Legend 1985

LEGEND script from March 10th, 1984 - Second Draft with September 25,
1984 Revisions by William Hjortsberg
"LEGEND"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
by
WILLIAM HJORTSBERG
2nd Draft Revised -- Final Shooting Script

10 March 1984
Revised 25 September 1984 New Opening Sequence
EXTERIOR NIGHT SKY NIGHT
A sparkling panoply of stars bejewels the external

void. We hear the resonant voice of the Lord of
Darkness.
DARKNESS (VO)
Mother night....Fold your dark arms
around me....Protect me in your
black embrace....
We pull back slowly down from the heavens.
DARKNESS (VO CONT)

Only you remember how it was before
I was cast down from
infinity....When the world was dark
and I ruled the icy chaos with
terror and.....
Pull back through a narrow stilted window into:
INT GREAT HALL OF DARKNESS NIGHT
The window is a star studded sliver set between

black velour drapes. A huge fire blazes in the
grotesque hearth. We see Darkness only in
silhouette, hulking on his Throne, a horned demon
masked in shadows. His soliloquy continues
without interruption.
DARKNESS (CONT)
...evil. Now I am a prisoner of my
own solitude, condemned to dwell in
darkness while the world blazes with
damnable light! Even the moon's
reflection keeps me from the woods
when she rides the sky at
night.....I sit alone an impotent
exile, while this force....this
presence returns to torment me.
There is a booming knock on the massive door.

Darkness cocks his head.
DARKNESS
Enter.
The towering doors open a crack and a hideous

armoured goblin sidles in. This is Blix. His
evil eyes glance about apprehensively.
BLIX
(nervously)
You summoned me your lordship.
Revised 25 September 1984 New Opening Sequence (CONT)
DARKNESS
Aaahhh....come hither Blix.
Revised 25 September 1984
Fawning and servile, Blix nervously approaches the

dread Throne of Darkness.
DARKNESS (OFF-STAGE)
Are you not the most loathsome of my
goblins.
BLIX
Truly Master....
Blix kneels at the foot of the Throne. Darkness

is glimpsed as the vaguest of shadowy profiles.
Only his clawed hand, gripping the arm-rest, is
seen clearly.
DARKNESS
And your heart is black with hate?
Blix bends forward and kisses the cloven hooves of

Darkness.
BLIX
Black as midnight....black as pitch.
DARKNESS
I like your style Blix, that is why
I called you here....Since I must
remain in darkness, you shall be my
eyes and ears....
BLIX
You do me great honour, Lord.
DARKNESS
Something troubles me. I feel a
presence in the forest, a force I
had mercifully almost forgotten.
BLIX
Must be dread indeed to trouble you,
Lordship.
DARKNESS
You would not think to look upon so
frail a creature, that he contains
such power....One could rule the
universe with it. You must find him
for me....and destroy him.
BLIX
Where should I look Sire?
Revised 25 September 1984 New Opening Sequence (CONT)
DARKNESS
Search the woods....show no pity.
You will know him when you see him.
BLIX
But....But Lord....What does he look
like?
DARKNESS
(enraged)
FOOL!
Darkness reaches out and plunges a knife straight

into Blix' forehead. The goblin staggers about
cross-eyed.
DARKNESS
Let that serve to remind you. This
creature is crowned with an
alicorn....a single spiral reaching
like an antenna straight to heaven.
Looking very foolish with the knife sticking out

of his head, Blix nods in earnest agreement.
BLIX
I get the point Sire....
DARKNESS
Bring me back the Alicorn. I will
reward you well. You shall be a
prince here in my realm.
Blix glances about at the bone-littered floor and
the grotesque decorations.
BLIX
...Er....a rare privilege
Master....But if it's all the same
to you....I'd prefer payment in
gold.
DARKNESS
So it shall be. Generosity befits a
job well done.
BLIX
And shall I find you here Lord?
DARKNESS
It is I who shall find you....Blow
the horn in the Great Tree....Hurry
now....before dawn.
Blix bows backing away from his shadowy Master.

Revised 23 March 1984
1. EXT FOREST NIGHT 1
Whispy clouds scud across the face of a fat

dreaming moon hanging above the midnight forest.
Huge trees taper upwards like columns supporting

the roof of heaven. Moonlit dewdrops spangle a
delicate spiderweb. The setting is tranquil and
utterly majestic.
A magnificent stag stands silhouetted in the

distance.
Over the brow of a distant hill, a pair of

brilliant light beams scintillate in an ethereal
ballet.
1A EXT FOREST NIGHT

1A
PULL BACK: through ferns and brambles, to a steep

embankment where umbrella-sized toadstools
cluster.
A snarling face APPEARS under a mushroom cap.

This is BLIX, a brigand goblin hunter. Clad in
decrepit armour and slung with savage weapons, he
is a terrifying figure.
Blix WHISTLES. The SOUND is unexpectedly lovely,

a nightingale's call.
Further back, three other goblins return the
BIRDCALL. They bristle with weaponry. POX is a
pig-faced fop, wearing tattered lace and filthy
brocade. Tiny BLUNDER and TIC are both masked by
grotesque helmets. Swarms of gnats drone about
their hidden heads. They creep forward to join
Blix.
1B DELETED
1C EXT FOREST NIGHT

1C
Blix signals an advance and the goblins creep

through the forest towards the hilltop.
A moth lands on a twig two feet from Tic's head.

He turns. His incredible sticky tongue uncoils
from within the helmet, seizing the moth and
retracting with it, quick as a flash.
As the goblins near the hilltop, the fantastic

LIGHT gradually illuminates their hideous
features.
A tiny mouse runs out of the eye-slits on

Blunder's helmet, circles the crest, and runs back
in on the other side.
Blix signals silently for the other goblins to

spread out.
The goblins crawl separately through the

underbrush.
Pox comes snout to snout with a WILD PIGLET.

Terrified, the little shoat SQUEALS and scampers
off.
2 DELETED
2A DELETED
2B EXT FOREST NIGHT

2B
Beyond the hilltop, the LIGHT BEAMS retreat.
3 DELETED
3A EXT FOREST NIGHT

3A
Blix charges forward brandishing his crossbow.

BLIX
(wild cry)
Fenoderee....!
Blix runs over the top of the hill and down into
the gully beyond, closely followed by Tic, Pix and
Blunder.
Brilliant clumps of forget-me-nots are everywhere,

like discarded jewels.
3B GOBLINS' POV : DISTANT FOREST 3B
The pair of shining LIGHT BEAMS race away between

the trees.
4 DELETED 4
5 DELETED 5
5A EXT FOREST NIGHT 5A
The goblins watch the LIGHT BEAMS disappear. Blix

GROWLS in frustration.
Blunder spots a SHINING silver hair caught on the

bark.
He reaches up and plucks it free.
POX
What's that....? L-l-let me see,
old chap.
BLUNDER
No! It's mine!
Revised 24 April 1984
Blunder hides the hair behind his back, but Pox

quickly grabs the other end.
POX
Give it to m-m-me!
Both goblins pull on the hair. Miraculously, it

does not break, but stretches between them like
spun steel.
BLUNDER
Turn loose, anus features!
POX
Hard cheese!
A furious tug of war. Pox pulls his knife and
tries unsuccessfully to cut the hair.
BLUNDER
It's mine you rectum! Mine! Mine!
Blix marches up and furiously bangs their heads

together. Pox and Blunder fall dazed to the
ground. Blix holds the silver hair shining above
his head and studies it.
5A CONTINUED 5A
BLIX
What star is lost from heaven's
face....? No forest beast runs so
swift....
(spitting in disgust)
....or shines so fair....!
The hair leaps out of his hand and Blix has to

snag it out of the air.
BLIX
Even his hair has magic....
(to goblins)
Come! Hurry! We must take this to
our Master!
5B EXT FOREST NIGHT 5B
The three goblins gallop through the moonlit

forest.
6-6A DELETED
7 EXT SINISTER EVERGLADE NIGHT 7
A miasmic Jurassic swamp. Stunted trees rise like

amputated limbs from the fetid water. The goblins
stare out across the bog toward a distant island
[sic--should probably read "Great Tree"] looming
mysteriously on the far island.
BLIX
(pointed)
On yonder island once the Castle of
Darkness stood....black towers
reaching to the sky....the ramparts
guarded by an army of goblins....
BLUNDER
I don't see no castle....
POX
Use your imagination, stupid!
BLIX
Castle gone now....the Tree of Doom
[word run off the page here -Geoff].
7A-C DELETED
8 EXT GREAT TREE NIGHT 8
An enormous blasted tree crowns the ruins of a

forgotten castle. Tangled roots grip the ancient
stones like the tentacles of a malformed sea
monster. An atmosphere of eternal evil hovers
over the site.
Blix hurries up the crumbling steps. Pox and

Blunder follow.
Blunder
Wish I was still an elf....Stay
clear of nasty places like this and
do nothing all day but sing and
dance and guzzle wine in the
sunshine....
The steps lead under gigantic twisting roots.

Blix finds a small opening and slips inside. Pox
and Blunder follow.
9 INT GREAT TREE NIGHT 9
The three goblins tumble down a steep slope.
POX
Frog spit!
BLUNDER
Snail sperm!
The giant tree is a vast hollow stump, open to the

moonlit sky, surrounding a smaller tree transfixed
by a curved bronze horn, an instrument of
unspeakable evil. Tic, Pox, and Blunder stare up
like open-mouthed tourists. Blix is impatient.
BLIX
No time to gawk....! This way!
Blix leads the way into a rock slab overhanging a

seemingly endless pit at the base of the inner
tree. Deftly, the evil goblin swings across on a
dangling vine to the other side.
BLIX (CONT)
Come on....Come on....
Pox and Blunder follow, not liking it very much.
POX
(grumbling)
What's the big rush? All this fuss
over a hair....
Pox swings across the opening. Blunder hesitates

at the brink, looking down in terror.
9 INT GREAT TREE NIGHT (CONT) 9
BLUNDER
Be better off home in bed....
BLIX
Jump!
Blunder swings over to Blix. Tic is the most

frightened of all. He trembles at the edge,
unable to move.
TIC
Me wait here....
BLIX
(angry)
What?
TIC
Too far for Tic....too deep down....
Blix changes his manner, smiling with evil

insincerity.
BLIX
Don't be afraid....it's easy....
Blix swings the vine across to Tic.
BLIX
You can do it....Trust me....
Tic isn't so sure. He grabs the vine and swings

across the abyss. Tic gets a toe-hold on the
other side. Blix smiles and pushes him back over
the opening. Tic dangles there pitifully, his
little legs kicking in space.
TIC
(pleading)
Please.....
Without a word, Blix draws his short sword and
chops through the vine above Tic's grasp. The
unfortunate goblin drops into the void with a
terrifying SCREAM. Blunder and Pox stare down
into the dreadful darkness as Tic's final cry
FADES in the distance.
BLUNDER
Poor Tic....
BLIX
(growling with anger)
Forget Tic! Better we split three
ways than four.
Blix rushes under the great horn. The mouthpiece

is high above his head.
BLIX
Boost me! Hurry....!
The three goblins form a teetering ladder with

Blix wobbling at the top and Blunder crushed at
the bottom. Blix blows into the horn with all his
might. Nothing happens. Not a sound. Suddenly,
he breaks wind! Pox and Blunder grimace.
POX
That the only t-t-tune you know?
Blix blows again into the horn. There is no

sound. Dead leaves and dust puff out of the bell,
followed by three SQUEALING bats. The supporting
goblins wobble. Pox steps on Blunder's head.
Blix blows a third time into the great horn. The
unholy SOUND reverberates like the wailing of all
the doomed souls in Purgatory.
BLUNDER
Now what....?
BLIX
Why you worry! We wait like all-
time same....think bad thoughts and
relax....
10 EXT FOREST (VARIOUS ANGLES) NIGHT 10
As the evil SOUND moans, the forest creatures

react with terror. Squirrels, rabbits and mice
dart fearfully for cover. Birds flock to their
nests. Only the night creatures, the wolves,
weasels and owls, prick up their ears and listen.
11-12 DELETED
The goblins wait. Blix sits apart from the

others, playing with the silver hair. The light
of a campfire casts their shifting shadows against
the huge trunk of the hollow tree.
BLIX
(to himself)
Moving silent like the breeze.
Soft as shadows, still as trees,
Darkness be in all we sees.
He lives in silence, he lives in
fire,
He lives in all that's dark and
dire.
A mysterious whirlwind arises from the bowels of

the earth blowing a funnel of leaves and debris up
through the hole Tic fell into.
Blix walks to the edge of the platform, peering

down into the dark opening.
BLIX (CONT)
Look in the gloom, search out the
tomb, that be where you find our
sire.
Blix gets down on his knees, genuflecting towards

the gaping hole.
Something monstrous shoots up from below.
Huge and horned, the black shadow of the LORD OF

DARKNESS towers over Blix.
An awesome silence ensues.
Blunder and Pox kneel, heaping ashes and dirt upon

their heads.
BLIX (CONT)
Hail O great One....divine and dark!
Strong like lion, swift like shark!
Blix offers the silver hair up to Darkness.
BLIX
Though I'm not worthy of the task,
Great Lord, I found this for your
amusement.
Blunder leaps to his feet and grabs the hair from

Blix.
BLUNDER
Don't listen! I found it....! Me!
Blunder the Bold!
There is a bright FLASH OF LIGHT. Blunder HOWLS

with pain. Blunder stares at his arm in dismay.
His hand is gone, magically replaced by a
grotesque bird claw.
BLUNDER
(stunned)
Thank you, Lordship....
Blunder experimentally clenches and unclenches his

new bird claw.
POX
Quite stylish, actually....
Darkness dangles the shining silver hair in front
of him.
DARKNESS
Where....?
BLIX
In the woods, six leagues back,
'Tween Twin Oaks and the Dragon's
Track.
DARKNESS
Did my bold hunters chance to see
the quarry which cast this spoor?
BLIX
We stalked it, Sire, alas too
slow....Beast run like quicksilver!
DARKNESS
This hair is from an angel of
light....The purity of its heart is
an abomination to me....And now,
it's come back to these woods! I
must have this creature!
BLUNDER
We catch it....! We catch it....!
POX
Yes....f-f-field and f-f-fen....the
glories of the ch-chase....er, how
do we t-t-trap it, Lord?
DARKNESS
No trap of yours will work....There
is only one lure for such disgusting
goodness....one bait which never
fails....
BLIX
Oh, Divine Dark One I beseech thee,
what be this bait? Please, you
teach me....
DARKNESS
Innocence!
14 EXT COTTAGE MEADOW DAY 14
A beautiful flower-spangled meadow alive with

songbirds. Clouds of multi-hued butterflies swirl
overhead. A young princess skips SINGING across
the meadow. Her name is LILI. She wears splendid
brocades and carries a bouquet wrapped in a lace
napkin. Like these blossoms, she's beautiful and
fresh and innocent.
14 EXT COTTAGE MEADOW DAY (CONT) 14
LILI
(singing)
Come down sparrow, sing me good
morning.
Rise up sun, light the arch of the
sky.
Living river, turn light to
diamonds,
When I look in my true love's eyes.
Lili runs towards a distant thatched-roofed

cottage.
15 EXT BOULDER AT EDGE OF WOODS DAY 15
Blix, Pox and Blunder hide behind a boulder,

watching the girl.
15A EXT COTTAGE AT EDGE OF WOODS DAY 15A
The WOODCARVER'S WIFE is hanging up the washing

when Lili sneaks from behind the cottage.
Grinning mischievously, Lili unfastens one end of
the clothes-line and lets it drop. The laundry
flutters onto the new-mown grass. A sheet drapes
around the outraged wife.
WIFE
Dad-blamed faeries!
16 INT COTTAGE DAY

16
The cottage is snug and homey with smoke-blackened

beams and hand-pegged furniture. A WOODCARVER
sleeps by his bench surrounded by wood-shavings
and roughed-out toys.
Lili steps into the sunlight streaming through the

open doorway. Her beauty is ethereal, an angel
descending.
Finches peck at newly-made tarts laid on a trestle

table to cool. They rise to the rafters at Lili's
approach.
The Princess peeks around the room. She tiptoes

to the hearth and lifts the stewpot lid, dipping
in a fingertip for a taste. Spying the tarts, she
grabs one and eats it hurriedly, leaving a
telltale crumb on her upper lip.
The clock tolls the hour. A carved wooden maiden

pirouettes from the interior, pursued by a
skeletal figure playing a bone fiddle. Lili is
fascinated.
WIFE
Lili....Princess Lili....
The woodcarver's wife enters. She curtsies to the

princess.
WIFE
God bless Your Highness. A Royal
visit is ever a pleasure....Won't
you have another biscuit?
Nell pulls a tray from the oven.

16 INT COTTAGE DAY

(CONT) 16
WIFE (CONT)
They are fresh-baked for the Palace.
I hope to make a penny or two with
my cakes.
LILI
Nell....I've no time today, not even
for treats....
WIFE
(teasing)
You must have a sweetheart waiting.
LILI
No, I don't....
WIFE
Surely your father the King forbids
such folly.
LILI
What my father doesn't know won't
trouble him.
WIFE
The willful heart invites despair,
Like blind men creeping in a
dragon's lair.
With Nell's back turned, Lili steals another

biscuit, hiding it among the flowers in her
bouquet.
LILI
Neither country proverbs nor king's
commands can keep me out of the
woods today.
WIFE
Then its common sense
ought....Princess Lili, I've always
looked on you as a daughter and, if
you'll pardon my saying so, it's
time you behaved like the Princess
you are. You should be looking for
a handsome Prince on a white
charger, not visiting poor folk like
us.
LILI
But I love coming here, Nell.
WIFE
Why?
Lili picks up a carved spoon.

16 INT COTTAGE DAY

(CONT) 16
LILI
This place holds more magic than any
Palace....Your life is very
rich....No Prince could carve wood
like this. I love you, Nell.
WIFE
You're very sweet Lili, I love you
too....You're right, the old codger
is a clever man....Magic is a
wonderful thing.
LILI
Don't tell my father you've seen me.
WIFE
(sympathetically)
I'm sure one day you'll find your
magic too.
LILI
I've got to go, Nell.
WIFE
These woods be thick with spriggen
and banshee!
LILI
Is that why you've hung a bell over
your door?
WIFE
Aye, and spread the floor with flax
and salt. My babe won't be stole by
fairies.
The Princess starts merrily for the sun-bright

doorway.
LILI
(laughing)
More salt, Nell....! You'll worry
yourself to death if you're not
careful.
Lili runs out like a naughty child. The

Woodcarver's wife leans against the door jamb and
calls after her!
WIFE
Beware of toad stool rings and
willow trees....! Stay away from
old oaks!
17 EXT FOREST PATH TO GLADE DAY 17
Hiding behind a moss-covered log, Blix, Pox and
Blunder watch Princess Lili run SINGING through
the woods, oblivious to any possibility of danger.
18 EXT JACK'S FOREST GLADE DAY 18
A lovely glade surrounded by tall trees.

Breathlessly, Lili runs in from the woods. She is
familiar with this spot. It is her trysting
place.
LILI
(calling)
Jack.....! I know you're here....
Jack!
Lili looks around in exasperation. Behind her,

something wild and mysterious swings through the
trees like an animal.
LILI (CONT)
Jack? Where are you....? Answer me!
Lili is apprehensive at getting no replay. She

hears the Rustle of leaves but does not see the
sun-dappled figure leaping from limb to limb
overhead.
LILI
(frightened)
Oh, Jack....Please say something if
you're here....
JACK O' THE GREEN, a legendary "Green Man" who

lives the free life of a hermit in the woods,
drops from a tree behind the Princess, landing
without a sound. He is barefoot, about sixteen,
and wears woven ivy leaves and skins.
Startled, Lili SCREAMS.

Lili (CONT)
Jack! You scared the life out of
me.
Jack says nothing, staring at her shyly. Lili

hands him the flowers.
A JAY flies down out of the greenery and lands

RASPING on Jack's shoulder. He imitates the bird
expertly. The Jay answers him in English.
JAY
She brings a gift as fair as
herself.
Lili LAUGHS. It all seems magic to her.
LILI
You're so clever, Jack.... See what
you can find in the flowers.
Jack pokes in the bouquet and discovers the hidden

tart. He's never seen a cake before and is
puzzled by it.
18 EXT JACK'S FOREST GLADE DAY (CONT) 18
LILI (CONT)
It's something to eat.... I made it
for you myself....
Jack stuffs the tart into his mouth.
JACK
Mmmmmmm....
LILI
Sweet?
JACK
I know someone sweeter....
19 EXT ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST DAY 19
Concealed behind the trees, Blix, Pox and Blunder

watch the Green Man and the Princess wander down a
meandering path.
BLIX
Ain't half as sweet as rotten meat.
Pox picks a spider from his web, pops it in his

mouth, and crunches it down with a happy smile.
19A EXT MEANDERING PATH DAY 19A
Several birds perch on Jack's head and shoulders.

Squirrels, rabbits and hedgehogs play about his
feet. Jack feeds them nuts and berries from his
pouch, answering their chatter expertly. Jack
understands the language of all wild creatures.
When a frisky wren flies warbling overhead, Lili

hesitantly returns its call.
JACK
That was very good....just right.
LILI
Teach me rabbit like you promised.
JACK
Rabbit is much harder than wren.
LILI
Let me try. I'm a very good
student.... My father thinks I'm
brilliant....
Lili toys with the silver medallion pendant she

wears, causing reflected sunlight to shine in
Jack's eyes.
19A EXT MEANDERING PATH DAY (CONT) 19A
LILI
See how brilliant I am!
JACK
(laughing)
Stop it.....! I can't see!
LILI
I'll dazzle you with my wisdom.
JACK
Much more than wisdom dazzles me.
LILI
Then teach me rabbit....
Lili laughs and hangs her medallion around his

neck.
JACK
Not now....
LILI
(impatiently)
Why not?
JACK
(slyly)
Because there's something really
special I promised to show you.
LILI
Today! Do you mean it, Jack?
JACK
This is their season....they won't
pass here again for a long, long
time....
LILI
(excited)
Oh, let's do it! I want to more
than anything!
JACK
All right....
(unwrapping the lace napkin)
But you'll have to wear a blindfold.
LILI
(coyly)
Don't you trust me, Jack?
JACK
(binding her eyes)
I'll always trust you, Lili....
20 EXT FOREST PATH, GLADE TO STREAM DAY 20

Jack holds Lili's hand, leading her blindfolded
along a path through the woods. Distant thunder
RUMBLES.
LILI
Haven't you some place we can
shelter?
JACK
Many places....none fit for you,
Lili....
LILI
In these woods you are the prince,
Jack.... I am only a pauper here....
Jack turns to face a radiantly smiling Lili. He

bends towards her, closer and closer, and, for a
moment, seems about to steal a kiss.
She waits, smiling, sensing what is about to

happen. In the end, Jack's innocence and timidity
get the best of him and he turns away.
Without his knowledge Lili lifts a corner of the

blindfold and mischievously peeks.
20A EXT BEHIND A TREE NEAR THE PATH DAY 20A
The three goblins peer around a mossy trunk.
BLUNDER
Yuck! See what he was gonna do?
Makes me wanna puke.
BLIX
I swear by all the bats above,
Nothing's quite so foul as love!
POX
Except maybe poetry....! Sounds
like you swallowed a minstrel and
can't stop burping.
21 EXT UNICORN STREAM AND GLADE DAY 21
A sun-gilded amphitheatre within the darker

confines of the forest. Sparkling like a ribbon
of diamonds, a stream flows down the middle.
Revised 1 May 1984
Jack leads Lili out of the woods and unties the

napkin from around her eyes.
LILI
(awestruck)
Oh, Jack....! It's magic!
Jack leads Lili into the concealing shrubbery.
21A EXT STREAMSIDE SHRUBBERY DAY 21A
Some time had passed. Lili is uncomfortable and

restless.
LILI
How much longer?
JACK
(more softly)
Shhhh! Just watch! True royalty
approaches....
22 EXT THE STREAM (JACK & LILI'S POV) DAY 22
The radiant LIGHT BEAMS GLEAM through the trees.

A moment later, a splendid white unicorn moves
down the hillside to the edge of the stream. This
is a stallion. He holds his head proudly. His
mate stands at the edge of the woods.
LILI (OS)
Ohh....They're so beautiful....
The unicorn dips his horn into the stream.
JACK (OS)
The alicorn purifies the water....
The stallion watches his mare approach to drink.
She is slighter and more delicate, but every inch

as magnificent.
Revised 1 May 1984
JACK (CONT) (OS)

There's nothing more magical.... As
long as they roam the earth, evil
cannot harm the pure of heart....
23 EXT LARGE BOULDER OPPOSITE CLEARING DAY 23
The three goblins crouch hiding.
BLUNDER
(disgusted)
Ugly one-horned mules!
BLIX
Shhh!
24 EXT CLEARING DAY 24
The princess is entranced.
LILI
Can you speak their language?
JACK
They express only love and
laughter.... Dark thoughts are
unknown to them.
LILI
Oh Jack.... I must touch one.
JACK
(alarmed)
No!
LILI
I want to!
JACK
No. Don't!
LILI
I'm going to.... You can't stop me!
The princess strides defiantly into the open

meadow.
The unicorns watch the girl from across the

stream. They snort and paw the ground.
Lili stands alone, holding out her arms to the

unicorns:
LILI
(singing)
Like a child feels watching a
rainbow.
Like a bird feels the first time it
flies
I feel magic stirring within me,
The stallion's nostrils flare. His strong neck

arches. Sunlight gleams on his horn as he
charges.
From Lili's POV the stallion is terrifying as he

thunders towards her across the stream.
The stallion rears and prances, racing around the
Princess as if drawn forward on an invisible lead.
Jack watches from the underbrush, his outrage

tinged with more than a touch of jealousy.
25 EXT BOULDER DAY

25
Blix, Pox and Blunder peer from their hiding-

place. Evil leers brighten their impish features.
POX
(whispering)
F-f-fish in a barrel....
Blix clamps his hand over Pox's mouth.
26 EXT CLEARING DAY 26
The lure of the virgin is too strong for the

unicorn to resist. Lili makes no move as the
trembling stallion stands before her, the rapier
tip of his horn pressed against her breast. It is
obvious he could kill her in an instant.
The Princess calmly reaches out and caresses his

muzzle.
LILI
(singing)
When the darkness falls like a
curtain
And the rivers and streams turn to
ice,
I have summer and daylight forever
Across the stream, the mare paces back and forth,

obviously agitated.
27 EXT BEHIND THE BOULDER DAY 27
Blix pulls a long black flute from his quiver. He

takes a dried hornet from a black snail-shell with
a hinged lid and slips it into his flute, aiming
the instrument like a blowgun.
His cheeks puff. There is a soft PHUT of expelled

breath.
28 EXT CENTRE OF CLEARING DAY 28
The poisoned hornet sails through the air and

strikes the stallion on the haunch.
Stung, the unicorn bolts across the clearing,
disappearing into the undergrowth with the mare
hard on his heels.
The Princess stands confused and bewildered.
Distant THUNDER disturbs the tranquillity.
Jack is nowhere in sight. Lili chases after him.
LILI
Jack,....Oh, Jack.... It was so
lovely....like a dream....
JACK (VO)
(furious)
What you did is forbidden!
LILI
Nothing is forbidden me! Who says
so?
28 EXT CENTRE OF CLEARING DAY (CONT) 28
JACK
(not sure)
It's known, Lili. They're sacred
animals!
LILI
I don't care!
JACK
You risk your immortal soul talking
like that.
LILI
And you sound just like my
confessor. I only wanted to touch
one.... Oh, Jack, where's the harm
in that....? Don't be such a
scold..... It was magic.... Thank
you....
The Princess takes Jack by the hand.

29 EXT FOREST (UNICORN HUNT) DAY 29
The unicorns plunge through brambles and fern

clumps. Leaping a deadfall log, the stallion
stumbles.
He struggles to his feet and continues running.
The three goblins gallop pell-mell in pursuit on

their devilish steeds. There is nothing comical
about them now.
LILI (VO)
(reciting)
Sweet William did a-hunting go,
In the wood where faeries dwell.
30 DELETED
31 EXT FOREST (UNICORN HUNT) DAY 31
The stallion staggers, his gait increasingly

unstable as the poison takes effect.
The mare nuzzles his flank where the envenomed

hornet struck. It is a virulent wound, red and
swollen.
The war-like SHOUTING of the goblins grows ever

closer.
The unicorns pause at a fork in the trail. The

stallion motions with his head. Sadly, the mare
comprehends and flees down the divergent path to
safety.
The stallion stands his ground. When the three

goblin hunters gallop towards him, he turns and
limps into the woods.
32 EXT RING POND DAY 32
Jack and Lili sit atop a high promontory jutting

over a crystalline pond.
LILI
(reciting)
Came he at last to where bluebells
grow,
He heard them ring, 'tis true to
tell.
He lay him down and did not know
The flower's sound was his own death
knell.
Lili kisses Jack sweetly. He doesn't respond.
LILI
(smiling)
Are you afraid of my kiss?
JACK
I'm afraid you'll break my heart.
LILI
Then still your heart.... You are
dear to me as life itself.
JACK
Only because I amuse you....
LILI
That's not true....! I do love you,
Jack. You must believe me!
JACK
You....love me? No good can come
from it. I am only a Green
Man....no name....nothing to bring
you.
The Princess pulls her golden ring on and off her

finger.
LILI
What does it matter. I don't care
about any of that.
JACK
But, it does matter....! If not
now....some day. What about when
the time comes for you to marry?
LILI
I want to marry you.
JACK
That's impossible!
LILI
Not if it's what you really want,
Jack.
Lili shows Jack her ring.
LILI (CONT)
Don't you wish this was our wedding
ring?
JACK
What if I say yes....? Will my wish
come true?
LILI
It is my right as a princess to set
a challenge for my suitors.
Lili throws her ring high over their heads. It
glitters through the air, tumbling over and over
in the long drop to the pond.
LILI (CONT)
I will marry whoever finds this
ring.
The ring splashes into the centre of the pond.

Jack strips off his leafy cloak and dives headlong
from the cliff.
33 EXT UNICORN DEATH ARENA DAY 33
Sweat-streaked, the unicorn staggers out of the

trees onto a sweeping green meadow brilliant with
pink blossoms. Froth bubbles on his nostrils.
His wide azure eyes betray his panic.
The goblins ride onto the flower-bright meadow.

They jump down from their mounts in a frenzy.
The stallion stumbles forward, making a last

futile effort to attack the goblins. Limbs
leaden, head hanging, the noble animal settles
against a sapling and slides to the ground.
Thunder RUMBLES overhead. A wild wind whips the

pink blossoms into the air.
34 EXT UNDERWATER RING POND DAY 34
The golden ring drifts down, tumbling in a lazy

spiral.
Jack's pale form stabs through the crystal water.

The distant glint of the sinking ring lures him
on.
The ring settles into the mud on the bottom,

concealed by waving weeds.
Jack searches blindly as clouds of silt billow

about him.
The three goblins advance towards the fallen

unicorn through a pink blizzard of wind-blown
blossoms.
35A EXT SKY DAY 35A
The black clouds boil and CRASH, thunderheads

mounting one upon another in a dark maelstrom.

The goblins stand around the fallen unicorn.
Blunder turns away as Pox seizes the end of the
alicorn, lifting it off the ground. Blix swings
an evil battle-axe high up over his head.
Jagged lightning splits the raging darkness as the

black blade falls.
Blix waves the severed alicorn in triumph.
The whirling pink petals turn instantly into white

snowflakes.
Apocalyptic winds SCREAM through the forest.

Lightning FLASHES.
The world is plunged into winter darkness.
Lili clings to a tree trunk.
LILI
(in desperation)
Jack! Help me!
The Princess can't maintain her grip. The icy

blast knocks her to the ground and she crawls to
the cliff edge.
LILI (CONT)
(screaming)
Jack!
To her horror, Lili sees a skin of ice form over

the surface of the pond.
LILI (CONT)
(sobbing)
Oh, dear God.... Jack....no....
Fighting the raging wind, Lili stumbles to the

pond and pounds on the ice in frustration. It is
no use.
LILI (CONT)
....got to get help!
Frantically, Lili runs off into the storm-whipped

woods.
38 EXT UNDERWATER RING POND 38
Jack turns and looks up at the dark surface. He

strokes upwards, only to bump his head into
something solid at the top. The pond is covered
by a sheet of ice!
Jack's contorted face is seen through the ice.
He breaks the frozen surface with his fist and his

gasping head thrusts into the air.
JACK
(shouting)
Lili....!
His words are lost on the wind.
40 EXT COTTAGE MEADOW DAY 40
Winter shrouds the tiny homestead. Immobile

goats, chickens and ducks stand silent as snow
statues in the farmyard.
Lili runs from the frozen forest and stumbles up

the cottage steps.
41 INT COTTAGE (FROZEN) DAY 41
The Princess barges in, wild-eyed and distraught.

Frost rimes the walls and furnishings. Everything
glistens like sugar candy. The Woodcarver and his
wife are frozen solid.
LILI
Nell....! Arthur....!
Lili touches the wife's gelid cheek.
LILI (CONT)
Nell....? Oh, nooooo!
Lili is shocked to discover the wife is frozen.
The Princess throws herself sobbing across the

bed.
SOUNDS of SNORTING and SHOUTING come from outside.
Lili scratches the frost off the window pane is

the sleeping alcove.
42 LILI'S POV : THROUGH WINDOW 42
The noisy goblins ride up through the storm on

their devil mounts. Blix has the alicorn tucked
under his arm. They dismount and head for the
cottage.
43 INT COTTAGE DAY 43
Terrified, Lili runs wildly across the cottage and

climbs the ladder to the loft.
43A INT COTTAGE LOFT DAY 43A
Barrels and chests are stored here. Lili hides in

a corner. She wraps herself in an old quilt
snatched from an open trunk.
Snow blows in through a hold in the roof, covering

the floor timbers. Three-inch gaps between the
planks permit a view into the cottage interior.
43B LILI'S POV : BETWEEN PLANKS 43B
The front door slams open and the goblins stumble

laughing inside.
BLIX
Mortal world turned to ice,
Here be goblins' paradise!
43C INT COTTAGE DAY 43C

Blunder sinks his hand-axe into the kitchen table
as he saunters past the frozen tarts.
BLUNDER
Lots to eat! Plenty much to take!
Pox runs forward to the cradle and seizes the

frozen baby, baring his tusks for the feast.
POX
I s-s-simply adore m-m-milk fed
meat!
BLUNDER
What're you....? Some kinda animal?
Horrified, Lili GASPS (OS) in the loft.
The goblins cock their ears to listen. Pox SNARLS

and drops the baby back into the cradle.
Blix accidentally points the alicorn at the frozen

stewpot on the hearth. It begins to steam and
bubble, magically boiling without a fire
underneath.
Blunder starts up the ladder to the loft, but

changes his mind halfway, more interested in what
Blix is doing.
BLIX
Why eat cold? It's better hot!
POX
Am-m-mazing! How did you d-d-do
that, old
ch-ch-chap?
Blix is equally surprised by the alicorn's power

but acts as if he was in control the entire time.
BLIX (CONT)
Easy.... Nothing to it....
Blix isn't so sure and points the alicorn

experimentally at a basket full of eggs.
The eggs immediately begin leaping up and down.
BLIX (CONT)
Goblin omelette....
Blunder and Pox SHRIEK with impish joy.

POX
Nice....v-v-very n-n-nice!
Blix aims the alicorn at the plates and crockery

on the mantle and they all shatter.
BLIX
One....two....three....!
Instant debris....!
POX
f-f-four....five....six....
Hooray f-f-for Blix!
Blix marches up the steps to the workshop and

points the alicorn at a number of unfinished
marionettes.
BLIX
Dance....!
The wooden puppets begin magically jiggling and

leaping where they hang.
Pox claps his hands in rapture.
POX
Ad-d-dorable....! I l-l-like it!
43C INT COTTAGE DAY (CONT) 43C
BLIX
(excited)
I like it, too!
43D INT LOFT (FROZEN) DAY 43D
Lili watches the havoc through the gaps in the

floor.
Blix points the alicorn straight up. Snow flies

wildly around the crouching Princess.
It is all the Princess can do to keep from

screaming.
43E INT COTTAGE (FROZEN) DAY 43E
As a grand finale, Blix points the alicorn at

Nell's frozen figure, blowing her skirts above her
waist.
POX
(languidly)
M-m-most amusing, Blix....most
terribly amusing.
BLUNDER
Lucky day. Kill ugly one-horn dead
as a cowplop on a birthday cake!
BLIX
Prattle, prattle like a priest!
(pointing to himself)
It was me who shoot the beast!
POX
W-w-wouldn't have had a shot without
the
p-p-princess for bait.... B-b-
beauty brought the b-b-beast to bay.
BLUNDER
She's so sweet....eat her brains
like jam!
43F INT LOFT (FROZEN) DAY 43F
Lili slumps against the wall, aghast at what she's

just overheard.
43G INT COTTAGE DAY 43G
Blunder and Pox fill a sack with frozen tarts.
POX
I'd like to suck her b-b-bones!
Blix points the alicorn at the cottage door. It

flies open with a CRASH.
BLIX
Better hurry! The Lord of Darkness
awaits us....
Blix marches out of the door. The other two

goblins follow, dragging their sack of tarts.
Blunder and Pox leave, slamming the door behind

them.
After a long pause, Lili creeps sobbing down the

ladder from the loft.
LILI
Oh, God.... God....
The Princess stumbles across the cottage towards
Nell.
LILI (CONT)
What have I done....? I didn't want
the unicorn to die.... All I did was
touch it....
Lili pleads with the frozen wife, begging for her

forgiveness.
Revised 6 June 1984
The front door CRASHES loudly open.
Little Blunder swaggers into the cottage.
Lili covers her face with the quilt and holds

herself rigid as if frozen.
Blunder stalks to the kitchen table and pulls his

axe free. He does a double-take on spotting the
Princess. The tiny goblin can't remember if he
saw her earlier or not.
He pokes her a lifts her skirt to peek at her

legs. He is stopped short by Blix's angry CRY
outside:
BLIX (OS)
Blunder! Hurry! Can't be late!
Blunder hurries to the door.
Lili relaxes when she hears it SLAM.
LILI
Thank God....
The Princess looks straight into Nell's glittering

eye.
LILI
(desperately)
I'll make it right somehow.... I
swear it, Nell....! I Don't care
what happens to me....I'll follow
those goblins to the end of time if
I have to.
Lili kisses Nell's frozen cheek and rushes out of

the cottage.
43H-43Q DELETED
43R EXT FOREST DAY 43R

Lili runs through the icy woods following the
goblins' tracks in the snow.
44 DELETED
45 DELETED : TRANSPOSED TO 46D
Revised 1 May 1984
46 EXT FAERIE CIRCLE NIGHT 46
A campfire blazes. Jack sleeps shivering beside a

tiny fire.
Magic dazzling vapour trails stream through the

air above his head.
A tiny glowing LIGHT streaks out of the woods. It

circles around Jack. The LIGHT touches the fire
and it BLAZES up like a bonfire, waking Jack.
JACK
What....?
46A JACK'S POV : LIGHT 46A
Jack stares at the radiant bubble hanging above

him. He sees a tiny woman-child with delicate
dragonfly wings trapped inside. This is LUNA.
JACK
Who're you?
46B EXT FAERIE CIRCLE NIGHT 46B
Luna ZOOMS off into the treetops.
Jack grabs a flaming brand and jumps to his feet.
JACK (CONT)
Who's there....?
Watching him through the drifting smoke is GUMP,

an elf no more than waist high. Slightly built,
he is near-naked in spite of the cold. His face
is that of a child, yet his eyes shine with a
wisdom centuries old.
GUMP
(smiling mysteriously)
Here you be a forest child and not
know the Gump....
JACK
Gump, is it?
GUMP
Honeythorn Gump at your service....
The tiny golden LIGHT streaks down and whirls

around Jack's head. He swats at her.
JACK
Stop it....! Go away....!
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP
Does your blood run so cold, Jack.
You'll be a corpse before your time.
Luna flies off.
The air is suddenly filled with frenzied CLICKS

and SNAPS: stones tapping, sticks rubbing, logs
being thumped, etc.
All at once, numbers of green-glowing eyes stare

at Jack from out of the shadows.
Jack glances about, bewildered.
JACK
I feel I must be dreaming....
GUMP
If life is a dream, Jack, better you
dread the waking.
Jack is caught off guard: how does this tiny

stranger know his name?
JACK
(frightened)
How do you know my name?
GUMP
How does a spawning salmon find his
way from the cold, black depths of
the mysterious sea....? I know
everything, Jack!
JACK
Then tell me why this has happened?
Why is it winter now?
GUMP
I'd be a powerful wizard indeed
could I answer....
(shrewdly)
Suppose you tell me, Jack.
Jack is uncomfortable.
JACK
Me?
GUMP
You know these woods as well as any
elf.... Did you not see something
odd today? Any strange spirits?
Did nothing untoward happen?
JACK
No....well.... I took Lili to see
the unicorns....
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP
(furious)
You did what?
Numbers of elves and faeries appear out of the

dark woods. They come in all sizes, from sprites
no larger than squirrels to plump hobmen as big as
small children.
BROWN TOM is a plump, tipsy leprechaun, draped

with pots and pans like a tinker; SCREWBALL, a
tiny pixie wearing an ill-fitting cap and garments
tassled with flowers.
FAERIES
(whispering in chorus)
What....? Codfish and cockles....!
Never....! Pewterpots
and....pumpkins....! Poo-poo
pudding....! Doo-doo dumplings....!
Shit-willy whatnot....!
GUMP
Silence!
The whispering stops. All eyes are on Jack. He

writhes with guilt under their scrutiny.
JACK
(deeply ashamed)
Oh God, she touched him....
A GROAN rises from the crowd of faeries. They are

outraged. Gump is maddest of all. His eyes glow.
He trembles with banshee fury.
GUMP
Touched it! A mortal laid hands on
a unicorn?
BROWN TOM
Bad....terrible bad!
JACK
We meant no wrong.
GUMP
(screaming with wrath)
Squawk! Squawk! No more talk....
Do you think you can upset the order
of the universe and not pay the
price?
Brown Tom produces ancient bagpipes, Screwball a

tambourine. The other wee folk tune up an
incredible variety of oddly-shaped instruments,
seashell trumpets, acorn cellos, gossets,
serpentines, blossom-bell horns, bone flutes, all
manner of drums and rattles.
Revised 1 May 1984
A wild and haunting overture begins. The rhythm

is compulsive.
Jack cannot control his body. His feet move

against his will.
JACK
(frantic)
No!
Gump leers demonically.
GUMP
Time to dance, Jack!
Playing his fiddle, Gump is possessed, demonic.
Screwball beats on a log with a pair of shin

bones. The faerie orchestra breaks into an other-
world melody.
Jack leaps and jumps like a zombie.
JACK
No....! Please....!
BROWN TOM
(chanting)
Round and round and round and round,
Before you're lost, you must be
found.
The tempo increases. The musicians leap and

cavort.
Jack twists and capers, dancing against his will.

SCREWBALL
(chanting)
In and out and up and down,
Behind each smile there lurks a
frown.
Gump leaps wildly, fiddling like a demon. Jack is

a prisoner of the frenzied music.
BROWN TOM
(chanting)
Spin and spin and spin and spin,
To learn to lose you first must win.
Gump hops into the fire, dancing and playing as

sparks leap about him.
The music grows wilder.
Jack will never survive.

Revised 1 May 1984
SCREWBALL
(chanting)
Twist and reel and toe and heel,
The end to pain is to learn to feel!
Jack's face is a mask of agony. With a supreme
effort. he hurls himself onto the ground, his body
jerking spasmodically to the music.
JACK
(screaming)
Enough!
The faerie orchestra falters, their tempo broken.
GUMP
(angry)
Is the music not to your liking?
I....won't....go....on.... Take my
life, if you must....
(boldly)
I did it for love! And I'd do it
again!
Gump stares at Jack. A tender expression softens

his flinty eyes.
GUMP
Hmmmm.... Love, you say....? Love
is another story.... Answer me this
riddle and all is forgiven.
JACK
And if I cannot?
GUMP
Why, Jack....then 'tis your death
song I'll be playing.
JACK
Ask away, and pray God my answer
pleases you.
GUMP
What is a bell that does not ring,
Yet, its knell makes the angels
sing?
Gump laughs, knowing Jack can't solve the riddle.

Revised 1 May 1984
JACK
The flower. Bluebells. To hear
them ringing means your life is at
an end.
Gump hurls his violin to the ground and stomps on

it.
GUMP
Damnation! Codfish and cockles!
Gammon and trotters!
Screwball and Brown Tom run for cover as Gump

explodes in an insane frenzy. He throws himself
on the ground, kicking and SCREAMING.
GUMP (CONT)
Rabbit noodles....! Schweinhundt
saukraut mit schlagober....! Piddle-
puddles und ka-ka crumpets....!
Piss pots and thunder mugs! Demkopf
doo-doo brain riddle-widdler!
Abruptly, Gump stands and dusts himself off as if

nothing had happened. He smiles at Jack and holds
out his tiny hand.
GUMP (CONT)
You bested me, Jack.... Bested
me....bested me....
JACK
(modestly)
A riddle without an answer is like
an empty cup when you're thirsty for
wine.
GUMP
Well spoke! And if it's wine you
want, it's wine we shall have.
Gump claps his hands and four tiny glasses

magically APPEAR, floating in the air before them.
Another clap and Brown Tom's hat POPS off his

head, revealing a wine bottle balanced underneath.
GUMP (CONT)
A small measure of entertainment at
best.
Gump snaps his fingers and the wine bottle floats

off Brown Tom's head, pausing in mid-air to fill
each bobbing glass.
GUMP (CONT)
Elderberry wine....no finer drink
under heaven.
Each one takes a glass, Gump raises his in a

toast.
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP (CONT)
Here's to Jack....riddle-
solver....dancing fool, and faerie
friend....
They all clink glasses. Jack regards his with

suspicion.
JACK
I'm honoured, Gump....but no more
tricks!
GUMP
(to the others)
Here be precious summertime frozen
into a winter memory and the blamed
fool won't drink faerie wine for
fear of enchantment.
They all drink, Jack with some reluctance. The

faeries enjoy the wine. Jack gags, as if he's
swallowed fire.
JACK
....don't you care what's happened?
GUMP
Course we care.... What good's the
world locked in a season of death?
No folks to scare on a summer's
night....
BROWN TOM
No babies to tickle....
SCREWBALL
No lovers to tease....
GUMP
No more spells to cast.... Does
that sound like an enjoyable
prospect?
JACK
We must find the answer!
Revised 6 June 1984
GUMP
That we must. But first, we better
see that no harm's come to the
unicorns.
SCREWBALL
I sadly fear the worst....
Gump claps his hands and everyone is magically

holding luminous flower lanterns.
46C-46D DELETED
47 EXT UNICORN DEATH ARENA NIGHT 47
The faerie procession moves out of the woods onto

the frozen meadow.
FAERIES
(singing together)
What can you do when there's
Nothing to be done?
Sing a little song
And have fun, fun, fun....
The Silhouette of the ice-glazed unicorn is

glimpsed in the glow of the faerie lanterns. The
mare stands guard
Led by Jack, the faeries run towards the recumbent

stallion.
Gump stoops and picks up an arrow dropped by the

goblins.
GUMP
(studying arrow)
This is goblin's work....
Revised 6 June 1984
Suddenly the mare charges. Gump runs for cover.
GUMP (CONT)
Run, Jack!
Hiding behind logs and roots, the faeries watch

from a safe distance.
The alicorn is aimed straight at Jack's throat.

After a tense moment, the mare relaxes and Jack
speaks to her in a soft, musical language.
Screwball
What's he saying? What's it mean?
BROWN TOM
(shrugging)
Search me.... I speak some rabbit,
but unicorn is Greek to me!
Followed by the mare, Jack walks to the faeries

hiding place.
GUMP
Come on Jack, don't keep us in the
dark.
JACK
Dark is where we'll stay, Gump.
We're cursed.
47 EXT UNICORN DEATH ARENA NIGHT (CONT) 47
BROWN TOM
Is there naught we can do?
JACK
Yes....We must get the alicorn back.
Only then will the stallion come
back to life and the world return to
normal. We're to find a
champion....bold of heart and pure
in spirit.
SCREWBALL
What champion? Every mortal who can
swing a sword is frozen still as an
icicle!
GUMP
Don't give up so quick.
(feeling Jack's arm)
You sure you're a mortal?
JACK
(indignant)
Course I am!
Revised 1 May 1984
BROWN TOM
How is it you be so fluent in
unicorn?
JACK
(never thought of it
before)
Well....I....grew up in the
woods.... All the animals are my
friends....
GUMP
You'll do! We best see about some
weapons.... Bring the mare....
JACK
She won't come. She's standing
vigil. No way she'll leave her
mate's side.
GUMP
Hmmmm.... Brown Tom! Stay here
with the unicorn and guard her well.
BROWN TOM
Like me own life!
GUMP
Better! She's the last of her kind.
JACK
I don't know anything about weapons.
GUMP
You'll learn.... I know where to
find the best....
(pulling a kerchief
from his
belt)
But, you'll have to wear a
blindfold.
JACK
(grinning)
Don't you trust me, Gump?
Gump ties the kerchief around Jack's eyes and

leads him into the woods.
Revised 1 May 1984

[in the script this was called 48A, but no 48 exists at
all and this is clearly changed from the old 48. The A
must have been an error -Geoff]
Princess Lili crawls into view at the opening high

in the trunk of the hollow tree. She stares down
at the goblins below.
Pox and Blunder cook frogs and rats over a small

fire.
Blix sits alone. The alicorn floats magically in

the air above his hand.
BLIX
(musing)
Here's my big chance....
Opportunity never knocks twice....
Magic horn is mine, mine....mine!
Now, all creatures will love the
night and worship goblins as
divine....
BLUNDER
You shouldn't talk like that,
Blix....
BLIX
Why not? I've got the power now!
BLUNDER
Oh-oh! Plenty big talk....
BLIX
Not even Darkness lasts forever!
Blix snatches the alicorn out of the air and aims

it at Blunder, causing a burst of fire to erupt
beneath the tiny helmeted goblin.
Blunder yelps and runs off, clutching his flaming

backside.
Blix and Pox ROAR with laughter.
POX
M-m-m-most amusing....
Blix points the alicorn at the lantern. It

instantly EXPLODES, sending a fountain of fire
into the night sky.
BLIX
Higher....higher....
Burning fire!
Making music like a choir!
Power has gone completely to Blix's head.
POX
S-s-seems a pity to waste such
power....
Revised 1 May 1984
BLIX
(furious)
Waste! I waste you....
Blix points the alicorn at Pox, who backs away

defensively.
BLIX (CONT)
Turn you into pork chops....or
savory sausage....
Unbeknownst to the goblins, a demonic form emerges

within the column of flame. It is the leering
face of Darkness!
POX
Why not t-t-turn everything into
garbage....? T-t-towering mountain
of slop.... Doesn't that sound
splendid?
Blunder cautiously rejoins the group, his trousers

smouldering.
BLUNDER
(over-eager)
Hog heaven!
DARKNESS
(behind them)
Fools...!
The three unsuspecting goblins look up and see

their Lord flaming above them.
High above them, Princess Lili observes

everything.
Blix tosses the alicorn into the air. Blunder

unwittingly catches it.
BLIX
Greetings, Worship....
POX
W-w-welcome, Great Lord....
D-d-darkest of the....
DARKNESS
Your devotion disgusts
me....insignificant strands of toad
slobber!
Blix and Pox drop groveling to their knees,

covering their heads with leaves and dirt.
Blunder can't control himself. He rushes forward

and points the alicorn up at Darkness.
Revised 1 May 1984
BLUNDER
Hear me, you angels of light! Your
reign is over! A new order begins!
I hold the power....
DARKNESS
Enough!
Suddenly, with the pure clarity of a BELL CHIME, a

shaft of daylight stabs through a hole in the
hollow tree trunk.
The glow of dawn tinges the ground and casts its

luminence over Darkness and the goblins.
Darkness cringes in terrible pain.
DARKNESS (CONT)
(writhing)
What is this....?
Beams of sunlight advance down the inside of the

tree trunk.
Darkness recoils, wrapping his flaming cloak about

him.
DARKNESS (CONT)
The unicorn is dead....Is this not
true?
Blix and Pox exchange guilty looks.
BLIX
True, Lord....
POX
Undeniably t-t-true!
Darkness is on to them. He points with the

alicorn.
DARKNESS
You lie! Here is dawn!
POX
Well....almost t-t-true....ess-s-s-
entially true....
BLIX
That stallion is dead, dead as
dreams, dead as legend....
DARKNESS
OUT WITH IT!
Sunlight is halfway to the ground. Darkness

shrinks shriveling like a dying ember.
Revised 1 May 1984
POX
The m-m-mare still lives....
DARKNESS
If even one unicorn walks the earth,
my power is not complete....
BLIX
Just a female.... She has no
power....
The ground grows very light. Darkness melts into
the campfire.
DARKNESS
Only the power of creation....? Get
the female.... I command you!
Sunlight strikes the ground. Darkness is gone!

His arm holding the alicorn aloft above the fire
is the last to disappear.
Lili backs silently into the shadows surrounding

the Great Tree.
49 & 50 DELETED
51A EXT ENTRANCE TO TOMB DAY 51A
Gump lead Jack to the carved wooden entrance to an

ancient tomb. Jack pulls off his blindfold in
time to see Gump insert his finger like a key into
the lock and open it.
JACK
So....we've turned graverobber....
GUMP
What can you steal from a man who's
already lost his life?
Jack fingers his purloined cloak with lingering
guilt.
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP (CONT)
I can't go with you, Jack.... Luna
will guide the way....
Luna flies inside. Jack makes his decision and

follows her into the tomb.
51B INT ANCIENT TOMB DAY 51B
Tree roots twist down like dead men's fingers and

clutch the ancient rune stones lodged in the
earthen walls. The floor is heaped with gems and
treasures.
Jack follows Luna's glowing LIGHT in wonderment.
At the far end of the tumulus, Jack comes upon an

astonishing sight. Lying on a golden dais is the
corpse of a beautiful knight. His features are as
fine as alabaster. Clad in gold mail, his
bejeweled sword lies on his chest under his folded
arms.
Jack is stunned. He looks for a long time and
makes a second decision, starting back up the
tunnel.
There is a bright burst of LIGHT and Luna

materializes as a child-sized woman with gossamer
wings.
LUNA
Jack, wait....!
JACK
(astonished)
What! How'd you do that?
LUNA
It's a secret.... Don't tell
Gump....
JACK
There's lots I'd like to tell
Gump....
LUNA
You've got to do it, Jack! You're
our only hope!
JACK
This can't be right!
LUNA
Isn't the world more important?
Revised 1 May 1984
Jack can't answer this. He stares back at the

sleeping warrior.
LUNA (CONT)
Behold the champion....
Luna transforms back to a tiny dot of light.
Jack hesitates, then enters the burial chamber and

takes hold of the golden sword.
52
- DELETED
57
A small cooking fire flickers under blackened pots

and an iron skillet. Brown Tom nervously stuffs a
teapot with dried herbs. Wolves HOWL in the
distance.
BROWN TOM
Colt's foot and sassafras.... Maybe
a spot of spearmint.... St. John's
Wort's not bad....and a little
foxglove.
Lili hurries up out of the woods.
LILI
I'm Princess Lili.... I....
BROWN TOM
You! You're the cause of all our
sorry!
LILI
I want to make it right.... I
followed the goblins! Darkness sent
them back to hunt the mare.
BROWN TOM
Good lass! You're a plucky little
partridge at that.
LILI
We can't stay here! It's not safe!
59 DELETED
60 EXT UNICORN DAY 60
Brown Tom looks past Lili.

Revised 1 May 1984
BROWN TOM
Too late....!
They are surrounded by goblins.
Pox and Blix aim their wicked barbed arrows

straight at the hearts of Lili and Brown Tom.
Brown Tom swings the iron skillet back over his

head in a warrior's stance.
BROWN TOM
If you imps're looking for a fight,
ye've come to the chap who'll oblige
ye.
BLIX/POX
Kill....! K-k-kill....! Kill....!
Blix and Pox loose their arrows, renocking the

bows with incredible speed.
Brown Tom moves like lightning, using the skillet
as a shield to deflect the arrows raining about
him.
Lili stands in front of the mare, striving to

protect the unicorn's body with her own.
Brown Tom leaps acrobatically about with the

skillet. A fusillade of arrows CLANGS OFF its
iron surface.
A lucky shot pierces Brown Tom's hat. Dark red

liquid streams down his face. His eyes roll up in
mortal terror.
BROWN TOM
Dick-o-Tuesday's duck! They've done
for me!
Brown Tom staggers in a dramatic half-circle,

toppling straight over backwards, stiff as a
board.
The mare unicorn rears WHINNYING on her hind-

quarters, as a goblin lassoes her neck.
The goblin hunters advance. Blix spreads a heavy

net wide.
The black shadow of the net falls across Lili and
the unicorn like an evil spider web.
61 DELETED
Revised 1 May 1984
Brown Tom lies flat on his back as Jack and the

faeries emerge from the woods. Jack wears the
sword and golden armour from the tomb.
Gump rushes to his fallen friend, lifting him in

his arms.
GUMP
Brown Tom....? You can't be
dead....! Oh, this is
terrible....terrible!
Brown Tom opens his eyes and looks feebly about.
BROWN TOM
(in a daze)
Why, Gump....they kill you, too?
GUMP
Course they didn't! What in blazes
are you talking about?
Brown Tom rolls his eyes up at the arrow piercing

his hat.
BROWN TOM
Goblins shot me through the brain
pan.
Gump yanks off Brown Tom's hat. Bits of broken

wine bottle tumble out. Gump regards his friend
with scorn.
GUMP
Your brains are one spot an arrow'd
do no harm!
JACK
Where's the unicorn?
Sheepishly, Brown Tom pulls the arrow from his

hat.
BROWN TOM
I'm afeered the goblins took her.
Did me best to fight them off, but
they swarmed up by the hundreds....
Horrid creatures, they were. The
Princess warned me, but....
JACK
Lili?
BROWN TOM
Aye.
JACK
(overjoyed)
She's alive!
BROWN TOM
She was living still when they
killed me.
GUMP
We'll follow their tracks in the
snow. Foul weather's on our side
for a change.
62A EXT FOREST DAY 62A
Jack and the faeries march through the woods

holding lanterns, into the teeth of a driving
blizzard.
63 INT GREAT HALL DAY 63
Blix and Pox kneel nervously before the Throne of

Darkness. A huge fire blazes in the hearth.
We hear Darkness speak, but see only his bat-

winged shadow spread like an inky cloak across the
two kneeling goblins.
DARKNESS
Where is she?
BLIX
In the dungeon like a treasure,
Awaiting your darkest pleasure.
POX
There's m-m-more, Sire....
BLIX
We present with all due
deference....
This thing you once called
innocence.
DARKNESS (OS)
Innocence....?
Darkness stares into the fire.
As Darkness grips the arm of his throne, his

fingers start to melt, dripping to the dank stone
floor.
64 INT DUNGEON DAY 64
Darkness bleeds through the groin vault ceiling,

spreading like a stain across the curving stones.
Below, the unicorn is locked in a steel halter, a

woven steel cable binding her to an iron windlass.
64 INT DUNGEON DAY (CONT) 64
The Princess paces the dark and dripping cell.

Her dress is in tatters, her hair tangled. There
is something wild and free about her now, and yet
she has never appeared more alluring.
The melting shadow of Darkness drips from the

ceiling, forming a small demonic shape as it
falls.
We hear the BEATING of Darkness' heart in time
with each evil drip. The sound grows LOUDER and
LOUDER until the echo reverberates within the
vaulted chamber.
Lili is terrified. She looks frantically around

as the pulsing rhythm continues. The Princess
sees nothing and hugs the unicorn's neck for
comfort.
64A DELETED
65 EXT HILL ABOVE GREAT TREE BOG DAY 65
Jack and the faeries stare out at the tree-crowned

ruin and surrounding bog.
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP
When evil anarchy ruled the land the
wicked came here to sacrifice.
SCREWBALL
It's ugly! I hate it!
GUMP
Good! You go first....
SCREWBALL
All the time me. Same old story.
65A - 65B DELETED
65C EXT BOG DAY 65C
Screwball climbs up onto a floating lily pad.
An undulating V-shaped wake moves through the

water alongside as they step from lily pad to lily
pad and clamber onto a long, twisting root.
Without warning, an emaciated green arm shoots out

of the water and grabs Screwball. He is gone
under the surface with a scream.
BROWN TOM
Screwball!
Jack grips the hilt of his sword and rushes to the

spot where Screwball disappeared.
Meg Mucklebones rises out of the bog behind him.

She tosses Screwball aside and hauls Jack into her
cadaverous embrace.
MEG
Foul-tasting faerie....! Come to
Meg, juicy boy!
JACK
You don't mean to eat me, ma'am?
MEG
Oh, indeed I do....
JACK
That would be a shame. Someone so
lovely deserves far better than
scrawny little me....
The flattery gives Hairy Meg pause. She simply

can't resist it.
Revised 1 May 1984
MEG
Hmmmm....think me fair, do you,
Jack?
JACK
All the heavenly angels must envy
you.
MEG
Oooo.... What a fine meal you'll
make, be the rest of you as sweet as
your tongue. I've had naught but
muskrat and snakes all this
month....
JACK
But....don't you like my words?
MEG
Words won't fill an empty
stomach....
Jack glances at the shield hanging over his

shoulder.
JACK
Then fill your soul with loveliness.
Feast on the beauty of your
reflection.
Meg Mucklebones takes Jack's shield, partially

releasing him from her clammy clutches.
MEG
What a splendid idea.... Clever
boy!
Hanging onto Jack with one hand, Hairy Meg bends

over the shield.
JACK
Your alchemy makes rusted steel
shine like silver.
Meg primps and preens; an obscene parody of a

pretty maiden at her vanity table.
While Meg is preoccupied with her grotesque

reflection. Jack silently draws this sword. Meg
doesn't notice a thing.
MEG
Such discerning taste for one so
young....
Meg turns to face him with a fearful pucker of her

tattered lips.
MEG (CONT)
Come....give us a kiss before
dining.
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP
(Shouting)
Give her the kiss of cold steel,
Jack!
Jack swings blindly with his eyes closed. It is a

lucky stroke. Meg Mucklebones' head flies from
her shoulders.
JACK
(astonished)
I did it!
The decapitated hag sinks back beneath the scummy

surface.
GUMP
Like a champion, Jack.
BROWN TOM
On to victory!
65D INT GREAT HALL DAY 65D
A huge fire blazes in the gaping hearth. Darkness

stands before it, almost a shadow in his midnight
cloak.
DARKNESS
(anguished)
What's wrong with me, Father....?
It has been an eternity since I felt
desire....
A VOICE IN THE FIRE answers Darkness; majestic and

sepulchral. The flames billow out as it speaks.
VOICE
You hold the world in your
grasp....yet your victory is
meaningless!
DARKNESS
Meaningless?
VOICE
What do you gain from it? What
pleasure comes from ruling imps and
goblins....? Souls already
black.... Innocence fascinates you
because her soul is pure....
DARKNESS
I'll take her then!
VOICE
Rape is too easy.... She remembers
the world as it was. When she loves
your new order, then you will
triumph! So....woo her....win
her....break her spirit....!
Revised 1 May 1984
65E EXT GREAT TREE DAY 65E
Jack and the faeries step ashore on the island.

Gump makes a mystical sign with his hands.
JACK
What's that?
GUMP
For our protection, Jack. Remember,
Darkness is a liar....a treacherous
fiend! Don't listen to him. Never
believe what you see....
66 INT GREAT TREE DAY 66
Jack and the faeries stare up at the massive horn

embedded in the inner tree.
Screwball starts to climb towards it.
SCREWBALL
Nice big trumpet....! Bet it's
loud....
Gump hauls him back down by the seat of his pants.
GUMP
Don't touch it! Our lives are lost
if it blows!
Jack stands on a slanting rock. The faeries join

him and their combined weight causes the rock to
pivot.
BROWN TOM
(alarmed)
Newt-fingered marmalade!
They all plummet SCREAMING into empty space. Luna

circles, a dot of light above the bottomless pit.
LUNA
(wee voice)
Oh, dear.... Oh, dear....
The tiny faerie whirls in a blur of indecision

before streaking down into the dark opening after
her falling friends.
66A-67 DELETED
68 INT CAVE CHUTE DAY 68
Like prisoners on a fairground helter-skelter,

Jack and the faeries spin down a seemingly endless
curving chute.
They hurtle through festooned cobwebs, stirring up

smoky clouds of ancient dust.
Revised 1 May 1984
69 INT CAGE AND ALCOVE DAY 69
The end of the chute opens into an open cage.

Jack and the faeries tumbles through onto a pile
of straw. Luna is right behind, bright as a
firefly.
BROWN TOM
Ouch! Ow!
SCREWBALL
Where are we?
Gump stares woefully at the iron bars.
Gump
Some place we don't want to be!
A scuffling NOISE in the far side of the cage

attracts their attention. Blunder pops up from
under a pile of straw, still wearing his helmet.
BLUNDER
Shhhh! You be fricasseed faeries if
you don't shut up!
SCREWBALL
And who be you, bucket-head?
BLUNDER
Who I am won't help me none, nor you
neither....
Blunder pulls off his helmet. He is Screwball's

identical twin!
BLUNDER (CONT)
....even if you is my brother!
SCREWBALL
(astonished)
Blunder....!
BLUNDER
Screwball....!
They rush into each other's arms, embracing

through the bars.
BLUNDER (CONT)
Never expected a Buttercup family
reunion in the kitchen of the Lord
of Darkness....
SCREWBALL
I knew it! I knew it! Should of
stayed at home....
BLUNDER
That's right, brother, me'n you is
barbecue!
Revised 15 May 1984
JACK
Only dead meat waits for the
stewpot! Spring the lock with your
magic, Gump!
Gump examines the huge padlock with a frown. He

puts his finger to the lock and it FLASHES.
GUMP
(wearily)
Iron is sore trouble for elves.
Jack stares at the wall which is covered in

graffiti.
Luna orbits around his head.
Brown Tom wanders into the corner and finds a

bottle of wine under the straw and sits there
guzzling; slaps Blunder's hands away from the
bottle through the bars.
Screwball coughs.
Gump gazes up at Jack.
GUMP
You'll be the champion, Jack....
Jack turns away from the wall to look at Gump and

the others.
BROWN TOM
Jesus, Mary and Joseph.... May the
well of wine never run dry....
GUMP
SHHH!
Screwball giggles.
Jack smiles.
The moment of relief is broken by....

Revised 15 May 1984
The sounds of heavy footsteps approaching,

accompanied by rough, tuneless SINGING.
COOL (OS)
....this li'l piggie went to
market....
anudder li'l piggie got eat....
pig-meat pie, li'l piggie die....
BLUNDER
Oh, no! He's coming....! Hide!
Hide! Hide!
Blunder conceals himself under a pile of straw. A

deformed shadow is cast across the cage.
SCREWBALL
Blunder's got the right idea!
Screwball hides in the straw. Jack and the others
immediately do the same.
A fiendish COOK opens the cage door. He is ten

feet tall and unspeakably ugly. He peers blindly
inside, sniffing the air with his hideous nose.
COOK
....pig-pig-pig....
The Cook gropes inside the cage and grabs Blunder.
BLUNDER
Help....! Lemme go....! Tunr me
loose, you
tub o' guts
The COOK hauls Blunder out, kicking and screaming.

Jack and the faeries peer out from under the
straw.
BROWN TOM
Blunder!
JACK
We've got to help him....
Jack takes hold of Screwball's new-found sword.

SCREWBALL
My brother can take care of himself!
GUMP
Screwball's right. It's more
important to find the unicorn!
JACK
(to Gump)
Can't Luna fly out and find a key?
Revised 15 May 1984
GUMP
(shaking his head)
She's much too small....could never
lift it....
Luna buzzes furiously.
JACK
(to Luna)
Your secret will keep forever in the
grave!
There is a bright FLASH of faerie-light and Luna

stands full-sized before them, her gossamer wings
a-tremble.
LUNA
You promised....!
GUMP
(outraged)
Willful sprite! How dare you keep
such secrets?
LUNA
They're mine to keep! I'll do what
you ask....if you kiss me, Jack.
JACK
Easy enough.
Jack kisses her chastely on the cheek.
LUNA
Call that a kiss....? Am I not
sweet?
JACK
Sweeter than bee pollen on a summer
wind.
Luna moves close to Jack.

LUNA
Sweet is the wind that blows me to
you....
A soft cocoon of faerie LIGHT engulfs Luna. She

metamorphoses within it, emerging as Princess
Lili. Luna/Lili embraces Jack. It is sweet and
tempting.
JACK
(resisting)
No....this isn't real....
Screwball giggles and sniggers.

Revised 15 May 1984
LUNA/LILI
Oh, but it is.... I'm warm and
alive and happy to be in your arms.
Jack is nearly enchanted, but he pushes away.
JACK
I can't do it....! This is faerie
glamour!
A brilliant aura of faerie LIGHT envelops
Luna/Lili and she TRANSFORMS into her true winged
form.
JACK (CONT)
Human hearts don't work that way.
LUNA
What care I for the human heart?
Soft and spiritless as porridge! A
faerie's heart beats fierce and
free.
There is a furious pyrotechnic whirlwind and, in

an instant, Luna returns to a tiny dot of LIGHT.
JACK
Luna....?
Without an answer, Luna flies out between the iron

bars.
JACK (CONT)
I....didn't mean to hurt her.
GUMP
(scornful)
Your fine sensibilities have left us
here to rot.
Luna suddenly reappears, TRANSFORMED TO FULL-SIZE,

she tiptoes into the alcove, her hands coyly
behind her.
GUMP
Luna....!
LUNA
(laughing)
You look like mourners at your own
funeral....
Luna tosses a large iron key in through the bars

to Gump.
Revised 15 May 1984
JACK
My heart thanks you, Luna, for....
LUNA
(bitterly)
You....! You....mortal! I could
vex you! Dance your life away!
Instantly she reduces to a tiny dot of LIGHT.

GUMP
Hurry, lads....
Gump unlocks the barred door and they all clamber

out.
SCREWBALL
Lemme out of this stink hole!
In the alcove, the faeries are awed by the view of

the distant kitchen.
69A FAERIE'S POV: KITCHEN 69A
Huge ovens belch fire and smoke. A vast hearth

blazes. Like the lower reaches of Hell, the Dark
Lord's kitchen is a place where all hope is
abandoned.
The demon Cook struggles with Blunder by the

chopping block.
BLUNDER
Leggo, lard-belly....!
Blunder wriggles from the Cook's grasp and runs

off into the shadows.
COOK
Hey piggie....where you go....?
69B INT ALCOVE DAY 69B
BROWN TOM
Terrible sight for a sober man to
see....(hic)....
Luna's light glows by a small passage at the

bottom of the larder at the end of the alcove!
GUMP
Over here!
Jack and the fairies hurry out through the

passage.
Revised 15 May 1984
70
- DELETED
70A
71 INT KITCHEN CORRIDOR DAY 71
The faerie band gathers in the foul, dripping

corridor. Irregular torchlight casts a lurid glow
across the broken stones.
GUMP
We must find the dungeons. Legend
has it they house such sorrow that
death is a gift....
Screwball sits down defiantly.
SCREWBALL
Think I'll stay right here, thank
you very much.
Gump grabs hold of Screwball's ear and hauls him

back up.
GUMP
Not so fast! You search with the
rest of us!
Screwball hugs Jack's leg.

Revised 1 May 1984
SCREWBALL
I'm going with Jack!
GUMP
No! We split up.
Screwball looks both ways, deciding which seems

safest.
SCREWBALL
I'm going this way!
BROWN TOM
I'm going that way!
They both collide, falling flat on their rumps.
JACK
Stop....! Better to search in
teams. Gump and me, Brown Tom goes
with Screwball.
Gump hauls out his ornate mechanical timepiece.
GUMP
Right! Let's synchronize! We meet
back here in twice five hundred
beats of a bluebirds heart.
Brown Tom takes a similar timepiece from under his

tunic and studies its intricate interior.
BROWN TOM
Better allow another couple dozen
butterfly breaths.
Jack and Gump run off along the corridor, followed

by Luna's glowing LIGHT. Screwball watches
without moving.
SCREWBALL
Know what I want to know?
BROWN TOM
What?
SCREWBALL
Why me?
The iron-studded dungeon doors swing magically

open as Lili watches, her eyes aglow with animal
fire. She crouches beside the unicorn, resting on
her haunches in an easy feline fashion.
Lili rises like a sleepwalker, unable to resist

the compulsion luring her toward the open doorway.
The chained unicorn WHINNIES pitifully. Princess
Lili looks back without expression as she leaves.
73 DELETED 73
74 DELETED 74
75 INT ANOTHER CORRIDOR DAY 75
Luna's bobbing LIGHT leads the way as Jack and

Gump hurry along the rubble-choked corridor.
Alerted by the SOUND of something approaching,
they dart into the shadows.
GUMP
Quick, Jack!
Jack and Gump watch in horror as a cracked EGG the

size of a watermelon runs down the corridor on
armour-scaled chicken legs, led on either side by
a Demon holding a chain leash.
Jack draws his sword.
Gump restrains him.
GUMP
Don't trust your eyes! All is
enchanted here.
Jack and Gump hurry on in the opposite direction.

Revised 4 June 1984
75A INT DUNGEON CORRIDOR DAY 75A
Screwball and Brown Tom creep timorously forward.

They are alerted by the SOUNDS of something
approaching. A hideously deformed shadow falls
across the opposite wall.
The two faeries clutch each other in terror and

duck into the shadows.
It is Princess Lili! She passes the elves' hiding

place as if in a trance.
75B INT VAST CORRIDOR DAY 75B
A woman-sized Oona sees Princess Lili drifting in

the distance like a somnambulist.
Lili continues out of sight Oona follows.
76
- DELETED
80
80A INT RAIN CORRIDOR DAY 80A
Lili wanders down a long colonnade hung with

dangling vine-like roots. A glistening magic rain
falls from the granite ceiling. Her blank eyes
start straight ahead.
Jack and Gump appear at the opposite end of the

passage in time to see the Princess drift out of
sight.
Revised 4 June 1984
81 INT BARREL CORRIDOR DAY 81
Jack and Gump enter the sloping corridor where

barrels are stacked at the top end.
Suddenly, they are attacked by SCREAMING PYGMIES,

let off leashes by Blix, who stays unseen by Jack
and Gump in the shadows.
GUMP
Jack!
The nimble Pygmies leap about them, talons

slashing. Jack and Gump retreat.
GUMP
Quick! In here!
Gump yanks open a heavy oaken door in the side

wall and they duck inside, slamming it shut in the
teeth of the attacking Pygmies.
81A INT COLUMN CORRIDOR (SEALED) DAY 81A
Jack strains to keep the door shut tight, then

finds it is barred from outside. The corridor
behind them is completely bricked over.
GUMP
Trapped....!
CLOSE ON DOOR - with great force the Pygmies'

claws stab and slash through the thick wood like
stilettos. Their needle tips mere inches from
Jack and Gump. The door curves with their impact,
its inner surface studded with talons.
81B INT BARREL CORRIDOR DAY 81B
Blix gleefully smacks the Pygmies away

purposefully lifts the bar from the door, and
backs off.
BLIX
Heel....!
The pygmies scuttle away at Blix's heels.
Jack and Gump peer out cautiously.
JACK
Come on!
Jack and Gump run up to the top of the gully

toward the barrels and look back.
The Pygmies are advancing up the slope toward

them. Jack quickly turns a barrel on its side,
leaps on top of it, and ROLLS it down to
steamroller the SCREAMING Pygmies. Blix backs
into the shadows. Jack and Gump run off in the
opposite direction.
Revised 4 June 1984
82 INT CORRIDOR OUTSIDE GREAT HALL DAY 82
Lili leads towards a pair of massive doors which

swing slowly open at her approach.
A woman-sized Oona follows, and stops to watch as

Lili enters and the doors swing closed behind her.
An enormous chamber draped with black cloth and

surrounded by tall Baroque columns. Winged demons
writhe in the shadows above. A long black table
reaches down the centre of the room. All is lit
by firelight. The gaping hearth, with its
entablature of monumental sculpture, is flanked by
a pair of massive ebony thrones, carved in a
hideous, twisting mass of tendons, sinews and
muscles.
When the imposing doors swing closed, Lili's spell

is broken. reflected firelight GLITTERS in the
shadows. An open jewel box spills its sparkling
treasure into an ornate table. Lili is lured like
a moth to a flame.
She steps up onto an oversized footstool by the

table. The ebony casket brims with gemstones.
Lili's eyes dazzle. A carved ebony figure of a
skeleton turns slowly out of the centre, holding
in its uplifted arms the most exquisite black
diamond necklace the mind can imagine.
The Princess sucks in her breath. The temptation

is too great. She impulsively takes the necklace
and hops down from the stool.
She leans against a sculpted marble frieze of

souls in torment, concentrating on the tricky
clasp. All at once, a piece of sculpture becomes
ANIMATE. Powerful arms reach out to fasten the
necklace. For a moment Lili doesn't notice,
grateful for the help. Then she realises what is
happening and SCREAMS, pulling away in terror.
Something weird and mysterious approaches from out

of the draped shadows. It is a magnificent high-
collared black gown, waltzing lake a ghost across
the black marble floor. There is no one wearing
the garment!
Fascinated, Lili watches the dress circle towards

her. She finds it irresistible. Taking hold of
the gown's empty sleeves she begins to dance,
spinning round and round to the impulsive music.
Revised 4 June 1984
84 INT CORRIDOR DAY 84
Jack looks up and down, unsure of their

directions.
JACK
Which way....? Oona!
A woman-sized Oona appears from behind them.
OONA
(reluctantly)
I know where the Princess is.... I
saw her go into a great hall--all by
herself.
GUMP
We best reconnoitre.... It may be a
trap! Oona--you must take us to
this place.
Gump and Jack follow Oona stealthily along the

shadowed passage.
Lili dances by herself, turning slow dreamy

circles before the blazing fire. She is now
WEARING the splendid black gown! Lili is stopped
by her reflection in a tall cheval glass mirror.
Lili's feminine curiosity is aroused. The
Princess overcomes her fear and approaches the
mirror. She looks furtively about, making certain
she is unobserved. Alone, she admires her perfect
image.
CLOSE ON MIRROR : Beneath Lili's pleased

expression we see the evil face of Darkness APPEAR
like a man emerging from under water. Darkness
penetrates the surface of the mirror.
Lili backs away, GASPING soundlessly with terror.

Darkness steps forth through the glass into the
room, clad in black finery.
Lili staggers. Darkness reaches to embrace her

and the Princess SHRIEKS at the top of her lungs.
The moment he touches her shoulder, she slumps to
the floor, unconscious.
Darkness stands over the fallen girl, his

heartbeat pulsing like muffled thunder. Something
almost like a smile creases his hideous features
as he rolls a lock of Lili's hair between his
clawed fingers. The Princess blinks and opens her
eyes. She is horrified to find Darkness kneeling
over her and frantically tries to get away.
DARKNESS
Do not be afraid, lady....
Lili GASPS like a stranded fish. She is catatonic
with fear.
DARKNESS (CONT)
I mean you no harm.
Revised 11 July 1984
Darkness offers the Princess a hand. The slow

kettledrum THROB of his heart underscores his
words.
DARKNESS (CONT)
How like you my gifts....? Does the
gown not please you?
Lili weeps and tugs at the black dress.
LILI
(frantic)
Never! I hate you! I hate this
dress!
DARKNESS
Can you speak so of your bridal
gown....?
LILI
(screaming)
Noooooooo!
Lili stares at Darkness with terror and loathing.
LILI
You're mad!
DARKNESS
Aye, Lady, in madness lies the soul
of all that's noble.... I've found
my true mate and you know it.
Beneath the skin we are already one.
LILI
Never!
DARKNESS
'Twas your sin trapped the unicorn.
Even now, the evil seed of what
you've done blooms within you!
LILI
(shrieking)
You lie! You're repulsive.
DARKNESS
(stung by her words)
No more so than you! Can't you
sense it? I need someone to share
my dark secrets.
LILI
You....? You disgust me! You're
nothing but a beast!
DARKNESS
Everyone is a beast....only most are
afraid to see it!
The sound of CHIMES from a distant part of the

castle.
86
- DELETED (TRANSPOSED)
91
91A EXT SKY DAY 91A
Round and red, the great disc of the setting sun

slides towards the distant horizon.
91B INT CORRIDOR OUTSIDE GREAT HALL DAY 91B
A woman-sized Oona leads Jack and Gump towards the

massive doors. Oona looks through the crack
between the doors, and turns malevolently to Jack.
OONA
You should see your princess now....
Jack strains to hear every word being said inside,

trying to see through the crack.
Gump presses his ear to the massive doors like an

eavesdropper.
91C INT GREAT HALL DAY 91C
Lili slumps to the cold stone floor, WEEPING.

Darkness bends solicitously over her.
LILI
(scornful)
You think you're so powerful....and
hide in the ground like a mole!
DARKNESS
This too will change. The last
unicorn dies tonight....! As her
blood ebbs, the sun sets forever.
There shall never be another dawn!
LILI
(horrified)
No....! You can't.... You
mustn't....
Darkness throws back his evil head and LAUGHS.
DARKNESS
I require the shadow's solace and
the dark of the night.... Sunshine
is my destroyer!
LILI
Damn you!
DARKNESS
We are both of us damned, my Queen.
Darkness bows with mock formality, ALTERING into

his own shadow, which slides through a crack
between the paving stones.
Lili, horrified anew, falls to the floor, WEEPING.

The demonic LAUGHTER of Darkness carried through
the massive doors mingled with Lili's WEEPING.
GUMP
As long as the sun still shines, we
can destroy him!
CLOSE ON JACK: THOUGHT FLASHBACK as he remembers

Lili's necklace dazzling his face in the sunlight,
and inspiration strikes.
JACK
(grinning)
I think I know a way....
GUMP
Jack!
Jack cups his hands to the crack in the doors and

WHISTLES.
JACK
(calling out)
Lili....?
Lili huddles WEEPING on the cold stones.

JACK (OS)
....Lili....?
At the sound of Jack's voice, the Princess looks

up with a start.
LILI
....Jack?
JACK (OS)
Over here.... By the door....
Lili turns eagerly towards the door.
LILI
Oh, Jack....dear Jack! Can it
really be you? I was afraid you
were dead.
93A
- DELETED
93C
93D INT GREAT HALL DAY 93D
JACK (OS)
Don't worry, we're here to save you.
LILI
(sadly)
I'm far past saving, sweet Jack....
A huge tear wells in Lili's eyes and flies out

toward the crack, defying gravity.
Lili's tear flies through the crack and strikes

Jack's face like a horizontal raindrop. He
touches the spot curiously.
JACK
(into crack)
Don't be afraid. Can you see me?
Please go in the light so I can see
your face....just a glimpse of your
eyes.... They will give me such
strength....
Jack strains to see through the crack. The

Princess reaches out her hand and covers the
crack.

Lili stares at the crack in horror.
LILI
(grief-stricken)
No.... I can't....forget me,
Jack....
JACK
Don't be afraid, I'm with you, Lili,
I love you....
Lili takes her hand away from the crack--Jack

leaps up.
JACK
Lili!
GUMP
Jack! There's nothing you can do
now to help her. Be thankful she
still lives. Let's go--there's no
time to spare.... Remember your
plan--you must tell it to me. Oona,
you must go in and listen....
Jack....
Sadly, Jack follows Gump back along the corridor.
Oona transforms into a dot of LIGHT and flies

through the crack.
Princess Lili lies SOBBING. She feels the winged

figures watching her from high above.
The music THROBS, underscoring a low, rhythmic

CHANTING.
Like some ghastly chorus from Hell, the living

statuary SINGS in unison to Lili.
STATUARY
(singing)
Bride of Night....Bride of Night....
Darkness is your heart's delight!
Hail to Darkness! Hail the Night!
His the Power and the Might!
Lili lifts her head, listening to the sepulchral

SINGING. Her eyes burn like a tiger's. She bares
her fangs, and from her throat issues a bone-
chilling HOWL.
98 INT DUNGEON CORRIDOR DAY 98
Screwball and Brown Tom stop short in their tracks

when the SOUND of a distant HOWL echoes in the
shadows.
SCREWBALL
(trembling)
I vote we run like hell!
BROWN TOM
Second the motion....!
The two faeries scamper off into darkness.
99 INT KITCHEN CORRIDOR DAY 99
Gump, Jack and a woman-sized Luna wait outside the

kitchen door as Brown Tom and Screwball come
running up. Gump studies his ornate timepiece.
GUMP
Where were you? In another three
flicks of a badger's tail it'll be
half-past.
SCREWBALL
Time slips away when you're having
so much fun.
BROWN TOM
(out of breath)
We....found the
mare....chained....in a dungeon
below.
Gump shoves his timepiece back into his belt.
GUMP
Excellent.... Jack has a plan....a
good one.
JACK
We need to sneak back into the
kitchen and....
SCREWBALL
Oh no! Not me! Seen enough of that
kitchen, I have!
BROWN TOM
Don't be so pig-headed! You can
trust Gump.
SCREWBALL
I'd sooner trust a rat in the
ghetto!
BROWN TOM
Well....trust Jack then.
Jack leads the way back to the kitchen.
100 INT KITCHEN DAY 100
Jack and the faeries tiptoe cautiously across the

kitchen.
Both Demon Cooks are fast asleep, the one

encountered first is stretched out across his
chopping block, SNORING like a dragon with
indigestion; the other slumped against a pillar.
The unfortunate Blunder turns slowly over the

coals, hog-tied to a spit. A bright red apple is
stuffed in his mouth.
Jack and Gump rush to his side. Gump pulls the

apple from Blunder's mouth.
BLUNDER
(frantic)
Gemme outta here! While I'm still
medium rare!
Gump shoves the apple back into Blunder's mouth,

stoppering his loud complaint.
GUMP
Any more noise and you're shish-ka-
bob....
Blunder nods eagerly.
GUMP (CONT)
You do what we say....understand?
More eager nodding from Blunder.
GUMP (CONT)
Swear it!
Gump pulls the apple out of Blunder's mouth.
BLUNDER
(desperate)
I swear! On the festering forelock
of Nicodemus!
Jack cuts Blunder's bonds and the little imp hops

out of the fireplace. Gump whispers Jack's plan
to the others, pointing up at the mantle.
BLUNDER (CONT)
I owe you one, champ!
Jack boosts Gump and Screwball up onto the mantle

where the polished plates are stacked.
JACK
Up we go.... You too, Gump....
Luna TRANSFORMS into a dot of LIGHT and flies up

to the chimney piece, REMATERIALISING there full-
size.
JACK (CONT)
Your turn, Blunder.
Jack lifts Blunder to the mantle.
Screwball, Gump and Luna rush about frantically

gathering shield-sized plates.
Blunder gets the idea and joins in.

There are numerous close calls and near collisions
on the narrow ledge.
One by one, the faeries toss the plates down to

Jack, who stacks them in Brown Tom's arms.
Brown Tom staggers through the kitchen carrying a

teetering tower of plates. He can't see where
he's going and nearly trips over the nozzle of the
giant bellows.
Brown Tom carefully sets the stacks of plates down

behind a stone pillar.
Blunder climbs high onto a shelf flanking the

fireplace. He picks up a plate and scales it
through the air towards. Jack like a discus.
BLUNDER
Heads up!
Jack leaps for the gliding plate but it is too

high and sails past over his head.
All the faeries on the mantle watch in fearful

anticipation.
JACK
Brown Tom!
Brown Tom races to catch the plate. It is no use.

The plate CRASHES into the pillar ringing like a
gong as it tumbles to the floor.
Both ferocious Cooks are awakened by the NOISE.
SECOND COOK
Huh....! Wuzzat?
Jack and the faeries freeze in place as the Cook

rises and pulls his huge cleaver from the chopping
block.
COOK
(sniffing the air)
Meat....! Me smells fresh meat!
Jack is defenseless in the face of the awesome

Cook. Looking desperately about, he spots a long
wooden oven probe among a bunch of kitchen
implements.
SECOND COOK
Find meat!
Jack grabs the probe, a staff eight feet long.
JACK
Over here!
The blind Cook lunges for Jack. He wields his

deadly cleaver with amazing accuracy for one
without sight.
COOK
Chop you up!
Jack ducks past the Cook, smacking him on the leg

with the staff. The huge demon YELPS with pain.
The SECOND COOK picks up a skillet, wielding it

like a club.
SECOND COOK
Smash....! Me smash!
Jack is caught between the two demon Cooks. He

cannot face one without turning his back on the
other.
Gump sees Jack's predicament and leaps from the

mantle onto the Second Cook's head with a wild
CRY:
GUMP
Schweinhundt!
Gump clings to the Second Cook like a terrier,

confusing him and giving Jack time to dart
acrobatically out of the way.
JACK
(jabbing the Cook)
Gotcha!
COOK
Cut you in half!
A mighty swing from the Cook misses Jack, who

executes a nimble back flip. The Cook cleaves
through a hanging side of meat by mistake.
The second Cook grabs hold of Gump and shakes him.
SECOND COOK
Sweet, sweet blood....
Up on the mantle, Screwball and Blunder exchange a

helpless look. Gump is a goner unless they do
something. They reach a simultaneous unspoken
conclusion, and leap onto the Second Cook's back.
SCREWBALL
(calling out)
Rooster-toes....!
BLUNDER
(calling out)
....pig-whiskers!
Faced with this new twin threat, the Second Cook

drops Gump, who immediately bites him on the leg.
SECOND COOK
What....! Who now? Ouch!
Jack fights a rearguard action, stabbing at the

savage Cook as he retreats.
JACK
Best you can do?
COOK
You gonna be mince-meat!
Jack is backed against a stone column.

JACK
Got to catch me first!
The Cook's cleaver CLANGS against the ramp,

missing Jack by inches.
The Second Cook has his hands full. Brown Tom has
joined the fray and clings onto his other leg
while Blunder and Screwball claw and punch at his
head.
SCREWBALL AND BLUNDER

Hit him...! Sock him....!
Staggering under the full weight of the faerie

onslaught, the Second Cook lurches in circles.
SECOND COOK
Kill....! Smash....!
Furious, the Second Cook swings his heavy skillet

at Screwball and Blunder. He misses them
completely, hitting himself square on the head and
knocking himself out.
The faeries leap off as the demon topples

backwards into the fireplace. He tips over a huge
kettle, extinguishing the fire, and lies
unconscious among the cinders.
The faeries race to help Jack, trapped in a

corner.
GUMP
Here we come!
SCREWBALL
Cut him down to size, Jack!
The faeries' wild clamour attracts the Cook's

attention and he turns to attack them.
The faeries' enthusiasm vanishes in the face of

this direct threat.
SCREWBALL
(terrified)
Sodom and Glockamorra!
The faeries turn and run. The Cook starts after

them. Jack sticks his staff between his legs,
tripping him up.
The Cook sprawls on his face. Jack runs past,

using his staff like a pole-vaulter to gain the
mantle in a single leap.
The Cook gets to his feet, GROWLING.
COOK
Gonna spill your guts, boy!
JACK
(calling)
Come and get me! I'm over here!
The faeries gather by the chopping block. Gump

tosses a carving knife up to Jack.
Revised 1 May 1984
GUMP
Jack! Catch!
Jack deftly catches the knife by its wooden handle

and leaps into the air, grabbing hold of a huge
hanging wheel.
The Cook rushes to the fireplace, smacking at the

mantle with the cleaver.
COOK
Kill you now!
JACK
(calling)
Over here, stupid!
Puzzled, the Cook looks up, sniffing in the air

for Jack.
COOK
Huh....? Where that?
JACK
Right here!
Staring blindly up into the air, the Cook lurches

under Jack, completely confused.
Jack cuts the rope above him and he and the huge
wheel CRASH down on top of the Cook, knocking him
senseless.
SCREWBALL
Three cheers for the champion!
FAERIES
(all together)
Hip....! Hip....! Hooray....!
Jack ignores the cheering and heads for the
fireplace.
Gump joins him as he stares thoughtfully up the

chimney.
GUMP
Now what, Jack?
JACK
Must go clear to the top.
101B INT CHIMNEY DAY (CONT) 101B
Gump peers in.
GUMP
Not much to hold onto. Take a
peapod pixie to make that climb....
[Page 94 is missing from the library script. The

following is page 94A]
Revised 2 May 1984
SCREWBALL
(to himself)
I'm goin' places, all
right....straight to the top and on
outta this hell-hole.... No more
kitchen....no more demons.... Just
the easy life for Screwball
Buttercup....
101C INT KITCHEN DAY 101C
A shining gold plate is propped on the belly of

the Second Cook sprawled in the fireplace. Luna
positions another plate against the bellows,
taking care to get the angle right. Gump stands
between the bellows and the shattered kitchen
door, measuring the angle with a curious hand-held
instruments.
GUMP
Little more to the left,
Luna....that's better....just a
touch more....perfect.
101D INT KITCHEN CORRIDOR DAY 101D
Blunder and Brown Tom run off carrying armloads of

plates. Jack leans a platter against the corridor
wall, adjusting it precisely.
JACK
(calling)
How's that?
BROWN TOM (OS)

Dead centre....!
Lili's tears have dried. She prowls the majestic

hall with regal dignity. Something magic occurs
at the banquet table; each crystal goblet fills
mysteriously with black wine as she passes; every
empty bowl and platter suddenly is heaped with an
incredible variety of things to eat--all of it
black!
The food is beautiful in spite of its colour.

Lili stares at it with undisguised hunger. Some
animal instinct warns her not to trust this
gleaming ebony feast, but she's famished and
snatches up an apple bright as polished
anthracite.
DARKNESS (OS)
Good....eat....
Lili GASPS, dropping the apple. Darkness sits in

one of the twin grotesque thrones flanking the
hearth.
LILI
I don't want it! I'm not hungry!
DARKNESS
Do you lie just to please me?
LILI
I do nothing for your pleasure!
DARKNESS
All I wish is that you sit and talk
with me.
Lili approaches the other grotesque throne. Like

some impossible living organism, it pulses in
anticipation.
LILI
Sit....? Here....?
DARKNESS (CONT)
Yes. Please....
LILI
I prefer to stand.
Darkness nearly succumbs to anger. The veins in
his forehead throb.
DARKNESS
(snarling)
Sit....!
Darkness shrewdly realises rage won't work and he

relaxes with a twisted smile.
DARKNESS
....or stand. As you wish.... It's
enough that we're alone
together....just the two of us....
Darkness leans forward in his throne, smiling at

Lili.
DARKNESS
....Some simple conversation....
LILI
I have nothing to talk about.
You've stolen my dreams away....
DARKNESS
All things change, lady....the
dreams of youth become the regrets
of maturity.... Dreams are my
speciality.... Through dreams I
influence mankind....
Darkness smiles hideously at Lili.
DARKNESS (CONT)
My dream is of eternity with
you....no more silence....no more
loneliness....
Darkness moves gracefully to Lili's side and

kneels before her.
DARKNESS (CONT)
I offer you....my heart....my
soul....my love!
LILI
Love....?
Lili is astonished. She walks away to consider

what Darkness has said.
Darkness watches her slyly. His expression

reveals his words to have been a ruse. He gloats
in anticipation.
Lili turns back to face him. Darkness immediately

resumes his look of adoration.
LILI (CONT)
If such is true....hope is yet
alive....
They are interrupted by the SOUND of a CHIME. An

unseen clock tolls the hour.
Darkness stares up into the shadow.
DARKNESS
It grows late....
102A
- DELETED--ANY REMAINING DIALOGUE IS CONTAINED IN SC
102
102D
102E EXT SKY DAY 102E
The setting sun blazes through distant drifting

clouds, tinting the sky a riot of colours.
Another CHIME is heard.
102F INT GREAT HALL DAY 102F
The SOUND of a distant CHIME echoes through the

shadow.
DARKNESS
(gently to Lili)
Sit.... I value your thoughts. Why
not share them with me?
Lili looks at the grotesque throne.
LILI
No more than that....just sit?
DARKNESS
(nodding)
Sit....
Lili steps up onto the oversized footstool.

Inches behind her the monstrous throne swells and
throbs like an organic creature, the powerful
sinews rippling with desire.
The fabric of Lili's gown brushes the writhing

throne. In another second she will be sitting.
Unexpectedly she stands up tall on the footstool.
LILI
I think I'll stand, if you don't
mind.
Lili hops down from the footstool.
DARKNESS
(screaming with rage)
SIT, DAMN YOU!
Lili sashays past him, twitching her gown in an

unashamedly wanton fashion. Her hearty LAUGH is
as loud as the outraged ROARS of Darkness.
LILI
(laughing)
Never....never....
The SOUND of the unicorn's frightened whinny

carries up from the dungeons below.
Lili cunningly disguises her alarm with laughter.
LILI (CONT)
I hear a throat begging to be cut.
Darkness appreciates this joke.
DARKNESS
Are you so anxious to see blood
flow?
LILI
As you are to drink it!
(smiling slyly)
Will you grant your bride a wish on
this night?
DARKNESS
(beaming with pleasure)
You have but to ask....
LILI
I will sit here with you, as you
desire....but, on one condition....
DARKNESS
(eagerly)
Anything....
LILI
I want to kill the unicorn!
103
- DELETED
111B
111C INT CHIMNEY DAY 111C
Screwball struggles up the endless chimney past

hideous gargoyles and ancient skeletons embedded
in the blackened bricks.
The SOUNDS of conversation CARRY UP from below.
DARKNESS (OS)
Lady, you make me proud....
SCREWBALL
Crumpets and candlesticks....!
LILI (OS)
Bring me to the wretched beast!
SCREWBALL
I can't let that happen.... Why,
it's not civilized!
Screwball struggles upwards like a tiny

mountaineer.
He reaches into a grinning skull for a handhold
and the jaws clamp shut on his fingers.
SCREWBALL (CONT)
Billygoat dumplings!
Screwball yanks his hand free, nearly losing his

balance. His terror gives him renewed energy and
he scrambles frantically up the inside of the
chimney.
Revised 17 August 1984
111D EXT TOP OF CHIMNEY DAY 111D
The chimney pot is shaped like a monstrous demon.

Black as a sweep, Screwball emerges at the top and
looks around.
The distant sun is a dying ember resting on the

surrounding rim of dark mountains. We HEAR the
SOUND of a clock CHIME!
111E INT DUNGEON CORRIDOR DAY 111E
A distant CHIME stops Gump in his tracks. He

pulls his timepiece from the pouch and studies it.
GUMP
....not much time....
111F INT GREAT HALL DAY 111F
Darkness walks toward the fire.
DARKNESS
This way, fair beauty....
Lili hesitates when she realises Darkness intends

to lead her straight into the flames.
LILI
(fearful)
No....! It's impossible!
Darkness steps into the leaping flames. He turns

to take Lili's hand.
DARKNESS
Come....it takes but a single
step.... Find the faith....
Darkness looks deep into Lili's eyes. Lili

smiles. Her fear vanishes. She walks towards the
flames.
112 DELETED

[the top of the page is numbered 100/105]
Jack and Faeries creep out of the shadows towards

the Dungeon door.
GUMP
Your greatest challenge is still to
come....
Gump checks his timepiece.
GUMP
We have not much time.
Jack and Blunder position the final plate, lining

it up on Darkness who is standing at a lectern
above the ceremony. At the last moment Darkness
moves away.
JACK
Gump!
GUMP
Oona! Fly like the wind up to
Screwball--it's time!
Oona light flies back along the corridor.
Jack, Gump, Brown Tom and Blunder creep forward

through the doors just as the doors slam shut
trapping Blunder outside.
JACK
Brown Tom, you wait here.
Jack and Gump move off around the edge of the wall
leaving Brown Tom.
BROWN TOM
The game is lost....for all Jack's
pretty plans.
He lies down on the ground and crawls forward.
113A INT CORRIDOR DAY 113A
Oona zipping along.
113B INT DUNGEON DAY 113B
Jack and Gump make their way around the outside

wall of the dungeon to find a vantage point.
113C EXT TOP OF CHIMNEY DAY 113C
Screwball has reached the top exhausted after his

heroic climb, he watches the sunset.
SCREWBALL
(singing under his
breath)
....nickety-nackety....noo-noo-
noo....
He balances the dish precariously on top of the

chimney and collapses on it.
SCREWBALL (CONT)
(singing)
....fiddle-dee-widdle-dee....
Within a flash he is asleep, not a care in the

world.
113D INT DUNGEON DAY 113D
Darkness sweeps majestically down the stone steps

to join Lili. A winch is dragging the unicorn
towards a ceremonial slab.
Blix, Pox and Ceremonial Goblins stand in a semi-
circle around the unicorn.
Jack and Gump watch in horror behind a statue.
JACK
....Oh God....! Lili.
GUMP
Judge her with your heart, not your
eyes.
DARKNESS
In the beginning there was
nothing....a void of darkness, a
cold eternity of silence....
BLIX/POX
Endless night, black as death!
Mother of Shadows protect us!
The assembled Guards answer in a ghastly CHORUS:
CHORUS OF GUARDS
Mother of Shadows, renew us!
BLIX/POX
Dream Sister....eclipse our pain!
CHORUS OF GUARDS
Night Bride....restore our strength!
114 INT KEEP AND CORRIDORS DAY 114
Luna BLAZES straight up out of the abysmal keep; a

tiny shooting star. The demon's ceremony
continues (OS)
DARKNESS (OS)
....and when the perfect void was
corrupted by Light, a great wailing
was heard and all the brethren fled
in terror....
Luna rockets along the ruined corridors of the

labyrinth.
CHORUS OF GUARDS (OS)

Deliver us, O Darkness, from all
fear....
Darkness steps forward. His booming VOICE

disturbs the sleeping bats and sends them wheeling
in clouds around his head.
DARKNESS
Hear me, ye Powers of the Night! We
offer this sacrifice in honour of
you....
Darkness reaches up and seizes a fluttering bat

from out of the air.
DARKNESS (CONT)
Here is our offering....sanctified
with blood....
Darkness crushes the bat to a pulp and splatters

the unicorn's white flank with its blood.
DARKNESS (CONT)
....and with fire!
Darkness touches his fingertip to the unicorn's

haunch. The hide smoulders instantly, leaving an
ugly brand.
CHORUS OF GUARDS
Blood and fire, born of Night....
Blood and fire, drown the Light!
The unicorn rears back. Her hooves CLATTER on the
cold stones.
DARKNESS
I pray you, Father, accept my
sacrifice.... Let Light be forever
extinguished! Let the Age of
Darkness begin.
Darkness contorts with the strain of imposing his

will on the unicorn. He dominates the mare and
she grows calm.
As the Demon Guards CHANT, a giant guard strains

at the winch. The unicorn is being dragged toward
the chopping block.
Working together, two guards turn the iron winch.

Bit by bit, the cable is drawn forward onto the
drum.
The unicorn's neck is stretched across the block.
LILI
Let my loom be made of flesh and
blood.... I am a sister to the
Fates!
Lili slowly raises the sword.
GUMP
She means to do it, she's one of
them!
Jack grabs a long black bow and an arrow from a

quiver beside it.
JACK
I'm going to stop her!
The unicorn is helpless before Lili. Blix locks

the winch, securing the cable.
DARKNESS
The birth of a new world awaits your
stroke.
Lili swings the greatsword high over her head.
CHORUS OF GUARDS
(chanting)
Blood and fire....eternal ice!
Blood and fire....and sacrifice....
Jack draws back the arrow in the longbow, aiming
at Lili.
Jack's face contorts with anguish as he holds his

aim dead on Lili.
JACK
(muttering to himself)
I trust you Lili.... I'll always
trust you....
A wild LAUGH bursts from Lili's throat. She

swings the sword with all her might.
The glittering blade arcs through the air.
Jack diverts his aim and fires the arrow at

Darkness.
Lili's stroke severs the line restraining the

mare.
LILI
(exultant)
Run! You're free....!
The unicorn plunges into the shadows.

Jack's arrow drives straight through the neck of
Darkness but he pays no attention to it, pulling a
weapon from his belt. It is the stallion's
alicorn, mounted as a short-sword.
Darkness lunges for Lili, striking her down with

the alicorn.
Jack and Gump fire a barrage of arrows across the

Dungeon at Darkness.
GUMP
He's going for the mare. The world
needs a Champion, Jack.
Jack grabs a hanging chain and swings across the

lava pit.
JACK
Gump, keep firing arrows to give me
cover.
Jack hurtles towards Darkness giving him a heavy

kick as he swings past. Gump keeps firing arrows
at Darkness. They stick in but have no effect.
115A EXT CHIMNEY DAY 115A
Oona arrives to discover Screwball asleep on the

dish.
OONA
Oh dear! Oh dear!
115B INT DUNGEON DAY 115B
Jack snatches a sword from the rubble and turns to

face Darkness.
Darkness turns to meet this new challenge,

charging like a bull straight at Jack.
Jack stands his ground, sword poised.
Jack and Darkness clash, duelling with their

swords. Jack manages to hack at Darkness' torso,
but the blows have no effect.
After a fierce exchange, Jack is hurled to the

ground by the force of the attack.
The Lord of Darkness holds his greatsword pointed

straight at the boy's heart.
DARKNESS
Always a pleasure to take a brave
man's life.
Darkness thrust down with the greatsword but Jack

rolls skillfully aside and bounds to his feet.
JACK
....haven't killed me yet....
Jack swings at Darkness, who parries with the

greatsword. Sparks fly.
Jack swings again. Darkness catches the blade in

his bare hand and holds Jack immobile to meet his
malevolent gaze.
DARKNESS
Oh, but I have....
Jack is speechless with terror, he is lying

precariously on the edge of the lava pit.
115C EXT TOP OF CHIMNEY DAY 115C
Oona transforms into her grown self. Looking

sadly at Screwball, touching him with her toe.
OONA
Screwball....wake up!
Screwball wakes, trying to remember where he is.

He stands on the rim of the chimney. Oona
struggles and tries to push up the dish on her
own.
OONA
Quickly Screwball....push!
Together they wrestle with the dish.
116 DELETED
116A EXT TOP OF CHIMNEY DAY 116A
Oona aims the pot lid at the ruby BLAZE of the

setting sun. She aims a beam of LIGHT straight
down the chimney.
116B INT CHIMNEY DAY 116B
The beam of LIGHT descends the dark shaft like a

golden waterfall.
116C INT KITCHEN DAY 116C
The beam of LIGHT moves like a searchlight inside

the fireplace, criss-crossing to the propped up
plate on the table.
117
- DELETED
120
120A/C INT CORRIDORS DAY

120A/C
The beam of LIGHT reflects off the plates and

ZOOMS down the corridors.
Darkness towers over Jack, the Alicorn dagger in

his hand.
POX
T-t-think we should help!
BLIX
Don't be a fool! We stay here where
it's safe....
They disappear in the shadows.
Darkness raises the greatsword above his head,

snarling, he makes a final swing at Jack with the
Alicorn. As he is about to strike him there is a
tremendous roaring sound, the doors burst open and
brilliant light streaks in.
JACK
(screaming)
Time to die!
The beam blasts Darkness through the window. Jack

scrambles towards the ceremonial sword. He clings
frantically to the masonry clawing his way back.
GUMP
Kill him Jack! Do it! Do it!
Burn! You evil fiend....
DARKNESS
(screaming)
Fool! You think you have won. I
pity your stupidity. What is light
without dark? What are you without
me? Goodness exists only because of
me. I am part of all of you. You
can never defeat me. We're
brothers....eternal.
GUMP
Do it Jack. Don't listen.
Jack strikes down on Darkness' wrist holding the

Alicorn. Darkness' severed hand holding the
alicorn drops to the ground.
Darkness flies out helplessly into space.
GUMP
(elated)
The world has found a Champion.
Three cheers for Jack. Hooray!
Hooray! Hooray!
Then Jack's elation is brief. He looks across at

the unconscious Lili.
121A INT DUNGEON (AREA BY WINCH/COLUMN) NIGHT 121A
Gump, Brown Tom, Blunder and the mare gather round

Lili who still lies motionless.
Jack rests her head in his lap. He kisses her

gently.
JACK
Lili!
(then to Gump)
Do something Gump!
GUMP
This is sadly beyond my modest
powers, Jack.
JACK
What must I do Gump. Tell me.
Gump thinks long and hard.
GUMP
Jack,....before you took Lili to see
the unicorns....what were you doing?
Jack thinks back. Smiling sadly at the memory.
JACK
We were sitting above the lake....
Lili was teasing me.... She said
she would marry me if I proved my
worth.... Then....she threw
it....the ring into the lake.... I
couldn't find it....
GUMP
(thinks)
Don't you see? You must find it.
Go back. Complete the circle.
Jack looks quizzically at Gump.
GUMP
Look what we have been through.
Indicating the mayhem around them.
GUMP (CONT)
Have faith in yourself. That is the
greatest lesson you have learned.
Screwball and Oona arrive at this moment. Jack

smiles at them.
JACK
But what about you, Gump? I'll miss
you.
GUMP
We too have our promise to keep.
Blunder! Hand me the Alicorn!
Blunder picks up the Alicorn from Darkness' hand.

Jack and group laugh. Jack become sad.
JACK
(to Brown Tom)
Brown Tom! Don't smoke! Don't
drink! Avoid flying!
BROWN TOM
I'll miss you Jack.
JACK
(to Screwball)
Don't get too down.... You're much
better when you make us laugh.
(to Oona)
Forgive me Oona. I'll never forget
you. I do love you, but....
OONA
I know, like a sister....
She smiles bravely.

JACK
(to Gump)
To you Gump I owe most of all.... I
owe you....you....everything!
An emotional Gump interrupts.
GUMP
Harumph! Go now Jack! You have
your promise and your steed. Now
fulfill your promise.
122
- DELETED
128A
129 EXT RING POND (UNDERWATER) DAY 129
Jack streaks down, streaming air bubbles like a

comet's tail.
A winking GLEAM catches Jack's eye and he reaches

out an eager hand.
A cloud of silt issues from his grasp as he opens

his fingers. Centered on his palm, golden and
perfect, is Lili's ring.
129A
- DELETED
129I
Jack breaks the surface, holding the ring

triumphantly above his head.
130A
- DELETED
136A
137 EXT CLIFF ABOVE POND DAY 137
The Princess sleeps under the spreading tree.
Jack kneels beside her and slips the ring onto her
finger.
He takes the girl in his arms and kisses her

passionately.
JACK
(whispering)
I love you....
He rests her gently back on the mossy bank. Lili
smiles. Her eyelids flutter.
The Princess opens her eyes, staring at the

glittering, dripping leaves above.
LILI
....I love you, Jack....
Lili frowns, remembering. She sits up with a

violent shudder.
LILI (CONT)
....I had such a nightmare....
Jack hugs Lili, comforting her.
JACK
It's over now....
After a moment, they part, and Lili sees the ring

gleaming on her hand as it rests on Jack's
shoulder. She is uncertain if this was part of
the dream or not.
LILI
(smiling)
....was it really all a dream....
Jack grins, bright as a sunbeam.
JACK
Perhaps....what did you learn from
it?
LILI
So many things....about how the
world is....about myself
especially....and, about you,
Jack....
JACK
....and....?
LILI
....I know you belong here....in the
woods....
(looking around)
Nobody lives in such
splendour....with carpets soft as
this....or ceilings as high....or
with subjects who love him more....
Lili kisses him tenderly.

LILI (CONT)
You are my Prince....
Jack and Lili join hands.
JACK
No.... I'm only Jack....no more
than that....
LILI
My Lord Jack....
Very gently Lili slips the golden ring onto Jack's

finger.
LILI (CONT)
Treasure it.... Keep it safe....
I'll come and see you every day....
JACK
I'm always here for you, Lili....
Jack kisses Lili very gently on the lips.
JACK (CONT)
Sing to me.... Please....
LILI
(singing)
Come wild flowers, weave us a carpet
Spreading oak, make a shade where we
lie....
137A JACK'S POV : UP THE PATH 137A
Honeythorn Gump, Brown Tom, Blunder and Screwball

stand at the top of the path, highlighted by the
rising sun. They giggle and nudge one another,
waving happily at Jack.
LILI (VO)
(singing)
Breeze and branches, whisper a love
song
When I look in my true love's
eyes....
137B EXT FOREST PATH DAY 137B
Jack and Lili walk hand in hand down an arching

green bower of trees.
LILI (VO)
(singing)
Come down sparrow, sing me good
morning,
Rise up sun, light the arch of the
sky....
Jack smiles at her and looks back over his

shoulder.
137C EXT FOREST PATH (EDGE OF WOODS) DAY 137C
Jack stands at the edge of the woods smiling back

at Lili.
JACK
(waving)
See you tomorrow, Lili....
Lili returns his wave with a smile, picks a bright

flower, pressing the petals to her lips, starting
gaily for home.
LILI (VO)
(singing)
Living river, turn light to diamonds
When I look in my true love's
eyes....
138 EXT MEADOW DAY 138

A lush green expanse, boldly patterned with wild
flowers. Jack bounds through the forest, just
before he disappears over the horizon he turns and
waves a final farewell.
LILI (VO)
(singing)
Like a child feels watching a
rainbow
Like a bird feels the first time it
flies...
Honeythorn Gump, Brown Tom, Blunder, Screwball,

Oona and the two unicorns gathered at the top of
the path return the farewell to Jack and the
audience. Once again all is well in the World.
THE END

Legend 1985

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LEGEND script from March 10th, 1984 - Second Draft with September 25,

1984 Revisions by William Hjortsberg

2nd Draft Revised -- Final Shooting Script

Revised 25 September 1984 New Opening Sequence

EXTERIOR NIGHT SKY NIGHT

A sparkling panoply of stars bejewels the external

We pull back slowly down from the heavens.

DARKNESS (VO CONT)

Pull back through a narrow stilted window into:

INT GREAT HALL OF DARKNESS NIGHT

The window is a star studded sliver set between

There is a booming knock on the massive door.

The towering doors open a crack and a hideous

Revised 25 September 1984 New Opening Sequence (CONT)

Fawning and servile, Blix nervously approaches the

Blix kneels at the foot of the Throne. Darkness

Blix bends forward and kisses the cloven hooves of

Revised 25 September 1984 New Opening Sequence (CONT)

Darkness reaches out and plunges a knife straight

Looking very foolish with the knife sticking out

Blix bows backing away from his shadowy Master.

1. EXT FOREST NIGHT 1

Whispy clouds scud across the face of a fat

Huge trees taper upwards like columns supporting

A magnificent stag stands silhouetted in the

Over the brow of a distant hill, a pair of

1A EXT FOREST NIGHT

PULL BACK: through ferns and brambles, to a steep

A snarling face APPEARS under a mushroom cap.

Blix WHISTLES. The SOUND is unexpectedly lovely,

1C EXT FOREST NIGHT

Blix signals an advance and the goblins creep

A moth lands on a twig two feet from Tic's head.

As the goblins near the hilltop, the fantastic

A tiny mouse runs out of the eye-slits on

Blix signals silently for the other goblins to

The goblins crawl separately through the

Pox comes snout to snout with a WILD PIGLET.

2B EXT FOREST NIGHT

Beyond the hilltop, the LIGHT BEAMS retreat.

3A EXT FOREST NIGHT

Blix charges forward brandishing his crossbow.

Brilliant clumps of forget-me-nots are everywhere,

3B GOBLINS' POV : DISTANT FOREST 3B

The pair of shining LIGHT BEAMS race away between

5A EXT FOREST NIGHT 5A

The goblins watch the LIGHT BEAMS disappear. Blix

Blunder spots a SHINING silver hair caught on the

Revised 24 April 1984

Blunder hides the hair behind his back, but Pox

Both goblins pull on the hair. Miraculously, it

Blix marches up and furiously bangs their heads

The hair leaps out of his hand and Blix has to

The three goblins gallop through the moonlit

7 EXT SINISTER EVERGLADE NIGHT 7

A miasmic Jurassic swamp. Stunted trees rise like

8 EXT GREAT TREE NIGHT 8

An enormous blasted tree crowns the ruins of a

Blix hurries up the crumbling steps. Pox and

The steps lead under gigantic twisting roots.