The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie Script - Book One, Chapter I

A Long-Expected Party
Scenes 1, 2 and 3
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Scene 1: The Shire, 60 years later (Click HERE for the associated images)
Frodo:

You're late!

Gandalf:

A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, nor is he early.

He arrives precisely when he means to.

Frodo:

It's wonderful to see you Gandalf!

Gandalf:

You didn't think I'd miss your Uncle Bilbo's Birthday?

Frodo:

What news of the outside world - tell me everything!

Gandalf:

Everything? You are 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 it's own comings and
goings. Scarcely aware of the existence of hobbits, for
which I am very thankful.

Scene 2: Shire Landscapes (Click HERE for the associated images)

Gandalf:

Oh, a long-expected party.

So how is the old rascal. I hear it's going to be a party
of special magnificence.

Frodo:

You know Bilbo - he's got the whole place in an uproar.

Gandalf:

Oh well, that should please him.

Frodo:

Half the Shire has been invited.

Gandalf:

Good gracious.

Frodo:

He's up to something.

Gandalf:

Really? Mmmm...

Frodo:

Alright then, keep your secrets. Before you came along, we

Bagginses were very well thought of.

Gandalf:

Indeed..

Frodo:

We 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 labelled a

disturber of the peace.

Children:

Gandalf, Gandalf... fireworks...

(Gandalf fires off some fireworks, the children cheer,

Proudfoots looking on)

Frodo:

Gandalf, I'm glad you're back

Gandalf:

So am I dear boy, so am I.

Scene 3: Arrival at Bag End (Click HERE for the associated images)
Gandalf:

(bangs on door)

Bilbo:

No thank you. We don't want any more visitors, wellwishers or distant relations.

Gandalf:

And what about very old friends?

Bilbo:

Gandalf?

Gandalf:

Bilbo Baggins

Bilbo:

My dear Gandalf!

Gandalf:

Good to see you - one hundred and eleven years old, I

wouldn't believe it. You haven't aged a day.

Bilbo:

Come on, come in. Welcome, welcome. Tea? Or maybe

something a little stronger? I've got a few bottles of the Old
Winyards left. 1296 - very good year. Almost as old as I
am, it was laid down by my father. What say we open one,
eh?

Gandalf:

Just tea, thank you.

Bilbo:

...expecting you last week...not that it matters, you come

and go as you please...

You've caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid...
(muttering about jam, tarts and cheese, etc)
Oh no, we're alright.
I could make you some eggs if you'd like. Gandalf?
Gandalf:

Just tea, thank you...

Bilbo:

Ah, right. You don't mind if I do?

Gandalf:

No, no, go right ahead...

Lobelia:

Bilbo, Bilbo Baggins! (knocking on door)

Bilbo:

I'm not at home

I've got to get away from these confounded relatives,
hanging on the bell all day, never giving me a moments
peace.
I want to see mountains again, mountains, Gandalf. And
then find somewhere quiet, where I can finish my book.
Oh tea...

Gandalf:

So you mean to go through with your plan then?

Bilbo:

Yes, yes, it's all in hand. All the arrangements are made.

Gandalf:

Frodo suspects something...

Bilbo:

Course he does, he's a Baggins, not some blockheaded

Bracegirdle from 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. I think

in his heart, Frodo's still in love with the Shire, the woods,
the fields, little rivers...
I'm old Gandalf. I know 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.
(later that evening, sitting outside Bag End)
Old Toby, the finest weed in the Southfarthing.
Gandalf, my old friend, this will be a night to remember!

The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie Script - Book One, Chapter II
The Shadow of the Past
Scenes 1 and 2
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Scene 1: Frodo and Gandalf at Bag End; The Ring is Revealed as the One
(Click HERE for the associated images)

Rosie:

Goodnight... (to Sam and Frodo, at the Green Dragon)

Frodo:

Goodnight, Sam... (at the Bag End gate)

Gandalf:

Is it secret? Is it safe?
(his hand reaches out of the dark to grab Frodo's shoulder)

Frodo:

Ahh... (when he finds it, after rifling through an old trunk)

What are you doing?
(as Gandalf throws the envelope into the fire)

Gandalf:

Hold out your hand, Frodo. It's quite cool...

What can you see? Can you see anything...

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.

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!
(but if Gandalf had used the language of Mordor,
these are the words he would have spoken:
Ash nazg durbatulk,
ash nazg gimbatul.
Ash nazg thrataulk,
agh burzim-ishi krimpatul! )

Scene 2: How the Ring came to Frodo; Bounder meets Nazgl;

Gandalf catches Sam (Click HERE for the associated images)
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.

Frodo:

Bilbo found it... in Gollum's cave...

Gandalf:

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 it's master's call.

Frodo:

But he was destroyed, Sauron was destroyed...

The Ring:

(whispers)

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 BaradDr has been 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 it's master. They are one, the Ring
and the Dark Lord.
Frodo, he must never find it...

Frodo:

Alright, we put it away. We keep it hidden. We never

speak of it again... No one knows its 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, but amidst the endless screams and and inane
babble they discerned two words...

Gollum:

Shire... Baggins...

Frodo:

Shire? Baggins? But that will lead them here...

Bounder:

Who goes there?

(Ringwraiths ride him down and apparently kill him)

Frodo:

Take it Gandalf, take it! You must take it!

Gandalf:

You cannot offer me this Ring...

Frodo:

I am 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 a desire to
do good, but through me, it would wield a power too great
and terrible to imagine.

Frodo:

But it cannot stay in the Shire.

Gandalf:

No... no, it can't.

Frodo:

What must I do?

Gandalf:

You must leave and leave quickly.

Frodo:

Where? Where do I go?

Gandalf:

Get out of the Shire... Head for the village of Bree.

Frodo:

Bree. What about you...?

Gandalf:

I'll be waiting there, at the Inn of the Prancing Pony.

Frodo:

The ring will be safe there?

Gandalf:

I don't know. I don't have any answers, Frodo.

I must see the head of my order. He is both wise and
powerful. Trust me, Frodo, he will know what to do.

Travel only by day... and stay off the road.

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...
Get Down! (after he hears a noise at the window)
Confound it all, Samwise Gamgee!
Have you been eavesdropping?

Sam:

I ain't been droppin' no eaves, sir, honest. I was just cuttin'

the grass under the window there, 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:

Well, nothin' important... that is, I heard a good deal about

a Ring and a Dark Lord and somethin' about the end of the
world... But, please, Mr. Gandalf sir, don't hurt me...
don't turn me into anythin'... unnatural!

Gandalf:

No? Perhaps not... I've thought of a better use for you..

The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie Script - Book One, Chapter III
Three is Company
Scenes 1 and 2
NOTE: Like "Lord of the Rings" in the banner above, these pages were designed
to be viewed in the 'Flat Brush' font. If your computer doesn't show them that
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Scene 1: Leaving the Shire (Click HERE for the associated images)
Gandalf:

Come along, Samwise. Keep up...

Be careful, both of you. The enemy has many spies in his
service. Birds, beasts...
Is it safe?
(Frodo pats the ring in his breast pocket)
Never put it on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be
drawn to it's power.
Always remember, Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to
it's master - it wants to be found.
(Gandalf rides off to Isengard.
Sam and Frodo exchange a meaningful glance:
What have we gotten ourselves into?
Then they also take off and we see various shots of them
walking across the countryside of the Shire)

Sam:

This is it...

Frodo:

This is what?

Sam:

If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home
I've ever been.

Frodo:

Come on Sam...
Remember what Bilbo used to say:
It's a dangerous business, 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...

Scene 2: The Treachery of Isengard (Click HERE for the associated images)
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?

Gandalf:

(Takes off his hat and bows his head)

Saruman...
(They go walking on the grounds of Isengard)

Saruman:

...You are sure of this?

Gandalf:

Beyond any doubt!

Saruman:

So the Ring of Power has been found...

Gandalf:

All these long years it was in the Shire,

under my very nose.

Saruman:

And yet you did not have the wit to see it. Your love of the
halfling's leaf has clearly slowed you mind...

Gandalf:

But we still have time, time enough to counter Sauron,

if we move quickly...

Saruman:

Time? What time do you think we have?

(They move from outside into Saruman's study in Orthanc)
Sauron has regained much of his former strength.
He cannot yet take physical form, but his spirit
has lost none of it potency. Concealed within
his fortress, the Lord of Mordor sees all...
His gaze pierces clouds, 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 have

summoned an army great enough to launch an assault on
Middle-Earth.

Gandalf:

You know this? How?

Saruman:

I have seen it... (They go into Saruman's Throne Room)

Gandalf:

A palantir is a dangerous tool, Saruman.

Saruman:

Why? Why should we fear to use them?

Gandalf:

They are not all accounted for, the lost seeing-stones.

We do not know who else may be watching...

Saruman:

The hour is later than you think - Sauron's forces are

already moving. The nine have left Minas Morgul.

Gandalf:

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!

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...

Gandalf:

Tell me, 'friend', when did Saruman the Wise

abandon reason for MADNESS !

Saruman:

I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you...

have... elected the way of ... PAIN !!

The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie Script - Book One, Chapter IV
A Shortcut to Mushrooms
Scenes 1 and 2
NOTE: Like "Lord of the Rings" in the banner above, these pages were designed
to be viewed in the 'Flat Brush' font. If your computer doesn't show them that
way, right click on this link and save the file to your 'C:\WINDOWS\FONTS'
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Scene 1: Frodo/Sam meet Merry/Pippin, Encounter with a Black Rider

(Click HERE for the associated images)

Sam:

Mr. Frodo? Frodo?? Frodo!!

I thought I'd lost you...

Frodo:

What are you talking about?

Sam:

It's just sumpthin' that Gandalf said...

Frodo:

What did he say?

Sam:

Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee, and I don't mean to.

Frodo:

Sam, we're still in the Shire - what could possibly happen...

(Pippin and Merry burst out of the corn and bowl over Sam
and Frodo)

Pippin:

Frodo! Merry, it's Frodo Baggins!

Merry:

Hullo, Frodo!

Sam:

Get off him...

What's the meaning of this?

Pippin:

Hold these (He loads Sam up with stolen veggies)

Sam:

You've been into Farmer Maggot's crops...

Farmer
Maggot:

(ranting offscreen)
Hey you, stay off my fields...

Merry:

I don't know why he's so upset,

it was only a couple of carrots

Pippin:

...and some cabbages ...and those three bags of potatoes that

we lifted last week ...and then the mushrooms the week
before.

Merry:

Yes, Pippin, my point is, he's clearly over-reacting.

(they get to the edge of the cliff and stop, until Sam bumps
into them, then they all tumble down the slope)

Pippin:

Ooh, that was close...

Merry:

I think I've broken something

Sam:

Trust a Brandybuck and a Took

Merry:

What? That was just a detour, a shortcut...

Sam:

A shortcut to what?

Pippin:

Mushrooms!
(Frodo senses something on the road)

Frodo:

I think we should get off the road...

Get off the road! Quick!
(they hide down in some tree roots; the Black Rider comes
up then gets off his horse and bends down. Insects crawl
out of the woodwork; Frodo is tempted to put on the ring.
Sam stops him, then Merry tosses something and the Rider
leaves)

Merry:

What was that?

Scene 2: Race to the Bucklebury Ferry (Click HERE for the associated
images)

Dusk:

(various shots of black Riders and horses in the woods)

Frodo:

Anything?

Merry:

Nothing...

Pippin:

What is going on?

Merry:

That black rider was looking for something... or someone...

Frodo?

Pippin:

Get down!
(Black Rider appears silhouetted against the light)

Frodo:

I must leave the Shire

Sam and I must get to Bree

Merry:

Bucklebury Ferry - follow me...

(the Black Rider shows up in front of Sam and Frodo)

Merry:

This way! Follow me!

Pippin:

Get the ropes, Sam

Sam:

Frodo! Run Frodo! Frodo!

Frodo:

Go! (He wants them to cast off)

(Frodo leaps onto the raft, landing in a heap
on top of Sam and Pippin.
The Black Rider and his horse scream to a halt at the end
of the little dock, then turn and go back up to join two
other riders. All three of them gallop off to the North)

Frodo:

How far to the nearest crossing?

Merry:

Brandywine Bridge... 20 miles.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie Script - Book One, Chapter IX
At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
NOTE: Like "Lord of the Rings" in the banner above, these pages were designed
to be viewed in the 'Flat Brush' font. If your computer doesn't show them that
way, right click on this link and save the file to your 'C:\WINDOWS\FONTS'
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Scene 1: Arrival in Bree, At the Inn (Click HERE for the associated images)
Frodo:

Come on... (The Hobbits are in the woods, in the rain;

they cross to the Bree Gates, which are closed after dark,
and knock on the door)

Gatekeeper: What do you want?

Frodo:

We're heading for the Prancing Pony...

Gatekeeper: Hobbits, four hobbits.

What business brings you to Bree?
Frodo:

We wish to stay at the Inn. Our business is our own.

Gatekeeper: Alright, young sir, I meant no offense.

It's my job to ask questions after nightfall.
There's talk of strange folk abroad.
Can't be too careful...
(The hobbits wander through the streets, encountering lots
of 'big people' who say things like "Watch where you're
walking", as well as a nefarious character, eating a carrot
and burping, who is actually Peter Jackson in a cameo as
Albert Dreary, Entertainer. They see the Sign of the

Prancing Pony and go inside)

Frodo:

Excuse me...

Butterbur:

Good evening, little masters!

If you're seekin' accomodation, we've got some nice cozy
hobbit-sized rooms available, Mr. ...?

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? Oh yes, I remember - elderly chap, big

grey beard, pointy hat! Not seen him for six months...

Sam:

What do we do now?

Frodo:

Sam, he'll be here, he'll come...

Patrons:

(lots of snatches of conversation, laughter, etc.,

including "Get out of my way!" to Merry,
making his way back to the Hobbits' table)

Pippin:

What's that?!

Merry:

This, my friend, is a pint!

Pippin:

It comes in pints?!

Merry:

Mmm... (agreeing, while taking a large sip)

Pippin:

I'm getting one!

Sam:

You've had a whole half already!

(Pippin heads off to the bar to get himself a pint)

Sam:

That fellow's done nothin' but stare at you

since we arrived.

Frodo:

Excuse me? That man in the corner - who is he?

Butterbur:

He's one of them Rangers, dangerous folk they are,

wanderin' the wilds. What his right name is I've never
'eard, but 'round here he's known as 'Strider

Frodo:

Strider...
(Frodo sort of zones out, fingering the ring in his hands
hearing a voice saying: "Baggins... Baggins... Baggins...")

Pippin:

Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins - he's over there.

Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed on his
mother's side, and my third cousin twice removed on his
father's side, if you follow me...
(Frodo is horrified and jumps up to rush over to the bar to
get Pippin to stop talking)

Frodo:

Pippin!!