Film #024 - The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride is one of those rare cases where I had read a not-terribly-popular book before seeing the movie. Of course, I was suckered into reading it by the exciting copy on the back. (At that time, I was reading *a lot* and it took something extra for a book by an author I didn’t recognize to get my attention.) It said: “What happens when Prince Charming turns out to be a son of a bitch?” and proclaimed that it was the “good parts” version. (I’m not sure what I thought the “good parts” were, but I knew this was the version for me.
Anyway, it was nothing like what I expected. I was expecting an action/adventure story with some “good parts”. What I got was a multi-layered tale of youth and adventure, loss and redemption, love and betrayal… More than I could have imagined. I actually read the book in two sittings (stopped only by the advancing clock from finishing it in one). I sent for the “missing” scene and still have the response it its hand-addressed envelope from Ballantine Books. (If you send for it today, you get a later revision than the one I did - proof positive that I was in on the story before th film.)
But would it make a good movie? I wasn’t sure. It was a complex book, with 9as I previously stated) lots of layers to it. There’s the story of Buttercup and Westley itself. There’s the story of (the fictional version of) William Goldman’s experiences with the book. There’s the flashbacks to Goldman’s father reading the book to him. And then there’s all the wacky asides by “original author” S. Morgenstern as he finds himself unable to keep himself from commenting on the story. I knew it would never make it to the screen unaltered.
And it didn’t. Goldman, who naturally wrote his own screenplay, focused in on the two most engaging parts: the story itself and the relationship between the boy being read to and his grandfather reading it. Although tons of material is lost, it focuses the film in to the essentials.
At the time that The Princess Bride premiered, I had a rather high opinion of its director, Rob Reiner, having already loved This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me. This film confirmed him as much more than Archie Bunker’s “Meathead”.
First, he cast the film perfectly. While Robin Wright isn’t quite as beautiful as Buttercup is described (who could be?), she radiates the sense of that beauty, making her description fit. Then unknown Cary Elwes gives Westley the simplicity he needs in the early scenes, but the depth to be the man he has to for Buttercup’s sake. And I can’t even guess how Reiner thought of the rest of them. How did he know Christopher Guest could be so evil? That Chris Sarandon could so effectively portray the combination of charm and slime necessary for Prince Humperdinck? That Mandy Patinkin would be able to swordfight like that? (Actually he and Elwes learned their swordplay just for the film and did all their own fighting.) And the performance that he got out of Andre the Giant is legendary, capturing all that makes Fezzik a great character and all that made Andre a great person. Topped off by the perfect Grandfather (Peter Falk) and Grandson (Fred Savage) and a host of smaller roles and cameos filled by talented people working at their best.
In fact, the only disappointment with the film was its original reception. It was released to a thunderous yawn from audiences, grossing a mere $30M (behind such justifiably forgotten films as * batteries not included, Like Father, Like Son and Blind Date). Of course, it was a strong year (take a look and see), but it still prompted Reiner to shout over the phone at the studio that he didn’t want this film to be “the next Wizard of Oz“. The implication was that the film would be overlooked in its day, but become a classic later on. Of course, this is precisely what did happen, no matter how hard reiner wished for a smash hit.
And it deserves it. So many aspects of the film have made it into popular culture: “My name is Inigo Montoya…”, “mostly dead”, “Inconceivable!” and so on. It’s a true classic that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, even the boys who might think it’s a “kissing movie”. There’s not a single dirty joke, crude comment or questionable decision. If films can be perfect, The Princess Bride is just that.