“The Princess Bride” An Absolute Classic

This month, I will be taking a look at a few films that are based on books. To start this little series off, I wanted to take a look at a 1987 film adaptation that initially became a modest hit, yet ultimately became a popular cult classic. And, the film I’m talking about is “The Princess Bride.”

A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her,

They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be reunited with each other.

“The Princess Bride” is definitely a delightful postmodern fairy tale. This 1987 cult classic is an amazing mix of swashbuckling action, romance and a lot of great comedy which takes the typical, age-old damsel-in-distress story and gives it a bit of a fresh spin.

Before I started watching this film favorite, I looked at the trailers and I’ll admit, I thought it  would be a little corny (first time watching this one too). Once I finished watching it, I can see why this beloved cult classic is a favorite for a lot of people.

“The Princess Bride” does an incredible job poking fun of the usual fairy tale tropes while at the same time paying tribute to the fairy tale sub-genre. The film also delivers many memorable moments and characters that will really keep you entertained from start to finish.

There are so many moments in this film that really stand out. In fact, the trio of outlaws that are featured throughout the film - the Sicilian criminal genius Vizzini, the Spaniard fencing master Inigo (“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”) and the enormous Fazzik (“Anybody want a peanut?”) - really steals the show in their moments together. They have so many moments that will really make you laugh. When they end up trying to battle the Man in Black/Wesley, those moments really made me laugh. 

I honestly can’t decide which of their moments are better. The battle of the wits that Vizzini has with Wesley is memorable and funny; the sword fight between Inigo and Wesley is highly entertaining (and yes, funny) and where Wesley tries to fight with Fazzik is very humorous. Let me know on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook your favorite moment from this film!

Billy Crystal can also make you laugh during his scenes as Miracle Max. Some of his lines can be so hilarious, you can tell that the actors with him are doing all they can do to stay in character. While making fun of fairy tales, “The Princess Bride” also does a good job looking like a typical fairy tale with the sets and some of the imagery.

Overall, if you’re looking for a film that has a bit of everything for everyone, make sure to give “The Princess Bride” a look! And this is one of those films that I won’t mind re-visiting again!

Trivia: Rob Reiner, who had been enamored of the book since he was given it as a gift from his father, realized he wanted to make the film adaptation after successfully demonstrating his filmmaking skill with the 1984 release “This Is Spinal Tap.” During the Miracle Max scenes, both Rob Reiner and Cary Elwes had to be removed from the set for laughing at Billy Crystal’s improvised lines.

“The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The ‘Good Parts’ Version” is a 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman. It was originally published in the US by Harcourt Brace, then later by Random House, while in the UK it was later published by Bloomsbury. 

“The Princess Bride” is rated PG  (running time 98 minutes)

You can currently stream this hilarious and entertaining cult classic on Hulu/Disney Plus and other various PVOD rental services.

• During the filming of some scenes, the weather became markedly cold for Robin Wright. André René Roussimoff helped her by placing one of his hands over her head; his hands were so large that one would entirely cover the top of her head, keeping her warm.

• Mandy Patinkin has said that the role of Inigo Montoya is his personal favorite over the course of his entire career.

• Director Rob Reiner left the set during Billy Crystal's scenes because he would laugh so hard that he would feel nauseated.

• When Count Rugen hits Westley over the head, Cary Elwes told Christopher Guest to go ahead and hit him for real. Guest hit Elwes hard enough to knock him unconscious, lacerate the top of his head. Production was shut down for the day while Elwes went to the hospital.

• Mandy Patinkin claims that the only injury he sustained during the entire filming of this movie was a bruised rib due to stifling his laughter in his scenes with Billy Crystal. His attempt at holding back his laughter is obvious from his facial expression during his line, "This is noble, sir."

• André René Roussimoff called almost everybody on set (be they director, producers, co-stars or crew) "boss", a technique he employed to defer to people he liked and go some way towards counteracting the way he would tower over them.

• According to author William Goldman, when he was first trying to get the movie made in the 1970s, a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to play Fezzik, and he was strongly being considered because Goldman could never get his first choice, André René Roussimoff, to read for the role. By the time the movie was made about twelve years later, Schwarzenegger was such a big star they could not afford him. Andre was cast after all, and the two big men had gone on to become friends. Ironically, Andre played the antagonist Dagoth who battles Schwarzennegger's Conan in Conan the Destroyer (1984).

• During the Miracle Max scene, both Rob Reiner and Cary Elwes had to be removed from the set for laughing at Billy Crystal's improvised lines. A dummy of Westley that Fezzik had been carrying around took Elwes's place on the table while him and Reiner watched the filming on a close circuit monitor outside the closed set.

• Despite his character Fezzik's almost-superhuman strength, André René Roussimoff's back problems at the time prevented him from actually lifting anything heavy. Robin Wright had to be attached to wires in the scene where Buttercup jumps from the castle window into Fezzik's arms because he couldn't support her himself.

• Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin performed all of their own sword-fighting after many hours of training. According to Rob Reiner, the only stunt performed by Elwes' stunt double was one flip during the "Chatty Duelists" scene.

• A lot of the dialogue from Billy Crystal's character was ad-libbed and didn't appear in the script.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CIXEAjcc8