If LotR had been written by someone else!?

[Lostgaeriel]

The Lord of the Rings written by Murray Burnett & Joan Alison, Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch (with some help from Casey Robinson, Lenore Coffee, Aeneas MacKenzie, Wallie Kline).

(Murray Burnett & Joan Alison wrote the original stage play Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Julius J. Epstein & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for the classic movie, Casablanca - Best Picture of 1943. Michael Curtiz won the Academy award for Best Director.)

CÍRDAN: Hello. Hello, radio tower? Haven ship sailing in ten minutes. West slipway. Visibility: one and one half miles. Light fog. Depth of fog: approximately 500. Ceiling: irrelevant. Thank you.
ARAGORN: (indicating the Shipwright) Saruman, have Círdan go with Master Elrond and take care of his luggage.
SARUMAN: (bowing ironically) Certainly Aragorn, anything you say. (to Círdan) Find Master Elrond’s luggage and put it on the ship.
CÍRDAN: Yes, sir. This way please.
The Shipwright escorts Elrond in the direction of the ship. Aragorn takes the letters of transit out of his pocket and hands them to the Wizard, who turns and walks toward the quay.
ARAGORN: If you don’t mind, you fill in the names. That will make it even more official.
SARUMAN: You think of everything, don’t you?
ARAGORN: (quietly) And the names are Elrond and Arwen Half-Elven.
ARWEN: But why my name, Aragorn?
ARAGORN: Because you’re getting on that ship.
ARWEN: (confused) I don’t understand. What about you?
ARAGORN: I’m staying here with him ‘til the ship gets safely away.
ARWEN: No, Aragorn, no. What has happened to you? Last night we said ---
ARAGORN: ---Last night we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I’ve done a lot of it since then and it all adds up to one thing. You’re getting on that ship with Elrond where you belong.
ARWEN: (protesting) But Aragorn, no, I, I, --
ARAGORN: -- You’ve got to listen to me. Do you have any idea what you’d have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten we’d both wind up in Barad-dûr. Isn’t that true, Saruman?
Saruman countersigns the papers.
SARUMAN: I’m afraid the Lord Sauron would insist.
ARWEN: You’re saying this only to make me go.
ARAGORN: I’m saying it because it’s true. Inside of us we both know you belong with Elrond. You’re part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that ship leaves the Havens and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it.
ARWEN: No.
ARAGORN: Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.
ARWEN: But what about us?
ARAGORN: We’ll always have Lothlórien. We didn’t have, we’d lost it, until you came to Rivendell. We got it back last night.
ARWEN: And I said I would never leave you.
ARAGORN: And you never will. But I’ve got a job to do, too. Where I’m going, you can’t follow. What I’ve got to do, you can’t be any part of. Arwen, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t add up to a hill of beans in this crazy Middle-earth. Someday you’ll understand that. Now, now…
Arwen’s eyes well up with tears. Aragorn puts his hand to her chin and raises her face to meet his own.
ARAGORN: Here’s looking at you kid.

I'd go on and finish it – The Black Captain’s been shot. ... Round up the usual suspects. ... Saruman, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. - but my previous entry was too long and I don't want to repeat that offence.

[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: Lostgaeriel ]