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'''''The Princess Bride''''' is a 1987 American [[romantic comedy film|romantic comedy]] [[adventure film]] based on the 1973 [[The Princess Bride|novel of the same name]] by [[William Goldman]], combining [[comedy film|comedy]], [[adventure film|adventure]], [[romance film|romance]], and [[fantasy film|fantasy]]. The film was directed by [[Rob Reiner]] from a screenplay by Goldman. The story is presented in the film as a book being read by a grandfather ([[Peter Falk]]) to his sick grandson ([[Fred Savage]]), thus effectively preserving the novel's narrative style. This film is number 50 on [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]]'s "100 Funniest Movies," number 88 on The [[American Film Institute]]'s (AFI) "[[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions]]" list of the 100 greatest film love stories, and 46 in [[Channel 4]]'s 50 Greatest Comedy Films list.<ref>{{cite web | title=50 Greatest Comedy Films | url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/50-greatest-comedy-films | date=January 27, 2010 | work=Channel4.com | publisher=Channel 4 | accessdate=October 30, 2011}}</ref> ''The Princess Bride'' has developed into a [[cult film]] since its release.<ref name="http://www.filmjerk.com/news/article.php?id_new=489">{{cite web | url=http://www.filmjerk.com/news/article.php?id_new=489 | title="The Princess Bride" becomes part of the Midnight Madness at the Rialto | accessdate=October 31, 2011}}</ref>
'''''The Princess Bride''''' is a 1987 American [[romantic comedy film|romantic comedy]] [[adventure film]] based on the 1973 [[The Princess Bride|novel of the same name]] by [[William Goldman]], combining [[comedy film|comedy]], [[adventure film|adventure]], [[romance film|romance]], and [[fantasy film|fantasy]]. The film was directed by [[Rob Reiner]] from a screenplay by Goldman. The story is presented in the film as a book being read by a grandfather ([[Peter Falk]]) to his sick grandson ([[Fred Savage]]), thus effectively preserving the novel's narrative style. This film is number 50 on [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]]'s "100 Funniest Movies," number 88 on The [[American Film Institute]]'s (AFI) "[[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions]]" list of the 100 greatest film love stories, and 46 in [[Channel 4]]'s 50 Greatest Comedy Films list.<ref>{{cite web | title=50 Greatest Comedy Films | url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/50-greatest-comedy-films | date=January 27, 2010 | work=Channel4.com | publisher=Channel 4 | accessdate=October 30, 2011}}</ref> In the United States, ''The Princess Bride'' has developed into a [[cult film]] since its release.<ref name="http://www.filmjerk.com/news/article.php?id_new=489">{{cite web | url=http://www.filmjerk.com/news/article.php?id_new=489 | title="The Princess Bride" becomes part of the Midnight Madness at the Rialto | accessdate=October 31, 2011}}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==

Revision as of 11:25, 12 September 2012

The Princess Bride
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRob Reiner
Screenplay byWilliam Goldman
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byPeter Falk
CinematographyAdrian Biddle
Edited byRobert Leighton
Music byMark Knopfler
Production
company
ACT III Communications
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 25, 1987 (1987-09-25)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16 million
Box office$30,857,814

The Princess Bride is a 1987 American romantic comedy adventure film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman. The story is presented in the film as a book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage), thus effectively preserving the novel's narrative style. This film is number 50 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies," number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) "AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions" list of the 100 greatest film love stories, and 46 in Channel 4's 50 Greatest Comedy Films list.[1] In the United States, The Princess Bride has developed into a cult film since its release.[2]

Plot

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

A beautiful young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. Whenever she gives her farmhand Westley (Cary Elwes) an order, he answers "as you wish," and happily complies. 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, who has a reputation for never leaving anyone alive.

Five years later, believing Westley dead, Buttercup reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), heir to the throne of Florin. Before the wedding, she is kidnapped by three outlaws: an extremely short Sicilian boss named Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), a giant from Greenland named Fezzik (André the Giant), and a Spanish fencing master named Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), who seeks revenge against the six-fingered man who killed his father. The outlaws are pursued by Prince Humperdinck with a complement of 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 after telling him that he should die too, 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 where they navigate past the R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Size), fire spouts, and lightning sand. When they are captured on the other side by Humperdinck and his sadistic six-fingered vizier Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), Buttercup agrees to return with Humperdinck in exchange for Westley's release, but Humperdinck secretly has Rugen imprison and torture Westley.

When Buttercup expresses unhappiness at marrying Humperdinck, he promises to search for Westley, but his real plan is to start a war with the neighboring country of Guilder by killing Buttercup and framing them for her death. After Buttercup realises that Humperdinck has no intention of finding Westley, she taunts his cowardice and feelings of inferiority towards his romantic rival. Enraged, Humperdinck tortures Westley to his apparent death. Meanwhile, Inigo and Fezzik meet when Humperdinck orders a gang of goons to arrest the thieves in a nearby forest, and Fezzik informs Inigo of Rugen's existence. Inigo decides that they need the man in black's help to get into the castle, and when he hears cries of anguish (from Westley's torture) he decides that they must be from the man in black and follows them. Inigo and Fezzik arrive in Rugen's torture chamber to find Westley dead, but bring him to a miracle man named Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) who explains that Westley is "only mostly dead", reviving him to a state of heavy paralysis.

Westley, Inigo, and Fezzik invade the castle, prompting Humperdinck to order a drastically-abridged version of the wedding ceremony, rushing Buttercup to her chambers. Inigo finds and duels Rugen, and despite incurring heavy blood loss from a stab wound in the opening moments of the battle, he is able to maintain his focus by repeatedly reciting his long-rehearsed greeting of vengeance ("Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die") and eventually manages to slay his nemesis.

Westley finds Buttercup, who is about to commit suicide, and assures her that her marriage is invalid because she never said "I do." When confronted by Humperdinck, Westley bluffs his way out of a duel (due to his temporary paralysis) and manages to have Humperdinck tied to a chair, left to contemplate his cowardice. Triumphant, he then rides away with Buttercup, Inigo, and Fezzik on four white horses that Fezzik conveniently discovers.

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."

Cast

Production

The Cliffs of Insanity are actually the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Republic of Ireland.

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

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 for the two somersaults.[4] 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 film 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 film. 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.[5]

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.[6]

Billy Crystal's interactions with André the Giant later inspired Crystal to create the film My Giant. [citation needed]

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).[7]

Soundtrack

Main article: The Princess Bride (album)

The original soundtrack album was composed by Mark Knopfler, and released by Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Vertigo Records internationally in November 1987. The album contains the song "Storybook Love", performed by Willy DeVille and co-written with Mark Knopfler. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.[8]

In his audio commentary of the film on the Special Edition DVD, director Rob Reiner said that only Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits 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 film. Knopfler agreed on one condition: that somewhere in the film Reiner would 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.

Reception

The film was initially a modest success,[9] grossing $30.8 million at the United States and Canada box office,[10] on a $16 million production budget.[11] It received highly favorable reviews from some critics, including Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel who gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating on their television program Siskel and Ebert and The Movies.[12] Roger Ebert also wrote a very favorable print review.[13] Richard Corliss of Time felt the film was fun for the whole family,[14] and later, Time listed the film as one of the "Best of '87."[15] Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the cast and the sweetness of the movie.[16] The film currently holds a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[17]

Legacy

The Princess Bride was not a huge box office success, but after its release to the home video market, it became a cult classic. The film is one of the most quotable films of all time[citation needed], with actor Wallace Shawn admitting he is approached on a daily basis with people saying "inconceivable", with Elwes approached with "as you wish". For many[who?] under 50 years old, The Princess Bride has been referred to as The Wizard of Oz of our time. They saw it originally as young people, and introduce it to their children to enjoy.[18]

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 96 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.[citation needed]

American Film Institute Lists

In December 2011, director Jason Reitman staged a live dramatic reading of The Princess Bride script at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), with Paul Rudd as Westley; Mindy Kaling as Buttercup; Patton Oswalt as Vizzini; Kevin Pollak as Miracle Max; Goran Visnjic as Inigo Montoya; Cary Elwes (switching roles) as Humperdinck; director Rob Reiner as the grandfather; and Fred Savage reprising his role as the grandson.[22]

Post-theatrical release

Rights issues

The film was released theatrically 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. Interestingly, Fox today acts as distributor for the MGM video library.

What became Lions Gate still holds international rights to the film outside North America, with Fox acting as UK video distributor (inherited from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment).

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 in unmatted full screen. New Line Home Video reissued the VHS in 1994.[23]

The Criterion Collection released a matted widescreen version, bare bones version on laserdisc in 1989, supplementing it with liner notes. In 1997 Criterion re-released the laserdisc as a "Special Edition". This edition was widescreen and included 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.

File:The princess bride 20th anniversary edition dvd.jpg
Cover of 20th Anniversary Edition

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 with the film in wide and full screen versions, and included the original US theatrical trailer. The next year MGM re-released the film in another widescreen "Special Edition", this time with two audio commentaries—one by Rob Reiner, the other by William Goldman—"As You Wish", "Promotional", and "Making Of" featurettes;[clarification needed] 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" and "Buttercup" editions. Each featured their respective character, but had had 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. Another year later, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film, MGM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film 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. A Blu-ray Disc was released on March 17, 2009, encoded in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Special features include two audio commentaries, the original theatrical trailer and eight featurettes.[24]

In 2007, the film was released for download in the iTunes Store.[25]

The film is also available in Region 2 where it is published by Lions Gate. Its extras are the theatrical trailer and text filmographies.

Adaptations

It was announced that Tony Award-winning composer Adam Guettel was working with William Goldman on a musical adaptation of The Princess Bride in 2006. The project was abandoned though, 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.[26] Some of Guettel's music for the production has since surfaced in concert performances and workshops.

In 2008, PlayRoom Entertainment released The Princess Bride: Storming the Castle, a board game based on the film.[27]

References

  1. ^ "50 Greatest Comedy Films". Channel4.com. Channel 4. January 27, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  2. ^ ""The Princess Bride" becomes part of the Midnight Madness at the Rialto". Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  3. ^ "'The Princess Bride': The cast and director share the story behind the beloved fantasy". Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  4. ^ Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. DVD Audio Commentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. (see Ch. 06, time 17:45)
  5. ^ Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. DVD Audio Commentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. (see Ch. 08, time 25:40)
  6. ^ Goldman, William. The Princess Bride. DVD Audio Commentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. (see time 1:02:00)
  7. ^ Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. As You Wish Documentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001.
  8. ^ Allmusic "The Princess Bride". Retrieved November 23, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  9. ^ Gray Streeter, Leslie (December 9, 2007). "'The Princess Bride' Turns 20". The Palm Beach Post. {{cite journal}}: Text "[w]as a modest hit[...]" ignored (help)
  10. ^ "The Princess Bride (1987". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  11. ^ Clark, Mike (September 25, 1987). "Reiner's 'Princess' is charming". USA Today. Despite a $16 million budget, [...]
  12. ^ "''At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert'' review". Bventertainment.go.com. Retrieved August 5, 2010.[dead link‍]
  13. ^ Roger Ebert, The Princess Bride, Chicago Sun-Times, October 9, 1987
  14. ^ "Errol Flynn Meets Gunga Din THE PRINCESS BRIDE", Richard Corliss, Time, September 21, 1987.
  15. ^ "Best of '87", Time, January 4, 1988.
  16. ^ New York Times review by Janet Maslin, September 25, 1987.
  17. ^ {{http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/princess_bride/]
  18. ^ "'Princess Bride' Reunion, Thanks to Entertainment Weekly Magazine". Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  19. ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees
  20. ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
  21. ^ AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot
  22. ^ Breznican, Anthony (December 30, 2011). "'The Princess Bride' Comes Alive!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  23. ^ Billboard (May 21, 1994), page 55.)
  24. ^ MGM Press Rlease: The Princess Bride (Blu-ray), Home Theater Forum, 2009-02-04.
  25. ^ "Itunes – Princess Bride". Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  26. ^ Riedel, Michael (February 16, 2007). "'Bride' Not to Be While Broderick Balks at 'Producers'". New York Post. Retrieved March 19, 2007.
  27. ^ The Princess Bride: Storming the Castle | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
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