The Princess Bride (film)

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The Princess Bride
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rob Reiner
Produced by	Rob Reiner Andrew Scheinman Norman Lear for Act III Communications
Written by	William Goldman
Starring	Cary Elwes Robin Wright Mandy Patinkin Chris Sarandon André the Giant Christopher Guest Peter Falk Fred Savage Wallace Shawn Billy Crystal Carol Kane
Music by	Mark Knopfler
Cinematography	Adrian Biddle
Distributed by	20th Century Fox (Domestic theatrical and television rights) Vestron Pictures (now Lionsgate; international rights) MGM (Domestic home video rights)
Release date(s)	September 25, 1987 (USA)
Running time	98 mins
Language	English

The Princess Bride is an American 1987 film, based on the 1973 novel of the same name 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 book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage), thus effectively presenting this novel's narrative style.

This film is number 50 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies" and number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions" listing the 100 greatest film love stories of all time.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Filming 4 Reception 5 Post theatrical release 5.1 Soundtrack 5.1.1 Track listing 5.2 Musical adaptation 5.3 Rights issues 5.4 Home video history 6 Licensing 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Plot

The film is an enactment of the following story read by a sick boy's grandfather (Falk) as the boy (Savage) sits in bed listening, framed and occasionally interrupted by scenes of the reading.

A beautiful young woman named Buttercup (Wright) lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. When she orders the farmhand Westley (Elwes) to do chores for her, he answers "As you wish." Eventually she realizes he loves her and admits her love for him. Westley leaves to seek his fortune so they can marry, but his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts.

Five years later, believing Westley is dead, Buttercup reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon), heir to the throne of Florin. Before the wedding, she is kidnapped by three outlaws: a puny Sicilian boss named Vizzini (Shawn), a gigantic wrestler named Fezzik (André the Giant), and a Spanish fencing master named Inigo Montoya (Patinkin), who seeks revenge against a man with six fingers on his right hand who killed his father. The outlaws are pursued by Prince Humperdinck with some soldiers, and also by a masked man in black.

The man in black catches up to the outlaws at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity, where he defeats Inigo in a duel and knocks him unconscious, chokes Fezzik until he blacks out, and kills Vizzini by tricking him into drinking poison. When he tells Buttercup he is Roberts, she becomes enraged at him for killing Westley and shoves him into a gorge, but she realizes he is Westley himself when he replies "As you wish!" She dives into the gorge after him, and they flee through the dangerous Fire Swamp. When they are captured on the other side by Humperdinck and his sadistic six-fingered vizier Count Rugen (Guest), Buttercup agrees to return with Humperdinck in exchange for Westley's release, but Humperdinck secretly orders Rugen to lock Westley in the castle torture chamber.

When Buttercup expresses unhappiness at marrying Humperdinck, he promises to search for Westley, but his real plan is to start a war with a neighboring country by killing Buttercup and blaming them for her death. Buttercup taunts Humperdinck after learning that he never tried to find Westley. Enraged, Humperdinck tortures Westley almost to death. Meanwhile, Inigo and Fezzik meet when Humperdinck orders a gang of goons to arrest the thieves in a nearby forest, and Fezzik tells Inigo about Rugen. Inigo decides that they need Westley's help to get into the castle, and when he hears cries of anguish, he realizes they must be from Westley. Inigo and Fezzik find Westley and bring him to a magician, who revives him to a state of heavy paralysis.

After Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik invade the castle, Humperdinck orders the wedding ceremony shortened and Inigo finds and kills Rugen in a duel, repeatedly reciting his greeting of vengeance: "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Westley finds Buttercup, who is about to commit suicide, and assures her that her marriage is invalid because she never said "I do." Still partly paralyzed, he bluffs his way out of a duel with Humperdinck, then rides away with Buttercup, Inigo, and Fezzik.

Back in the boy's bedroom, the boy asks his grandfather to read the story to him again the next day, to which the grandfather replies, "As you wish"—which, as he explained earlier, means "I love you."

[edit] Characters

• Cary Elwes as Westley, the protagonist, a farmboy who is constantly teased by Buttercup, faithfully replying "As you wish", meaning that he loves her, as she comes to realize. Westley leaves soon after they discover their love to make the money necessary for them to marry, but is reported dead after his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Westley, as he later explains, was indeed attacked by Roberts, but when given the chance to beg, he merely bade that he please save his life. Roberts, intrigued by the please, allowed him to explain his mission, taking him on as his apprentice and eventually befriending him, bestowing upon Westley the title of Captain Roberts (which had been handed down by the original Roberts to each first mate). As the Dread Pirate Roberts, Westley returns to Florin and successfully defeats Vizzini's men Inigo and Fezzik, earning and giving in return respect to both. He rescues Buttercup and explains how he survived while journeying through the Fire Swamp to escape Prince Humperdinck, who is searching for Buttercup. However, they are ambushed, and he is taken to Rugen, the vizier's, torture chamber. Prince Humperdinck, being enraged at Buttercup's faithfulness, kills Westley. Turns out he was only mostly dead and, with the help of Miracle Max, he is revived by Inigo and Fezzik, who seek his aid to invade the castle. Westley, still paralyzed, accompanies them and is rejoined with Buttercup, explaining that her earlier marriage was a sham because "I do" was never said. Westley then bluffs his way out of a sword fight with the Prince, and Buttercup ties him to a chair. Westley, Buttercup, Inigo and Fezzik then escape on white stallions conveniently found by Fezzik, with Westley giving the title of Dread Pirate Roberts to Inigo.
• Robin Wright as Buttercup, Westley's true love who at first teased him constantly; she eventually realizes that his faithful response "As you wish" means that he loves her, and she discovers that she loves him too. Buttercup becomes Prince Humperdinck's fiancée after Westley is reported killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never leaves his victims alive. She is captured by Vizzini, Inigo Montoya and Fezzik on her daily ride, but rescued by a man in black, who reveals himself as the Dread Pirate Roberts, and after Buttercup kicks him down a hill, she recognizes him as Westley. The couple travel through the dreaded Fire Swamp to escape the Prince's search party, but are cornered, and Buttercup surrenders herself in exchange for Westley's safety. She has several horrible nightmares and expresses discomfort at marrying, remaining faithful that Westley will come for her as he promised, enraging Humperdinck so that he kills Westley. The Prince later forces a rushed wedding, but they never say "I do", making it a sham, as a revived Westley explains to her. Buttercup ties up Humperdinck and rides off with Westley, Inigo and Fezzik.

• Chris Sarandon as Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin, he intends to make Buttercup his bride after Westley has been reported killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Humperdinck hires Vizzini to capture and dispose of Buttercup, framing their neighboring country. Once this fails, as she is rescued by the newly returned Westley, he takes her back, intending to make her his wife. He is later enraged by her unhappiness at being married and continued devotion to Westley, and kills Westley. After Westley and his companions try to enter the castle, he rushes the wedding, with neither one ever actually saying "I do", making the wedding false. He encounters a still partly paralyzed Westley, who bluffs his way out of a sword fight with him, and Buttercup then ties him to a chair.
• Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya, a Spaniard who has trained ambidextrously in fencing for twenty years, he seeks revenge upon Count Rugen for his father, who, as he explains to Westley, made swords for the King but refused to give his prized sword away for 1/10th its price, and so was killed by Rugen; Inigo himself, being only eleven at the time, challenged Rugen for killing his father. Instead of killing him, Count Rugen gave him two scars on his cheeks. He first encounters and explains all this to Westley after his employer, Vizzini, orders him to kill him. After being defeated by Westley, Inigo realizes he is a superior fighter and, having also defeated Vizzini, a strategically intelligent man who can help him get into the castle to take revenge. He and Fezzik seek him out and revive him, and Westley does indeed get them in. Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle. Rugen admits that he killed Inigo's father, and they duel. Although Inigo is injured almost to defeat, his sense of revenge rekindles his energy and he kills Rugen. Having no purpose in life anymore, Westley offers him the role of Dread Pirate Roberts.
• Christopher Guest as Count Tyrone Rugen, the vizier of Prince Humperdink, who killed Inigo Montoya's father twenty years ago. He has six fingers on his right hand, and it is this detail by which both Inigo and Westley, and later Fezzik, recognize him. Rugen joins the Prince's search party for Buttercup, and after finding her with Westley, takes him to his torturing chamber. After the heroes invade the castle, Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle. Rugen admits that he killed Inigo's father, and they duel. Although Inigo is injured almost to defeat, his sense of revenge rekindles his energy and he kills Rugen.
• André the Giant as Fezzik, a giant and companion of Inigo, he first appears as the lackey of Vizzini, whom he annoys with his penchant for rhyming. Fezzik is ordered to kill Westley using his strength; he fails, but not before gaining Westley's respect. Fezzik later finds a drunken Inigo and helps him regather his wits, going with him to find and revive Westley as they need him to storm the castle. He is later key to this, scaring all the men from the gates and helping Inigo get to the Count, as well as carrying a paralyzed Westley. Toward the end of the film, Fezzik conveniently finds four white stallions which he, Westley, Inigo and Buttercup escape on.
• Wallace Shawn as Vizzini, a Sicilian criminal genius who Inigo and Fezzik at first work for, he is hired by Prince Humperdinck to capture and dispose of Buttercup. After finding that Westley (as the man in black) is pursuing them, he orders Inigo and Fezzik to kill him with their sword and strength skills, respectively. After both fail and Westley catches up, he is proposed to join in a battle of wits. Vizzini is tricked into drinking poison, and dies because the Man in Black actually poisoned both goblets, having slowly developed an immunity to the poison himself over the years.
• Peter Falk as The Grandfather/Narrator, the grandfather of a sick boy who reads the story to him. He serves as narrator, though he is frequently interrupted by his grandson at moments when things look down for the protagonists; each time he asks if the boy wants the story read or not. By the end of the film, the grandfather has intrigued the boy enough that he asks him to read it again the next day, to which he replies, "As you wish".
• Fred Savage as The Grandson, a young boy who is sick; his grandfather comes to read him the story. At first uninterested, he gradually becomes absorbed with it (still requesting that his grandfather skip over the kissing, though by the end he no longer minds so much) and frequently interrupts at moments when things seem to be looking down for Westley or the other heroes. The grandson at the end of the film asks his grandfather to read it again the next day, to which he replies, "As you wish".
• Billy Crystal as Miracle Max, a former servant of the king, he was fired by Prince Humperdinck, against whom he still harbors a grudge, often referring to the Prince as "the King's stinking son"; he resurrects Westley after explaining that he is only mostly dead, and that if he were fully dead, the only thing they could do is go through his clothes and look for loose change. Max also gives a chocolate-coated pill which helps Westley regain consciousness.
• Carol Kane as Valerie, Max's wife, who convinces him to help.
• Peter Cook as The Impressive Clergyman, the clergyman at Humperdinck and Buttercup's wedding; he can't pronounce his R's, W's or L's and is forced to cut to the end of the ceremony proceedings by the prince.
• Mel Smith as The Albino, assistant torturer to Count Rugen, who cleans Westley up and later disposes of him; he is knocked unconscious by Fezzik.
• Anne Dyson as The Queen, mother of Prince Humperdinck.
• Margery Mason as The Ancient Booer, a woman in Buttercup's dreams who mocks her for giving up true love.
• Malcolm Storry as Yellin, a soldier of Florin.
• Willoughby Gray as The King, father of Prince Humperdinck, who is very kind to Buttercup, and to whom she admits she will commit suicide; he merely brushes it aside as he can't hear her.
• Betsy Brantley as The Mother.

[edit] 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

Although Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin did learn to fence (both left- and right-handed) for the film (reportedly spending all their free time during the production practicing with fencing instructor Bob Anderson and with each other), the actual swordfight scene between them was filmed using two separate, mirror-imaged, sets, allowing the illusion that they were equally skilled with either hand. They actually performed all of the fencing in the swordfight scene, however; stunt doubles were used only for the two somersaults.^[1] 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 Robin Hood: Men In Tights, 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.^[2]

Rob Reiner's ideal choice to play Buttercup was Whoopi Goldberg. Over 300 known, relatively known and soon-to-be known actresses either auditioned, screen-tested or were considered for the role. These included Courteney Cox, Geena Davis, Sean Young, Rosanna Arquette, Jodie Foster, Penelope Ann Miller, Diane Lane, Kyra Sedgwick, Christina Applegate, Juliette Lewis, Winona Ryder, Tori Spelling, Demi Moore, Mariel Hemingway, Meg Tilly, Daryl Hannah, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Grey, Kelly McGillis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Melissa Leo, Amy Yasbeck, Kelly Lynch, Phoebe Cates, Rebecca de Mornay, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alyssa Milano, Carrie Fisher, Linda Hamilton, Theresa Russell, Sharon Stone, Sela Ward, Alyson Hannigan, Shannen Doherty, Drew Barrymore, Helen Hunt, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alexandra Paul, Tracey Ullman, Elizabeth Perkins, Michelle Pfeiffer, Virginia Madsen, Bridget Fonda, Marg Helgenberger, Kelly LeBrock, Meg Ryan, Joanna Pacula, and Laura Dern. Only the three finalists Kathleen Quinlan, Amanda Plummer, and Robin Wright Penn were seriously considered for the role, with Penn ultimately being chosen.

André the Giant had trouble with both the speed and clarity of his lines, prompting Patinkin to slap him in the face to get him to concentrate harder. In the first script reading, Patinkin slapped André in the face and screamed at him, "Faster, Fezzik!" It worked.^[3]

Billy Crystal's interactions with 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 of the DVD release, it is stated that one of the few injuries sustained during the making of the film was when Mandy Patinkin bruised a rib by trying not to laugh at Billy Crystal (Crystal was actually on camera).^[4]

[edit] Reception

The movie was initially a modest success, 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 the film a "two thumbs up" rating on the television program Siskel & Ebert & the Movies.^[5] Roger Ebert also wrote a very favorable print review.^[6] Richard Corliss of Time felt the film was fun for the whole family,^[7] and later, Time listed the film as one of the "Best of '87."^[8]

Over the years the film has 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. The film was selected number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions" listing the 100 greatest film love stories of all time. BBC Radio 5's resident film critic Mark Kermode is a fan of the film, frequently considering it a model to which similar films aspire.

[edit] Post theatrical release

[edit] Soundtrack

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

	"Storybook Love" Sample of "Storybook Love" from the movie and Willy DeVille album Miracle
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The song "Storybook Love," written and sung by Willy DeVille, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.

The soundtrack was released by Warner Bros. Records in the USA and Vertigo Records internationally in November 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 (CV-43) baseball cap (modified to say USS Ooral Sea) 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.

[edit] Track listing

All songs composed by Mark Knopfler 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" (Willy DeVille) – 4:24

[edit] 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.^[9] Some of Guettel's music for the production has since surfaced in concert performances and workshops.

[edit] 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, with Fox acting as UK video distributor (inherited from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).

[edit] 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 were the "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 rereleased the movie on 2007-11-13 with flippable cover art featuring the title displayed in an ambigram. This DVD did not include any of the bonus features from the older editions, but had new short featurettes and a new game.

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

The film is available in Region 2 and is published by Lionsgate. Its extras are the Theatrical Trailer and Text Filmographies.

A Blu-ray Disc release is scheduled for release on 2009-03-17, encoded in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Special features include two audio commentaries, the original theatrical trailer and eight featurettes.^[10]

[edit] Licensing

Beginning in 2007, a new round of licensing began, with several large companies picking up the rights to produce Princess Bride merchandise. Among these is Toy Vault Inc., NECA Toys, and Worldwide Biggies. Toy Vault Inc. has released a line of plush toys based on the film's main characters, as well as the very first card games based on the film. Worldwide Biggies made headlines on various technology websites with their release of the first ever video game based on the film. NECA released a line of collectible sculpts for which they are well known.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, PlayRoom Entertainment (in association with Toy Vault Inc.) released The Princess Bride: Storming the Castle, a board game based on the movie. The game is for 2-4 players and it is based on the assault by Westley and his companions to the Humperdink's castle, during the wedding. The game received a fairly good reception on board-game review websites and, as of September 2008, got a 6.29/10.00 rating on BoardGameGeek, based on 14 ratings by players. The game includes a comic book adaptation of the movie.^[11]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Princess Bride (film)

• Official website
• The Princess Bride at Allmovie
• The Princess Bride at the Internet Movie Database
• The Princess Bride at Metacritic
• The Princess Bride at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Princess Bride at the TCM Movie Database
• Princess Bride Script

v • d • e Films directed by Rob Reiner 1980s This Is Spınal Tap (1984) · The Sure Thing (1985) · Stand by Me (1986) · The Princess Bride (1987) · When Harry Met Sally... (1989) 1990s Misery (1990) · A Few Good Men (1992) · North (1994) · The American President (1995) · Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) · The Story of Us (1999) 2000s Alex & Emma (2003) · Rumor Has It... (2005) · The Bucket List (2007)

v • d • e The Princess Bride Novel · Film Characters Prince Humperdinck · Inigo Montoya · Fezzik · Count Tyrone Rugen Creators S. Morgenstern · William Goldman · Rob Reiner Other Dread Pirate Roberts