The Princess Bride

By Brandi M. Seals

I think I have seen The Princess Bride more than any other movie. Starting in grade school it became a tradition that each year my class would watch the movie in school. This lasted all the way through high school. That is at least 8 viewings before I turned 18. Now I own the movie and every once in awhile I get a hankering to see it. You know a movie is good if you can watch it that much and still want to see it again.

I am not sure what it is about the Princess Bride that makes it such a great movie. It is filled with jokes, fantasy and love. It has all the elements of a cult classic.

The Princess Bride tells the story of a young boy (Fred Savage) who is home from school because he is sick. His grandfather (Peter Falk) comes over and reads him his favorite book, The Princess Bride.

The young boy is not receptive of the book at first since he would rather be playing video games, but he soon changes his mind. As the grandfather reads, the viewers begin to see Florin, the setting of the Princess Bride. Florin is a kingdom in an imaginary land, filled with giants, heroes, cowardly princes, and rodents of unusual size.

Cary Elwes, and Robin Wright Penn star in this classic fairy tale. The film is based on a 1973 novel by William Goldman. The movie is an excellent translation of the book, probably because Goldman also wrote the screenplay. The story was brought to life under the direction of Rob Reiner, the well-known director.

The story begins on a farm in the countryside of Florin. Living there is a young, beautiful woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn). Buttercup soon falls for her farmhand, Westley (Cary Elwes). They are not equals and as such they must express their love in secret. They do so by saying "as you wish" instead of "I love you."

Since Westley was poor, he sets out to earn his riches. Unfortunately, Westley disappears at sea, an apparent victim of the Dread Pirate Roberts, a feared pirate in search of money, jewels and other rich rewards.

Time flashes forward, it is a few years later and now Buttercup is engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). She is kidnapped by three bumbling idiots - Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Fezzik (Andre the Giant) and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). As the group sail towards the Cliffs of Insanity, they notice they are being pursued by a man dress in black.

They try to lose the man in black. He is challenged to a sword fight, matches witts with Vizzini and even has a battle of the brawn with Fezzik the giant. But the man in black wins out. Soon the identity of the man in black is revealed… He is Westley. He had been overtaken by the Dread Pirate Roberts, but befriended him and soon replaced him as the new Dread Pirate Roberts.

This classic fairy tale goes on to throw up several challenges, all of which are overcome by Westley. There are interesting characters that we meet along the way and unusual creatures.

The movie jumps back and forth between the fairy tale and the boy and his grandfather. The fairy tale is the primary story and the characters are very well developed. The secondary story is not as well developed but we do get a sense of their characters. For example, despite being grossed out by the kissing, the boy soon becomes intrigued by the story and must know what happens to Princess Buttercup.

The Princess Bride is a fun one-of-a-kind piece. If you like The Goonies or Robinhood: Men in Tights, you should give The Princess Bride a try. Chances are you will love it. It makes a great addition to any movie collection.

The Princess Bride was released in 1987 and runs 98 minutes. Aside from the leading actors, the film features some well-known celebrities that you might not recognize at first. Carol Kane plays Valerie and her husband, Miracle Max, is played by Billy Crystal. The costumes and makeup are done so well that only their voices give them away as the miracle working pair.