The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride had it's thirtieth anniversary this year, and it's a film that has had an interesting history. I saw it when it first opened, and liked it fine, but it didn't do much business. It was nominated for one Oscar--the song "Storybook Love,"  by the unlikely composer Willy DeVille.

But The Princess Bride became something of a phenomenon through home video. It's a genuinely funny movie, and is very quotable, which leads to popularity via trivia quizzes. The cast is eclectic and the story is both sweet and just a little bit dangerous.

The script was by William Goldman, based on his book. He had been trying to get it made for years when Rob Reiner, who was still an A-list director, agreed to do it. Robin Wright, in her first movie, was the title character, in love with a simple farm boy who is thought dead, and affianced to an evil prince (Chris Sarandon). The farm boy comes back as a pirate (Cary Elwes), and must rescue her with much daring-do. All of this is framed by a grandfather (Peter Falk, doing his shtick) reading the book to his grandson (Fred Savage).

I think the secret of the success of The Princess Bride are three sidekicks. Disney learned, and Reiner and Goldman follow the blueprint, that having funny and engaging sidekicks are the key to a good film in this genre, because the leads are kind of bland. They are of various heights: There's Wallace Shawn, who is remembered for saying, "Inconceivable!" Mandy Patinkin, maybe the most beloved character, is the great Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya. His line for posterity is, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." And then there's the colossal professional wrestler Andre the Giant, who does a surprisingly good job and comes across as rather sweet.

There are also good bad buys. In addition to Sarandon is Christopher Guest as his evil, six-fingered henchman. To top it off are cameos by Billy Crystal and Carol Kane. Crystal, playing a fairy tale character like a Borscht-Belt comedian, adds the line, "Have fun storming the castle!"

While I don't think The Princess Bride is a great movie, it's hard to imagine anyone actively hating it. It's a rare film that is appealing to both children and adults. I've only seen it twice, but I know it has fans who have seen it many more times. I don't disagree with their enthusiasm.