Retrospective: Princess Bride, The (1987)

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THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

REVIEW BY JOHN ULMER

I still remember the tape. It was an old, late 80s/early 90s video cassette 
with six hours on lowest quality. The film was recorded on the lowest 
quality and it was grainy. It had been filmed during the weekend on a public 
television station and had commercial intervals at various parts. Sometimes 
the commercials started, and were cut off, and then when the film had come 
back on TV the tape started recording again. I watched that tape an 
uncountable number of times, just wearing the already low-quality tape to 
the ground. But I couldn't help it - I loved the movie.

And then sometime in 2001 or 2002 I finally purchased "The Princess Bride" 
on DVD, and got to see it in all its splendor, with a fine transfer and 
theatrical aspect ratio. But I never forgot that old tape - I still have it 
buried somewhere under a bunch of "Saturday Night Live" recordings, which 
are sitting in a cabinet somewhere.

The point of my little tale is that a film like "The Princess Bride" is so 
(re)watchable that even horrible quality transfer cannot ruin it. It's like 
a moth to a light - it's irresistable. In this case, it is irresistably 
funny.

I've been quoted as saying that "The Princes Bride" is the "Shrek" of the 
eighties, and if I do say so myself, that little statement is true. It's an 
unconventional fairy tale story, with adventure for children and adventure 
and humor for adults, who will probably like it more than their children 
(though don't quote me on that, kids might love it, too). There are little 
lines like, "Do you want me to take you back to where I found you? 
Unemployed - in Greenland!", and these little lines are those that make the 
movie what it is, along with lovable, catchy characters and rollicking, 
swashbucklin' good fun that everyone - even those devoid of humor - can 
appreciate and enjoy.

The story begins in modern day, with a child ("The Wonder Year's" Fred 
Savage), sick in bed, playing a videogame, when his half-blind old 
grandfather (Peter Falk, who is amazingly still alive to this day) walks 
through his door. He has brought him a gift: A book. "A book?" the child 
asks sarcastically. The grandfather answers, "When I was your age, books 
were TV!"

The magic of the book is that it captures the young child's imagination, and 
it reminds the grandfather of the first time he read it as as child. The 
magic of the book for audiences is that it shows a hilariously 
unconventional glance towards fairy tales and sweeping, swashbuckling epics.

The story within a story starts with Buttercup (Robin Wright [Penn]), who 
falls in love with a farm boy named Westley (Cary Elwes). After Westley goes 
off to the seas and is murdered by the Dread Pirate Roberts, Buttercup vowes 
never to love again.

Flash forward a few years and she's married to Prince Humperdink (Chris 
Sarandon), a snotty prince who plans on murdering his bride-to-be and 
blaming it on a close kingdom to start a war. To help him carry out his 
mission, he employs Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), a short man who likes to say 
"Inconceivable!" a lot. Vizzini has two henchmen who do not wish to kill 
anyone: Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and a giant (Andre the Giant).

Before her marriage, Buttercup realizes that Westley is still very much 
alive, and he rescues her from her doom. But that is only the beginning of 
their quest for true love.

Cameos range from Billy Crystal to Carol Kane, and the laughs never cease. 
This is the type of film that will always be cherished. It has solid 
direction from Rob Reiner, a great, snappy, witty and smart script by 
William Goldman (based on his children's book), and a talented cast who 
understand how the material should be presented on the screen. "The Princess 
Bride" is a great movie that will please audiences of all ages. This is 
great filmmaking at its best.

Copyright, September 1st, 2003, John Ulmer

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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1193501
X-RT-TitleID: 1016744
X-RT-SourceID: 1382
X-RT-AuthorID: 6769
X-RT-RatingText: 5/5