Information about The Princess Bride (film)

The Princess Bride
North American movie poster.
Directed by	Rob Reiner
Produced by	Rob Reiner Andrew Scheinman Act III Communications
Written by	William Goldman
Starring	Cary Elwes Mandy Patinkin Chris Sarandon Christopher Guest Wallace Shawn André the Giant Robin Wright Peter Falk Billy Crystal Carol Kane Fred Savage
Cinematography	Adrian Biddle
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	September 25 1987 (USA)
Running time	98 mins
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Princess Bride is a 1987 film, based on the 1973 novel The Princess Bride by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance and fantasy.

The movie was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman. The story is presented in the movie as a fairy tale being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage), thus echoing the book's narrative style.

This film is number 50 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies." It is consistently placed in the Internet Movie Database's Top 250 list of films, with over 82,000 votes.^[1]

Taglines

• Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, Battling Rodents of Unusual Size, Facing torture in the Pit of Despair. - True love has never been a snap.
• It's as real as the feelings you feel.
• Heroes. Giants. Villains. Wizards. True Love.
• Not just your basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum fairy tale.
• She gets kidnapped. He gets killed. But it all ends up okay.

Plot synopsis

The main narrative of the movie is framed by a scene between a grandson (Fred Savage) and a grandfather (Peter Falk). The grandson is home ill, and the grandfather has come to read him a story. The plot of the movie is the enactment of the story as it is being read, which is sometimes interrupted by comments on the two said characters' parts. This resembles the original book, wherein the author presents a fictionalization of his own darkly comic or lightly tragic relationships with the book, with his father, and with his wife.

Story

In a vaguely Medieval fairy-tale world, we learn that a beautiful woman called Buttercup (Robin Wright) has been raised on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. She delights in verbally abusing the farm hand boy Westley (Cary Elwes) by demanding that he perform chores for her. Westley's only answer is "As you wish," which represents his great affection for her. After she has realized the true meaning of the words, as well as the fact that she returns his love, Westley leaves the farm to seek his fortune, so they can marry. He promises to return, but Buttercup later receives word that his ship was attacked at sea by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who is notorious for taking no prisoners. Five years later, believing Westley to be dead, Buttercup becomes reluctantly engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), heir to the throne of Florin.

Before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by a trio of outlaws: the short Sicilian criminal genius Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), the ambidextrous, Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and the enormous and mighty Turk Fezzik (André the Giant). A masked man in black follows them across the sea and up the Cliffs of Insanity; Vizzini orders Inigo to stop him. Inigo arranges a fair fight, allowing his opponent rest before the duel, during which Inigo reveals that he is seeking revenge on a six-fingered man who killed his father. The Man in Black wins their duel, but leaves the Spaniard alive. Vizzini, stunned, leaves Fezzik behind with orders to kill the Man in Black. Fezzik, also honorable, throws a rock as a warning, and challenges the Man in Black to a wrestling match. The Man in Black chokes Fezzik until the giant blacks out from lack of oxygen, after which the Man in Black departs.

The Man in Black catches up with Vizzini, who holds Buttercup hostage. Vizzini claims that while he is no match for the Man in Black physically, the Man in Black is no match for Vizzini mentally. The Man in Black then challenges Vizzini to a battle of wits, which Vizzini accepts. The Man in Black produces a vial of "iocaine powder" (an undetectable [and fictional] poison), takes two goblets of wine behind his back as if to poison one of them, then instructs Vizzini to choose a goblet. Vizzini uses his logic to deduce which cup is poisoned, drinks from one and gloats over his assumed triumph, before dying. The Man in Black then reveals to Buttercup that he had poisoned both, but he was not affected because he had "spent the last few years building an immunity to iocaine powder."

With Prince Humperdinck's rescue party in hot pursuit, the Man in Black flees with Buttercup, and upon further questioning reveals to her that he is the Dread Pirate Roberts, Westley's murderer. Enraged, she shoves him down a gorge, yelling "You can die too for all I care!" only to hear him call "As you wish!" as he plummets down the hillside. She realizes he is Westley himself, and plunges after him. Westley reveals that the Dread Pirate Roberts did attack his ship, but kept Westley alive after hearing the depths of his love for Buttercup. Westley signed on as his apprentice, learning to sail, fence, and fight. Eventually, Roberts secretly passed his name, captaincy, and ship to Westley.

Westley and Buttercup travel through the feared Fire Swamp to evade Humperdinck's party, surviving, respectively, the explosions of flaming gas from the ground; a fall into the quicksand-like substance known as "lightning sand" (in contrast to the book, wherein it is known as "snow sand"); and an attack by the huge, carnivorous "Rodents Of Unusual Size". On exiting the swamp, they are captured by Humperdinck and his menacing six-fingered vizier Count Tyrone Rugen (Christopher Guest). Buttercup negotiates for Westley's release and is returned to the palace to await her wedding. Rugen has no intention of releasing Westley, but takes him to the Pit of Despair, where he is first cared for by the Albino (Mel Smith), then tortured.

Buttercup later undergoes several nightmares regarding her marriage to the prince. She expresses her unhappiness to Humperdinck, who proposes a deal: he will send out four ships to locate Westley, but if they fail, Buttercup will marry him. Humperdinck secretly reveals that he arranged Buttercup's kidnapping in order to start a war with neighboring country Guilder, but her safe return won the affection of the people, so the Prince has decided it will be better propaganda if she is strangled on her wedding night.

On the day of the wedding, Inigo and Fezzik meet by chance while Fezzik is ransacking the city's slum by royal decree. Having been cured of drunkenness, to which he had been prone, Inigo learns of the existence of Count Rugen. Inigo decides he must kill Rugen; therefore they seek out the Man in Black, hoping his wits and sword skills will help them overcome the guards. Buttercup learns that Humperdinck never sent the ships, and taunts him with her enduring love for Westley. Enraged, he tortures Westley to death. Westley's screams draw Inigo and Fezzik to the scene; upon finding Westley's dead body, they enlist the help of Miracle Max (Billy Crystal), a magician who had worked for Humperdinck's father before the prince expelled him. Max is initially reluctant to help, but changes his mind to spite Humperdinck. He pronounces Westley to be merely "mostly dead" and resurrects him, though Westley remains partly paralysed for most of the rest of the film.

Westley devises a successful plan to invade the castle during the wedding. Upon hearing the resulting commotion, Humperdinck finishes the ceremony abruptly. Buttercup decides to commit suicide as soon as she reaches the honeymoon suite. Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle and finally kills him, repeating throughout a much-rehearsed challenge: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die". Westley manages to reach Buttercup before she commits suicide and assure her that her marriage is a sham, since she never made any vows. Still partly paralysed, he then bluffs his way out of a swordfight with Humperdinck, who is promptly tied up by Buttercup. Instead of killing his rival, Westley decides to leave him alone with his cowardice. The party rides off into the sunset on white horses that Fezzik has conveniently discovered in the royal stable. Since Westley no longer wishes to be the Dread Pirate Roberts, he suggests transferring the position and title to Inigo Montoya, who, having avenged his father, now needs a new purpose in life.

Cast

Cary Elwes as Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts/Man in Black/Farm Boy Robin Wright as Buttercup Chris Sarandon as Prince Humperdinck Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya Christopher Guest as Count Tyrone Rugen André the Giant as Fezzik Wallace Shawn as Vizzini Peter Falk as The Grandfather/Narrator Fred Savage as The Grandson

Billy Crystal as Miracle Max Carol Kane as Valerie Peter Cook as The Impressive Clergyman Mel Smith as The Albino Anne Dyson as The Queen Margery Mason as The Ancient Booer Malcolm Storry as Yellin Willoughby Gray as The King Betsy Brantley as The Mother Paul Badger as The Assistant Brute

Filming

The film was shot in various locations in England and Ireland:

• Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England
• Castleton, Derbyshire, England
• Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland (for the Cliffs of Insanity)
• Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire, England

Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin learned to fence (both left- and right-handed) for the film, reportedly spending all their free time during the production practicing with an instructor and with each other. They performed all of the fencing in the swordfight scene; the only stunt doubles used were for the two somersaults.^[2] This amount of time spent practicing came in handy for Elwes, who later starred—and used his fencing skills—in the film Glory and in the Mel Brooks movie , notably against Roger Rees, and even going so far as to call out, 'Parry, parry, thrust, thrust—good!'.

André the Giant had undergone major back surgery prior to filming, and despite his great size, could not support the weight of the much lighter Cary Elwes or Robin Wright for a scene at the end of the movie. For the wrestling scene, when Elwes was pretending to hang on André's back, he was actually walking on a series of ramps below the camera during close-ups. For the wide shots, a stunt double took the place of André; on close examination, it is apparent that the double is much smaller than André.^[3]

André the Giant had trouble with both the speed and clarity of his lines, prompting Mandy Patinkin to actually slap him in the face to get him to concentrate harder. On one shoot, Patinkin slapped Andre in the face and screamed at him, "Faster, Fezzik!" It worked. ^[4]

Billy Crystal's meeting André the Giant later inspired Crystal to create the movie My Giant.

When Count Rugen hits Westley over the head, Cary Elwes told Christopher Guest to go ahead and hit him for real. Guest hit him hard enough to shut down production for a day while Elwes went to the hospital.

In the As You Wish documentary in the Special Features section, it is stated that one of the few injuries in the making of the film was a bruised rib from trying not to laugh too loud at Billy Crystal's joke (Crystal was actually on camera).

Reception

The movie was initially a modest success, though not a huge blockbuster, grossing twice its $15,000,000 (USD) production costs at the U.S. box office. It received highly favorable reviews from some critics, including Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel who gave "Two thumbs up" on the television show Siskel & Ebert at The Movies. Roger Ebert also wrote a very favorable print review.^[5] Richard Corliss of TIME felt the film was fun for the whole family.^[6] and later, TIME listed the film as one of the "Best of '87".^[7]

Over the years, the film's reputation has grown and it has become a cult film, with frequent television and occasional big-screen showings. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted The Princess Bride the 38th-greatest comedy film of all time. In 2006, William Goldman's screenplay was selected by the Writers Guild of America as the 84th best screenplay of all time. The film has a percentage of 95 on Rotten Tomatoes, with a Cream of the Crop percentage of 86.

Musical adaptation

Tony Award-winning composer Adam Guettel spent much of 2006 working with William Goldman on a musical adaptation of The Princess Bride. The project was abandoned in February 2007 after Goldman reportedly demanded 75 percent of the author's share, even though Guettel was writing both the music and the lyrics.^[8] Some of Guettel's music for the production has since surfaced in concert performances and workshops.

Soundtrack

The Princess Bride
Soundtrack by Mark Knopfler
Released	January 1, 1987
Genre	Film score
Length	39:25
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Mark Knopfler
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Mark Knopfler film score chronology
Comfort and Joy (1984) The Princess Bride (1987) Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)

The soundtrack was originally released by Warner Bros. Records in 1987. It was co-written and recorded by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, the only person whom director Rob Reiner felt could create a soundtrack to capture the film's quirky yet romantic nature. Reiner was an admirer of Knopfler's work but did not know him before working on the film – he sent the script to him hoping he would agree to score the movie. Knopfler agreed on one condition: that somewhere in the film Rob Reiner include the USS Coral Sea baseball cap he wore as Marty DiBergi in This is Spinal Tap. Reiner was unable to produce the original cap, but did include a similar cap in the grandson's room. Later Knopfler said he was joking.

The song "Storybook Love" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.

Track listing

All songs composed by Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher unless otherwise noted.

1. "Once upon a Time...Storybook Love" – 4:00
2. "I Will Never Love Again" – 3:04
3. "Florin Dance" – 1:32
4. "Morning Ride" – 1:36
5. "The Friends' Song" – 3:02
6. "The Cliffs of Insanity" – 3:18
7. "The Swordfight" – 2:43
8. "Guide My Sword" – 5:11
9. "The Fire Swamp and the Rodents of Unusual Size" – 4:47
10. "Revenge" – 3:51
11. "A Happy Ending" – 1:52
12. "Storybook Love" (composed and performed by Willy DeVille) – 4:24

Rights issues

The film was released by 20th Century Fox in North America, and internationally by what was then Vestron Pictures. When it was first issued on home video, Fox lost all but the television rights, and to the present day Fox remains the TV distributor. Domestically, the ancillary rights ended up changing hands and eventually became part of the Epic Productions package acquired by MGM, so today it is the latter studio that is responsible for most rights. Ironically, Fox (the original theatrical distributor) today acts as distributor for the MGM video library.

What became Lionsgate still holds international rights to the film outside North America.

Home Video history

In North America, the film was released on VHS and laserdisc in 1988 by Nelson Entertainment, the latter being a "bare bones" release and in unmatted full screen. In 1989, The Criterion Collection also released a bare bones matted widescreen version on laserdisc, supplementing it with liner notes. Criterion re-released the laserdisc as a "Special Edition" in 1997, this time in widescreen and including an audio commentary by Rob Reiner, William Goldman, Andrew Scheinman, Billy Crystal, and Peter Falk; excerpts from the novel read by Rob Reiner; behind the scenes footage; a production scrapbook by unit photographer Clive Coote; design sketches by production designer Norman Garwood; and excerpts from the television series Morton and Hayes, directed by Christopher Guest.

By 2000, MGM had acquired some rights to the film (as part of the aforementioned "Epic Productions" package) and released the film on VHS and DVD. The DVD release featured the soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and both wide and full screen versions as well as the theatrical trailer. In 2001, the film was re-released by MGM as a widescreen "Special Edition" and included two audio commentaries—one by Rob Reiner and the other by William Goldman—"As You Wish," "Promotional" and "Making Of" featurettes, a "Cary Elwes Video Diary", the US and UK theatrical trailers, four television spots, a photo gallery, and a collectible booklet.

In 2006, MGM released a two-disc set with varying covers—the "Dread Pirate Edition" and the "Buttercup Edition"—but identical features. In addition to the features in the previous release was "Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Legend Of The Seven Seas", "Love Is Like A Storybook Story", and "Miraculous Make Up" featurettes, "The Quotable Battle Of Wits" game and Fezzik's "Guide To Florin" booklet. A year later, for the 20th Anniversary of the film, MGM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have planned a rerelease of the 2-disc edition for November 13 2007 with flippable cover art featuring the title displayed in an ambigram.

In 2007, the film was released for download in the iTunes Music Store.

References

External links

• The Princess Bride on the Internet Movie Database
• Reconstructivist Art: The Princess Bride
• Princess Bride Script

•  • [ e] Films directed by Rob Reiner
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) • The Sure Thing (1985) • Stand by Me (1986) • The Princess Bride (1987) • When Harry Met Sally... (1989) • Misery (1990) • A Few Good Men (1992) • North (1994) • The American President (1995) • Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) • The Story of Us (1999) • Alex & Emma (2003) • Rumor Has It... (2005) • The Bucket List (2007)