The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Page #3

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GOLLUM:

[nods warily] Yes...

FRODO:

You’ve been there before?

GOLLUM:

[nods again] Yes...

[Frodo reaches out and takes the rope

noose off Gollum’s neck. Gollum seems

surprised and relieved.]

FRODO:

You will lead us to the Black Gate.

[Gollum scrambles off in the direction

of Morannon and the hobbits follow in

his wake.]

[A band of Uruk-hai marches across the

plain, with two hobbits bound to the

backs of two Uruk-hai. Pippin tries

to call to Merry, who is unconscious

with a gash on his right brow.]

PIPPIN:

Merry. Merry! [He receives no response.]

[Suddenly, an Uruk-hai puts up his hand

and signals a stop.]

UGLÚK

What is it? What do you smell?

MAN-FLESH URUK

[sniffs the air] Man-flesh.

PIPPIN:

[quietly to himself] Aragorn!

UGLÚK

They've picked up our trail! Let's move!

[The Uruk-hai quicken their pace. Pippin

struggles to reach his Elven brooch

with his teeth. He then tears it off

his cloak and drops it onto the ground.

A foot stomps onto the brooch but it

remains unbroken and visible on the

grass.]

[Aragorn is lying with his eyes closed

and ear pressed to the ground, listening

for the sound of footsteps.]

ARAGORN:

Their pace has quickened. [He looks

up.] They must have caught our scent.

Hurry! [He runs off.]

LEGOLAS:

Come on, Gimli! [Looks back at Gimli

and then runs after Aragorn]

GIMLI:

[pauses in his steps and huffs] Three

days’ and nights’ pursuit. No food.

No rest. And no sign of our quarry but

what bare rock can tell. [Runs after

his companions.]

[The Three Hunters run across rocks

and plains, with Aragorn in the lead,

followed by Legolas and Gimli. From

time to time, Legolas looks back to

make sure that Gimli is keeping up.

Aragorn suddenly bends down to pick

up an Elven brooch from the ground.]

ARAGORN:

Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall.

LEGOLAS:

[stops and turns to Aragorn.] They may

yet be alive.

ARAGORN:

Less than a day ahead of us. Come! [Runs

off again]

[Gimli stumbles from behind some rocks

and rolls to the ground]

LEGOLAS:

Come, Gimli! We are gaining on them!

GIMLI:

[Panting] I am wasted on cross-country!

We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very

dangerous over short distances!

[The trackers come over a hill and pause

as they gaze across the plains below.]

ARAGORN:

Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There

is something strange at work here. Some

evil gives speed to these creatures,

sets its will against us.

[Legolas runs ahead and looks out to

the horizon.]

ARAGORN:

Legolas, what do your Elf eyes see?

LEGOLAS:

The Uruks turn northeast. They’re taking

the hobbits to Isengard!

ARAGORN:

Saruman.

[The tower of Orthanc stands amidst

the smoking caverns of Isengard. Saruman

stands in his chamber, communicating

with the Dark Lord through the Palantír.]

SARUMAN (V.O.)

The world is changing. [View changes

to the tower of Barad-dûr, with its

huge Orc armies on a bridge.] Who now

has the strength to stand against the

armies of Isengard and Mordor? To stand

against the might of Sauron and Saruman

and the union of the two towers?

[Camera pans upwards along the height

of the tower of Barad-dûr until the

flaming Eye is in view.]

SARUMAN (V.O.)

Together, my lord Sauron, we shall rule

this Middle-earth.

[The trees around Isengard are being

ripped down, chopped up and used to

feed huge furnaces. The caverns of Isengard

glow with the fires of industry, sounds

of hammering fill the air and molten

iron is poured into casts to forge weapons.]

SARUMAN (V.O.)

The old world will burn in the fires

of industry. The forests will fall.

A new order will rise. We will drive

the machine of war with the sword and

the spear and the iron fists of the

Orc. We have only to remove those who

oppose us.

[Saruman stands in the midst of a gathering

of Dunlanders.]

SARUMAN:

The horsemen took your land. They drove

your people into the hills to scratch

a living off rocks.

DUNLAND MAN:

Murderers!

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