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The Princess Bride

© Kaisha Green

So many films today try too hard. They have expensive explosions, complicated plot twists, and there has been a time or two that I've exited a film feeling exhausted. Doesn't anyone tell a simply tell a story well? Why can't they all be like "The Princess Bride"?

"The Princess Bride", a ruby of a movie, begins harmlessly as a man (played by Peter Falk) comes to read a story to his grandson (a very young Fred Savage). The grandson, being a red-blooded American boy, does NOT want to hear a cheesy story. Framing the story in this setting gives us the license to go into a simple fantasy world, and it allows us to experience the childlike awe of things that don't exist; magicmakers, miracles, and even true love.

The heroine and title character, Buttercup, is played by a luminous Robin Wright (before she married Sean Penn). The hero in this film, Westley, is played by the devestatingly dreamy Cary Elwes. He is a farm boy who tells her "As you wish." Oh, it's cheesy alright--but the scenes are played so earnestly that it doesn't matter. I suspect that more than a few of us would like to have someone say that to us. Westley goes off to find his fortune, and the rest of the film unfolds in a sometimes comical, sometimes melodramatic, but always pleasurable way.

But all is not sweetness and light. The grandson is always right offscreen to save us if things turn too syrupy, and the script is littered with witty exchanges like "Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?' 'Oh no. It's just that they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.'"

"The Princess Bride" is not usually on the list of great movies. It is silly, melodramatic, and predictable in places. But it also has sharp wit, a strong story, and earnest players. We all know that in real life true love may not win all, but a film like this makes one hope. In today's world, when we are all jaded by reality and art both, "The Princess Bride" is as comforting as a grandmother's lap. And, you can see it with the kids!

The script of this movie (availablehere) is full of the sort of phrases that beg repeating:

"Have fun storming the castle!"

"To the pain."

"As you wish."

"Wuv, Twue Wuv..."

Perhaps the most memorable phrase, "Hallo! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

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