The Princess Bride: 30 Years Later

21st July 2017

Thirty years, you say? Inconceivable! Yes, we do know what that word means. And it truly is astonishing that the evergreen romantic comedy The Princess Bride is 30 years old, initially released in 1987 without being a huge box office hit. With home media editions such as DVD and Blu-ray released in 2000s and 2010s, this adventure comedy is as popular as it’s ever been.

Movie buffs all around the world have watched, re-watched and loved this film as it rose to its cult status. What makes Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride have such a loyal following? Let’s revisit its story which starts with a sick boy in bed (Fred Savage) and his grandfather (Peter Falk) trying to read him a fairy tale. Well, some may think as did the boy, fairy tales are not for boys, but The Princess Bride is so much more. It has pirates, sword fighting, adventure, giant rodents, everything that may appeal to an adolescent boy.

Chosen as the princess bride to the loathsome Prince Humperdinck, our titular heroine is Buttercup played by wonderful and then 20-year-old Robin Wright fresh from the world of soap operas. Her soulmate, Westley/The Dread Pirate Roberts, is played by Cary Elwes, probably in the role of his career – even though he has a long list of credits. At the very beginning of the story, Princess Buttercup is kidnapped by villainous Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) who’s accompanied by Fezzik (Andre the Giant) and swordsman Inigo Montoya. The fabulous cast goes on and on including Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon, Peter Cook…

Wesley, disguised as Man in Black follows in the footsteps of the crooks who kidnapped his true love, and eventually catches up to them at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. Here Vizzini meets his end after Wesley tricked him into drinking poison, and Montoya is beaten in a duel with the man in black. Afterwards, Buttercup and now revealed Wesley continue their adventure, however separated, and trying to reunite once again. Well, if you still haven’t seen this iconic film, some details are better left unwritten.

One of the most memorable characters (but aren’t they all?) is Mandy Patinkin’s Inigo Montoya, driven by revenge and often proclaiming “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” This is not only one of the most famous movie quotes, but is also one of the best portrayed characters in the film. Few years back, I read an incredible and moving bit of trivia that stuck with me ever since. Before the filming of The Princess Bride, Patinkin’s father sadly died of cancer. As he said, his on-screen revenge was fuelled by the event from his own life, and when he fought on film, he fought and took revenge on the disease that killed his father. But don’t this affect your perspective of the film, after all, it’s an enjoyable comedy too with an incredible script. A big part of film’s plot is a fantastic sword fight between Inigo and Wesley, a result of months’ hard work and training, both left- and right-handed fencing, to make it as real as possible.

The Princess Bride was Rob Reiner’s 4th directorial feature and he already found success with Stand by Me and This is Spinal Tap, still being recognized as some of his best works.

But, can you expect any less from a man who delivered classics and fan favourites such as When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men, all in consecutive order.

Have you noticed that you probably remember and love all major characters in the movie? That is most certainly one of the factors why The Princess Bride is such a cultural phenomenon. Also, it is complemented with a soundtrack by British singer-songwriter and guitarist of Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler. From Billy Crystal’s Miracle Max (“Have fun storming the castle”) to The Impressive Clergyman’s Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today speech, everyone is familiar with these unforgettable roles.

A lot of this trivia was recently published in Cary Elwes’s book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, including how author William Goldman was so nervous the film would fail that he ruined the first day of filming. Oh, if only he knew.

For many, The Princess Bride was an indispensable part of a childhood, and is still fondly looked upon as it invokes memories of a happier and simpler time.

I’m sure these 30 years are only the beginning and that The Princess Bride will stay a cult movie imprinted in the cinematic history, especially among the mass movie production we have these days. If you’re interested in watching some other cult classics, here’s a recommendation of movies to watch, considered fan favourites, which would make a perfect movie night.

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