercy of three monstrous trolls! And they were all arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to cook us, whether it be turned on a spit or whether they should sit on us one by one and squash us into jelly.

The Hobbit C2+10: "A nice pickle they were all in now: all neatly tied up in sacks, with three angry trolls... arguing whether they should roast them slowly, or mince them fine and boil them, or just sit on them one by one and squash them into jelly...."

[Cute hobbit child gasps and shakes her head emphatically]

Bilbo:  They spent so much time arguing the wither-tos and why-fors, that when the sun’s first light cracked over the top of the trees and poof!

[Hobbit Children gasp]

Bilbo:  It turned them all to stone!

[Gandalf, laughing, returns from his cart with more fireworks. Merry Brandybuck appears from behind, signaling Pippin Took to get onto Gandalf’s cart]

Merry: Quickly!

[butterfly fireworks goes off. Hobbit children laugh and chase the butterflies]

Gandalf: Whoa! Off they go.

Merry: No, no the big one, big one

[inside the tent, Merry and Pippin light up the firework]

Pippin: Done.

Merry: You’re supposed to stick it in the ground!

Pippin: It is in the ground.

Merry: Outside!

Pippin: It was your idea!

[just then the firework goes up, throwing Merry and Pippin onto the ground. The firework bursts into a shape of a dragon and turns towards the merrymakers. The hobbits see this and try to get out of the way]

Hobbit:  Look at that!

Frodo: Bilbo? Bilbo, look out for the dragon!

Bilbo:  Dragon? Nonsense! There hasn’t been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years...

[Frodo pushes Bilbo to the ground. The dragon swoops low over the hobbits’ heads, flies off and bursts into a beautiful finale over the lake. Hobbits clap in amusement]

[Merry and Pippin, covered in soot, stands proud with their accomplishment]

Merry: That was good!

Pippin: Let’s get another one!

[Gandalf comes up behind them and grabs them each by their ear]

Merry and Pippin: Aah!

Gandalf: Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. I might have known.

[As Merry and Pippin wash the plates, the other Hobbits are gathered near the party tree]

Hobbits: Speech, Bilbo! Speech!

Frodo: Speech!

Bilbo:  My dear Bagginses and Boffins, [Bagginses and Boffins cheer]  Tooks and Brandybucks, [Tooks and Brandybucks cheer]  Grubbs, [Grubbs cheer]  Chubbs, [Chubbs cheer]  Hornblowers, [Hornblowers cheer]  Bolgers, [Bolgers cheer]  Bracegirdles, [Bracegirdles cheer]  and Proudfoots.

Mr.Proudfoot: Proudfeet! [hobbits laugh. Bilbo waves dismissively] B1C1+10

Bilbo:  Today is my 111th birthday!

Hobbits:  Happy birthday!

Hobbit:  Happy birthday!

Bilbo:  Alas, eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. [Hobbits cheer]

Bilbo: I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.[dead silence from the crowd]B1C1+11

Bilbo:  I, uh, I h-have things to do. [fidgets with the Ring behind his back.]

Bilbo (whispers to self):  I’ve put this off for far too long.

Bilbo (to crowd):  I regret to announce this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell.

B1C1+12: "I regret to announce that--though as I said eleventy-one years is far too short a time to spend among you--this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW."

Bilbo (looks at Frodo and whispers): Goodbye. [Puts the Ring on and vanishes]

B1C1+12: "GOOD-BYE!"

Hobbits (shocked):  Ooh!

[Bilbo, invisible, leaves the party and returns to Bag End. Next scene shows Bag-End interior]

Bilbo:  Hahahahaha! [flips the ring, catches it and puts it in his pocket]

Gandalf: I suppose you think that was terribly clever.

Bilbo (startled):  Come on Gandalf! Did you see their faces?

Gandalf: There are many magic rings in this world Bilbo Baggins and none of them should be used lightly.

Bilbo:  It was just a bit of fun! Oh you’re probably right, as usual. You will keep an eye on Frodo, won’t you?

B1C1+15 "You'll keep an eye on Frodo, won't you?"

Gandalf: Two eyes, as often as I can spare them.

B1C1+15 "Yes, I will -- two eyes, as often as I can spare them."

Bilbo:  I’m leaving everything to him.

B1C1+16 "I'm leaving everything to him, of course, except a few oddments."

Gandalf: What about this Ring of yours, is that staying too?

B1C1+16 "Everything? The ring as well?"

Bilbo: Yes, yes. It’s in an envelope over there on the mantelpiece. [Gandalf turns to look]

B1C1+16 "Well, er, yes, I suppose so.... In an envelope if you must know... there on the mantlepiece."

Bilbo: No, wait, its --here in my pocket. Heh, isn’t that, isn’t that odd though? [looks at the Ring] Yet, after all why not? Why shouldn’t I keep it?

B1C1+16 "Well no! Here it is in my pocket! Isn't that odd now? Yes after all, why not? Why shouldn't it stay there?

Gandalf: I think you should leave the Ring behind, Bilbo. Is that so hard?

B1C1+16 "I think, Bilbo, I should leave it behind. Don't you want to?

Bilbo:  Well no... and yes! Now it comes to it, I don’t feel like parting with it, its mine, I found it, it came to me!

B1C1+16 "Well yes--and no. Now it comes to it I don't like parting with it at all, I may say."

B1C1+16 "It's my own. I found it. It came to me."

Gandalf: There’s no need to get angry.

B1C1+16 "Yes, Yes. But there is no need to get angry."

Bilbo:  What if I’m angry, it’s your fault! [caresses Ring] It’s mine! My own, my precious.

B1C1+16 "If I am it is your fault. It is mine, I tell you. My own. My precious. Yes, my precious."

Gandalf: Precious? Its been called that before, but not by you.

B1C1+17 "It has been called that before, but not by you."

Bilbo:  Argh! What business is it of yours what I do with my own things!

B1C1+16 "And what business is it of yours, anyway, to know what I do with my own things?"

Gandalf: I think you’ve had that Ring quite long enough.

Bilbo:  You want it for yourself!

B1C1+17 "Well, if you want my ring yourself, say so!"

Gandalf (grows taller): Bilbo Baggins! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks. I am not trying to rob you.

Gandalf (back to normal):  I’m trying to help you.

B1C1+17 "I am not trying to rob you, but to help you."

[Bilbo starts weeping and hugs Gandalf]

Gandalf: All your long years we’ve been friends. Trust me as you once did, hmm? Let it go.

B1C1+17 "All your long life we have been friends, and you owe me something. Come! Do as you promised: give it up!"

B1C1+17 "I wish you would trust me, as you used."

B1C1+17 "Let it go! And then you can go yourself, and be free."

Bilbo: [collects himself] You’re right Gandalf, the Ring must go to Frodo. It’s late, the road is long. Yes it is time.

B1C1+18 "Very well, it goes to Frodo with all the rest."

[Bilbo opens the door]

Gandalf: Bilbo...

Bilbo:  Hmm?

Gandalf:  ...the Ring is still in your pocket.

B1C1+18 "You have still got the ring in your pocket."

Bilbo:  Oh, yes...

[Bilbo pulls out the Ring from his pocket. He stares at it on his palm, then slowly and with a great effort turns his hand, allowing it to slip off his palm. It lands on the floor with a heavy thud]

[Bilbo runs out the door, goes a few paces, then stops and lifts his head. He looks relieved]

Bilbo:  I’ve thought of an ending for my book. [turns to Gandalf at the door] "And he lived happily ever after...to the end of his days".

B1C1+15 and B2C2+39 "I have thought of a nice ending for it: and he lived happily ever after to the end of his days."

Gandalf: And I’m sure you will my dear friend.

Bilbo:  Good bye, Gandalf.

B1C1+19 "Good-bye, Gandalf!"

Gandalf: Good bye, dear Bilbo.

B1C1+20 "Good-bye, dear Bilbo..."

[Bilbo goes out by the gate, and starts down the road.]

Bilbo (singing):  The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began... B1C1P19

Gandalf: Until our next meeting.

B1C1+20 "... until our next meeting!"

[Gandalf re-enters Bag End. He stoops to pick up the ring but stops short when the Eye of Sauron flashes in his mind. He rises and proceeds to sit himself by the fireplace]

Voice over of Bilbo: Its mine, my own, my precious!

B1C1+16 "It is mine, I tell you. My own. My precious. Yes, my precious."

Gandalf (mumbling): Riddles in the Dark. chapter title

[Frodo enters Bag End]

Frodo: Bilbo! Bilbo! He sees the Ring and stoops to pick it up]

Gandalf (mumbling):  My precious.

[Frodo notices Gandalf smoking by the fireplace, approaches him]

Gandalf (mumbling): Precious...

Frodo: He's gone hasn't he? He talked for so long about leaving. I didn't think he'd really do it.

B1C1+20 "Has he gone?"

Frodo: Gandalf?

Gandalf: Hmm.[smiles at Frodo] Bilbo's Ring. He's gone to stay with the elves.

He's left you Bag End...

B1C1+20 "You are the Master of Bag End now."

[Gandalf holds envelope open, Frodo slips in the Ring, Gandalf seals the envelope and gives it to Frodo.]

Gandalf: ...along with all his possessions. The Ring is yours now. Put it somewhere out of sight.[Gets up to leave]

Frodo: Where are you going?

Gandalf: There are some things that I must see to.

Frodo: What things?

Gandalf: Questions. Questions that need answering!

Frodo: But you've only just arrived! I don't understand.

Gandalf (looking back at Frodo): Neither do I.

Keep it secret. Keep it safe.

B1C1+20 "But keep it secret and keep it safe!."

[Gandalf leaves Bag End. Frodo looks at the envelope in his hand, containing the Ring]

[Scene: At the dungeons of Barad-Dur, Gollum’s voice is heard as he is tortured]

Gollum: Shire!!! Baggins!!!

B1C2+22 Gandalf: "And he has at last heard, I think, of hobbits and the Shire .... I fear that he may even think that the long-unnoticed name of Baggins has become important."

[Gates of Minas Morgul opens. The Ringwraiths ride out to find the Ring]

[Gandalf rides to the outskirts of Mount Doom to observe the activity that going on. He then heads to Minas Tirith to study its ancient scrolls]

Voice Over of Gandalf: Year 3434 of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Isildur, High King of Gondor and the finding of the Ring of Power. It has come to me, the One Ring. It shall be an heirloom of my kingdom. All that should follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate for I will risk no hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared. A secret now that only fire can tell.

B2C2+17 "The Great Ring should go now to be an heirloom of the North Kingdom."

B2C2+17 "Already the writing upon it, which at first was as clear as red flame, fadeth and is now only barely to be read."

B2C2+18 "... and maybe were the gold made hot again, the writing would be refreshed. But for my part I will risk no hurt to this thing.... It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain."

[Back at the Shire]

[Hobbit chopping wood in front of his home. His dog barks incessantly, then backs off, whimpering, as it retreats into the house]

Ringwraith: Shire. Baggins.

B1C4+10 "Have you seen Baggins?"

Hobbit (fearful): Baggins. There are no Baggins ‘round here. They’re up in Hobbiton, that way. [points]

B1C4+10 "There are no Bagginses here. You're in the wrong part of the Shire. You had better go back West to Hobbiton."

[Ringwraith gallops off]

[Scene: The Green Dragon Inn - Frodo and Sam are leaving]

Rosie: Goodnight.

Sam: Goodnight.

[Frodo and Sam stagger to Bag End]

Sam: Goodnight.

Frodo: Goodnight Sam.

[Frodo comes up the steps, opens the door and notices that the house seems to have been broken into]

[Gandalf grabs his shoulder from behind ]

Frodo (startled): Huh?!

Gandalf: Is it secret?! Is it safe?!

B1C1+20 "But keep it secret and keep it safe!."

[Frodo opens a chest, searches through it and finds the envelope]

Frodo: Ah! [hands Gandalf the envelope]

[Gandalf throws the envelope to the fire]

Frodo (alarmed): What are you doing?

[Gandalf gets a pair of tongs and picks up the Ring]

Gandalf: Hold out your hand Frodo, it’s quite cool. [drops the Ring on Frodo’s hand] What can you see? Can you see anything?

B1C2+10 "It is quite cool.... Take it!"

Frodo: Nothing. There's nothing... wait. There are markings. It's some form of elvish. I can’t read it.

Gandalf: There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here.

B1C2+11 Gandalf: "The letters are Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here."

Frodo: Mordor?

Gandalf: In the common tongue it says, "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

B1C2+11 "But this in the Common Tongue is what is said, close enough:...." (verse follows)

Gandalf: This is the One Ring. Forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. Taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself.

B1C2+11 "This is the Master-ring, the One Ring to rule them all."

Frodo: Bilbo found it. In Gollum's cave.

Gandalf: Yes. For sixty years the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age. But no longer Frodo. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken. It's heard its master's call.

Frodo: But he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed.

Ring (whispers): Isildur...

[alarmed, both Gandalf and Frodo look at the Ring]

Gandalf: No, Frodo. The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His orcs have multiplied. His fortress of Barad-Dur is rebuilt in the land of Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands of a second darkness. He is seeking it. Seeking it, all his thought is bent on it. The Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its master. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. Frodo, he must never find it.

B1C2+12 "... he let a great part of his power pass into it, so that he could rule all the others."

B1C2+11 "The rumors that you have heard are true: he has indeed arisen again and left his hold in Mirkwood and returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor."

B1C2+12 "The enemy still lacks one thing to give him the strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance, break the last defenses and cover all the land in a second darkness."

B1C2+13 "He is seeking it, seeking it, and all his thought is bent on it."

B1C2+16 "The ring was trying to get back to its master."

Frodo: Alright, we put it away. We keep it hidden. We never speak of it again. No one knows it's here, do they? Do they Gandalf?

Gandalf: There is one other who knew that Bilbo had the Ring. I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum. But the enemy found him first. I don’t know how long they tortured him. Amidst the endless screams and inane babble, they discerned two words: 

[Scene flashes to Gollum’s torture]

Gollum: Shire!!! Baggins!!!

Frodo: Shire. Baggins. But that would lead them here!

B1C2+22 Gandalf: "And he has at last heard, I think, of hobbits and the Shire .... I fear that he may even think that the long-unnoticed name of Baggins has become important."

[Scene cuts to the Ringwraiths riding up to a Hobbit along the road]

Hobbit:  Who goes there?

[Ringwraith chops off the hobbit’s head]

[Scene cuts back to Bag End]

Frodo: Take it Gandalf! Take it!

B1C2+25 "Will you not take the ring?"

Gandalf: No Frodo no.

Frodo: You must take it!

Gandalf: You cannot offer me this Ring!

Frodo: I'm giving it to you!

Gandalf: Don't tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand Frodo, I would use this Ring from the desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power to great and terrible to imagine.

B1C2+25: "No! .... With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.... Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself. Yet the way of the Ring to my heart is by pity, pity for weakness and the desire of strength to do good. Do not tempt mee! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused."

Frodo: But it cannot stay in the Shire!

B1C2+26 "I cannot keep the ring and stay here."

Gandalf: No! No it can't.

Frodo: [Closes hand on ring] What must I do?

B1C2+28 "What am I to do?"

[Scene goes to Frodo rushing about, hastily packing for his journey]

Gandalf: You must leave and leave quickly.

Frodo: Where? Where do I go?

Gandalf: Get out of the Shire. Make for the village Bree.

Frodo: Bree. What about you?

Gandalf: I'll be waiting for you, at the Inn of the Prancing Pony.

Frodo: And the Ring will be safe there?

Gandalf: I don't know Frodo. I don't have any answers. I must see the head of my order. He is both wise and powerful. Trust me Frodo, he’ll know what to do. You’ll have to leave the name of Baggins behind you, for that name is not safe outside the Shire. Travel only by day. And stay off the road.

B1C2+25: "... leave the name of Baggins behind you. That name is not safe to have, outside the Shire or in the Wild."

Frodo: I can cut across country easily enough.

Gandalf: My dear Frodo. Hobbits really are amazing creatures! You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years, they can still surprise you. [hears rustling of the leaves] Get down!

B1C2+26 "My dear Frodo! ... Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch."

[Frodo drops to the floor. Gandalf goes to the window, peers out cautiously then gives the bushes a whack with his staff]

Sam: Oooff!!

[Gandalf drags Sam up by his hair and plops him onto the table]

Gandalf: Confound it all Samwise Gamgee! Have you been eavesdropping?!

B1C2+25 "How long have you been eavesdropping?"

Sam: I have been droppin’ no eves sir, honest. I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me.

B1C2+25 "I was just trimming the grass-border under the window, if you follow me."

Gandalf: A little late for trimming the verge don’t you think?

Sam: I heard raised voices.

Gandalf: What did you hear?! Speak!!!!

Sam: N-n-n-nothing important. That is I heard a good deal about a Ring and a Dark Lord and something about the end of the world but... Please, Mister Gandalf sir, don’t hurt me. Don’t turn me into anythin’ --unnatural.

B1C2+27 "I heard a deal that I didn't rightly understand, about an enemy and rings, and Mr. Bilbo, sir, and dragons...."

B1C2+26 "Don't let him turn me into anything unnatural!"

Gandalf: No, perhaps not.

I have thought of a better use for you...

B1C2+27 "I have thought of something better than that."

[Cuts to the scene outside the following morning]

Gandalf: Come along Samwise, keep up! Be careful both of you. The enemy has many spies in his service:  birds, beasts. [turns to Frodo] Is it safe? [Frodo pats his vest pocket] Never put it on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power. Always remember, Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found.

B1C3+3 "Let me impress upon you once more: don't use it!

[Gandalf rides off, leaving Frodo and Sam in the forest]

[Scene: Frodo and Sam trek along countryside and streams]

[Frodo walks along the cornfield. Sam following behind, suddenly stops]

Sam: This is it.

Frodo: [turns] This is what?

Sam: I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.

Frodo: [reassuringly] Come on Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say:  "It's a dangerous business...

Segue to Bilbo’s voice:  ...Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.

B1C3+11 "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."

[Scene of Frodo and Sam setting up camp for the night]

[Scene of a Ringwraith, on a ridge, looking over the Shire]

[Gandalf rides swiftly into Isengard. Saruman descends down the steps of Orthanc to meet him]

Saruman: Smoke rises from the mountain of Doom. The hour grows late and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my counsel. For that is why you have come, is it not...my old friend?

B2C2+8 Boromir: "Smoke rises once more from Orodruin that we call Mount Doom."

Gandalf: Saruman. [bows]

[Gandalf and Saruman are walking through the Gardens of Isengard]

Saruman: You are sure of this?

Gandalf: Beyond any doubt.

Saruman: The Ring of Power has been found.

Gandalf: All these long years it was in the Shire, under my very nose.

Saruman: Yet you did not have the wit to see it. Your love of the halfling’s leaf has clearly slowed your mind.

Gandalf: But we still have time. Time enough to counter Sauron if we act quickly.

Saruman: Time?! What time do you think we have?

[Gandalf and Saruman are conferring in the chambers of Orthanc]

Saruman: Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency. Concealed within his fortress, the Lord of Mordor sees all -- his gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth and flesh. You know of what I speak, Gandalf -- a great Eye... lidless... wreathed in flame.

Gandalf: The Eye of Sauron.

Saruman: He is gathering all evil to him. Very soon he will summon an army great enough to launch an assault upon Middle Earth.

Gandalf: You know this? How?

Saruman: I have seen it. [Gandalf and Saruman enter the chamber of the Palantir]

Gandalf: A Palantir is a dangerous tool, Saruman.

Saruman: Why? Why should we fear to use it? [Unveils the Palantir]

Gandalf: They are not all accounted for, the lost Seeing Stones. We do not know who else may be watching! [Covers the Palantir, Eye of Sauron flashes briefly]

Saruman: The hour is later than you think. Sauron's forces are already moving. The Nine have left Minas Morgul.

B2C2+25 Gandalf: "The Nine have come forth again. They have crossed the River. So Radagast said to me."

Gandalf: [alarmed] The Nine!

Saruman: They crossed the River Isen on Midsummer's Eve, disguised as riders in black.

Gandalf: They've reached the Shire?!

Saruman: They will find the Ring... and kill the one who carries it.

Gandalf: Frodo! [Gandalf heads towards the door but Saruman closes it with his mind and the other doors in turn. Trapped, Gandalf looks at Saruman]

Saruman: You did not seriously think that a hobbit could contend with the will of Sauron? There are none who can. Against the power of Mordor there can be no victory. We must join with him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron. It would be wise, my friend.

B2C2+26 "We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf."

Gandalf: Tell me, "friend", when did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness?!

[With a shout, Saruman points his staff at Gandalf, throwing him up and pinning him against the far wall, then drops him heavily to the floor. Gandalf counters with his own staff, throwing Saruman onto his back. They battle back and forth. Finally, Saruman uses his power to yank Gandalf’s staff from his hands, and he advances on Gandalf with both staffs. Gandalf spins helplessly just above the floor]

Saruman: I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly. But you...have elected...the way of pain! [Saruman sends Gandalf rising to the pinnacle of Orthanc]

[Scene:  The Shire. Sam emerges from a field of corn, onto a small path. He looks back and forth, not seeing Frodo in either direction]

Sam (starting to panic): Mister Frodo? Frodo! Frodo!

[Frodo emerges from the bend in the path, looking puzzled]

Sam (sighs): I thought I’d lost you.

Frodo: What are you talking about?

Sam: It's just something Gandalf said.

Frodo: What did he say?

Sam: "Don’t you lose him Samwise Gamgee!" And I don't mean to.

B1C4+1 "Don't you leave him! they said to me. Leave him! I said. I never mean to."
Note: He's speaking of elves of Gildor's company.

Frodo (amused): Sam, we're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?

B1C3+13 Frodo thinks: "And I am still in the Shire."

[Suddenly, Merry bursts from the cornfield and knocks over Sam. Pippin, close behind, barrels out, knocking over Frodo. Both have an armful of vegetables]

Pippin: Frodo? Merry! It's Frodo Baggins.

Merry: Hello Frodo!

Sam: Get off him! [hauls Pippin off Frodo] Frodo? Are you all right?

Pippin: What's the meaning of this?

Merry: Hold this. [hands vegetables to Sam]

Sam: You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!

[They hear a dog barking.]

Voice of Farmer Maggot: Oy! You get back here! (indecipherable)

[Pippin grabs Frodo and runs, followed by Merry. Sam does a double take on the produce in his hands, drops them and runs after the others]

Farmer Maggot: [brandishing a scythe] Get out of my field. You'll know the devil if I catch up with you!

Merry: ‘Dunno why he is so upset. It’s only a couple of carrots!

Pippin: And some cabbages. And those few bags of potatoes that we lifted last week and, and the mushrooms the week before!

Merry: Yes Pippin! My point is, he is clearly overreactin’. Run!

[Pippin, Frodo and Merry stop just before the edge of the hill. Sam slams into them from behind and all four hobbits roll down the hill]

Pippin: Ooh! That was close!

Merry: Ow! I think I've broken something. [pulls out a broken carrot]

Sam: Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!

Merry: What?! That was just a detour, a shortcut.

Sam: A shortcut to what?

Pippin: Mushrooms!!!  chapter title

[Sam and Merry rush towards the mushrooms, followed by Pippin. Frodo, standing, looks down the road]

Pippin: That’s mine!

Hobbits: Mmm...

Merry: Here is a nice one Sam.

Frodo: I think we should get off the road.

B1C3+12 "It may not matter much, but I would rather not be seen on the road - by anyone."

[Sounds of the Nazgul can be heard, coming up the road]

Frodo: Get off the road! Quick!

[Hobbits grab their things and cross the road, hopping over and then crawling beneath a large overhanging tree root. Sound of hoof steps are heard]

Sam (to Merry and Pippin):  Shhh! Stop it! Be quiet!

[Merry and Pippin stop jostling each other. Frodo looks up through a small gap and sees a great black horse, and the Nazgul, clothed and hooded in black. The Nazgul leaps from his horse. He approaches the tree root and rests his armored hand on it, hissing and sniffing]

[Insects and earthworms start coming out of their holes. Frodo enters a trance, tempted to wear the Ring as his finger strains towards it. Sam realizes this and he reaches over and hits Frodo in the arm, startling him out of his the trance. Frodo jerks the Ring away from his finger. Merry throws a bag full of musrooms into the forest to distract the Nazgul, who whirls away and follows the sound. The hobbits make a break for it. They run a short distance and then stop, gasping]

Merry: What was that?

[Frodo stares at the Ring on his palm but says nothing]

[Nightfall. A Nazgul is patrolling the area. The hobbits hide behind the trees]

Pippin: Anything?

Frodo: Nothing.

Pippin: What is going on?

Merry: That Black Rider was looking for something... or someone. Frodo?

Sam: Get down!

[Nazgul feigns leaving the area]

Frodo: I have to leave the Shire. Sam and I must get to Bree.

Merry: Right. Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me.

[Hobbits make their way to Buckleberry ferry. A second Nazgul suddenly appears along their path. Frodo is delayed as the others run on. The hobbits jump over the fence and run towards the river. The Nazgul follows the chase, hot on Frodo’s heels]

Pippin: Run! This way, follow me! Run!

Merry: Get the rope Sam!

[Merry and Sam each uncoil an anchoring rope while Pippin starts to push off]

Sam: Frodo!

Hobbits: Run Frodo!

Frodo: Go!

Hobbits: Hurry!

Sam: Frodo!

Hobbits: Jump Frodo! Go on faster! Jump!

[Frodo leaps onto the raft. The Nazgul stops short of the water. Looking back the hobbits see the Nazgul ride away, followed by two more riders]

Frodo: How far to the nearest crossing?

Merry: Brandywine Bridge:  Twenty miles.

B1C5+2 Merry: "They can go twenty miles north to Brandywine Bridge..."

[Hobbits arrive at the west gate of Bree, soaking wet due to the pouring rain]

Frodo: Come on.[Knocks on the gates]

Gatekeeper: What do you want?

B1C9+2 "What do you want and where do you come from?"

Frodo: We’re heading for the Prancing Pony.

B1C9+2 "We are making for the inn here"

Gatekeeper: Hobbits! Four hobbits! What business brings you to Bree?

B1C9+2 "Hobbits! Four Hobbits!"

B1C9+3 "You'll pardon my wondering what business takes you away east of Bree."

Frodo: We wish to stay at the inn. Our business is our own.

B1C9+3 Merry: "We are hobbits from Buckland, and we have a fancy to travel and to stay at the inn here."

B1C9+3 Frodo: "Our names and our busness are our own, and this does not seem a good place to discuss them."

Gatekeeper: Alright young sir, I meant no offence. ‘Tis my job to ask question after nightfall. There’s talk of strange folk abroad. Can’t be too careful.

B1C9+3 "Your business is your own, no doubt, but it's my business to ask questions after nightfall."

B1C9+3 "All right, all right! I meant no offence. But you'll find maybe that more folk than old Harry at the gate will be asking you questions. There's queer folk about..."

[Hobbits come up the cobble stone path, working their way through the crowd]

PJ the Bree Man: BURP!

Men of Bree: Move! Watch where you're going!

[Hobbits enter the Prancing Pony]

Frodo: Excuse me?

Butterbur: Good evening little masters! If you’re seeking accommodation we’ve got some nice, cozy, hobbit-sized rooms available. Mr. uh--

B1C9+5 "Good evening, little master. What may you be wanting?"

Frodo: --Underhill, my name’s Underhill.

Butterbur: Underhill. Hmm.

Frodo: We’re friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we’ve arrived?

Butterbur: Gandalf? Gandalf? Ohhh yes! I remember, elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat. Not seen him for 6 months.

[The hobbits are shocked. Worry crosses their faces]

Sam: What do we do now?

[The hobbits are seated at a table in the common room of the Prancing Pony. The air is dark and smoke-filled. Drunken men laugh raucously. Several glance suspiciously at the hobbits. Frodo looks worried, as does Sam]

Frodo: Sam. He’ll be here. He’ll come.

Man: [to Merry coming from the bar] Get, get out of my way.

[Merry sits down at the table. He is holding a huge stein of beer, which he sets down reverently]

Pippin: What’s that?

Merry: This my friend, is a pint.

Pippin: It comes in pints? I’m getting one. [rushes to the bar]

Sam: You had a whole half already! [Sam turns back to his mug. After a moment, he nudges Frodo]

Sam: That fellow’s done nothin’ but starin’ at us since we arrived.

Frodo (to Barliman):  Excuse me, that man in the corner, who is he?

Butterbur: He’s one of them rangers. Dangerous folk they are-- all wandering the wilds. What his right name is I’ve never heard but around here, he’s known as Strider.

B1C9+9 He is one of the wandering folk - Rangers we call them... What his right name is I've never heard: but he's known round here as Strider.

Frodo: Strider...

[Frodo starts to play with the Ring. It starts to whisper, tempting him to use it]

Ring: Baggins. Baggins. Baggins. Baggins! Baggins!...

Pippin: Baggins! [Frodo snaps out of his reverie]

Pippin (at the bar): Sure I know a Baggins. He’s over there, Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side [listeners laugh, "It works for him!" yells one] and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side, if you follow me.

[Frodo rushes towards the bar to stop Pippin from babbling further]

Frodo: Pippin! [grabs him]

Pippin: Steady on!

[Frodo slips on someone’s boot and falls back, tossing the Ring into the air. As he catches it, the Ring slips onto Frodo’s finger. He disappears. Bree folks gasp in surprise. The Nazgul are alerted and makes for Bree. Frodo, now in the Shadow World, looks around mystified. He then sees an immense singular orb, a lidless eye, wreathed in flame. The Eye of Sauron stares down at him]

Voice of Sauron: You cannot hide! I see you! There is no life in the void, only death!

[Frodo backs away, terrified. He gropes for the Ring, unable to tear his gaze from the hideous Eye. Finally he wrenches the Ring off, reappearing with a relieved sigh, beside Strider’s table]

Frodo: Ah! [Strider grabs him from behind]

Strider: You draw far too much attention to yourself Mr. "Underhill"! [tosses him up the stairs. Strider flings open the door of his room, tosses Frodo in and shuts the door behind them. Frodo stumbles, falls to his knees, and stands up quickly, putting his back to the wall]

Frodo: What do you want?

Strider: A little more caution from you. That is no trinket you carry.

Frodo: I carry nothing.

Strider: Indeed. [Walks over to the window, puts out the candles] I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift.

B1C10+0 "'I have quick ears, and though I cannot disappear, I have hunted many wild and wary things and I can usually avoid being seen, if I wish."

Frodo: Who are you?

Strider: Are you frightened?

Frodo: Yes.

Strider: Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you.

B1C10+2 "You fear them, but you do not fear them enough, yet."

[Door bursts open. Strider draws his sword. Sam, Merry and Pippin rushes in]

Sam: Stand off! /Let him go! Or I’ll have you Longshanks! [Note to reader:  these are the two different versions heard by audiences everywhere]

B1C9+9 Butterbur: "Goes about at a great pace on his long shanks...."

Strider: You have a stout heart little hobbit, but that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard Frodo. They’re coming.

B1C10+10 "That you are a stout fellow...."

[Scene: Later that night.]

[The Nazgul crash through the gates of Bree and into the Prancing Pony. Screeches are heard. They make for the hobbits’ room and starts stabbing the beds. They pull back the covers to realize the hobbits are not there. They scream. Strider watches from the window in his room as the Nazgul remount their dark horses. Frodo, gravely concerned of the attack, sits at the foot of the bed. The rest of the sleeping hobbits, awakened by the Nazgul cries, lean wide-eyed against the headboard]

Frodo: What are they?

Strider: They were once men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring. Drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you.

B1C2+12 Gandalf: "Long ago the fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants."

B1C11+19 "Also... the Ring draws them."

[Scene: The following morning, Strider leads the four hobbits and a newly acquired pony away from the village of Bree]

Frodo: Where are you taking us?

Strider: Into the wild.

Merry (to Frodo): How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf’s?

B1C10+10 "How do we know you are the Strider that Gandalf speaks about?"

Frodo: We have no choice but to trust him.

Sam: But where is he leading us?

Strider: To Rivendell Master Gamgee, The House of Elrond.

B1C10+4 Strider: "You will never get to Rivendell on your own now, and to trust me is your only chance."

Sam: Did you hear that? Rivendell! We’re going to see the elves!

B1C2+28 "Me go and see the Elves and all! Hooray!

[Scene: The hobbits pause pulling cookware and food from their packs. Strider looks back at them]

Strider: Gentlemen, we do not stop till nightfall.

Pippin: What about breakfast?

Strider: We’ve already had it.

Pippin: We've had one yes. What about second breakfast?[Strider walks away]

Merry: Don't think he knows about second breakfast Pip.

Pippin (alarmed):  What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them doesn’t he?

Merry: I wouldn't count on it. [From over bush, Strider tosses an apple and Merry catches it. He hands it to Pippin and pats him on the shoulder. Another apple flies through the air, hitting Pippin in the head. He looks up bewildered]

Merry: [impatiently] Pippin!

[Scene:  Isengard. Saruman is in the Chamber of the Palantir. His hand is suspended over the Stone, and a fiery light is in its depths. The eye of Sauron appears within the Palantir]

Saruman: [telepathically] The power of Isengard is at your command, Sauron, Lord of the Earth.

Voice of Sauron: Build me an army worthy of Mordor!

[Saruman is sitting on a chair in one of his chambers, his arms wound about him. He looks haunted. Three orcs file into the room]

Pink Eye (an orc): What orders from Mordor my Lord? What does the Eye command?

Saruman: We have work to do!

[Scene:  The pinnacle of Orthanc. Gandalf wakes painfully, the cold rain slashing down, the creaking of the felled trees heard far below. He slowly pushes himself up and moves cautiously to the edge and peers down at the activity surrounding Isengard]

Pink Eye: The trees are strong, my Lord. Their roots go deep.

Saruman: Rip them all down.

[Scene returns to Strider and the Hobbits. Strider stops and looks at the ruins atop a tall hill]

Strider: This was the great watchtower of Amon Sul. We shall rest here tonight.

[Hobbits, weary from the long travel, flings off their packs and settles down. Strider opens a bundle, revealing four short swords. He hands them to the hobbits]

Strider: These are for you. Keep them close. I’m going to have a look around. Stay here.

[Frodo, asleep, wakes up with a start. Merry, Pippin and Sam gathered around a fire cooking]

Pippin: Can I have some meat?

Merry: Ok. Want some tomatoes Sam?

Merry: Great tomatoes

Frodo: What are you doing?!

Merry: Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon.

Sam: We saved some for you Mr. Frodo.

Frodo: Put it out you fools! Put it out!

Pippin: Oh that’s nice! Ash on my tomatoes!

[Suddenly, a Nazgul cry pierces the darkness. The hobbits jump up, startled, and look over the lip of the hollow. They see five Nazgul closing in on Amon Sul. They unsheathe their small swords]

All: Uh?!

[Frodo motions the others to run up the steps, towards the ruins]

Frodo: Go!

[At the top, the Nazgul surrounds them, pulling out their long swords. Sam, Merry and Pippin prepare to defend of Frodo]

Sam: [brandishing his sword] Back you devils!

[Sam clashes swords with the Nazgul, but is swiftly thrown aside. Merry and Pippin close the gap in front of Frodo, but they too are cast aside. Frodo backs across the hill, dropping his sword with a clatter. He stumbles, falls, and crawls backward until he is backed against a fallen column. Frodo brings out the Ring from his pocket. Immediately, the Witch King feels its presence and approaches Frodo, drawing a long dagger. Frodo tries to scramble back, terrified, but has nowhere to go. Desperately, he slips on the Ring]

[The world changes. The Nazguls’ true forms are revealed to him, shining like ghostly kings. The Witch King reaches out for the Ring, and the Ring responds, lifting Frodo’s own hand towards the wraith. With desperate strength, Frodo yanks his hand back. The Witch King looks suprised, then stabs him through the left shoulder with his long dagger, pinning him to the ground, then reaches again for the Ring. Frodo cries out in pain]

[At that moment, Strider leaps over Frodo and attacks the Nazgul with both sword and flaming brand. The Witch King withdraws his dagger and drops it. Frodo summons the strength to pull the Ring from his finger. He reappears in the middle of an anguished scream]

Frodo: Aaaahhhh!

Sam: Frodo! [rushes to his side]

Frodo: Oh Sam!

[Strider continues to fight the Nazgul, parrying with his sword and attacking with the torch. He sets them afire and finally drives them away]

Sam: Strider! Help him Strider.

Strider: He’s been stabbed by a Morgul blade. [blade dissolves in the wind] This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs elvish medicine.

B2C1+4 Gandalf: "They tried to pierce your heart with a Morgul-knife which remains in the wound." Note: The movie version of the blade is poisoned.

B1C12+9 "... and there is some poison or evil at work that is beyond my skill to drive out."

[Strider carries Frodo over his shoulder and proceeds to leave Weathertop, the other hobbits following closely behind them. Nazgul cries are still heard in the area]

Strider: Hurry!

Sam: We are six days from Rivendell. He’ll never make it!

Frodo: [whispering] Gandalf...

Strider: Hold on Frodo.

Frodo: [cries out] ...Gandalf!!!!

[Scene: The camera swoops over Isengard and up to the Pinnacle of Orthanc were Gandalf is held prisoner. A moth flutters into view and is caught by Gandalf, who whispers to it]

Gandalf (whispering): Gwaihir. Go, Gwaihir. [Gandalf sends it off and the moth flies away.]

[Scene swoops down into the Caverns of Isengard as forging of weapons and armor are well underway. Saruman observes all the activity with pride and witnesses the birth of Lurtz and the Uruk Hai]

[Scene goes back to Strider and the Hobbits at the Trollshaws. Frodo is delirious]

Sam: Mr. Frodo? [to Strider] He’s going cold!

B1C12+17 "...he felt cold."

Pippin: Is he going to die?

Strider: He’s passing into the shadow world. He will soon become a wraith like them.

B2C1+4 Gandalf: "If they had succeeded, you would have become like they are, only weaker and under their command. You would have become a wraith under the dominion of the Dark Lord..."

[Frodo gasps. The Nazgul cry is heard from a distance]

Merry: They’re close.

Strider: Sam, do you know Athelas plant?

Sam: Athelas?

Strider: Kingsfoil.

Sam: Kingsfoil- aye, that's a weed.

Strider: It may help to slow the poison. Hurry!

B1C12+2 "It has great virtues, but over such a wound as this its healing powers may be small."

[They search for the plant. Strider finds a small patch and proceeds to collect it. Suddenly a sword is at his throat]

Arwen: What’s this? A ranger caught off his guard?

[Frodo, lying on the ground, senses a white light nearing him. He turns towards it, and like a vision, sees Arwen approaching]

Arwen: Frodo.... Im Arwen. Telin le thaed (Frodo, I am Arwen. I come to help you.)

Arwen: Lasto beth nîn. Tolo dan na ngalad (Listen to my word. Come back to the light)

Merry: [in awe] Who is she?

Arwen: [kneels] Frodo!

Sam: She's an elf.

Arwen: He's fading!

B1C12+17 "... he felt that a shadow was coming between him and the faces of his friends."

[Frodo gasps]

Arwen: He's not going to last. We must get him to my father. I’ve been looking for you for 2 days.

Merry: Where are you taking him?

Arwen: There are 5 wraiths behind you. Where the other 4 are, I do not know.[Strider mounts Frodo onto the horse, Asfaloth]

B1C12+16 Glorfindel: "There are five behind us, and when they find your trail on the Road they will ride after us like the wind. And they are not all. Where the other four may be, I do not know."

Strider/Aragorn: Dartho guin Beriain. Rych le ad tolthathon. (Stay with the Hobbits. I will send horses for you)

Arwen: Hon mabathon. Rochon ellint im. (I will take him. I am the swifter rider.)

Strider/Aragorn: Andelu i ven. (The road is very dangerous.)

Pippin: What are they saying?

Arwen: Frodo fîr. Ae athradon i hir, tur gwaith nîin beriatha hon. (Frodo dies. If I get across the river, the power of my people will protect him.)

Arwen: [reassuringly] I do not fear them.

Strider/Aragorn: Be iest lîn. (According to your wish.) [Arwen mounts onto Asfaloth. Frodo is seated in front of her]

Strider/Aragorn: Arwen, ride hard. Don’t look back!

Arwen: Noro lim, Asfaloth, noro lim! (Ride fast Asfaloth, ride fast!) [Asfaloth gallops away]

Sam (yells at Strider):  What are you doing?! Those wraiths are still out there!

[Arwen rides on as the Nazgul gives chase. Amongst the trees and over open spaces they rode in pursuit]

Arwen: Noro lim Asfaloth!!! (Ride faster Asfaloth!)

B1C12+20 Glorfindel: noro lim, noro lim, Asfolath

[Arwen reaches the river, and splashes across the ford. She pauses and looks back. The Nazgul have stops at the edge of the water]

Nazgul: Give up the half-fling she-elf!

Arwen: [draws her sword] If you want him, come and claim him!

[The Nazgul draws their sword and begin to cross the ford]

Arwen (with eyes closed): Nîn o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nîn Bruinen dan in Ulaer! Nîn o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nîn Bruinen dan in Ulaer! (Waters of the Misty Mountains listen to the great word; flow waters of Loudwater against the Ringwraiths!)

[The water level rises. A great flood comes around the bend, with peaks like white horses. The Nazgul are cast from their mounts and washed away down the river]

[Frodo starts to slip from the horse. Arwen lays him on the ground]

Arwen: No! Frodo...No! Frodo, don’t give in! Not now![Arwen cries and embraces Frodo]

Voice Over of Arwen: What grace is given me, let it pass to him, let him be spared, save him.

The Letters of JRR Tolkien #246 "... it was Arwen who first thought of sending Frodo into the West... Her renunciation and suffering were related to and enmeshed with Frodo's: both were parts of a plan for the regeneration of the state of Men. Her prayer might therefore have be specially effective, and her plan have a certain equity of exchange."

[Scene whites out, Elrond’s image appears]

Elrond: Frodo, Lasto beth nîn. Tolo dan nan ngalad. (Frodo, hear my voice, come back to the light)

[Scene opens with Frodo lying in bed at The House of Elrond, Rivendell]

Frodo (waking):  Where am I?

B2C1+0 "Where am I, and what is the time?"

Gandalf: You are in the house of Elrond. And it is 10 o’clock in the morning, on October the 24th if you want to know.

B2C1+0 "In the house of Elrond, and it is ten o'clock in the morning. It is the morning of October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know."

Frodo (sitting up): Gandalf! B2C1+0

Gandalf: Yes... I’m here. And you're lucky to be here too. A few more hours and you would have been beyond our aid. But you have some strength in you, my dear hobbit! B2C2+0

Frodo: What happened Gandalf? Why didn't you meet us?

Gandalf: Oh I'm sorry Frodo... I was delayed. B2C1+1

[Flashback to Isengard. Saruman using his powers, flips Gandalf about then dangles him dangerously over the edge of Orthanc]

Saruman: Friendship with Saruman is not lightly thrown aside.

B3C10+6 "The friendship of Saruman and the power of Orthanc cannot be lightly thrown aside."

Saruman: One ill turn deserves another. It is over! Embrace the power of the Ring... or embrace your own destruction![Flips Gandalf back towards the platform] B6C9+25

Gandalf (slowly raising himself): There is only one Lord of the Ring! Only one can bend it to his will. And he does not share power! [Gandalf leaps off the Tower of Orthanc and lands on Gwaihir's back]

Saruman: So you have chosen - death. [Gwaihir flies over the mountains, bearing Gandalf to safety]

[End of Flashback. Scene returns to Rivendell]

Frodo: Gandalf? What is it?

Gandalf: Nothing Frodo.

Sam (rushing in): Frodo! Frodo!

Frodo: Sam!

Sam: Bless you, you're awake![Frodo laughs]

Gandalf: Sam has hardly left your side.B2C1+3

Sam: We were that worried about you, weren't we Mr. Gandalf?

Gandalf: By the skills of Lord Elrond, you're beginning to mend.

B2C1+3 "It is mending fast. You will soon be sound again. Elrond has cured you: he has tended you for days, ever since you were brought in."

Elrond: Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins.

[Reunion of the hobbits. Frodo sees Bilbo]

Frodo: Bilbo!

Bilbo: Hello Frodo my lad!

B2C1+15 Frodo: "Bilbo!" Bilbo: "Hullo, Frodo my lad!"

Frodo: Bilbo! [hug]

Bilbo: Oh!

[Scene: Frodo reads Bilbo's book]

Frodo: "There and Back Again:  A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins". [leafs through the book] This is wonderful! second title of The Hobbit

Bilbo: I meant to go back...wander the paths of Mirkwood... visit Laketown...see the Lonely Mountain again. But age it seems have finally caught up with me. [gives Frodo a playful smirk]

B2C1+16 "I got here without much adventure, and after a rest I went on with the dwarves to Dale: my last journey. I shan't travel again."

[Frodo leafing through the book, stops to look at the map of the Shire]

Frodo: I miss the Shire. I spent all my childhood, pretending I was off somewhere else... off with you on one of your adventures! [realizes sadly] My own adventure turned out to be quite different.

B1C5+8 "This is no treasure hunt, no there-and-back journey. I am flying from deadly peril to deadly peril."

Frodo: I’m not like you Bilbo.

B2C1+3 "I have had a month of exile and adventure, and I find that has been as much as I want."

Bilbo: My dear boy.

[Scene goes to Sam packing his bag]

Sam: [to himself] Now what have I forgotten?

B2C3+11 "Sam eased the pack on his shoulders, and went over anxiously in his mind all the things that he had stowed in it, wondering if he had forgotten anything...."

Frodo: Packed already?

Sam: No harm in being prepared.

Frodo: I thought you wanted to see the elves Sam.

Sam: I do!

Frodo: More than anything.

Sam: I did! Its just...we did what Gandalf wanted didn't we? We got the Ring this far to Rivendell and then I thought, seein' as how you’re on the mend, we'd be off soon. Off home.

Frodo: You're right Sam. We did what we set out to do. [shows the Ring on his palm] The Ring will be safe in Rivendell.

Frodo: I am ready to go home.

B2C1+3 Frodo: "But so far my only thought has been to get here; and I hope I shan't have to go any further."

[Gandalf and Elrond watches Frodo and Sam from the balcony in Elrond's study]

Elrond: His strength returns.

Gandalf: That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life.

Elrond: And yet to have come so far, still bearing the Ring, the hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to it's evil.

Gandalf: It is a burden he should never have had to bear. We can ask no more of Frodo.

Elrond: Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are amassing in the east-- his eye is fixed on Rivendell. And Saruman you tell me has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin.

Gandalf: His treachery runs deeper than you know. By foul craft Saruman has crossed orcs with goblin-men, he's breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight and cover great distance at speed. Saruman is coming for the Ring.

B3C4+16 Treebeard: "And now it is clear that he is a black traitor. He has taken up with foul folk, with the Orcs. Brm, hoom! Worse than that: he has been doing something to them; something dangerous. For these Isengarders are more like wicked Men. It is a mark of evil things that came in the Great Darkness that they cannot abide the Sun; but Saruman's Orcs can endure it, even if they hate it. I wonder what he has done? Are they Men he has ruined, or has he blended the races of Orcs and Men? That would be a black evil!"

B3C7+14 Gamling: "But these creatures of Isengard, these half-orcs and goblin-men that the foul craft of Saruman has bred, they will not quail at the sun."

Elrond: This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard![Gandalf moves away, deep in thought]

B2C2+34 Galdor: "But have they the strength, have we here the strength to withstand the Enemy, the coming of Sauron at the last, when all else is overthrown?" Elrond: "I have not the strength...."

Elrond: Gandalf, the Ring cannot stay here.

[Gandalf sees Boromir, Legolas and Gimli arrive at Rivendell]

Elrond: This peril belongs to all middle earth. They must decide now how to end it. The time of the Elves is over-- my people are leaving these shores. Who will you look to when we've gone? The Dwarves? They hide in their mountains seeking riches-- they care nothing for the troubles of others.

B2C2+24 Gandalf quotes Saruman: "The time of the Elves is over...."

Gandalf: It is in Men that we must place our hope.

Elrond: Men? Men are weak. The race of men is failing. The blood of Numenor is all but spent. It's pride and dignity forgotten. It is because of men the Ring survives. I was there Gandalf. I was there three thousand years ago...

B2C2+8 Boromir: "Believe not that in the land of Gondor the blood of Numenor is spent, nor all its pride and dignity forgotten."

B2C2+5 "I remember well the splendour of their banners..."

[Quick flashback to Isildur slicing the Ring off Sauron’s hand]

Elrond: Isildur took the Ring. I was there the day the strength of men failed.

[Return to flashback, Elrond and Isildur on the slopes of Mount Doom]

Elrond: Isildur hurry. Follow me.

Elrond: [voice over] I led Isildur into the heart of Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged, the one place it could be destroyed.

[At Sammath Naur, Elrond stands near the cracks of Doom]

Elrond: Cast it into the fire!

[Isildur looks at the Ring in his hand. The Ring whispers to him]

Elrond: Destroy it!

Isildur: No.[Isildur walks away]

Elrond: Isildur!!!

Elrond: [voice over] It should’ve ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure.

B2C2+6 "It should have been cast then into Orodruin's fire nigh at hand where it was made."

[Flashback ends. Scene returns to Rivendell]

Elrond: Isildur kept the Ring. The line of kings is broken. There is no strength left in the world of men. They’re scattered, divided, leaderless.

B2C2+6 "... and therefore whether we would or no, he took it to treasure it."

Gandalf: There is one who could unite them, one who could reclaim the throne of Gondor.

Elrond: He turned from that path long time ago. He has chosen exile.

Appendix A + 37 "... and yet he [Aragorn] seemed to Men worthy of honor, as a king that is in exile."

[Interior shot in Rivendell.]

[Aragorn is reading a book. Boromir enters and pauses to regard the painting of Isildur and Sauron. Then he turns to the shrine and sees the broken sword lying there. He picks up the haft and stares at the blade]

Boromir: The shards of Narsil! The blade that cut the ring from Sauron's hand! [Boromir runs his finger up the blade and cuts himself]

Boromir: [in amazement] It's still sharp! [Turns to look at Aragorn who is watching him]

Boromir: [in disdain] No more than a broken heirloom! [He returns the sword carelessly and it clatters to the ground. Boromir walks away.]

B2C2+37 "Mayhap the Sword-that-was-Broken may still stem the tide -- if the hand that wields it has inherited not an heirloom only, but the sinews of the Kings of Men."

[Aragorn gets up and walks to the shrine. He picks up the dropped haft and carefully sets it in place with the other shards. He takes a step back and touches his right hand to his heart, as he looks at the shrine. Arwen walks in behind him]

Arwen: Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself. You are not bound to his fate.

B2C2+11 Aragorn: "I am but the heir of Isildur, not Isildur himself."

Aragorn: The same blood flows in my veins. [turns to Arwen] Same weakness.

Arwen: Your time will come. You will face the same evil, and you will defeat it. A si i-Dhúath ú-orthor, Aragorn. Ú or le a ú or nin. (The Shadow does not hold sway yet, not over you and not over me.)

Appendix A+37 Arwen: "Dark is the Shadow, and yet my heart rejoices; for you , Estel, shall be amoung the great whose valour will destroy it." Aragorn: "Alas! I cannot foresee it, and how it may come to pass is hidden from me."

[Scene goes to Arwen and Aragorn, in the garden at twilight, standing atop of a bridge]

Arwen: Renech i lú i erui govannem? (Do you remember when we first met?)

Aragorn: Nauthannem i ned ôl reniannen. (I thought I had strayed into a dream.)

Arwen (tenderly touching Aragorn's cheek): Gwenwin in enninath... Ú-'arnech in naeth i si celich. (Long years have passed... You did not have the cares you carry now.)

Arwen: Renech i beth i pennen? (Do you remember what I told you?)

Aragorn:  (running his fingers across the Evenstar pendant) You said you would bind yourself to me -- forsaking the immortal life of your people.

Appendix A+37 Arwen: "I will cleave to you Dunadan, and turn from the Twilight."

Arwen: And to that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone. [Arwen gives Aragorn the Evenstar]

Arwen: I choose a mortal life.

Aragorn: You cannot give me this!

Arwen: It is mine to give to whom I will...like my heart. [They kiss]

[The following morning, at the Council of Elrond. Gandalf and Frodo along with a congregation of Men, Elves and Dwarves sit in a semi-circle around a stone pedestal]

Elrond: Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate--this one doom. [gestures to the pedestal] Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.

B2C2+4 "That is the purpose for which you were called hither. Called, I say, though I have not called you to me, strangers from distant lands.... Believe, rather that it is so ordered that we, who sit here, and none others, must now find counsel for the peril of the world."

B2C2+10 Gandalf: "Bring out the Ring, Frodo!"

[Frodo rises and lays the Ring on the pedestal and returns to his seat. People start whispering]

Boromir: So it is true...

Man of Laketown:  The Doom of Men

Boromir:  [shakes head] It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? [paces] Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!

B2C10+4 "It is a gift, I say; a gift to the foes of Mordor. It is mad not to use it, to use the power of the Enemy against him."

B2C2+8 "By our valour the wild folk of the East are still restrained, and the terror of Morgul kept at bay; and thus alone are peace and freedom maintained in the lands behind us, bulwark of the West."

B2C2+36 "Let the Ring be your weapon, if it has such power as you say. Take it and go forth to victory!

Aragorn: You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.

B2C2+36 Elrond: "Alas no, we cannot use the Ruling Ring. That we now know too well. It belongs to Sauron and was made by him alone, and it is altogether evil. Its strength, Boromir, is too great for anyone to wield at will, save only those who have already a great power of their own. But to them it holds an even deadlier peril. The very desire of it corrupts the heart."

Boromir: And what would a ranger know of this matter?

Legolas (jumping up): This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.

B2C2+10: Elrond: "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn...."

Boromir: Aragorn? This... is Isildur's heir?

Legolas: And heir to the throne of Gondor.

[Frodo looks wide-eyed at Aragorn]

Aragorn: Havo dad Legolas (Sit down Legolas)

Boromir: Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king. [returns to his seat]

Gandalf: Aragorn is right. We cannot use it.

Elrond: You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed.

B2C2+37 "We must send the Ring to the Fire."

Gimli: What are we waiting for?[Gimli grabs an axe and approaches the pedestal]

Gimli: ARGH!!!![Gimli strikes the Ring with full force but is repelled back, throwing him to the ground. Concurrently, Frodo sees the Eye of Sauron in his mind and winces in pain. The Ring remains intact with the shards of the axe all around it]

Ring (whispers):  (indecipherable)

Elrond:  The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came.

B1C2+24 Gandalf: "But as for breaking the Ring, force is useless. Even if you took it and struck it with a heavy sledge-hammer, it would make no dint in it. It cannot be unmade by your hands, or by mine."

B2C2+35 Elrond: "But Gandalf has revealed to us that we cannot destroy it by any craft that we here possess."

B1C2+24 Gandalf: "There is only one way: to find the Cracks of Doom in the depths of Orodruin, the Fire-mountain, and cast the Ring in there, if you really wish to destroy it, to put it beyond the grasp of the Enemy for ever."

Ring (whispers): Ash Nazg

Elrond: One of you must do this.

[Dead silence from the council]

Boromir: One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!

B2C10+8 Narrative: "There was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep."

Legolas (stands): Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!

Gimli (leaps to feet): And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!

Boromir (rises): And if we fail, what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!

B2C10+5 "The only plan that is proposed to us is that a halfling should walk blindly into Mordor and offer the Enemy every chance of recapturing it for himself. Folly!"

Gimli: I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!

[Commotion starts as arguments erupt amongst the council members]

Gimli: Never trust an elf!

Gandalf: Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it!

[Frodo remains seated, watching the Ring uneasily, the angry figures of the council reflected on its surface. Suddenly, flames flare up, engulfing the surface of the Ring]

Ring: Ash Nazg Durbatuluk! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul!

[The intensity of the arguments increase. Slowly, determination dawns on Frodo’s face. He stands and takes a few steps toward the arguing council, trying to make his voice heard above the din]

Frodo: I will take it! I will take it!

[The argument dies down. Gandalf closes is eyes as he hears Frodo’s statement. The members of the council slowly turn towards Frodo, astonished]

Frodo: I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though-- I do not know the way.

B2C2+40 "I will take the Ring... though I do not know the way."

Gandalf: [walks towards Frodo] I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, so long as it is yours to bear. [places his hands reassuringly on Frodo’s shoulders]

B1C2+25 "I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn (rises): If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will. [approaches Frodo and keels before him] You have my sword.

B1C10+11 "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will."

Legolas: And you have my bow. [walks to join them]

Gimli: And my axe! [looks grimly at Legolas as he joins the group]

Boromir: [walks over to them] You carry the fates of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done.

Sam: Heh! [jumps from behind the bushes and joins them] Mr. Frodo is not goin’ anywhere without me!

Elrond: [amused] No indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not.

B1C2+41 "No Indeed! You at least shall go with him. It is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

Pippi and Merry: [emerge from behind the pillars to join them] Wait! We are coming too!

Merry: You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!

B2C2+6 Pippin: "Then, Master Elrond, you will have to lock me in prison, or send me home tied in a sack..."

Pippin: Anyway you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest... thing.

Merry: Well that rules you out Pip.

B2C3+0 Pippin: "There must be someone with intelligence in the party." Gandalf: "Then you certainly will not be chosen, Peregrin Took!"

Elrond: Nine companions... So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!   book title

Pippin: Great! Where are we going?

[Scene goes to Bilbo’s room]

Bilbo: My old sword, Sting! Here! Take it, take it! [Frodo unsheathes the sword and examines it]

B2C3+7 "This is Sting.... Take it if you like. I shan't want it again, I expect."

Frodo: It’s so light!

Bilbo: Yes...yea--made by the elves you know. The blade glows blue when orcs are close. And its times like that my lad, when you'll have to be extra careful! [brings out a mail shirt]

B2C4+19 "...for being the work of Elvish smiths in the Elder days these swords shone with a cold light, if any Orcs were near at hand."

Bilbo: Here’s a pretty thing --Mithril! As light as a feather! And as hard as dragon scales! Let me see you put it on. Go on.

B2C3+7 Bilbo: "It's a pretty thing, isn't it? And useful. It is my dwarf-mail that Thorin gave me.... You hardly feel any weight when you put it on."

B2C6+4 Gimli: "It is a mithril-coat. Mithril!"

[Frodo starts to unbotton his shirt. Bilbo sees the Ring hanging on a chain around Frodo’s neck]

Bilbo: Oh...M-my old Ring! Oh well... I sh-sh-should very much like, to hold it again, one last time. [Frodo begins to cover up the Ring]

B2C1+16 "Have you got it here? I can't help feeling curious, you know, after all I've heard. I should very much like just to peep at it again."

[Bilbo, transformed by the power of the Ring, lashes out. Frodo, startled, backs away. Bilbo soon regains his composure. He then sits on the bed weeping]

Bilbo: I’m sorry I brought this upon you my boy...I’m sorry that you must carry this burden. I’m sorry for everything!

B2C1+17 "I understand now. Put it away! I am sorry: sorry you have come in for this burden: sorry about everything."

[Frodo places a reassuring hand on Bilbo’s shoulder]

[Scene: The Fellowship departs from Rivendell. They travel through the woods, over open plains and hillsides. They pause on a hill in the wild]

Voice Over of Gandalf: We must hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for 40 days. If our luck holds the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there our road turns east to Mordor.

B2C3+12 "Their purpose was to hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for many miles and days."

[Rest Stop: Boromir spars with Merry and Pippin, tutoring them on sword fighting]

Boromir: Two, One, Five. Good, very good.

Aragorn: Move your feet.

Merry: That’s good, Pippin.

Pippin: Thanks.

Boromir: Faster

Gimli: 'Anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they’re not, I’d say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome.

B2C4+1 Gandalf: "The road that I speak of leads to the MInes of Moria."

B2C4+2 Gandalf: "There is even a chance that Dwarves are there, and that in some deep hall of his fathers, Balin son of Fundin may be found."

Gandalf: No Gimli, I would not take the roads through Moria unless I had no other choice.

B2C3+19 Aragorn: "Say nothing to the others, I beg, not until it is plain that there is no other way."

[Legolas notices something amiss and looks intently towards the South]

Boromir: Come on. Good. [Boromir accidentally nicks Pippin’s hand]

Pippin: Aaaah!

Boromir: Sorry![Pippin kicks Boromir on the shin]

Boromir: Ahh!

Merry: Get Him! [Boromir goes down in mock battle. Boromir and Aragorn laugh.]

Pippin: For the Shire!

B2C5+4 Frodo: "The Shire!"

Pippin: Hold him! Hold him Merry!

Merry: He got my arm! He got my arm!

Sam (noticing black cloud): What is that?

Gimli: Nothing, it’s just a whiff of cloud.

Boromir: It’s moving fast...against the wind.

B2C3+18 Frodo: "Did you see anything pass over?" Gandalf: "No, but I felt it, whatever it was. It may be nothing, only a wisp of thin cloud." Aragorn: "It was moving fast then, and not with the wind."

Legolas: Crebain from Dunland!

B2C3+17 Aragorn: "Thy are not natives here; they are crebain out of Fangorn and Dunland."

Aragorn: Hide!

Boromir: Merry! Frodo!

Aragorn: Come on, come on! Take cover!

B2C3+17 Aragorn: "Lie flat and still!"

[The Fellowship scrambles to gather their things. Sam puts out the fire. They hide behind rock outcroppings and under bushes. Just then, a flock of black birds rushes overhead, cawing loudly. They circle the hill, then turn and fly back Southward]

Gandalf: Spies of Saruman! The passage south is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras.

B2C3+18 Aragorn: "I think they are spying out the land.... Hollin is no longer wholesome for us: it is being watched." Gandalf: "In that case so the Redhorn Gate...."

[The Fellowship climbs the snowy slopes of Caradhras.]

[Frodo looses his footing and falls, rolling down the slope towards Aragorn]

Frodo: Ungh!

Aragorn: Frodo! [helps him to his feet. Frodo searches himself for the Ring. Finding it missing, he looks back up the slope. Boromir, sees the Ring on the snow and picks it up by its chain]

Aragorn: Boromir.

Boromir (looking at ring): It is a strange fate we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing... such a little thing.

B2C10+3 "Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!

Aragorn: Boromir! Give the Ring to Frodo.

Boromir: [hands it to Frodo] As you wish. I care not.

B2C10+4 "As you wish. I care not."
Note: In the book this comes after he asks to see the ring Frodo refuses.

[Frodo grabs the Ring from him. Boromir jokingly tousles Frodo’s hair then turns to resume climbing. Frodo looks on suspiciously. Aragorn releases his grip from his sword]

[Scene goes to Crebain returning to Isengard- beneath Orthanc]

Saruman: So, Gandalf, you try to lead them over Caradhras. And if that fails, where then will you go? If the mountain defeats you will you risk a more dangerous road?

B2C4+0 Gandalf: "There is a way that we may attempt. I thought from the beginning, when first I considered this journey, that we should try it. But it is not a pleasant way. And I have not spoken of it to the Company before. Aragorn was against it, until the pass over the mountains had at least been tried."

[Scene - The Pass of Caradhras.]

[ Fellowship with the exception of Legolas plods through the snow. Legolas walks on top, keeping watch. Voice of Saruman is heard]

Voice of Saruman: Cuiva nwalca Carnirassë nai yarvaxëa rasselya! (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your horn be bloodstained!)

Legolas:  There is a fell voice on the air.

B2C10+23 Boromir: "Let those call it the wind who will; there are fell voices on the air...."

Gandalf: Its Saruman!

[First avalanche falls. It misses the Fellowship by a hair]

Aragorn: He’s trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!

B2C10+23 Boromir: "... and those stones are aimed at us."

Gandalf: No! [Gandalf rises on the snow, chants out counter spell]

Gandalf: Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i 'ruith! (Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!)

Saruman (atop Orthanc): Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; Nai yarvaxea rasselya; taltuva notto-carinnar! (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your bloodstained horn fall upon enemy heads!)

[lightning strikes the tip of Caradhras sending a second avalanche onto the Fellowship below. Legolas snatches Gandalf from the edge, pulling him against the cliff just before the snow buries them completely. After a moment, they emerge from the snow]

Boromir: We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!

B2C4+1 "If we cannot cross the mountains, let us journey southwards, until we come to the Gap of Rohan..."

Aragorn: The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!

B2C4+1 Gandalf: "But the ring must not come near Isengard, if that can by any means be prevented. The Gap of Rohan is closed to us while we go with the Bearer."

Gimli: If we cannot pass over a mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria.

B2C4+2 Gandalf: "Therefore I advise that we should go neither over the mountains, nor round them, but under them.

[Scene flashes to Saruman in his chamber in Orthanc, reading a page in a book of lore]

Saruman: Moria. You fear to go into those mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum:  Shadow and Flame!

B2C4+28 Gandalf: "... they [the dwarves] delved too greedily and too deep, and disturbed that from which they fled, Durin's Bane."

B2C7+3 Aragon: "It was both a shadow and a flame, strong and terrible."

[Scene returns to Caradhras]

Gandalf: [grimly] Let the Ring bearer decide. Frodo?

B2C4+3 Boromir: "The Ring-bearer's voice surely should be heard?"

Frodo (glances at Sam): We will go through the mines.

B2C4+3 "I do not wish to go, but neither do I wish to refuse the advice of Gandalf. I beg that there should be no vote, until we have slept on it. Gandalf will get votes easier in the light of the morning than in this cold gloom."

Gandalf: So be it.

[Scene:  The Fellowship arrives at the West Gate of Moria]

Gimli: [in awe] The walls of Moria!

B2C4+8 Gandalf: "There are the walls of Moria."

[Fellowship walks by the side of the lake. Frodo’s foot slips into the water. Frodo gasps.]

[Gandalf makes out an outline of the doors]

Gandalf: Now, let’s see. Ithildin -- it mirrors only starlight and moonlight.[Moon appears. Doors illuminate]

B2C4+12 "They are wrought of ithildin that mirrors only starlight and moonlight...."

Gandalf:  It reads "The doors of Durin - Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter." B2C4+13

Merry: What do you suppose that means?

B2C4+13 "What does it mean by speak, friend and enter?

Gandalf: Oh it’s quite simple. If you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open.

B2C4+13 Gimli: "That is plain enough. If you are a friend, speak the password and the doors will open, and you can enter."

Gandalf: Annon Edhellen edro hi ammen! (Gate of the Elves open now for me!)[Doors remain closed. Gandalf begins to push it with his staff] B2C4+15

[Time passes. The rest of the Fellowship are seated around the doors or near the lake, still waiting for Gandalf to open it]

Gandalf: Ando Eldarinwa a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa! (Gate of Elves listen to my word, Threshold of Dwarves!)

Aragorn: [unhitches Bill’s bridle] The mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill.

B2C4+9 Gandalf: "But in any case we can't take the poor beast into the mines."

Sam: [sadly] Buh-bye Bill

Aragorn: Go on, Bill, go on. Don’t worry Sam, he knows the way home.

B2C4+11 Gandalf: "Go with words of guard and guiding on you. You are a wise beast and have learned much in Rivendell.... There Sam! He will have quite as much a chance of escaping wolves and getting home as we have."

[Merry begins to throw stones into the water. Pippin follows suit but Aragorn stops him]

Aragorn: Do not disturb the water.

B2C4+16 Frodo: "I am afraid of the pool. Don't disturb it!

Gandalf (exasperated): Oh, it’s useless![Gandalf sits. Frodo stands and looks at the writings intently]

Frodo: It’s a riddle. Speak "friend" and enter. What’s the Elvish word for friend?

Gandalf: Mellon

B2C4+16 Gandalf: "Of course, of course! Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer. Mellon."

B2C4+17 Gandalf: "I had only to speak the Elvish word for friend and the doors opened.

[The stone doors slowly swing open. The Fellowship enters Moria]

Gimli: Soon master elf you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone. This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!

Boromir: This is no mine, it’s a tomb! [Dwarf corpses litter the floor]

Gimli: Oh! No! Noooo!!!

[Legolas picks up an arrow from the body of a fallen dwarf, examines it and casts it away in disgust]

Legolas: Goblins!

[Legolas, Aragorn and Boromir draw out their swords]

Boromir: We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here.

[The four hobbits are backing toward the door. Something stirs in the water behind them]

Boromir: Now get out of here, get out!

[The whole company starts for the door. Suddenly, Frodo is grabbed from behind and pulled off his feet by the Watcher in the water]

Sam Merry and Pippin: Frodo!

Sam: Strider! [hacks at tentacle] Get off him!

[The watcher releases Frodo for a split-second, and feigns to disappear under the water. Suddenly many tentacles come boiling out of the water its slaps the other hobbits aside and grab Frodo around the leg. He is pulled out over the water and into the air]

Frodo: aah!

Merry: Aragorn!

[Legolas shoots one of the tentacles holding Frodo. Boromir and Aragorn rush to the water with their swords, and attack the Watcher. It flings Frodo wildly in the air. Aragorn slices the main tentacle holding Frodo’s leg. Frodo falls, and Boromir catches him. Aragorn and Boromir retreat towards the shore]

Gandalf: Into the Mines!

B2C4+17 "Into the gateway! Up the stiars! Quick!

Boromir: Legolas! Aim for his eye! Come on!

[Legolas shoots an arrow straight into the Watcher’s eye. It pulls back and as the Fellowship race into Moria, it reaches out and slams the gates shut. Slabs of rocks drop and the roof of the passa