A Beautiful Fairy Tale + All Kinds of Action & Suspense

No words that I could write would be good enough to tell the rare someone who has not seen this 1987 movie how great it is!

It is the fairy tale story of Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) and Westley (Cary Elwes), who live in the land of Florin in the days when there were castles as well as ordinary people with farms. Buttercup owns the farm, and she delights in belittling Farm Boy Westley, who always answers her every demand with "As you wish," which is translated "I love you." Eventually, Buttercup figures out Westley's love, and they are to be married. But Westley has no money, so he has to leave to make his fortune.

Thus, they are separated, and he is reported dead. The movie continues with Buttercup eventually being betrothed to Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon); kidnapped by Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and Fezzick (Andre the Giant)--a true life giant of a man; and rescued by Roberts the Pirate. And this is just the beginning!

Each of these characters has his own story, and you will delight in them all. You will be quoting forever some of the lines: "Inconceivable" by Vizzini, "I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" by obviously Inigo Montoya, "As you wish" by Westley, and "Have fun storming the castle" by Miracle Max (Billy Crystal).

The fencing scenes in this movie between Westley and Inigo Montoya have been rated the best ever made in a movie. In fact, Cary Elwes was chosen for the part of Westley because of his handsome, athletic ability and his similarity to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., well known for his fencing movies.

This movie is handsomely photographed with lots of special effects. Be sure to look for the Fire Pit with a ROUS (Rat of Unusual Size), the Screaming Eels, and the quicksand.

And I almost forgot! This movie is actually narrated by Peter Falk, who plays Grandpa reading to his sick grandson, played by a very young Fred Savage, who initially wants to be read a sports story and then gets into the plot of the story. I also loved Grandpa's line that "In my day, we had no television, but we had books!"

And would you believe it is directed by Rob Reiner--yes, Meathead of "All in the Family" fame. He does an unbelievable job, which he should have been nominated for.

And don't forget to look for Billy Crystal and Carol Kane as Miracle Max and his wife, Witch Valerie, who are unbelievably disquised as very old people with magical cures. You will not even recognize them!

There are many special features in this 2001 updated DVD. You will get to see all the actors and Rob Reiner as the appear now, and they tell the story of how the movie was made. It was a pleasure to watch these too!

This is a DVD that you will want to add to your permanent library!

As You Wish

"Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."

The character of The Grandfather, portrayed by the infamous Peter Falk, was indeed correct when he informs his ill grandson that the story of THE PRINCESS BRIDE has elements to it that would appeal to just about anyone. Directed by Rob Reiner, the plot contains all of the fundamental aspects necessary for just plain good storytelling.

Starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright-Penn (as Robin Wright), Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Christopher Sarandon, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane and other recognizable names, THE PRINCESS BRIDE follows the story of the young Buttercup and Westley, the poor farm boy who has fallen hopelessly in love with her. After Buttercup realizes that she is also in love with him, Westley leaves on a sea voyage in order to make his fortune so that they may marry. Unfortunately (but to the Grandson's great delight, as he is disappointed with the slow start), Westley's ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never leaves his prisoners alive. Five years later, Buttercup becomes unwillingly engaged to Prince Humperdinck.

What follows is almost Shakespearean in its cases of mistaken identity, plots and schemes, miracles, revenge seeking, players switching sides and confessions of true love. THE PRINCESS BRIDE is essentially a harmless little fairy tale, but with a funny, charming, almost child-like quality that appeals to both young and old. Billy Crystal's performance as Miracle Max is inspired in its hilarity, and the movie pokes fun at itself while still remaining a valid action-adventure-romance. While the film is not perfect in its technical aspects, such as seeing the pads beneath the dirt during the fight scene between "the man in black" and Inigo Montoya, these little imperfections only add to the allure, making the film special because while you know it's not flawless, it's so wonderful you don't care.

THE BUTTERCUP EDITION features artwork tailored to the fans who believe in true love above all. The special features are outstanding - my personal favorite being the "Quotable Battle of Wits Trivia Game." The artwork both in the packaging, on the discs themselves and the within the title screens is beautiful, making the set itself a wonderful tribute to the movie. There are also two different title screens to choose from - one perfect for those who believe in true love, featuring soft, romantic melodies from the film, and one for the more adventurous sort, with the rousing music of The Dread Pirate himself.

"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."

Katie Galloway
Movie Magic USA

A delightful & amusing fairytale!

The Princess Bride is a star packed fairytale that the whole family can enjoy! It's tame enough for the kids & features enough action & tongue in cheek humor to keep adults amused & interested!

This is the take of a young maiden named Buttercup who loses, finds, loses again & finds again her true love a farm boy named Westley! In reality though, this is the story of a young boy stuck at home sick who is, most unwelcomely, visited by his grandfather. His grandfather begins to read him a story, that he is none too fond of at 1st, but grows to be intrigued by as it moves along. Anyway, after Buttercup's love is lost at sea, the victim of the Dread Pirate Roberts, she consents to wed the son of the king, Prince Humperdink. While out for a ride, she is kidnapped & later rescued. She finds her true love again only to have him stolen from her again in a nefarious plot. Throughout, Buttercup is swept up in many adventures on the high seas with the screaming Eels, in the legendary fire swamp & for that matter back at the castle! Will Buttercup & Westley ever get married? Will the boy Realize his grandfather is not a dottering old fool & learn to appreciate him? You'll have to watch & see!

I mentioned star power & this film is loaded! Fred Savage is the boy & Peter Falk is his grandfather. A pretty good start eh? Robin Wright (before she became Wright-Penn) is Buttercup, Cary Elwes is Westley & Chris Sarandon is Prince Humperdink. Even better, but we're far from done! Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin & legendary wrestler Andre The Giant are the kidnappers & Christopher Guest is the infamous Count Rugen. That might be good enough, but there is icing on the cake in Carol Kane & Billy Crystal! This is a big & talented cast of stars! This "Dread Pirate" edition features a decent amount of extras for a movie as old as this one & has been remastered for superior quality.

This is a wonderful tale with a little something for everybody! The visual & special effects are excellent, the story is 1st rate, there are numerous beautiful scenic vistas & plenty of action, thrills & chills! Plus a load of humor to keep it light & amusing!

Storybook story with a rapier wit ...

(For those who are wondering, the difference between the 2000 and 2001 releases is that the 2001 is a "special edition" with additional features, but nothing Earth-shattering. The story is the thing, originally released in 1987.)

The Princess Bride is a story within a story with some of the most unforgettable characters ever created. Don't let the fairy-tale title fool you. This is a clever, quick-witted comedy loaded with sharp barbs and impressive details. It is one of those rare instant classics that entertains different ages at different levels, and gets better each time you watch it.

The film's legendary cast includes Cary Elwes, Robin Wright(Penn), Andre the Giant, Shawn Wallace, Mandy Patinkin, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Christopher Guest, and Chris Sarandon. Peter Falk and a young Fred Savage round out the cast in the wraparound story of a grandfather visiting his sick grandson.

As the grandfather says, this is a story of "fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..." Not a moment lags. The rapid-fire banter between characters is impeccably-timed, and as often quoted as Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

My favorite part of the movie is the duel at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity. Beside some genuinely fine swordsmanship, few people realize that the conversation Wesley and Inigo are having so courteously as they battle to the death is chock full of references to real-life master swordsmen of centuries past. Every detail of this scene is pure entertainment perfection, right down to the background music and sound effects.

The Princess Bride is a rich blend of comedy, action, adventure and romance. It is a prized part of my movie collection, and truly a must-have for any aficionado of fine wit. You'll watch it again and again.

To do otherwise would be ... INCONCEIVABLE!

The Princess Bride is a crowd pleaser!

I am 35 years old and first saw this film in the theatre when I was 15. Still to this day, when someone asks me what my favorite movie is I always answer The Princess Bride. It has Romance, Humor, Action, unexpected outcomes, giants, sword play, and it is all done by an all-star cast. Wallace Shawn as Vizzini is fantastic, Mandy Patinkin slips in (nearly unrecognizable now that we see him older and heavier 20 years later) as Inigo the dueling revenge- seeking Spaniard. Andre the Giant is a rhyming fool who anyone would dream of having as a best friend. This was Robin Wright's first film, and she plays the lovely princess role very well. Cary Elwes is superb as Wesley, and Chris Sarandon is The love to hate you/ warthog-faced bafoon prince Humperdink. Christopher Guest plays the straight man with 6 fingers, and Carol Kane and Billy Crystal provide one of the film's most memorable scenes as Miracle Max and his wife Valerie. There are too many great characters to include, but you will love the Priest, and the Albino too. Please, do yourself a huge favor and add this title to your collection. Then, watch it as often as you can!