LEGEND - What's wrong with this picture?

"I think the real victim is the picture. The entire concept of the film has been totally changed." -Jerry Goldsmith

The editing of the film in both the American and the European versions is particularly bad. The massive cutting left the film with many discontinuities in both image and music as well as in dialogue which no longer flows as it once did judging by the script. In this section I analyze the film scene by scene focusing on the European version with respect to the editing decisions and where I feel they harmed the film. Whenever my comments concern the American version, I say so in the comment. Keep in mind that it is likely that no one could have cut almost an hour from this film and made it look smooth. So my criticism is more with those at the studio who forced the cuts than it is with Rawlings. But Rawlings too is deserving of some criticism. He seems to have a habit of second guessing the composer when he edits the music, moving cues around even when they contain motifs inappropriate to the new scene. Goldsmith strongly resents the changes he made to both ALIEN and LEGEND in this regard (see CinemaScore, Summer 1987).

The characters of the film were seriously flattened by the cuts and this, as much as anything else, is responsible for the failure of many in the audience to become engaged in the film. In a large section below taken from the March 10 script the reader can see that Gump's character was changed significantly and becomes completely one-dimensional in the American version. Lili's character in the script had more of a regal arrogance to it. Her "I'm a princess--you can't tell me what to do" attitude toward Jack's warnings about touching the unicorns that initiates the disaster in the film is not nearly as evident as in the script. With this (and other) dialogue, the audience would more easily realize that it is truly Jack who is the innocent one in the film (Scott, in an interview in the French publication, L'Ecran Fantastique, says exactly this about Jack's character). The shortening of the scene between Lili and Darkness also weakens a crucial sequence in the film to the point where her decision to kill the unicorn appears to come out of nowhere. Screwball also had much of his original "Grumpy" character left on the cutting room floor as can be seen in the comments below.

Above all, however, cutting the film after it has been scored harms the integrity of the music unless Goldsmith could have re-scored the altered sequences. After 15 drafts of the script, Scott must have had what he wanted from the writing. If a director's cut is ever made, I hope they will preserve the music's integrity by returning to the cut that was scored by Goldsmith. Anyone who is familiar with the soundtrack will know that it was severely harmed by the cut and paste editing it was subjected to.

I make use of the March 10th script and the Final Shooting Script that is in the Margaret Herrick library in Hollywood. I believe the latter script to a large extent reflects the film as cut in the early stages, and thus is a very good source of Scott's original intent. The final script is clearly not a perfect reflection of the film as shot, however. There are sequences which remain in this script that were changed during filming, so no attempt was made to clean it up in its entirety to make it perfectly match the finished film. On the other hand, some sequences in this script seem to reflect the film as edited rather than as shot, because some of the dialogue from the March 10 script, that is shown to be trimmed in the final script, is later restored in the European version of the film. There are dates on the pages that run late into September, which is after principal photography was finished--the film started shooting on March 23 and was a 21 week shoot, which means that shooting wrapped in August, even if it did run over a few days as Scott claimed due to the fire--so some shooting most likely continued as those who looked at the edited product began to second guess its impact and clarity. An example is the New Opening Sequence that is dated September 25, 1984. -Geoff

• The shot of Blix at the end of the credit sequence staring with a look of wonder and awe does not work at all as cut. The next shot is that of the Great Tree (Darkness' castle), with the clear implication that this is the object of his gaze. This makes little sense since he is one of Darkness' goblins and surely knows the Tree well. Originally the opening credit sequence was followed by a sequence showing four goblins on a hunt chasing after the unicorns, creatures they have never before encountered. Almost certainly this gaze of Blix would be directed at the unicorns who in the script were shown as streaks of light at this point, adding to their mystery. The FOUR goblins, consisting of Blix, Pox, Blunder and Tic, are unable to capture these elusive creatures but find a hair in the bushes with magical properties which they take back to Lord Darkness. There are a number of reasons to restore this sequence: here we see how Blunder gets his chicken- claw arm (Darkness changes it with a blast of energy from his hand after Blunder brags loudly to him about being the one who found the unicorn hair); the characters of the goblins are developed; in the March 10th script, we see Tic (the fourth goblin) fall into the swamp and to be eaten by Meg which would increase the anticipatory tension in the audience during the swamp scene later in the film; alternatively, in the final script, Tic is dropped down what seems to be a bottomless pit after attempting to swing across it on a vine as the other goblins had before him--Blix pushes him back and cuts the vine. Again, in the latter version, the audience's tension would be increased later in the film when we see Jack and the faeries standing on the rock/trap that covers this pit as they are trying to gain entry to Darkness' lair. It is a much better introduction than the one seen following the credits in both released versions where Darkness is introduced. The latter scene was a late addition and very poorly written. We know it is a late addition because the top of the page in the final script says, "New opening sequence" and is dated September 25th. The film would be better if it were deleted altogether (though I do think it contains a nice allusion to Michaelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" with Darkness finger touching the finger-like nose of Blix).
  
  
• We hear Lili singing in the beginning but see no lip movement. I think the first part of this scene was cut for time and the singing (shortened from that heard on the soundtrack CD) dubbed over a later shot as Lili is coming through the woods toward the cottage.
  
  
• The cut from the clock to Nell's entrance is too abrupt. The editor should have allowed the clock scene to continue through to the frozen vision of the future as seen in the American version. Goldsmith wrote a very nice cue for this scene, but it too is cut short due to the editing decision.
  
  
• Some of the reaction shots of Lili during the conversation with Nell are too long. They look a bit false and don't always seem appropriate for the words we hear from Nell in voice-over.
  
  
• The problem with this entire cottage sequence, and so many other sequences throughout the picture, is that it FEELS tightened up as one watches it; the dialogue suffers greatly in the process. Lines like Lili's, "Nell, not a country proverb nor king's command could keep me from the woods today," would work much better with the supporting dialogue about her father the king and Nell's warning proverb that came just prior to this line. Instead, this line now follows, "Oh, have you got a sweetheart waiting?" with none of the prior dialogue that would make the conversation sound natural.
  
  
• In the woods, Lili meets Jack but her line, "You're so clever" doesn't work as well as it should because the prior shot of Jack talking with the bird has been cut from the film. The only cleverness we see is the fact that a bird lights on his shoulder.
  
  
• The Bouquet of flowers that she has brought with her to the woods is suddenly and inexplicably gone. In the script, it was a gift to Jack; within it Lili had hidden a tart for him.
  
  
• Jack compliments Lili on her ability to speak to a bird she holds in her hand but no bird call is heard from Lili in the European version. In the American version her bird call is heard.
  
  
• As stated above, Lili's dialogue with Jack when they first see the unicorns is almost completely gone. Her character is flattened, and so is the scene.
  
  
• One shot they chose to use of Lili singing to the unicorn during her attempt to seduce him to come to her has far too much duck down floating about in the air. Perhaps there were no alternate takes, but it looks as if a load of the stuff was simply dumped on top of her.
  
  
• There is a jarringly bad musical discontinuity as the goblins take off after the wounded unicorn.
  
  
• In one shot, as the goblins are chasing after the wounded unicorn, four goblins are seen riding around a bend in a shot that presumably was taken from the first part of the film where the group was made up of four.
  
  
• After Jack dives into the water, Lili's first scream doesn't fit. She should have seen the pond freezing over (and so should we) before this, so her reaction would be more meaningful.
  
  
• The music was re-edited for the scene where Lili is running back to the cottage. The music for "The Freeze" segment was nicely written by Goldsmith, but now most of it is gone, with large sections replaced by sections from the "Darkness Falls" cue.
  
  
• Cuts during the scene of the goblins in the cottage are far too quick, too MTV.
  
  
• The Editing of the Faerie Scene
  
  Many cuts are made throughout the dialogue between Jack and the faeries. The following is the scene in its entirety from the March 10th script. The columns on the right show what parts of the dialogue occurred in the American, European, and TV versions of the film. You will be able to decide for yourself whether you think the editing was well done or not. My belief is that it works much better in its full version and strengthens the character of Gump significantly to see his more threatening side. There are some lines which are a bit wordy like Gump's, "How does a migrating swallow...", but on the whole I felt the cuts to be far too deep here so that the editing broke the mood that the scene should have evoked. Now the inflections sound off at times and the visuals too often appear clipped and choppy.

_____________________________________________________________________________
  Text from the March 10 script with additions in curly brackets   |AM|EU|TV|
___________________________________________________________________|__|__|__|
46   EXTERIOR     FAERIE CIRCLE     NIGHT                          |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     A Campfire blazes.  Jack sleeps beside a tiny fire.           |  |  |  |
     Shivering under his new cloak.                                |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     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....?                                            |  |  |  |
              Lili....? Lili....?                                  |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
{                            GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Jack!                                             }  |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
46A  JACK'S POV : LIGHT                                            |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Jack stares at the radiant bubble hanging above him.  He      |  |  |  |
     sees a tiny woman-child with delicate dragonfly wings         |  |  |  |
     trapped inside.  This is Oona [called Luna in this script].   |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (CONT  OS)                       |  |  |  |
              Who're you?                                          |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
46B  EXTERIOR     FAERIE CIRCLE     NIGHT                          |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Oona ZOOMS off into the treetops.                             |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Jack grabs a flaming brand and jumps to his feet.             |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (CONT)                           |  |  |  |
              Who's there....?                                     |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     [These last 2 lines are in the opposite order in the film     |  |  |  |
     and directed toward Gump, not to Oona.]                       |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     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...  |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              Gump, is it?                                         |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Aye, Jack....                                        |  |  |  |
              Honeythorn Gump at you service....                   |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     The air is filled with frenzied CLICKS and SNAPS: stones      |  |  |  |
     tapping, sticks rubbing, logs being thumped etc.              |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Numbers of green-glowing eyes stare at Jack out of the        |  |  |  |
     shadows.                                                      |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
{              I...I must be dreaming.                             |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              If life is a dream, better you dread the waking.     |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Oona flies around Jack, pestering him.                        |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (OS)                             |  |  |  |
              Stop it!                                             |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              That's Oona.  She likes you.                         |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (waving and blowing at Oona)     |  |  |  |
              Go Away!                                             |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Does your blood run so cold, Jack?  You'll be        |  |X |X |
              a corpse before your time.                        }  |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (frightened)                     |  |  |  |
              How d'you know my name?                              |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              How does a migrating swallow know the way south      |  |X |X |
              in winter....?  Or a spawning salmon find the        |  |X |X |
              tiny freshet of its birth from the cold black        |  |X |X |
              depths of the mysterious sea....?                    |  |X |X |
              I know everything, Jack.                             |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     [Gump's speech is relooped to change the word "freshet" to    |  |  |  |
     "source".  There is no need for this since the context makes  |  |  |  |
      it clear what a freshet is to anyone who might not know the  |  |  |  |
      word and it weakens the scene when the lip movements don't   |  |  |  |
      match the word.]                                             |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
{             Yet I do not understand what has happened today.   } |X |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     [This line is delivered OS.  It was clearly re-looped         |  |  |  |
     after principal photography was finished, not delivered       |  |  |  |
     by David Bennent during shooting.]                            |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              Everything....?  Why has this happened?  Why is      |  |X |X |
              it winter now?                                       |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              I'd be a powerful wizard indeed could I answer....   |  |  |X |
                          (shrewdly)                               |  |  |  |
              Suppose you tell me, Jack.                           |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (uncomfortable)                  |  |  |  |
              Me?                                                  |  |X |X |
              How can I do that?                                   |X |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              You know these woods as well as any elf....          |X |  |X |
              Did you not see something odd today?  Any strange    |X |X |X |
              spirits?  Did nothing untoward happen?               |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
 {                           JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              No.                                                  |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              No?....No, nothing?                                } |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              No....                                               |  |  |  |
              well....I took Lili to see the unicorns....          |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP (furious)                        |  |  |  |
              You did what?                                        |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     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 tasseled with flowers.        |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             FAERIES (whispering in chorus)        |  |  |  |
              What....?  Codfish and cockles....!  Never....!      |X |X |X |
              Pewterpots and....pumpkins....!  Poo-poo             |X |X |X |
              pudding....!  Doo-doo dumplings....!  Shit-willy     |X |X |X |
              whatnot....!                                         |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Silence!                                             |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     The whispering stops.  All eyes are on Jack.  He writhes      |  |  |  |
     with guilt under their scrutiny.                              |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (deeply ashamed)                 |  |  |  |
              Oh God, {Gump,} she touched him....                  |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     A GROAN rises from the crowd of faeries.  They are outraged.  |  |  |  |
     Gump is maddest of all.  His face darkens.  His eyes glow.    |  |  |  |
     He trembles with banshee fury.                                |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Touched it!  A mortal laid hands on a unicorn?       |X |X |X |
              {Jack!}                                              |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             BROWN TOM                             |  |  |  |
              Bad....terrible bad!                                 |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              We meant no wrong.                                   |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
[This last line is moved in all versions to the point after Gump   |  |  |  |
says, "Do you think you can upset...and not pay the price"]        |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP (screaming)                      |  |  |  |
              What was it you did mean, Jack?!                     |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              Nothing....                                          |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP (cold and hard)                  |  |  |  |
              Nothing, he calls it!                                |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              I wanted to share something special with her.        |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Well....I have something now to share with           |  |  |  |
              you....a lively reel to warm your bones!             |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump magically pulls a violin out of thin air.                |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              I'm in no mood for dancing.                          |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP (screaming with wrath)           |  |  |  |
              Squawk! Squawk!  No more talk....                    |  |  |X |
              Do you think you can upset the order of the          |X |X |X |
              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.                                  |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     A wild and haunting overture begins.  The rhythm is           |  |  |  |
     compulsive.                                                   |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Jack cannot control his body.  His feet move against his      |  |  |  |
     will.                                                         |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (frantic)                        |  |  |  |
              No!  I want no part of your nonsense.                |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     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.                                                      |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             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?                     |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (gasping)                        |  |  |  |
              I....won't....go....on.... Take my life, if          |  |  |  |
              you must....                                         |  |  |  |
              What I did is unforgivable ["done" in the film]....  |  |X |X |
                             (boldly)                              |  |  |  |
              But, I did it for love!                              |X |X |X |
              And I'd do it again!  I love Lili with all my        |  |  |  | 
              heart and would sooner die than break a promise!     |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     More chattering among the faeries.                            |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
{                            GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Silence!                                         }   |  |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump stares at Jack.  A tender expression softens his         |  |  |  |
     flinty eyes.                                                  |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Hmmm.... Love, you say....?                          |X |X |X |
              Love is another story....                            |X |X |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              I meant no disrespect....                            |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Answer me this riddle and all is forgiven.           |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              And if I cannot?                                     |  |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Why, Jack....then 'tis your death song I'll          |  |  |X |
              be playing.                                          |  |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              Ask away, and pray God my answer pleases you.        |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              What is a bell that does not ring,                   |  |X |X |
              Yet, its knell makes the angels sing?                |  |X |X |
             {Answer me this and all will be forgiven. }           |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump laughs, knowing Jack can't solve his riddle.  Jack       |  |  |  |
     frowns in concentration, then grins, as the memory of         |  |  |  |
     Lili's song rushes back.                                      |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
             {Flowers?....}  Bluebells!                            |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              What?                                                |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              The flower.  Bluebells.                              |  |  |  |
              To hear them ringing means your life is at an end.   |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump hurls his violin to the ground and stomps on it.         |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              {No!} Damnation!  Codfish and cockles!               |  |X |X |
              Gammon and trotters!                                 |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     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 sauerkraut mit     |  |X |X |
              schlagober....!  Piddle-puddles und ka-ka            |  |X |X |
              crumpets....!  Piss pots and thunder mugs!           |  |X |X |
              Demkopf doo-doo brain riddle-widdler!                |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     {Gump lays on the ground as if unconscious.                   |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              Gump....?  Gump....?                                 |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump springs up suddenly to a sitting position and takes      |  |  |  |
     Jack's hand in his.         [slightly different in script] }  |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
              You bested me, Jack....Bested me, bested me....      |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK (modestly)                       |  |  |  |
              A riddle without an answer is like an empty          |  |X |X |
              cup when you're thirsty for wine.                    |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Well spoke!  And if it's wine you want,              |  |X |X |
              it's wine we shall have.                             |  |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     [This is the point at which the TV version switches back to   |  |  |  |
     to the regular American version with the TD score]            |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump claps his hands and four tiny glasses magically          |  |  |  |
     APPEAR, floating in the air before them.                      |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     {                       GUMP (CONT)                           |  |  |  |
              Brown Tom!                                      }    |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Another clap and Brown Tom's hat POPS off his head,           |  |  |  |
     revealing a wine bottle balanced underneath.                  |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP (CONT)                           |  |  |  |
              {A toast to love.}                                   |X |  |X |
              A small measure of entertainment at best.            |  |X |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump snaps his fingers and the wine bottle floats off         |  |  |  |
     Brown Tom's head, pausing in mid-air to fill each bobbing     |  |  |  |
     glass.   [in the film Gump is pouring into small thimble      |  |  |  |
     like glasses that the drinkers are holding--less magic]       |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP (CONT)                           |  |  |  |
              Elderberry wine....no finer drink under              |X |  |X |
              heaven.                                              |X |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
{                            BROWN TOM                             |  |  |  |
              But Gump, it's the last bottle of me best wine.      |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Shh!                                                 |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             BROWN TOM                             |  |  |  |
              Well, if you say so, sir.                            |  |X |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump pours.                                                   |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             BROWN TOM (CONT)                      |  |  |  |
              Now, Gump, don't you be forgettin' me.               |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Gump pours for Brown Tom.                                     |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             BROWN TOM (CONT)                      |  |  |  |
              Oh, careful now.  Ah!  It's so precious.          }  |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     Each one takes a glass.  Gump raises his in a toast.          |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Here's to Jack....                                   |X |X |X |
              Riddle solver....                                    |  |X |  |
              {loving fool....}                                    |X |  |X |
              dancing fool,                                        |  |X |  |
              and faerie friend.                                   |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     They all clink glasses.  Jack regards his with suspicion.     |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     {                       SCREWBALL                             |  |  |  |
              Tip it.                                              |X |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              And to Lili.                                   }     |X |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              I'm honored, 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 (coughing)                       |  |  |  |
              Pranks....!  Is that all you're good for....!        |  |  |  |
              I've lost Lili....!  Gump!  Help me!  Use your       |  |  |  |
              magic to find her....set the world right.            |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Changing this frozen hell is beyond my               |  |  |  |
              modest powers.                                       |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              Is there nothing you can do?                         |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              If you want more tricks, I'm your man....            |  |  |  |
              but, for big questions you must go elsewhere.        |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
     {Screwball puts a cloak onto Jack's back.                     |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             SCREWBALL                             |  |  |  |
              This'll help.                                  }     |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             JACK                                  |  |  |  |
              But don't you care what's happened?                  |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              Course we care....What good's the world locked       |X |X |X |
              in a season of death?                                |X |X |X |
              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!                             |X |X |X |
              {We must find what's happened to my Lili.}           |X |  |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             GUMP                                  |  |  |  |
              That we must.                                        |X |X |X |
              But first, we better see that no harm's              |  |X |  |
              come to the unicorns.                                |  |X |  |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
                             SCREWBALL                             |  |  |  |
              I sadly fear the worst....                           |X |X |X |
                                                                   |  |  |  |
Gump claps his hands and everyone is magically holding             |  |  |  |
luminous flower lanterns.                                          |  |  |  |
_____________________________________________________________________________

• The dance from the above scene was obviously filmed. One moment we see Jack with a guilty expression talking to Gump, and the next time Cruise is in close-up his hair is stringy with sweat and he is breathing heavily. For more information on the music that Jerry Goldsmith scored for the Faerie dance, check out What are the liner notes found in the Jerry Goldsmith LEGEND CD?.
  
  
• The bubbles that float through the air during this scene take on more meaning in the original version since we are able to associate them with faerie magic. They are used again when Oona transforms herself into the image of Lili. This nice atmospheric touch of Scott's is obscured in the released versions, especially in the shorter American version where the audience must wonder what they are doing there. But, like the down used as floating seedlings to evoke the generative richness of nature, and the metallic sparkles as Darkness magically steps through the mirror, these bubbles enhanced the scenes they were in if used properly.
  
  
• At the end of faerie fire sequence, the line "this'll help" by Screwball is not in the script as I have shown above by delineating the section within curly brackets. It is also missing from the later version of the script in the Academy library in Hollywood. It's hard to tell what this line is in reference to, but one may surmise that it had something to do with the effects of the wine on Jack, or perhaps there were extra lines about the cold. In either case, it comes out of nowhere and is another example of the kind of the patch-work dialogue that distances the audience from the film.
  
  
• The musical theme accompanying the wine drinking is from the song "Sing the Wee". It may be that this instrumental cue followed the song itself. But wherever this song was meant to occur, the fact that it is missing weakens the impact when it is reprised during the closing credits. The closing cue is particularly well written and adds a wonderful evocative finish to the film which should keep most patrons in their seats to the end.

  
  

• The musical theme accompanying the wine drinking is from the song "Sing the Wee". It may be that this instrumental cue followed the song itself. But wherever this song was meant to occur, the fact that it is missing weakens the impact when it is reprised during the closing credits. The closing cue is particularly well written and adds a wonderful evocative finish to the film which should keep most patrons in their seats to the end.
  
  
• During the search for the unicorns we hear Lili's scream which Jack hears faintly and then stops to listen for more. We are shown no reason for the scream, however. In the European version, we see her running through the snow but nothing that would evoke such a scream.
  
  
• At the unicorn death site the mare charges at Jack with her head down threatening to skewer him. The cut comes too quickly, so the threat is weakened.
  
  
• There is missing dialogue concerning Jack's humanity at the end of the sequence at the unicorn death site. Gump asks him if he's sure he's mortal, and the others wonder why he is able to speak with unicorns and why he is not frozen like all other humans if he is indeed mortal. This dialogue at the death site was shot, I believe, since it still exists in slightly altered form in the final shooting script. It adds an interesting dimension to Jack's character that I go into in more detail at the end of this section.
  
  
• The scene in the cave between Oona and Jack was considerably shortened. In the final script there is a corpse of a knight who is the former owner of the armor they find and Jack is very disturbed over the idea of robbing the dead. Oona reveals herself to him at this point because he has started to leave wanting no part in the disturbance of the grave. She pleads for him to continue helping them. Oona's dialogue in the released version of this scene is not only shortened but was taken from another scene (as you can tell from the dialogue in the final script and by the fact that Oona's lips don't match the words she delivers); the scene it belongs to is the one in the dungeon where she tries to induce Jack to kiss her. In the process, both scenes were weakened. In this scene, following Oona's transformation, the camera lingers on Cruise's face with its expression of awe far too long. Presumably this is because the dialogue which Oona is speaking does not match her lips, but it makes Cruise's performance here look terrible.
  
  
• The goblin fire sequence works better as scripted where it was not broken up into two segments as it is in the European version of the film. There was to have been a scene where Darkness plays with the fire which was very reminiscent of the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence in FANTASIA:
  
  

  "Like a mad orchestra conductor with a magic baton (the alicorn), Darkness controls the fire's movements. The blaze twists and swirls across the black night [...] Columns of flame shower around the Dark Lord and from within their incendiary interiors, evil wraith-like spirits emerge, swirling like ghosts."
  
  This would have been a nice additional homage to Disney since many of the characters in the film are intentionally patterned after Disney characters. It may never have been filmed, however.
  
  

• Blunder yells the line, "Adios, Amigos" when he is falling down a pit in the arms of a mummy and the line doesn't fit into the world of LEGEND at all. Furthermore, it was not found in any version of the script. It would be easy (and a good idea) to redub this as a simple scream.
  
  
• The music used over the goblin attack and Brown Tom's "death" is taken from the Darkness theme, but Goldsmith wrote a very nice cue for this segment that would work better. Why it wasn't used is a mystery to me since it still fits the scene in length. (This cue was not included on the CD.)
  
  
• The editing at the swamp is another example of cutting far too deeply and harming the picture in the process. Many of the cuts are clipped and jarring to the audience, such as the shot where Screwball is dragged under the water, and the next shot where we see the faeries already half way over the log running to help him.
  
  
• Jack's encounter with the hideous swamp creature, Meg Mucklebones is different in each of the three versions. The American theatrical version is the shortest--Jack cuts off her head very quickly, just after she lets him know she plans to eat him. However, we have just been shown that her reactions to his attempts to flee are lightning quick, so his ability to behead her stretches our credibility. In the European version, we have more footage: here Jack persuades her to look at the "beauty of [her] reflection" in his shield, and as she looks, he draws his blade and cuts off her head, the distraction taking care of the credibility problem. But the TV version is longer still and very close to the script. Here, when Jack suggests that she look at her reflection, she takes the shield from him stepping back out of range as she does. He continues to flatter her and, as she gets carried away by her image, he surreptitiously draws his sword, nearly losing his balance and falling into the water, then hides it out of sight until she moves in for the kill with the words, "Give us a kiss before dining". Now that the sword is already drawn, the surprise factor allows him to get the jump on her. It works much better and is more entertaining, with small touches of humor like Meg's line, "Such discerning taste for one so young, Jack".
  
  
• There is a shot of Darkness from the goblin fire scene that is used again the first time we see Lili in captivity in the castle. It does not seem at all appropriate here. In the American version we see a shot of two red eyes peering at her from the wall instead of this shot of Darkness which works much better. Better still is the scripted scene:
  
  

  As Darkness grips the arm of his throne, his fingers start to melt, dripping to the dank stone floor.
  
  [then in the dungeon]
  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.
  
  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.
  
  

  Darkness later proclaims his desire for Lili (in conversation with his father's spirit) but most of the scenes where this interest begins and grows are cut, further weakening the story.
  
  

• The sound mixing in the European version (as judged by the Japanese laserdisc) is significantly weaker than the American version. The lack of the birdsong from Lili was mentioned above; also, in the scene where the blind cook comes to fetch Blunder to cook him dinner, the "This little piggy" rhyme he delivers is drowned out by the background noise while in the American version it is much clearer. In this same sequence, Brown Tom's nose is grabbed to keep him from sneezing, but we don't hear any lead-in to the sneeze (in either version). We also see Gump speaking to Oona during this scene but we hear nothing of their dialogue.
  
  
• In the shot where the cook grabs for Blunder we see him slip out from under the cook's grasp but then, there is an immediate cut to Screwball and Gump, and we hear Blunder screaming as if he is already caught. Next we see he is in the cook's arms and being carried out. This sloppy editing ruins the continuity of the scene.
  
  
• After Oona flies out of Gump's hands she immediately says "our secret!". This would work much better if the previous line from Jack about her ability to transform, which, in the script, she is clearly reacting to, were not cut.
  
  
• Brown Tom reacts to her ability to perform this transformation with shock and the line (not in the script), "I..It's faerie magic!" Are we supposed to believe that he's never seen magic before? The line doesn't work.
  
  
• The dialogue during the scene where Oona tries to convince Jack to kiss her is tightened up too much. Lines like Jack's "human hearts don't work that way" would work better in the original context (March 10th script version-- the final script moves these lines later.)

Oona
You....! You....mortal! I could vex you! Dance your life away!
Jack
Threats can't make me love you. Human hearts don't work that way!

• Oona comes back a bit too soon with the keys (almost immediately). A bit more time would be better to allow the faerie's angry response to Jack's "fine sensibilities" to have the appropriate threatening impact.
  
  
• The American version has a scene where Gump and Jack encounter what the script refers to as pygmies. This scene is not in the European version. It is not an important scene but does increase the threat to them and keeps the audience on edge waiting for the next unexpected attack. In the European version, the faeries almost seem to have free run of the place once they escape the kitchen. In the March 10th version of the script, these creatures were sent against them by Darkness who knows full well that they have invaded his domain; in the final script, Blix is directing this attack by the Pygmies.
  
  
• Goldsmith wrote a very nice cue for the "Hall of Columns" sequence (not on the CD), but the music was changed to the "Main Title" cue. The original cue is more appropriate since the "Main Title" contains the goblin motif and there are no goblins in this sequence. The original cue is much longer than the sequence in the film, so this shortening may be the reason for the change of music. This is a wonderful, haunting sequence showing the mesmerized Lili gliding among huge ornate columns. I wish Scott had left this beautiful scene uncut.
  
  
• While looking through the crack between the huge doors, Oona says, "You should see your princess now!" What she is referring to is not clear. It would make more sense if she were spying during Dress Waltz but that scene comes later.
  
  
• The music for "The Jewels" scene is inexplicably faded out. It would have worked well if Scott had let it continue through the scene.
  
  
• Darkness' father's voice during the beginning of the Dress Waltz seems unnecessary and doesn't work very well here.
  
  
• Brown Tom's open-mouthed reaction shot after Gump's line, "Jack has a plan, and a good one" seems out of place.
  
  
• The temp music of the plate gathering scene is very poor. The scene needs music, but Goldsmith must not have written the cue. Paul MacLean claims that Goldsmith said he never finished the score due to another commitment (though he did write about 84 minutes of music!).
  
  
• The scenes between Darkness and Lili are quite good but the change in Lili from someone who is disgusted with her captor to someone who will marry him if he will allow her to kill the unicorn is completely unbelievable. The March 10 script has Lili transformed into a catlike creature and her despair is much greater. Following Darkness' proclamation of his love for her the script has her say, "If this is true...hope is yet alive..." Her agreement to marriage is a ruse, as we find out later, but at least in the longer, scripted segment (March 10th version) we can accept the idea that Darkness might believe her. The script in the Academy library is much closer to the version of these scenes in the film, though still quite a bit longer than in the released film. Interestingly, the date on these pages is July 30. The fire took place on June 27th. Was this set not part of the 007 stage, or is this perhaps an edited down version of this sequence while the actual filmed segment was much longer as in the earlier script?
  
  
• There is a howl that frightens Screwball and Brown Tom that is still in the film. Following this Screwball says, "I vote we run like hell." According to the script, this was Lili's howl of despair in her animal form. But now it is disembodied and lacks the impact of the original idea.
  
  
• The ritual sacrifice of the unicorn was longer and more elaborate in the script, and, I believe, in the original cut as well. There is a cue that Goldsmith wrote with chanting in low male voices that is quite good that should go here (again, this cue is not included on the CD). Also, when Darkness says, "Here is our offering....sanctified with blood and with fire", he punctuates these lines by crushing a bat and splattering the blood onto the unicorn, and then branding the unicorn with a burst of fire from his finger. It could have been very effective. As it is, the entire scene is very choppy.
  
  
• There is an interesting sequence involving Screwball in the March 10 script (and at least part of it is in the final script--it's hard to tell how this sequence, on pages dated July 30 and August 17, was changed, since a page is missing in the library script at this point), but may have been filmed. It adds greatly to his character (and as I hope I have shown, character was one of the elements of the film that suffered tremendously from the cutting.) In this subplot, Screwball has agreed to carry the plate up the chimney only to give him a chance to escape--he wants no part of this entire nightmare and is willing to let the others fend for themselves. This attitude ties in well with the angry (Grumpy) character who often complains about the orders he has to obey from Gump. As he is climbing up the chimney he comes into view in the twin fireplace opposite the one burning in the banquet room. He sneaks in and steals an apple until Darkness, seeing the soot covered faerie and thinking him one of his minions, angrily shouts at him to get out, and he flees back to the chimney. As he is continuing up the chimney, he hears Lili claiming to want to kill the unicorn and, convinced she means it, has a change of heart and decides not to run away. At the top, overcome by hunger, he takes one bite out of the black apple and falls over unconscious. This is more believable than in the film where we must presume he passes out from exhaustion, not to mention that it provides another nice Disney allusion. It might have been changed in the editing room, but he is not covered with soot, so at least some of this scene was filmed differently from the script. Still, one could presume that the symbol of the apple originally held a greater significance in the film due to the fact that the European poster for LEGEND shows Darkness holding a crystal ball in the shape of an apple within which we see the images of Lili and Jack.
  
  
• In the American version (and in both scripts), after he has lost the battle with Jack, Darkness says, "You think you have won. You can never defeat me. I am a part of you all, we are brothers eternal." Darkness' plan to destroy the balance between light and Dark has failed. His proclamation before he falls into the abyss is a warning to Jack that any attempt to tip the balance in favor of Light is equally doomed to failure. This should have been maintained in the European version.
  
  
• The cue called "The Ring" (when Jack restores Lili's ring) is very chopped up and is severely harmed. It is a beautiful piece of music and should be restored. Some of the missing shots of this sequence can be seen in the American version, for example, that of Gump restoring the alicorn to the stallion which subsequently comes back to life.
  
  
• The final script says that Lili leaves Jack in the forest and vows to visit him every day. This is very different from the "strolling hand in hand into the sunset" ending of the film. The following is from an interview in Le Monde from August 1985. In it Scott describes the original ending for the film:
  
  

  Le Monde: Did you change the final scene somewhat so that you didn't put off your American audience?
  
  Ridley Scott: Perhaps I'm a little perverse. At the end of the film, when the princess awakens and the young lovers talk and embrace, there is a certain voyeurism, a thread of sexuality, and still more of innocence, for the sexuality comes from Lord Darkness. The princess removes the ring from her finger and gives it to him saying, "I want you to accept this before I leave." He looks at her and they gaze at one another with delight, then he asks her: "Will you sing for me?" She bursts into laughter and begins to sing joyfully without music for one or two bars. She runs into the forest, turns around and waves, beaming with happiness. We see him alone, standing, contemplating his domain, the forest. Slowly begins to cry.
  
  I loved that moment, like a suspension of innocence. The immediate reaction is: What, he's not carrying off the girl? Obviously he will have the girl. But a little later, the next day perhaps. Their relationship is going to develop, their love become reality. I like this ambiguity. For me, this is a completely optimistic ending.

  
  But Mr. Scott was certainly not being perverse. This scene also hints (albeit only slightly) at something that I believe Scott wished his film to convey subtly. In the March 10 script, Jack discovers that he is in fact immortal in a scene between him and Darkness that was completely changed before shooting. I also noted above that the dialogue at the unicorn death site dealt with questions about his mortality. I believe that Scott wished to hint at Jack's immortality similar to the way he hinted that Deckard was a replicant in BLADE RUNNER. There is no support for this in the released versions of the film and only a small bits of support in the script in the Academy library, but enough hints so that I'll stand by this. Lili realizes at the end that they are so different that they can never marry. But she will also never leave him. For me this ending is more than merely optimistic, it is the perfect ending. -Geoff