The Princess Bride (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Princess Bride
Princess bride.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRob Reiner
Screenplay byWilliam Goldman
Based onThe Princess Bride
by William Goldman
Produced by
  • Rob Reiner
  • Andrew Scheinman
Starring
  • Cary Elwes
  • Mandy Patinkin
  • Chris Sarandon
  • Christopher Guest
  • Wallace Shawn
  • André the Giant
  • Robin Wright
  • Peter Falk
  • Fred Savage
  • Billy Crystal
CinematographyAdrian Biddle
Edited byRobert Leighton
Music byMark Knopfler
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 25, 1987 (1987-09-25)
[1]
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16 million
Box office$30.9 million

The Princess Bride is a 1987 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, and Christopher Guest. Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel The Princess Bride, it tells the story of a farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck. The film essentially preserves the novel's narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage).

The film was first released in the United States on 9 October, 1987,[1] and was well received by critics at the time, but was only a modest box office success. Over time the film has become a cult film.[2] The film is number 50 on the Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies", number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) "AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions" list of the 100 greatest film love stories, and 46 in Channel 4's 50 Greatest Comedy Films list.[3] In 2016, the film was inducted into the National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[4] The film also won the 1988 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[5]

Plot[]

The film is an enactment of a book that a grandfather reads to his sick grandson, who initially dismisses the story.

The tale is about Buttercup, a beautiful young woman living on a farm in the fictional kingdom of Florin. Whenever she tells farmhand Westley to do something, he always complies, saying, "As you wish." She eventually realizes that he loves her and she loves him. Westley leaves to seek his fortune overseas so they can marry. When his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who is infamous for never leaving survivors, Westley is presumed dead.

Five years later, Buttercup is forcibly betrothed to Prince Humperdinck, the heir to the throne of Florin. Before the wedding, she is kidnapped by three outlaws, a short Sicilian named Vizzini, a giant from Greenland named Fezzik, and a Spanish fencing master named Inigo Montoya, who seeks revenge against a six-fingered man who murdered his father. Prince Humperdinck, his soldiers, and also a masked man clad in black, pursue the outlaws.

The man in black confronts the outlaws atop the Cliffs of Insanity. He defeats Inigo in a duel and knocks him out, chokes Fezzik into unconsciousness, and tricks Vizzini into drinking poison, killing him. He takes Buttercup prisoner and they flee, stopping near a gorge. Buttercup correctly guesses he is the Dread Pirate Roberts and berates him for killing Westley. Seeing Humperdinck and his men approaching, Buttercup shoves Roberts down a hill, wishing death upon him. While tumbling down, he shouts, "As you wish!" Realizing it is Westley, she throws herself into the gorge after him, and they are reunited.

Westley explains how "Dread Pirate Roberts" is a title that is passed on to others; he took it when the previous Roberts wanted to retire. Having found Buttercup, Westley intends to surrender the title to another. Humperdinck captures the pair after they emerge from the dangerous Fire Swamp. Buttercup agrees to return with Humperdinck after he promises to release Westley. He then secretly orders his sadistic vizier, Count Rugen, to take Westley to his torture chamber, the Pit of Despair. Before being knocked out, Westley notices that Rugen has six fingers on his hand.

Humperdinck falsely promises Buttercup he will search for Westley. His real plan is to start a war with the neighboring country of Guilder by killing Buttercup and framing Guilder for her death. Meanwhile, Inigo and Fezzik are reunited after Humperdinck orders thieves to be arrested in the forest in which they are staying. Fezzik tells Inigo about Rugen. Inigo needs Westley's help to storm the castle.

Buttercup accuses Humperdinck of failing to search for Westley. Enraged, Humperdinck imprisons Buttercup, and tortures Westley, seemingly to death. Inigo and Fezzik, who have heard and followed Westley's wails through the forest, find his body and bring him to Miracle Max, a folk healer. Max revives the "mostly dead" Westley, though he is temporarily extremely debilitated.

After Westley, Inigo and Fezzik infiltrate the castle, Humperdinck panics and orders the in-progress wedding ceremony to be shortened. Inigo finds and kills Rugen in a duel after repeatedly taunting him for killing his father. Westley locates Buttercup, who is about to commit suicide, believing she is married to Humperdinck. Westley assures her the marriage is invalid because she never completed her wedding vows; they then flee the castle. After killing Rugen, Inigo is unsure of what to do with his life. Westley offers him the Dread Pirate Roberts title, which Inigo considers. Fezzik has procured four horses, and he, Westley, Buttercup, and Inigo escape. Westley and Buttercup, safely reunited, share a passionate kiss.

Back in his bedroom, the boy eagerly asks his grandfather to read him the story again the next day, to which his grandfather replies, "As you wish.”

Cast[]

Framing story[]

  • Fred Savage as The Grandson
  • Peter Falk as Grandpa/The Narrator
  • Betsy Brantley as The Mother

Main story[]

  • Cary Elwes as Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts/The Man in Black
  • Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya
  • Chris Sarandon as Prince Humperdinck
  • Christopher Guest as Count Tyrone Rugen
  • Wallace Shawn as Vizzini
  • André the Giant as Fezzik
  • Robin Wright as Buttercup/The Princess Bride
  • Peter Cook as The Impressive Clergyman
  • Mel Smith as The Albino
  • Carol Kane as Valerie, Max's wife
  • Billy Crystal as Miracle Max
  • Anne Dyson as The Queen
  • Margery Mason as The Ancient Booer
  • Malcolm Storry as Yellin
  • Willoughby Gray as The King
  • Paul Badger as the Assistant Brute

Production[]

Development[]

Rob Reiner, who had been enamored with Goldman's book ever since he was given it as a gift from his father, Carl Reiner, realized he wanted to make the film adaptation after successfully demonstrating his filmmaking skill with the release of This Is Spinal Tap in 1984.[6] During production of Stand by Me, released in 1986, Reiner had spoken to an executive at Paramount Pictures regarding what his next film would be, and suggested the adaptation of The Princess Bride. He was told they could not, leading Reiner to discover that several studios had previously attempted to bring Goldman's book to the big screen without success.[6]

Those previous attempts included 20th Century Fox, which paid Goldman $500,000 for the film rights and to do a screenplay in 1973.[7][8] Richard Lester was signed to direct and the movie was almost made, but the head of production at Fox was fired and the project was put on hiatus. Goldman subsequently bought back the film rights to the novel with his own money.[9] Other directors had also attempted to adapt the book, including François Truffaut, Robert Redford and Norman Jewison,[6] and at one point, Christopher Reeve was interested in playing Westley in one planned adaption.[10] Reiner found success by gaining financial support from Norman Lear, whom Reiner knew from All in the Family and who had funded production of This is Spinal Tap, with the production to be distributed by 20th Century Fox.[6][11] Reiner worked closely with Goldman to adapt the book for the screenplay.[6]

Casting[]

Reiner had quickly decided on Cary Elwes for Westley, based on his performance in Lady Jane; however, during the casting period in Los Angeles, Elwes was in Germany on set for Maschenka. Reiner flew out to Berlin to meet with Elwes, confirming his appropriateness for the role. While Reiner and casting director Jane Jenkins auditioned other actors for Westley, they knew Elwes was perfect for the part.[12] Elwes had read the book in his childhood and associated himself with the character of Westley, but never believed he would have the opportunity to play him.[13]

Robin Wright was cast late in the process, about a week before filming; Reiner and Jenkins had auditioned a number of English actresses but had not found their ideal Buttercup.[13] Uma Thurman, Meg Ryan, Sean Young, Suzy Amis, Courteney Cox, Alexandra Paul and Whoopi Goldberg auditioned for the role of Buttercup.[14] Wright's agent had heard of the casting call and encouraged Wright to audition. Though initially shy, Wright impressed Jenkins, and later Reiner. They invited Wright to come meet Goldman at his house. Jenkins recalls: "The doorbell rang. Rob went to the door, and literally, as he opened the door, [Wright] was standing there in this little white summer dress, with her long blonde hair, and she had a halo from the sun. She was backlit by God. And Bill Goldman looked across the room at her, and he said, 'Well, that's what I wrote.' It was the most perfect thing."[12]

Mandy Patinkin and Wallace Shawn were early choices for the cast; Shawn in particular was chosen as Vizzini due to his diminutive size to contrast that of the giant Fezzik.[12] Danny DeVito was considered for the role of Vizzini.[15]

When Goldman originally shopped his novel in the early 1970s, his first choice for Fezzik was André the Giant, whose wrestling schedule left him unavailable for filming. Goldman's second choice was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who at that time was almost unknown as an actor. However, by the time The Princess Bride was finally green-lit, Schwarzenegger was a major film star and the studio could not afford him. Jenkins contacted the World Wrestling Federation to ask about hiring André, but were told that the filming conflicted with a wrestling match in Tokyo that would pay him $5 million. Jenkins auditioned other tall men, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lou Ferrigno and Carel Struycken, but these did not pan out. Liam Neeson also auditioned for the role but he was turned down due to height.[16] Near the end of casting, the World Wrestling Federation told Jenkins that André's match in Tokyo had been cancelled, clearing him to play the role of Fezzik.[12] For his part, André found his participation was a gratifying experience considering that no one stared at him on set during production as a kind of freak, but instead simply treated him as a fellow member of the cast.[17]

Filming[]

The establishing shot of the Cliffs of Insanity is the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland.

The film was shot in various locations in England and Ireland in late 1986:[18]

The framing story scenes, the last to be filmed, were shot at Shepperton Studios in Surrey.[6]

Reiner rented a house in England near these sites and frequently invited the cast over for meals and light-hearted get-togethers. Many cast members believed this helped to create a sense of "family" that helped to improve their performances for the film.[6][19]

Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin learned to fence (both left- and right-handed) for the film, and performed these scenes themselves, outside of the two somersaults, which were performed by stunt doubles.[20] They were trained by fencing instructors Bob Anderson and stunt arranger Peter Diamond, both of whom had also worked on training the actors in the original Star Wars trilogy. Elwes and Patinkin spent about three weeks prior to filming learning to fence, and spent most of their off-camera free time practicing.[6][19] Anderson encouraged the two to learn the other's choreography for the fight to help them anticipate the movements and avoid an accident.[6] They also watched many sword fights from previous films to see how they could improve on those.[6]

André the Giant had undergone major back surgery prior to filming and, despite his great size and strength, could not support the weight of Elwes during their fight scene or Wright for a scene at the end of the film. For the wrestling scene, when Elwes hangs on André's back, he was actually walking on a series of ramps below the camera during close-ups. For the wide shots, a stunt double took the place of André.[21] When he was apparently carrying Wright, she was actually suspended by cables.[22]

Billy Crystal and Carol Kane spent time before traveling to England to work out the backstory between Miracle Max and his wife, and develop a rapport for their characters. Once on set, Reiner allowed them to improvise some of their lines.[6]

Soundtrack[]

The original soundtrack album was composed by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, and released by Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Vertigo Records internationally in November 1987. The album contains the song "Storybook Love", performed by Willy DeVille and produced by Mark Knopfler. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards.[23]

In his audio commentary of the film on the special edition DVD, director Rob Reiner said that only Knopfler could create a soundtrack to capture the film's quirky yet romantic nature. Reiner was an admirer of Knopfler's work but did not know him before working on the film. He sent the script to him hoping he would agree to score the film. Knopfler agreed on one condition: that somewhere in the film Reiner would include the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) baseball cap (which had been modified to say "USS Ooral Sea OV-4B") he wore as Marty DiBergi in This Is Spinal Tap. Reiner was unable to produce the original cap, but did include a similar cap in the grandson's room. Knopfler later said he was joking.

Reception[]

Box office[]

The film was initially a modest success,[24] grossing $30.8 million at the United States and Canada box office,[25] on a $16 million production budget.[26]

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 97% approval rating based on 77 reviews and an average rating of 8.40/10. The site's consensus states: "A delightfully postmodern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is a deft, intelligent mix of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and makes it fresh."[27] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 77 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[28] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A+" on scale of A to F.[29]

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating on their television program.[30] Ebert also wrote a very favorable print review in his column for the Chicago Sun-Times.[31] Richard Corliss of Time said the film was fun for the whole family,[32] and later, Time listed the film as one of the "Best of '87".[33] Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the cast and the sweetness of the film.[34]

Legacy[]

The Princess Bride was not a major box-office success, but it became a cult classic after its release to the home video market. The film is widely regarded as eminently quotable.[2][35] Elwes noted in 2017, on the film's 30th anniversary, that fans still frequently come up to him and quote lines from the movie. According to him, Wallace Shawn had it "worse" because any time Wallace made a small error, like dropping his keys, people would shout "Inconceivable!" to him.[19]

In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted The Princess Bride the 38th greatest comedy film of all time. In 2006, William Goldman's screenplay was selected by the Writers Guild of America as the 84th best screenplay of all time; it earned the same ranking in the Guild's 2013 update.[36] The film was selected number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions" listing the 100 greatest film love stories of all time. BBC Radio 5's resident film critic, Mark Kermode, is a fan of the film, frequently considering it a model to which similar films aspire.[37]

American Film Institute lists

In December 2011, director Jason Reitman staged a live dramatic reading of The Princess Bride script at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), with Paul Rudd as Westley; Mindy Kaling as Buttercup; Patton Oswalt as Vizzini; Kevin Pollak as Miracle Max; Goran Visnjic as Inigo Montoya; Cary Elwes (switching roles) as Humperdinck; director Rob Reiner as the grandfather; and Fred Savage reprising his role as the grandson.[41]

In 2013, director Ari Folman released a live-action animated film titled The Congress, which directly referenced The Princess Bride. Folman's film starred Robin Wright, playing both a live and animated version of herself, as a digitally cloned actress.[42]

In 2014, Cary Elwes wrote As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, a behind-the-scenes account of the film's production, co-written with Joe Layden.[43] To help Elwes recall the production, Lear sent him a bound copy of the filming's call sheets.[19] The book debuted at #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list.[44][45] In addition to a foreword by director Rob Reiner and a limited edition poster, the book includes exclusive photos and interviews with the cast members from the 25th anniversary cast reunion, as well as unique stories and set secrets from the making of the film.[46]

In 2018, Savage reprised his role as The Grandson in a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2 entitled Once Upon a Deadpool, with Deadpool taking the role of The Narrator and reading the Deadpool 2's story to him at bedtime and skipping over the more adult parts from the R-rated version.[47][48]

In 2020, a bar themed after the film, named "As You Wish", opened in Chicago. The menu features 16 themed cocktails.[49]

Post-theatrical release[]

In North America, the film was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1988 by Nelson Entertainment, the latter being a "bare bones" release in unmatted full screen. New Line Home Video reissued the VHS in 1994.[50] The film was also released on Video CD by Philips.[51]

The Criterion Collection released a matted widescreen version, bare bones version on laserdisc in 1989, supplementing it with liner notes. In 1997 Criterion re-released the Laserdisc as a "special edition". This edition was widescreen and included an audio commentary by Rob Reiner, William Goldman, Andrew Scheinman, Billy Crystal and Peter Falk (this commentary would also later appear on the Criterion Blu-ray and DVD release); excerpts from the novel read by Rob Reiner; behind the scenes footage; a production scrapbook by unit photographer Clive Coote; design sketches by production designer Norman Garwood; and excerpts from the television series Morton and Hayes, directed by Christopher Guest.

By 2000, MGM had acquired the US home video rights to the film (as part of the "pre-1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment film library" package) and released the film on VHS and DVD. The DVD release featured the soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 with the film in wide and full screen versions, and included the original US theatrical trailer. The next year MGM re-released the film in another widescreen "special edition", this time with two audio commentaries—one by Rob Reiner, the other by William Goldman—"As You Wish", "Promotional", and "Making Of" featurettes;[clarification needed] a "Cary Elwes Video Diary"; the US and UK theatrical trailers; four television spots; a photo gallery; and a collectible booklet.

In 2006, MGM and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a two-disc set with varying covers—the "Dread Pirate" and "Buttercup" editions. Each featured their respective character, but had identical features: in addition to the features in the previous release were, the "Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Legend of the Seven Seas", "Love is Like a Storybook Story", and "Miraculous Make Up" featurettes, "The Quotable Battle of Wits" game, and Fezzik's "Guide to Florin" booklet.

A year later, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film, MGM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film with flippable cover art featuring the title displayed in an ambigram. This DVD did not include any bonus features from the older editions, but had new short featurettes and a new game. A Blu-ray Disc was released on March 17, 2009, encoded in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Special features included two audio commentaries, the original theatrical trailer and eight featurettes.[52]

In 2007, the film was released for download in the iTunes Store.[53]

The film is available in Europe (DVD Region 2), published by Lions Gate Entertainment. Its extras are the theatrical trailer and text filmographies.

The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray and DVD on October 30, 2018. It included a new 4K digital transfer, the same audio commentary from the Criterion LaserDisc release, an edited 1987 audiobook reading of Goldman's novel by director Rob Reiner, new programs on William Goldman's screenplay and tapestry, a new interview with art director Richard Holland, an essay by author Sloane Crosley, and a Blu-ray exclusive book highlighting four screenplays, as well as Goldman's introduction to the 1995 screenplay.[54]

The Princess Bride has been made available on May 1, 2020 on The Walt Disney Company's streaming service Disney+.[55]

Adaptations[]

It was announced that composer Adam Guettel was working with William Goldman on a musical adaptation of The Princess Bride in 2006. The project was abandoned in February 2007 after Goldman reportedly demanded 75 percent of the author's share, even though Guettel was writing both the music and the lyrics.[56]

In late 2013, Disney Theatrical Productions announced that they would adapt a stage musical adaptation of The Princess Bride.[57] A website was launched a couple of months later.[58] In 2016, Rob Reiner said the project was still in development despite "roadblocks" and that Marc Shaiman, Randy Newman and John Mayer had all been approached to write songs, but had turned them down.[59]

In 2018, The Princess Bride was adapted by players of a virtual reality social game, Rec Room, into what is likely to be the world's first full-length virtual reality stage production. The duration of the production was approximately 80 minutes, and ran for a total of four shows.[60][61]

There have been many boardgames based on the film, beginning with a promotional roll and move game distributed with an early VHS video release in 1988.[62] In 2008, PlayRoom Entertainment released The Princess Bride: Storming the Castle, a board game based on the film.[63] Since 2013, Game Salute (now Tabletop Tycoon, under the SparkWorks imprint) has published multiple games based on specific scenes from the film, including party game The Princess Bride: Prepare to Die!,[64] card game The Princess Bride: A Battle of Wits[65] and dice game The Princess Bride: I Hate to Kill You...[66] In 2020, Ravensburger published The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game, a collaborative card and miniatures game with several boards presented as "chapters" of a book.[67]

The Princess Bride Game is a casual video game developed and published by New York game development studio Worldwide Biggies.[68][69]

In June 2020, a "fan made" recreation of The Princess Bride was released on Quibi called Home Movie: The Princess Bride. It was produced by Jason Reitman during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine in March 2020 with help from an ensemble cast who filmed themselves recreating the various scenes at their homes to raise money for the World Central Kitchen charity. Reitman received backing from Jeffrey Katzenberg for the project, as well as the rights to stream the film on his Quibi service. The "fan-made" film also had approval from Norman Lear and the estate of William Goldman, and Mark Knopfler permitted the use of his music. Rob Reiner approved of the project, even briefly stepping in to play the grandfather.[70][71] It also features the final performance of Carl Reiner, playing the grandfather in the last scene to his own son. The film was dedicated to his memory as he died days later.[72]

On September 13, 2020, most of the original cast members took part in a virtual live read-through of The Princess Bride script, Princess Bride Reunion, to support the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. The returning cast included Elwes, Wright, Sarandon, Patinkin, Guest, Shawn, Crystal, and Kane, with additional performances by Rob Reiner as the Grandfather, Josh Gad as Fezzik, Eric Idle as the Impressive Clergyman, Whoopi Goldberg as the Ancient Booer and the Mother, King Bach as Yellin, the Assistant Brute and the King, Finn Wolfhard as the Grandson, Shaun Ross as The Man With Albinism, and Jason Reitman as the narrator. Norman Lear joined the Q&A session at the end, which was hosted by Patton Oswalt.[73] Cast members promoted the event beforehand using the hashtags "#PrincessBrideReunion and "#DumpTrumperdinck".[74] More than 110,000 viewers donated a dollar or more to Wisconsin Democrats to view the livestream event.[75]

Potential remake[]

In a September 2019 biographical article on Norman Lear in Variety, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra, speaking of Lear's works and interest in remaking them, stated, "Very famous people whose names I won't use, but they want to redo The Princess Bride."[76] The reaction to this via social media was very negative, with fans of the film asserting that a remake would be a bad idea and, in reference to the film, "inconceivable".[77] Elwes paraphrased the film, saying, "There's a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one."[78] Jamie Lee Curtis, Guest's wife, stated, "there is only ONE The Princess Bride and it's William Goldman and [Reiner]'s".[79]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Cast of 'The Princess Bride,' Then and Now". The Hollywood Reporter. September 25, 2017. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Clarke, Suzan (October 7, 2011). "'Princess Bride' Reunion, Thanks to Entertainment Weekly Magazine". ABC. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "50 Greatest Comedy Films". Channel4.com. Channel 4. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  4. ^ Domonoske, Camila (December 14, 2016). "'Lion King,' 'Princess Bride,' 'The Birds' Among Additions To Film Registry". NPR.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  5. ^ "1988 Hugo Awards". thehugoawards.org. July 26, 2007. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k King, Susan (September 24, 2017). "'The Princess Bride' Turns 30: Rob Reiner, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal Dish About Making the Cult Classic". Variety. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  7. ^ Weiler, A. H. (September 30, 1973). "News of the Screen". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  8. ^ Haber, Joyce (September 19, 1973). "Schlesinger to Direct West Work". Los Angeles Times. p. d12.
  9. ^ Goldman, 2000 p 25-26
  10. ^ William Goldman, The Big Picture?: Who Killed Hollywood and Other Essays, Applause, 2000 p 189
  11. ^ Goldman, 2000 p 27
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Vineyard, Jennifer (September 29, 2017). "What It Was Like Finding the Legendary Cast of 'The Princess Bride'". Vice. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Messer, Leslie (September 25, 2017). "'The Princess Bride' turns 30: Cary Elwes shares stories from the set". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "5 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Princess Bride' on its 25th Anniversary". September 25, 2012.
  15. ^ "5 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Princess Bride' on its 25th Anniversary". September 25, 2012.
  16. ^ "Liam Neeson Says He Met for Princess Bride's Andre the Giant Role but Was Told He Was Too Short".
  17. ^ Matt (September 22, 2017). "12 Inconceivable Facts That Prove That 'The Princess Bride' Isn't Just Another 'Kissing Book'". Throwbacks. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  18. ^ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office The Princess Bride Film Focus". Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Coggan, Devan (October 3, 2017). "Cary Elwes talks sword fights, André the Giant, and The Princess Bride". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  20. ^ Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. DVD audio commentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, California: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. (see Ch. 06, time 17:45)
  21. ^ Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. DVD audio commentary. Directed by Rob Reiner. 1987; Santa Monica, California: MGM Home Entertainment, 2001. (see Ch. 08, time 25:40)
  22. ^ "Wright: 'Giant Was In So Much Pain On The Princess Bride Set'". Contactmusic.com. March 10, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  23. ^ "The Princess Bride". Allmusic. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  24. ^ Gray Streeter, Leslie (December 9, 2007). "'The Princess Bride' Turns 20". The Palm Beach Post. [w]as a modest hit[...]
  25. ^ "The Princess Bride (1987". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  26. ^ Clark, Mike (September 25, 1987). "Reiner's 'Princess' is charming". USA Today. Despite a $16 million budget, [...]
  27. ^ "The Princess Bride (1987)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "The Princess Bride". Metacritic. CBS. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  29. ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  30. ^ "At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review". Bventertainment.go.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  31. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 9, 1987). "The Princess Bride". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  32. ^ Corliss, Richard (September 21, 1987). "Errol Flynn Meets Gunga Din THE PRINCESS BRIDE". Time. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  33. ^ "Best of '87". Time. January 4, 1988. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007.
  34. ^ Maslin, Janet (September 25, 1987). "New York Times review". The New York Times.
  35. ^ "Reelviews Movie Reviews: The Princess Bride". January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 9, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  36. ^ Savage, Sophia (February 27, 2013). "WGA Lists Greatest Screenplays, From 'Casablanca' and 'Godfather' to 'Memento' and 'Notorious'". Writers Guild of America, West. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013.
  37. ^ "20: The Princess Bride". This AKTing Lark. June 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  38. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  39. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  40. ^ "AFI.com Error" (PDF). afi.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  41. ^ Breznican, Anthony (December 30, 2011). "'The Princess Bride' Comes Alive!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  42. ^ Dargis, Manohla (September 4, 2014). "Movie Review—A Princess Bride in a Digital Forever". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018. ...Ms. Wright [plays] a version of herself — a midcareer actress named Robin Wright who...starred in "The Princess Bride"...
  43. ^ Kelly, Caitlin (October 25, 2014). "The Movie That Won the Internet". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  44. ^ "New York Times Bestsellers List – Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  45. ^ "Cary Elwes: Biography". Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  46. ^ Elwes, Cary; Layden, Joe (October 14, 2014). As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781476764023. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  47. ^ Sneider, Jeff (September 28, 2018). "New 'Deadpool' Movie Coming This December; Will Feature 'Princess Bride' Star Fred Savage". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  48. ^ Boucher, Geoff (November 5, 2018). "'Once Upon A Deadpool': Ryan Reynolds (and Fred Savage) On Franchise's PG-13 Plunge". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  49. ^ Rogers, Kristen. "Inconceivable! A Princess Bride-themed bar is popping up in Chicago". CNN. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  50. ^ Billboard (May 21, 1994), page 55.)
  51. ^ "CD Films/Music". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 13. Emap International Limited. November 1996. p. 97.
  52. ^ "MGM Press Release: The Princess Bride (Blu-ray)" (Press release). Archived from the original on February 10, 2009 – via Home Theater Forum.
  53. ^ "Itunes – Princess Bride". Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  54. ^ "Criterion Announces October Titles". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  55. ^ ""Robin Wright and Cary Elwes reunite to announce Princess Bride heading to Disney+" (EW.com, April 20, 2020)". Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  56. ^ Riedel, Michael (February 16, 2007). "'Bride' Not to Be While Broderick Balks at 'Producers'". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 25, 2007.
  57. ^ Champion, Lindsay (November 11, 2013). "Inconceivable! Disney Stage Adaptation of The Princess Bride in the Works". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  58. ^ Cerasaro, Pat (February 8, 2014). "Disney Launches THE PRINCESS BRIDE Stage Musical Website". Broadway World. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  59. ^ Viagas, Robert; Hetrick, Adam (May 11, 2016). "Rob Reiner Says He Still Wants to See a Princess Bride Stage Musical". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  60. ^ Carson, Erin. "The Princess Bride performed live -- in a VR app". CNET. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2019. The Orange Bucket Acting Troupe...pulled off what's likely the first full-length play performed in VR.
  61. ^ Orange Bucket Acting Troupe presents: The Princess Bride – A Rec Room Tale. YouTube. October 31, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  62. ^ "The Princess Bride – Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  63. ^ "The Princess Bride: Storming the Castle – Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on November 8, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  64. ^ "Prepare to Die – Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  65. ^ "A Battle of Wits – Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  66. ^ "The Princess Bride: I Hate to Kill You – Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  67. ^ "The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game – Board Game". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  68. ^ Sinclair, Brenden (October 3, 2007). "Princess Bride game conceivable". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  69. ^ McElroy, Justin (October 3, 2007). "As you wish, Princess Bride game in development". Joystiq. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  70. ^ Breznican, Anthony (June 26, 2020). "'Watch the Celebrity-Filled Fan-Film Version of The Princess Bride". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  71. ^ Hughes, William (June 26, 2020). "Quibi to air star-studded, filmed at home remake of The Princess Bride". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  72. ^ Breznican, Anthony (July 9, 2020). "As You Wish: Carl Reiner's Fairy-Tale Ending". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  73. ^ Johnson, Ted (September 9, 2020). "Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Idle Among Guests Added To 'Princess Bride' Reunion Script Reading". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  74. ^ Linnane, Rory (September 6, 2020). "Princess Bride' cast to host virtual fundraiser for Wisconsin Democrats". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020. Word of the event quickly spread on Twitter, with promotions by Elwes using the hashtag "#DumpTrumperdinck" as a nod to "Princess Bride" character Prince Humperdinck.
  75. ^ Spicuzza, Mary (September 13, 2020). "Inconceivable!': More than 110,000 tune into 'A Virtual Princess Bride Reunion' fundraiser". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020. More than 110,000 people donated at least $1 to tune into "A Virtual Princess Bride Reunion" on Sunday night, making the online event an inconceivable fundraising win for Democrats here...Those who joined the reading included Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, as well as Reiner as the grandfather reading a story to his sick grandson.
  76. ^ Schneider, Michael (September 17, 2019). "Norman Lear Won't Stop: TV Legend's Sony Deal Renewal Takes Him to Age 100". Variety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  77. ^ Garvey, Marianne (September 18, 2019). "'The Princess Bride' remake idea has people crying inconceivable". CNN. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  78. ^ @Cary_Elwes (September 17, 2019). "There's a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 20, 2019 – via Twitter.
  79. ^ Whitten, Sarah (September 18, 2019). "'The Princess Bride' remake rumors spur social media outrage". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Retrieved from ""