The Princess Bride (1987)

While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him a story called The Princess Bride.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

William Goldman (book), William Goldman (screenplay)

Stars:

Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright

Top Rated Movies #213 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cary Elwes	...	Westley
Mandy Patinkin	...	Inigo Montoya
Chris Sarandon	...	Prince Humperdinck
Christopher Guest	...	Count Rugen
Wallace Shawn	...	Vizzini
André the Giant	...	Fezzik (as Andre the Giant)
Fred Savage	...	The Grandson
Robin Wright	...	The Princess Bride
Peter Falk	...	The Grandfather
Peter Cook	...	The Impressive Clergyman
Mel Smith	...	The Albino
Carol Kane	...	Valerie
Billy Crystal	...	Miracle Max
Anne Dyson	...	The Queen
Margery Mason	...	The Ancient Booer

Storyline

An elderly man reads the book "The Princess Bride" to his sick and thus currently bedridden adolescent grandson, the reading of the book which has been passed down within the family for generations. The grandson is sure he won't like the story, with a romance at its core, he preferring something with lots of action and "no kissing". But the grandson is powerless to stop his grandfather, whose feelings he doesn't want to hurt. The story centers on Buttercup, a former farm girl who has been chosen as the princess bride to Prince Humperdinck of Florian. Buttercup does not love him, she who still laments the death of her one true love, Westley, five years ago. Westley was a hired hand on the farm, his stock answer of "as you wish" to any request she made of him which she came to understand was his way of saying that he loved her. But Westley went away to sea, only to be killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. On a horse ride to clear her mind of her upcoming predicament of marriage, Buttercup...

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Plot Keywords:

true love | giant | fairy tale | pirate | princess | 

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Taglines:

Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, Battling Rodents of Unusual Size, Facing torture in the Pit of Despair. - True love has never been a snap.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Braut des Prinzen

Filming Locations:

Penshurst Place, Penshurst, Kent, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$206,243, 27 September 1987, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$30,857,814

Company Credits

Production Co:

Act III Communications, Buttercup Films Ltd., The Princess Bride Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2012 interview in New York Magazine, Mandy Patinkin said that his most famous line from The Princess Bride (1987) ("Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.") gets quoted back to him by at least two or three strangers every day of his life. Patinkin told the interviewer that he loves hearing the line and he also loves the general fact that he got to be in the movie, stating, "I'm frankly thrilled about it. I can't believe that I got to be in The Wizard of Oz, you know what I mean?"

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Goofs

After rescue from the lightning sand and they are hugging, in a shot over Buttercups shoulder Wesley is caressing her face - but when it cuts to a wider angle from behind him, his arm is down at his side.

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Quotes

Inigo Montoya: My father was slaughtered by a six-fingered man. He was a great swordmaker, my father. When the six-fingered man appeared and requested a special sword, my father took the job. He slaved a year before it was done.
[Shows the Man in Black the sword]
Man in Black: I've never seen its equal.
Inigo Montoya: The six-fingered man returned and demanded it, but at one tenth his promised price. My father refused. Without a word, the six-fingered man slashed him through the heart. I loved my father. So naturally, I challenged his ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the end credits, before the special thanks, there's a message "Read the Del Rey book" which is an invitation for the viewer to read the book this film is based on. And Del Rey being a list of science fiction and fantasy imprint published by Penguin Random House that this book is part of.

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Connections

Referenced in Deep Web (2015)

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Soundtracks

A Happy Ending
Written by Mark Knopfler

User Reviews

A satiric comedy with humor and sadness, dark with the light.

This film is an intelligent, sardonic send up of several genres that pokes fun (affectionately) at fairy tales, swashbucklers, love stories and basic conventions of film. One of my favorite scenes is where Inigo Montoya first confronts his quarry after years of searching. His adversary does the unexpected-and what most villains in real life WOULD do under the same circumstances, with hilarious results in the scene. Basil Rathbone probably whirled in his grave!

Not by any means Citizen Kane (we already have one of those, anyway) but a champ in its weight class, with a perfect score, a fine script and good performances. Far more true to the flavor of the original fairy tales that it spoofs than even the best of Disney's takes. I loved it the first time I saw it and love it more now. Well worth watching. Recommended.