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The plot of The Princess Bride centres on Buttercup, a beautiful young girl living in the country of Florin, who is left utterly heartbroken when her true love, Westley, is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Five years later, she becomes engaged to the odious Prince Humperdinck, but a short time before her wedding, she is kidnapped by three men. As they race to take her to the border with Guilder, they are followed by the mysterious Man in Black - evidently, they are not the only ones with an interest in Buttercup. But who could the mysterious Man in Black be?
The Princess Bride is one of my favourite films ever, but as I sat down to view it again, I told myself I was perfectly capable of being objective about it. I could forget what I already thought, and watch it with fresh eyes. However, at exactly 9 minutes 26 seconds in, the following exchange occurs:
“No more rhymes now, I mean it!”
“Does anybody want a peanut?”
and I laughed uproariously, just like I do every time I watch it. Once again I was completely lost to the charms of this magnificent film.
From the dodgy monsters to Mark Knopfler’s quirky yet heartfelt soundtrack, this film screams 1980s. The plot twists might be pretty obvious, but that doesn’t really matter in a film that is this filled with wit (both silly and sophisticated) and brilliant characters. If there is another problem, it’s that the two main characters (in particular Buttercup) are often overshadowed by the supporting cast, who are given all the best lines. However, the leads do get a chance to shine eventually, particularly Cary Elwes in the fabulous “to the pain” speech he gives towards the end of the film. Buttercup is pretty useless at the beginning of the film, but when she develops a steely determination later, Robin Wright performs it beautifully.
But this film really belongs to the supporting cast. From Wallace Shawn’s Vizzini (a man so intelligent he calls Plato, Aristotle and Socrates “morons”) to Chris Sarandon and Christopher Guest as Prince Humperdinck and his creepy sidekick Count Rugen, and Peter Cook’s cameo as a priest with a speech impediment, there is just such a richness of comedy to enjoy here. Despite having little screen time, Billy Crystal’s cameo as Miracle Max is utterly hilarious, and I smile just thinking about it – apparently, Mandy Patinkin sustained one of the few injuries of the shoot when he bruised a rib trying not to laugh at Crystal. However, when I think about this film, there is one line that comes to my mind before any other, and anyone who’s already seen this film will probably be able to guess what it is: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Mandy Patinkin is a delight as the Spaniard intent on revenge, who is probably my favourite film character ever.
Honestly, if you haven’t seen The Princess Bride, you really are missing out. Get your hands on a copy of it, and watch it. Right now. Go on, you really won’t regret it.
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