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The Princess Bride (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987)

GENRESAdventure,Family,Fantasy,Romance
LANGEnglish
ACTOR
Cary ElwesMandy PatinkinRobin WrightChris Sarandon
DIRECTOR
Rob Reiner

SYNOPSICS

The Princess Bride (1987) is a English movie. Rob Reiner has directed this movie. Cary Elwes,Mandy Patinkin,Robin Wright,Chris Sarandon are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1987. The Princess Bride (1987) is considered one of the best Adventure,Family,Fantasy,Romance movie in India and around the world.

An elderly man reads the book "The Princess Bride" to his sick and thus currently bedridden adolescent grandson, the reading of the book which has been passed down within the family for generations. The grandson is sure he won't like the story, with a romance at its core, he prefers something with lots of action and "no kissing", but he lets grandfather continue, because he doesn't want to hurt his feelings. The story centers on Buttercup, a former farm girl who has been chosen as the princess bride to Prince Humperdinck of Florian. Buttercup does not love him, she who still laments the death of her one true love, Westley, five years ago. Westley was a hired hand on the farm, his stock answer of "as you wish" to any request she made of him which she came to understand was his way of saying that he loved her. But Westley went away to sea, only to be killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. On a horse ride to clear her mind of her upcoming predicament of marriage, Buttercup is kidnapped by a...

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The Princess Bride (1987) Reviews

  • A transcendent, nostalgic, pervasively hilarious experience

    razwee2004-05-10

    I have been waiting for the right time to review this film. I did not feel until today that I was truly ready to say all I had to say about director Rob Reiner's unforgettable staple of 1980s pop culture. When I first saw The Princess Bride, I was only 7 years old, and hardly cognizant of film as anything but a pastime. While I remember the movie as being enjoyable, I did not have anywhere near as strong a liking or appreciation for it as I do now. I certainly did not remember the film as a theater-going experience, and recently, I got the chance to view it, on the big screen, with at least fifty others in attendance at a midnight screening. Personally, I am one of those people who, by nature, absorbs memorable quotes, and by that token, the entirety of The Princess Bride is fair game. As I sat there watching, I could always hear somebody, if not more than one person, at least whispering along with the movie under his or her breath. Meanwhile, I noticed that there was a wide disparity of age groups. There were pre-teens, teens, people in their twenties, thirties, and some that looked well past forty. If the showing had not been at midnight, I do not doubt that there would have been pre-pre-teens as well. With a screenplay written by William Goldman (based on his book), The Princess Bride is a classic, familiar story of a princess, her true love, and the forces that come between them. As is evidenced by those in attendance, this is a story for all ages. The manner in which this fairytale part of the story is executed by Goldman and Reiner is memorable enough to make this a great film. As any fan of the movie will tell you, however, it is the film's whimsical, irreverent, pervasive tongue-in-cheek antics that make it an unqualified masterpiece. If you hang around people who love this film, do not be surprised if they react to unbelievable situations with the exclamation, "Inconceivable!" Likewise, if you tell them to just wait a minute, don't be thrown aback when they suddenly sport a Spanish accent in saying, "I hate waiting." And if you suddenly, from out of nowhere, hear, "Hello.my name is Inigo Montoya.you killed my father.prepare to die," don't worry. It's not your fault, and you're not going to die. While The Princess Bride has the sort of satirical edge more geared towards adults, the film is equally effective as a pure fairytale, and for this reason, there is a little something for everyone. In addition, the film enacts a self-referential tribute to the power and beauty of fairytale stories, even in the current age in which many consider them archaic and obsolete. A sick grandson (Fred Savage), who is spending his time mindlessly playing video games (of the nostalgic Atari 8-bit type), gets a visit from his grandfather (portrayed through a wonderful performance from Peter Falk). To the grandson's dismay, his elder has brought a book to read to him. When he expresses disapproval at his grandfather's old-fashioned ways, the grandfather's response is, "When I was your age, television was called books." Even this quote stands out as resonant and memorable. The grandson starts out expressing skepticism and boredom, but of course, as the reading of the story progresses, this gradually gives way to captivation and praise. Buttercup (Robin Wright, in her breakthrough role) is a fair-haired, stunningly gorgeous maiden who has been engaged to the smug, cowardly Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), the prince who rules over the land of Florin. She of course does not love him, and she has been without joy since her true love, a farm boy named Wesley (Cary Elwes), was reportedly murdered on the seas. Of course, without Wesley, there is no story of true love, and we know that he must miraculously return to her someday. This happens through an extraordinary, and increasingly hilarious, set of circumstances. A group of three bandits kidnap Buttercup with the intent of killing her to precipitate a war between Florin and its enemy, Guilder. These three are (in order of increasing stature) the intellectually pompous Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), the Spanish swordsman Inigo (Mandy Patinkin), and the big-hearted slow-witted giant Fezzik (the late Andre the Giant, in one of the most no-brainer casting decisions in all of film history). During the kidnapping, however, a mysterious man in black closes in on the trail of the three abductors, and it is this man who takes on each of the three one by one in battles of skill, strength, smarts, and of course, deliciously witty repartee. There is something unusually extraordinary about these battles, however. With the exception of Vezzini, the abductors are not villains as we might initially perceive them to be. The marvelously choreographed swordplay between the man in black and Inigo, and the hilarious absurdity of the handfight with Fezzik, are not at all about winning or losing. They embody a sense of honor, sportsmanship, and nobility that is rarely exemplified in competition (both fictional and real). Inigo, Fezzik, and the man in black do not display their skills pretentiously or flauntingly. Instead, they take a strong sense of inner pride in the subtle mastery of their arts. As a result, when we see them engage in competition, there is not a sense of enmity, but a wonderful air of camaraderie. Also included in the mix are a sadistic count (Christopher Guest) with an odd physical characteristic and a penchant for pain, an albino (Mel Smith) with a stuffy throat, the deadly wrath of an R.O.U.S., and a clergyman (Peter Cook) who makes Elmer Fudd seem eloquently spoken. Most memorable, perhaps, is the appearance of Billy Crystal and Carol Kane as the miracle-man Max and his wife. It has been reported that in the middle of filming this scene, Reiner was forced to leave the set, because Crystal's improvisations were causing him to laugh to the point of being sick. Regarding the film's casting, every single choice, without exception, is absolute perfection. Cary Elwes not only easily looks the part of a daring, ingenious hero, but as an actor, he has an incredible gift for a subtle mixture of drama and comedy, one that easily coincides with the film's sensibilities. Robin Wright easily essays the role of the headstrong princess, endlessly devoted to her love (with a convincing British accent, despite her American origins). For the scene of swordplay, Elwes and Patinkin had to study fencing for months, which is impressive, but on-screen, I had no trouble believing that they were characters who had studied for at least several years. Despite his limited acting ability, wrestler Andre the Giant is perfect for the role of Fezzik, and something would be lost with any other actor in his place. And of course, Wallace Shawn is endlessly amusing to watch as the diminutive, perpetually exasperated Vezzini. We also don't have to hear Christopher Guest and Chris Sarandon speak any lines to know they are portraying villains. The arrogance, callousness, and sliminess are readily apparent in their facial and bodily expressions. When all is said and done, we have witnessed a wide variety of hilarity, captivating acts of love and heroism, and of course, one of the most satisfying acts of retribution ever put on film (one that immortalizes the film's most famous quote and chooses just the right time and placement for the film's sole swear word). For someone who watches this film for the first time, and quickly catches on to the film's capricious mix of reverence and satire, the film is a marvel to watch simply for the knowledge that you do not know what will come next. Will there be a touching moment? A reflective one? An act of bravado? Or will our expectations be subverted in an act of comical subterfuge? The answer: any of them will do, as the film has a delectable variety of all of them. From start to finish, The Princess Bride is a transcendent, magical experience that constantly elicits uproarious laughter and simultaneously immerses the audience in a rich, magnificent, and almost nostalgic world of folklore that, after the end credits roll, seems timeless and undying. In the years since its release in 1987, it has grown into a cult film of legendary status, and judging by the wide variety of ages I witnessed at the screening (as well as the endless barrage of quoting), it seems perfectly reasonable to assume that the film will endure for many years to come.

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  • The Perfect Movie

    robbijean1999-12-08

    This is one of those rare films that gets better each time you watch it. With something for everyone, The Princess Bride combines romance, action, adventure and parody to create the perfect movie. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright are beautiful to watch and the story of their love is a wonderful backdrop to the adventure and intrigue played out in this story. Mandy Patinkin is wonderful as Inigo and gets to deliver some of the best lines in the film. Chris Sarandon is perfect in his role as the bad guy prince. The plot is rich, with adult innuendos the kids will miss all together and levels of wit to entertain the whole family. The dialogue is full of very funny catch phrases- many of which are still part of my repertoire more than a decade after I first saw the movie. If you like dry humor and fast wit, The Princess Bride will make your day. I have owned this video since 1988 and still watch it regularly - it has become my 'sick day' movie because it is such a joy.

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  • I love it.

    Little Raven2001-01-10

    There's enough reviews here to show how enjoyable and entertaining this movie is, but I had to put my own word in... I simply love this movie. I watched it with my parents when I was very young, and have been watching it constantly ever since. It's a movie that I just can't seem to grow tired of. For one, I absolutely love the medieval fantasy genre, both in books and movies. From a small child I've loved knights, castles, dragons. the whole sort. This movie, quite simply, puts the viewer into an imaginative world where everything seems real. Second, the characters are so enjoyable to watch, you really begin to feel for them - all of them. Even humperdink, whose name does him justice, gets pity at the end. Lastly, the grandfather's list of the qualities of the book at the very beginning are all true... this story has everything. That is why it is such a classic, when everything comes down to it. From the moving love story between Wesly and Buttercup, to the dynamic and brilliantly scripted duel between the Man in Black and Indigo, to even the hilarious bickering from Vezinni to his lovable giant, Fezzik... This movie finds a place to include EVERYTHING one can imagine. The story moves along at a great pace, and you feel as though the whole land has been covered when the book is closed. Furthermore, the whole conception of using the "telling a story" approach doesn't taken away from the realism of the story, but raises it even more by showing how mesmerized the boy is, listening to the tale - just as we are, in front of the screen. Maybe it was how I was captivated to the screen, watching it as a child... Maybe it was how I'd pop the movie in and turn a boring Sunday afternoon an exciting adventure as I grew up... Or maybe it's how I can sit down with friends and all enjoy the movie together, laughing at its funny parts, and cheering at it's exciting moments. The movie has a place in my heart, and that will never go away. A "10" on the scale, and even these words, can't begin to tell how much I love this movie.

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  • A great adventure film in somewhat the same style as other great fantasy adventures like The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride takes us on a wonderful trip along with fascinating and enormously amusing c

    Anonymous_Maxine2002-08-06

    I'm not exactly sure what exactly it is that makes The Princess Bride such a spectacular film. Or, at the very least, I just can't pinpoint a single characteristic about it that really rises above all others as the main reason that no one should miss it. Indeed, it has a title that should prove to be remarkably uninteresting to the typical action adventure fan (okay, MALE action adventure fan), but even the most die-hard Die Hard fan would love this film. It is extremely important not to judge this film just because it has such a flowery and dangerously (at the risk of sounding shallow) girly name, because it is full of wonderful adventure and even some good killing and violence. Does this belong in this kind of romantic comedy? Absolutely! The cover box of the film looks like that of a cheesy romance novel, but the film is truly great from start to finish. And, indeed, the film is very aware of the superficial impression that it leaves, and it even presents it directly through Fred Savage's initial response to his grandfather reading him the story. But as the film goes on, we begin to have the same reaction that Fred has. We can't get enough. Cary Elwes delivers by far the most outstanding performance of his career as Westley, the love-struck servant to Buttercup, a beautiful blonde woman living in a misty romantic fantasy world. Sadly, Elwes' later career has been punctuated by roles that do not serve him well, especially after such a stunning performance in this role. Liar Liar and Twister come immediately to mind. Robin Wright also gives one of the best performances of her career in her film debut here as Princess Buttercup, but the real quality of the performances that makes the movie so great is the fact that they were able to pack the film full of comic relief (it was nearly nonstop from start to finish) without taking anything away from the tension or the overall respectability of the film. It is interesting to consider the polar opposite effect of the comic relief on the vast majority of the James Bond films. Wallace Shawn is absolutely hilarious as Vizzini, the bonehead villain who is completely convinced that he has the whole world figured out, Andre the Giant delivers a lumbering but highly impressive performance as Vizzini's enormous, idiot sidekick, and by far my favorite of all, Mandy Patinkin creates one of the most entertaining and likeable characters created in a film in the entire decade of the 1980s (`My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!'). This is great stuff. Told as a story read from a book, just like The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride provides a magical mix of romance and fantasy and action and comedy to provide an enormously entertaining film for moviegoers of all ages. The Princess Bride is an absolutely wonderful film that is truly not to be missed.

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  • Possibly one of the most enjoyable films ever made...

    Sagitta862004-03-02

    "As you wish..." "Inconceivable!" "My name is Inigo Montoya..." I love this film so much. From its opening scenes of the young boy being read a story by his kindly Grandfather to the romance, action, adventure and fun of the fairy tale. The Princess bride tells the tale of the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright) and her true love Westley (Elwes)who become separated through the course of an unfortunate event involving some pirates. Westley's destiny is to rescue Buttercup from the clutches of an evil Prince so that they might be together again. Yet he's not bargained on some of the wonderful characters that he will meet (and befriend) along the way... This film is so deliciously acted, made and written that it is a treat to watch.I've lost count of how many times I've seen it now. But every time I still gain the same enormous amount of pleasure from watching it. A movie that is a delight for the young and just as much fun for everyone else. The actors are all superb in their roles ('perfect casting' does not come close to describing it!) A young Cary Elwes is suitably dashing as our cocky hero (check out the sword fighting!)and Robin Wright is good as the beautiful Buttercup. Mandy Patinkin is great as the vengeful Inigo Montoya who utters that famous "you killed my father. prepare to die" line. Everyone else gives there all, including Christoper Guest, Chris Sarandon (as the main villian), Wallace Shawn, the late Andre The Giant,Mel Smith, and Billy Crystal. Even though it is about 18 years old, the humour and sly jokes are still as sharp today as they were back in 1987.You know you are watching a great movie when you here Elwes' "To the pain..." speech near the end. You've probably seen The Princess Bride. If so...go and watch it again. Right now, and remind yourself how good it is! And if you haven't- what are you waiting for? Go and check it out now! It's worth it! Hands up who can quote this entire film off by heart! ;) Watch out for: The R.O.U.S's Elwes' and Patinkin's Sword/word fight The Miracle Max scene When our heroes storm the castle (Go Inigo! Go Inigo!) Elwes' "To the pain..." speech. (Superb. Shows what a great (and unfortunately underused) actor he is)

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