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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)
Reviews
Popularity
283 ( 9)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cary Elwes ... Westley
Mandy Patinkin ... Iñigo 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 Margery Mason ... The Ancient Booer
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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 prefers something with lots of action and "no kissing", but he lets grandfather continue, because he doesn't want to hurt his feelings. 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 is kidnapped by a... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

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. See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Humperdink's castle was built by William the Conqueror for an illegitimate son. It doesn't look this cool in real life though. They added some fake spires and whatnot to spruce the place up. See more »

Goofs

When Vizzini cuts the rope at the top of the Cliffs of Insanity, he cuts if very close to the boulder it is tied around. Later when Inigo retrieves the rope to lower it down to Westley, the cut end of the rope is now several feet from the boulder. See more »

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." See more »

Alternate Versions

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

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Master Ninja II (1992) See more »

Soundtracks

Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Featured in the Commodore port of "Hardball"
Music by Albert von Tilzer
Lyrics by Jack Norworth (credit only)
Arranged by Ed Bogas (uncredited)
Published by Broadway Music Corporation - Francis, Day & Hunter, Ltd.
[Heard on the TV at the start of the opening scene]
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User Reviews

True Love Conquers All
19 April 2004 | by aeratorSee all my reviews

Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Robin Wright Penn star in this classic fairy tale entitled The Princess Bride. It is based on a novel by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay. Director Rob Reiner brings life to this story and effectively evokes the enchanting spirit of the witty 1973 novel.

The movie opens with a sick boy (Fred Savage) who receives a visit from his grandfather (Peter Falk) who intends to read to him from his favorite book. The boy is not exactly pleased to be distracted from his world of video games. However, his mood quickly changes as he and the viewer are transported to a place out of time. We are taken to Florin, a kingdom in an imaginary land, complete with dashing heroes, cowardly princes, rhyming giants, rodents of unusual size, fancy swordfights, and yes . . . even some kissing.

This fairy tale begins on a farm in the countryside. There lives a beautiful, young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) who learns that "as you wish" really means "I love you" when she falls for her farmhand Westley (Cary Elwes). While trying to seek his fortune, Westley disappears at sea and becomes an apparent victim of the Dread Pirate Roberts. A few years later, Buttercup, who is now engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), is kidnapped by a trio of misfits, which includes brains--Vizzini (Wallace Shawn); brawn--Fezzik (André the Giant); and sword--Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). As they sail away toward the Cliffs of Insanity, they notice the pursuit of a man in black. Now begins the adventure . . . .

The central idea of The Princess Bride is that true love can conquer all. Throughout the movie, there are many hardships and trials that true love must endure. The movie keeps the viewer guessing until the very end whether or not there will be the classic fairy tale ending.

This movie is appealing to me because of the classic fairy tale style combined with the witty humor, well choreographed action sequences, and intense instances of suspense. The characters are well developed and all the actors give an amazing performance which adds to the overall appeal of the movie. The Princess Bride is easily one of my all time favorite movies.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1987 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

The Princess Bride See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$206,243, 27 September 1987

Gross USA:

$30,857,814

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,902,642
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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