The Princess Bride (1987)

While home sick in bed, a young boy's grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

William Goldman (screenplay by), William Goldman (based upon his book)

Stars:

Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright

Top Rated Movies #242 | 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:

Heroes, giants, villains, wizards, true love

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The video baseball game the Grandson is playing during the first scene is "Hardball" produced by Accolade, Inc., in 1985. It was widely available in the mid-1980s for the Commodore 64 computer system. It was a one or two-player game. The sound was not from the actual game, but later added.

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Goofs

When Westley was trying to try climb up the Cliffs of Insanity there was a real easy way they could have made him fall. All they had to do was throw rocks down at him. Especially since Fezzik could throw huge rocks.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Mother: Hi, honey.
The Grandson: Hi, Mom.

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Crazy Credits

Buttercup is referred to on-screen by name, but is only credited as "The Princess Bride."

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Alternate Versions

Current AMC broadcasts in the US use the sped-up 25 fps PAL video from a 24 fps film source.

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Connections

Featured in The Nostalgia Critic: Black Cauldron (2019)

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Soundtracks

Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Music by Albert von Tilzer
Lyrics by Jack Norworth

User Reviews

A joyous tale

The simplest pleasures in life are the best, and this film is one of them. Combining a rather basic storyline of love and adventure this movie transcends the usual weekend fair with wit and unmitigated charm. Every character is a delight and you just want to see more of them. "The Princess Bride" is based on the unsurpassed novel by William Goldman, who also penned the screenplay. While this is a movie review, I cannot recommend the book on which it is based more highly. It is quite simply the most humorous, enthralling fable ever written and will fill in many details that were impossible to include on the screen. The only other movie of this type that I can think of that is this much fun was Danny Kaye's "The Court Jester," another costumed comedy/adventure/romance that I also highly recommend.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Princess Bouton d'Or

Filming Locations:

Baron's Hall, Penshurst Place, Penshurst, Kent, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$206,243, 27 September 1987

Gross USA:

$30,857,814

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,877,156

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1