The Princess Bride (1987)

A young boy (Fred Savage) is home from school, sick in bed and playing video games. His grandfather (Peter Falk) arrives to read to him from the same book his father used to read to him: a fairy tale called The Princess Bride.

The boy reluctantly agrees and, as the story is read, we see it play out on screen.

In the kingdom of Florin, a young girl named Buttercup (Robin Wright) is in love with the farm boy, Westley (Cary Elwes). But when he leaves for another country, his ship is attacked by pirates, and all travellers killed. Buttercup locks herself inside, promising she will never love another again.

The Grandfather (Peter Falk) serves as the narrator of the story.

Five years later, she is engaged to be married to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). One day, while out riding, she is kidnapped by three men: self-described genius Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), sword-fighting Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and extra-large Fezzik (Andre the Giant).

The three of them take her across the sea, planning to kill her and frame the nearby kingdom of Gilder, bringing about a war.

But they are pursued by a mysterious man in black, who seems to have his own interest in taking Buttercup.

Add to the mix that Inigo has sworn revenge against the man who killed his father, the Prince's sidekick Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) and you have the makings of a wonderful adventure.

The love between Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright) is one
of the most beautifully loving relationships ever shown on screen.

The screenplay, written by William Goldman and based on his own novel, is absolutely brilliant. The quality of the adaptation is also good; I have read the novel and basically everything in the book makes it to the screen, with the exception of one longish chapter that was probably omitted for budgetary reasons. The dialogue is hilarious, but also filled with pathos and drama, and the characters are all brilliantly written.

The music by Mark Knopfler is perfectly suited to the feel of the film. It seems though that the majority of the score is drawn from themes of a song that plays over the closing credits, which as a song, is not that great. One wonders if Knopfler wrote the song, and orchestrators created the score separately afterwards.

The performances of the cast are fantastic throughout, particularly those of Elwes and Patinkin. There are some fabulous cameos, my favourites being Billy Crystal and Peter Cook.

Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) and Buttercup (Robin Wright).

Director Rob Reiner, known for great comedies, is fully in his element here, and this film quickly became a classic. It is compulsory viewing for any fan of comedy, and is a film I have seen enough times to quote it word for word, but it still has me roaring with laughter every time.

9 out of 10.