After her true love is murdered by pirates, a beautiful young woman is forced to marry an odious prince. However, before the royal wedding ceremony, she is abducted by a group of men in a plot to spark a war between neighboring kingdoms. A film by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, Fred Savage, Robin Wright, Peter Falk, Peter Cook, Mel Smith, Carol Kane, and Billy Crystal.
The PRINCESS BRIDE
Rob Reiner
(1987)
A boy (Fred Savage) is sitting on his bed playing video games when his mother (Betsy Brantley) comes in to check on him and see how he’s feeling.
She tells him his grandfather has just arrived for a visit. The boy groans in frustration, complaining that he hates it when his grandpa pinches his cheek.
The grandfather (Peter Falk) brings the boy a gift, but the boy appears disappointed when he unwraps it and finds just a book inside. His grandfather explains that this isn’t just any book. It’s special because his own father used to read it to him when he was sick, and later he read it to the boy’s father.
Skeptical, the boy asks if there’s any sports in it. His grandfather insists it’s much more than that, packed with fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles. The boy perks up slightly, admitting it doesn’t sound too bad, and says he’ll try to stay awake while his grandfather reads to him. His grandfather then opens the book and begins reading “The Princess Bride, by S. Morgenstern.”
The story begins with a young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) who lives on a small farm in the country of Florin. Her favorite pastimes are riding her horse and tormenting the farm boy who works there. His name is Westley, but she only calls him “Farm Boy.”
Nothing gives Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Westley (Cary Elwes) around, telling him to polish her horse’s saddle, fill buckets with water, or fetch the pitcher. Westley always responds with “As you wish” and does whatever she asks. One day, it dawns on Buttercup that whenever Westley says “As you wish,” he really means “I love you.” Eventually, she finds herself falling in love with him too.
The grandfather goes on with the story, explaining how Buttercup and Westley develop a romantic relationship and share a passionate kiss. The boy interrupts, asking if his grandfather is trying to trick him into listening to a kissing book. His grandfather brushes off the complaint, telling him to be patient and let him continue reading.
Westley has no money for marriage, so he decides to leave the farm hoping to seek his fortune across the sea. Just before Westley is about to depart, Buttercup shares her fear that she will never see him again. Westley assures her that he will always come for her because what they have is true love.
But Westley never reaches his destination. His ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never leaves captives alive. When Buttercup learns that Westley was murdered by pirates, she is devastated and withdraws from everyone, barely sleeping or eating for days. She vows never to love again.
Five years later, Prince Humperdinck of Florin makes a royal declaration about his bride-to-be. He announces that in a month, the country will celebrate its 500th anniversary, and at sundown that day, he will marry a lady who was once a commoner. He then introduces Buttercup as his bride-to-be to the citizens packed into the city’s main square.
Buttercup doesn’t love Humperdinck, but she can’t refuse him because the law of Florin gives the prince the right to choose his bride. Despite Humperdinck’s reassurance that she will grow to love him, she feels empty inside. The only pleasure left to her is her daily ride through the forest, where she can be alone with her thoughts.
One day, Buttercup encounters Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and Fezzik (André the Giant) in the woods. Vizzini claims they are lost circus performers and asks if there’s a village nearby before revealing his true intention is to abduct Buttercup.
While Inigo and Fezzik carry the unconscious Buttercup to their ship, Vizzini rips fabric from a Guilder officer’s uniform and ties it to her horse. When the horse returns to Florin castle, the fabric will make it appear that the Guilderians are responsible for the abduction. The plan is to kill Buttercup and leave her body on the Guilder frontier, giving Humperdinck a reason to attack Guilder, Florin’s sworn enemy.
On the ship heading to their destination, Inigo grows anxious, worried that someone might be following them. Vizzini dismisses his concerns as inconceivable, insisting that no one in Guilder knows what they’ve done and no one in Florin could have reached them so quickly. Inigo then points out a ship he sees in the distance. While the others are distracted by the pursuing vessel, Buttercup leaps into the water and swims toward shore. However, after being attacked by a shrieking eel, she ends up back on deck, pulled to safety by Fezzik.
The unknown ship gains speed and draws closer to Vizzini’s vessel. But Vizzini remains confident as their ship finally reaches the base of the Cliffs of Insanity, towering vertical cliffs that are impossible to climb. Using a rope hanging from the top, Fezzik single-handedly carries everyone up the cliffs. Halfway up, Inigo spots a mysterious man in black also climbing the same rope and catching up to them. Upon reaching the top, Vizzini cuts the rope with his dagger, only to discover that the mysterious man doesn’t plummet to his death but keeps clinging to the rock wall.
Since the man in black has seen their faces and the princess, Vizzini tasks Inigo to stay behind and kill the mysterious man. Vizzini then tells Fezzik to carry the princess toward the Guilder frontier. Inigo soon grows restless watching the masked man cling to the rock wall, barely making any progress upward. Eventually, Inigo throws down a rope to help him climb up, promising they will duel to the death once he reaches the top. After the masked man arrives at the summit, Inigo allows him time to rest and regain his strength. During this break, Inigo shares his story: his father was a master sword maker who was killed by a six-fingered man. Ever since, Inigo has dedicated his life to hunting down his father’s killer and getting his revenge.
Despite Inigo’s mastery with a sword, the masked man proves to be the better fighter and defeats him. Accepting his loss, Inigo asks the masked man to end his life quickly. However, the masked man simply knocks him out instead, showing mercy because he respects Inigo’s skill and honor.
When Vizzini spots the man in black pursuing them, he orders Fezzik to stay behind and finish off the masked man. Before leaving with the princess, Vizzini suggests that Fezzik hide behind a boulder and strike the masked man’s head with a rock. However, Fezzik is determined to fight fairly, so he waits until the man in black arrives and challenges him to honorable hand-to-hand combat. During the fight, the masked man climbs up Fezzik’s back and wraps his arm around the giant’s neck from behind, choking him until he loses consciousness.
Meanwhile, Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), and their soldiers pursue the princess’s abductors. They follow the trail all the way to the Cliffs of Insanity, where Humperdinck concludes that the kidnappers are heading for Guilder. He’s convinced that the entire abduction was a scheme planned by the warriors of Guilder.
Knowing he can’t outrun the mysterious man in black, Vizzini waits at the hilltop. When the masked man finally catches up, Vizzini threatens to kill the princess if he takes another step. The masked man suggests they might be able to work out some kind of arrangement. Vizzini refuses, insisting there will be no arrangement and he won’t hesitate to kill her. Realizing they’re at an impasse and that he can’t physically overpower the masked man, Vizzini believes his intellect is superior. The masked man proposes a battle of wits to the death, and Vizzini eagerly accepts. The concept is straightforward: the masked man will add deadly iocane powder to one of two wine cups, Vizzini will choose which cup to drink from, and both men will drink at the same time.
After defeating Vizzini in a battle of wits, the princess asks the masked man to free her, promising he’ll get whatever ransom he demands. When he refuses to trust her word, she warns him that no matter where he takes her, Prince Humperdinck will hunt him down. They get into a heated argument when the masked man accuses her of being incapable of love, after she admits she doesn’t love Humperdinck. The princess realizes the mysterious man in black must be the Dread Pirate Roberts who murdered her true love, which he confirms. While Roberts is distracted by Humperdinck’s soldiers approaching in the distance, the princess declares that he can die too for all she cares and shoves him down the hillside. As Roberts rolls down the slope, he cries out “As you wish!” In that moment, Buttercup understands that the Dread Pirate Roberts is Westley.
Directed by American filmmaker Rob Reiner and adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel “The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The ‘good parts’ version,” “The PRINCESS BRIDE” is a fantasy adventure comedy that tells the story of a beautiful young woman forced to marry a prince after her true love is believed murdered by pirates. The tale unfolds as a grandfather reads the story from a book to his sick grandson.
The story is essentially a fairy tale with wicked twists and hilarious situations, featuring a beautiful young woman, an astoundingly handsome farm boy, a vengeful swordsman, a gentle giant, a criminal mastermind, a despicable prince, a mysterious man in black, a six-fingered villain, a wizard, a shrieking eel, and a rodent of unusual size!
The film is consistently entertaining with fast pacing, flawless comedic timing, and jokes that never miss their mark. There isn’t a dull moment to be found in its 98-minute runtime.
The PRINCESS BRIDE was theatrically released in the United States on 25 September 1987. The film won the 1988 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award presented by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the preceding year. The award, named after Hugo Gernsback, founder of the first science fiction magazine “Amazing Stories”, was first given in 1958. It is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the science fiction and fantasy community and includes various categories covering literature, dramatic presentations, and other media.
MGM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released The PRINCESS BRIDE on Blu-ray on 17 March 17 2009, as a 2-disc set. The first disc features a 1080p high-definition video transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, along with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track. The second disc contains the special features, which include two audio commentaries, the original theatrical trailer, and eight featurettes covering topics like the story’s creation, character backgrounds, makeup details, fencing lessons, and the fairy tale theme. There is also a video diary by Cary Elwes and a game titled “The Quotable Battle of Wits.”
The Criterion Collection edition of The PRINCESS BRIDE was released on 5 September 2023, as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack. This edition features a new 4K digital restoration created from the original 35mm camera negative, supervised and approved by the film’s associate producer. The restoration is presented in the film’s original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision HDR. Audio is delivered in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. Special features include an audio commentary featuring director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, producer Andrew Scheinman, and actors Billy Crystal and Peter Falk, as well as an edited audiobook reading of Goldman’s original novel synced to the film. The package is presented in a clothbound book-style case with a 34-page illustrated booklet containing an essay by Sloane Crosley and excerpts from Goldman’s writing.
