The Princess Bride

One of the most unique films I have ever seen, "The Princess Bride" deserves the cult following it has. It is my favorite film from 1987. All aspects of the film exude the desired mood of the film, which is a perfect balance between satire and sincerity. This is an example of a moderate story made better by the cinematic elements that tell it, mostly characters and cast. Elements of postmodernism such as self-reflexivity and intertextuality are employed perfectly. This is one of the most quotable movies ever made and there are reasons for this. There are too many wonderful and entertaining moments in this film. As a result, I will limit my conversation to the best ones as well as those that add to the story.

As mentioned, "The Princess Bride" has a perfect balance between quirky and genuineness. We laugh but we also feel. Dramatic moments are concluded with funny lines. One example of this is after Inigo's monologue when Inigo tells Westley that is working for Vizzini to pay the bills because there is little money in revenge. Another example is the line "I just hope it's enough to buy a miracle. That's all." The filmmakers know that the film is cheesy but fully embrace it for entertainment purposes. Today's society enjoys postmodernism and its elements of self-reflexivity and intertextuality. Self-reflexivity is when the movie reminds you that it is a movie. The framing device of the grandfather reading to his grandson provides many of these moments where the fourth wall is broken. Intertextuality is the use of references to other texts or in this case, modern time. "The Princess Bride" has modern lines that wouldn't be spoken in a fairytale such as "I'm swamped." I used to play the video game that we first see in the movie and that is a sentimental part for me. The fact that the grandfather had this book when he was young plus the summary he provides of its story is important for the audience because the grandson represents the entire audience no matter how old they are. As the storybook begins, the adults in the audience aren't too impressed by the romance because it is a little too simple and the children don't fully understand romance yet. The grandson becomes our voice. Usually with good romances, the couple does not kiss until the end. This movie takes a different approach by having the grandson interrupting the kissing. When he interrupts the first time, kids can relate and adults want to know where the excitement is. The romance does work in this movie however because of the chemistry between the actors but also because of the narration. We believe they are in love at the start but true love in any movie follows conflict and opposition. By the end, the book delivers all that the grandfather promised us and then some. The level of comedy is something we didn't expect. The names Buttercup and Humperdinck indicate early on that this film is not meant to be taken completely seriously. The three "circus performers" and their opening scene provide laughs. There is also some storytelling happening at the same time. We understand that Inigo and Fezzik are not bad men because they don't want to kill Buttercup. This helps set up the ending. We also enjoy the leader Vizzini because of his short temper (excuse the pun). Once we hear the voice of the man in black who pursues the kidnappers, we gain interest in the movie because we know who he is. The biggest reason why there are so many memorable lines in "The Princess Bride" is because many lines are repeated. If you were interrupted reading a book mid-sentence, you would recommence at the start of that sentence and this provides some humor. My favorite is "Those are the shrieking eels" because it is synced with the narration the second time. Repetition makes many lines very memorable. The second time you see the movie for example, you can't wait during Inigo's monologue for him to say what he will say to the six-fingered man. For your first time on the other hand, Inigo's back-story is intriguing but we might be left to wonder why we are being told it. At the moment in the film, it bears no relevance to the story between Westley and Buttercup. Mandy Patinkin's performance and the music make it such an important story and at first we might think that it exists to set up Inigo as a talented swordsman. The battle of wits between the man in black and Vizzini is very fun because of how much Vizzini tries to look into the problem. However, despite the comedy of the scene, there might be some deliberate stalling on Vizzini's part so that the man in black will fall for "What in the world can that be?" Another reason why Vizzini is such a fun character is because of how he dies. We like both characters but we are on the side of the man in black and so we can let go of Vizzini.

Westley's story in the Fire Swamp of how he became Roberts is fun because it provides exposition and yet at the end, it seems a little convenient for a story concerning pirates so it is funny as well. The fight with the R.O.U.S. is the scariest part of "The Princess Bride". The monsters in this movie may seem silly or fake but thanks to sound effects, the eels and the R.O.U.S. feel scary. We again have a nice mixture between the mad and the authentic. Another important plot point is when we see the six fingers of Count Rugen. That is when the movie becomes fully entertaining story-wise. The fact that Rogan will not go higher than level five on the machine makes it quite horrible when the machine is used on the highest level later. Because the evil inventor won't use the machine to its greatest power level, it truly becomes "ultimate suffering" at level 50. The reunion between Inigo and Fezzik is a welcome moment. We have some fun moments with the narration here and I love Patinkin's acting as he yells, "That's enough!" One of Fezzik's funniest moments is "Everybody move!!!" thanks to Andre's voice. Then comes another serious moment that concludes in a funny way as Inigo prays to his father to guide his sword and humorously discovers the Pit of Despair. Once Westley is brought back to life, we get another funny scene between him, Inigo and Fezzik. This allows them to become a workable team for the sake of the story. I love how getting into the castle is impossible for Westley to plan without a wheelbarrow and holocaust cloak, items which the other two conveniently provide. The three heroes with Andre's humorous voice defeat the 60 guards and in another iconic moment, we see an "impressive clergyman" and his voice is revealed to be like unto Elmer Fudd's. Inigo's fight with the guards in the hallway makes his long awaited line even cooler and in another example of ending on a funny note, Rugen takes off. It is an important moment for the climax when Inigo has been hurt and Buttercup is going to kill herself. All hope seems lost. Inigo however wins against all odds and his revenge is more complete than most fictional characters. The film ends with a curtain call of sorts and with a cast of characters as memorable as this, the movie seems to demand it.

I should mention Rob Reiner as the director because his ability to direct comedy allowed for this magic to take place and become immortal. Bob Anderson has an amazing resume as a fight coordinator and I am so glad he did this movie. As mentioned multiple times, the cast & characters take this nice story and make it memorable for all time. Cary Elwes truly has an Errol Flynn-type persona that makes him the perfect leading man for this type of movie. I love his performances during the sword fight and his wrestling match with Andre because his vocal performances are so calm and cool. It contrasts the action, which adds to the comedy and makes his character very appealing. This was Robin Wright's first film and she became a well-known actress thanks to Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump". Her best moment in the movie is when she throws herself down the hill after Westley. Mandy Patinkin's accent seems absolutely perfect and this was my first movie of his. Everyone knows his best line: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Chris Sarandon's best moment is "My father's final words were..." When a movie has a giant in it, usually it requires special effects but for "The Princess Bride" it wasn't necessary. Fezzik is played by an actual gentle giant from the world of wrestling. Practical effects were used because Andre recently had back surgery and couldn't lift anything heavy. I don't like calling Andre a giant because his soul deserves a different adjective and so I just prefer Andre. All the cast members have fond memories of him and Andre's best line is "Anybody want a peanut?" Christopher Guest did very well in his role and had worked with Reiner before on "This is Spinal Tape". His best line is "I swear it will be done." Fred Savage, who would later become famous in "The Wonder Years", plays the grandson and his best line is "Murdered by pirates is good." If I was forced at gunpoint to choose just one favorite actor/character in the movie, I guess I would go with Wallace Shawn as Vizzini. His entire performance and final laugh is "inconceivable"!!!! The cameos of Billy Crystal and Carol Kane are so enjoyable. Kane's sudden appearance with "Liar!!!" is so funny as are their other lines: "Get back witch." and "Have fun storming the castle." Peter Falk was really good as the grandfather/narrator and I love his delivery of the line "Shut up". As a final note on characters, the Albino's sudden change of voice is so perfectly done by Mel Smith. The music represents the mood of the whole movie. The notes played by brass instruments sound electronic and consequently phony but the string instruments, particularly the guitar, sound genuine.

The song during the end credits did receive an Oscar nomination. Because the studio didn't know how to market a film like this, "The Princess Bride" wasn't a box office smash. Critics loved it but it only made double its budget. Just as "The Wizard of Oz" achieved immorality because of television, this movie became immortal because of home video. We are now at a period of time where parents are showing it to their kids and when I have kids, I plan to have them watch it when they are sick. I have left out so many wonderful lines & moments in this movie and I guess that is fitting because people should see this movie for themselves. The American Film Institute rates this movie on its list of the top 100 romances at #88 and it is one of the funniest comedies according to other sources. "The Princess Bride" has an okay story but the characters and their chemistry together make the movie memorable for all time. You have a perfect combination of humor and drama. This is one of my favorite melodramatic and postmodern films I know.

4.5 Stars