« Hello, my name is Iñigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die ».
I must confess that the first time I saw this film, I couldn’t quite grasp why I loved it so much. With the passage of time, I have discovered the reason: it is a film that mirrors a classic fairy tale, where curiously a Spaniard is cast as a noble knight, possessing the traits of medieval legends (this is because William Goldman was a great admirer of Miguel de Cervantes and his masterwork, Don Quixote).
At that time, my father was suffering from a terminal illness. Thus, when I witnessed the sword fight between Inigo Montoya and the wicked Count Rugen, I couldn’t help but imagine that I was Inigo, facing my father’s illness with a blade and emerging victorious.
»—Offer me money. —Everything I have and more. —Offer me power. —Anything you want. —I want my father back, you son of a… «.
That is why my eyes would fill with tears every time I watched it—tears held back out of a sense of shame. If we add to this the overarching story of the grandfather (Peter Falk) reading the tale to his grandson (Fred Savage), the adventures, the fantasy, the triumph of an all-conquering love, and the comedic touch of this great film, we find the perfect movie to reach children, youths, adolescents, adults, and the elderly alike.
Plot.
The Princess Bride is a fantasy romance novel published in 1973 by American author William Goldman. The book masterfully combines elements of adventure, fantasy, romance, fairy tale, and humor.
It was originally published in the United States by Harcourt Brace, and later by Penguin Random House, while in the United Kingdom, it was published by Bloomsbury.
The book was adapted into a film in 1987, with a screenplay penned by Goldman himself and directed by Rob Reiner.
In a world set during the Renaissance era, a beautiful young woman named Buttercup lives on a farm in the kingdom of Florin. She takes delight in ordering about Westley, the farmhand, whom she addresses simply as “Farm Boy,” demanding he perform various chores. Westley’s response to her demands is always “As you wish.” Eventually, she realizes that what he is truly saying is: “I love you.” Buttercup realizes she loves him too and confesses her strong romantic feelings.
Westley decides to go seek his fortune so they may marry, but Buttercup later hears that the Dread Pirate Roberts—famous for being an immortal who leaves no survivors from the ships he boards—attacked her fiancé’s vessel at sea. She believes Westley is dead and sinks into the deepest despair, declaring: “I will never love again.” As the story goes, though she was already one of the most beautiful women in the world before this event, the suffering and maturity gained from losing her beloved transformed her into literally the most beautiful woman to ever exist.
With the passing of time, she reluctantly agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck, heir to the throne of Florin, due to a law that allows the prince to choose any unwed woman as his bride. Humperdinck was originally to marry a princess, but upon discovering she was bald, he cancelled the engagement and ordered a search for another woman, with the sole condition that she be indisputably beautiful. Thus, Count Rugen, his right-hand man, discovers Buttercup. They decide she shall be the new fiancée, and though she accepts, she makes it clear she does not love him.
Prince Humperdinck has been the ruler of the country since his father, the King, was incapacitated by senility.
Humperdinck is an obese and aesthetically unappealing man, yet hunting is his passion to such an extent that there is no creature or method he hasn’t mastered. When he cannot find a worthy prey, he “settles” for killing bears with his bare hands. To this end, he has created the “Zoo of Death,” a fighting arena divided into five subterranean levels where he constantly stocks the most dangerous and rare animals in the world to feed his obsession.
Before the wedding, a trio of outlaws consisting of a cunning Sicilian dwarf named Vizzini, the Spanish fencing master Inigo Montoya, and the gigantic Turkish wrestler Fezzik kidnap Buttercup. They are hired by an anonymous contractor who wishes to start a war with the neighboring country, Guilder; thus, they must murder her at the border of both kingdoms, feigning an assassination. As they flee, a masked man dressed in black follows them across the sea and climbs after them up the Cliffs of Insanity, where Vizzini orders Inigo to stop him.
Before the Man in Black reaches the top of the cliff, a flashback into Inigo’s past reveals he is seeking revenge against a six-fingered man who killed his father. To this end, he has trained in fencing since childhood, achieving a prodigious skill beyond any before him. When the Man in Black finally reaches the summit, Inigo arranges a fair fight, allowing his opponent to rest before the duel. After conversing, they quickly feel a mutual respect, but remaining loyal to their sides and missions, they decide to duel. The Man in Black proves to be slightly inferior in combat to Inigo, yet the Spaniard recognizes him as the most dangerous and well-prepared opponent he has ever faced. Despite being superior, his opponent manages to win the duel by taking advantage of the terrain. Still, out of respect, he allows the Spaniard to live.
Dazed, Vizzini orders Fezzik to kill the Man in Black by treachery. Another flashback details Fezzik’s history, explaining that he has always been a pacifist with a child-like mind and an aversion to violence. However, his parents convinced him to be a wrestler, and after their deaths, his fear of being alone led him to become a henchman for the Sicilian. Fezzik’s conscience compels him to challenge the masked man to a fair fight where, though the Turk should have the advantage, the Man in Black manages to catch him in a chokehold and make him lose consciousness.
When the Man in Black catches up to Vizzini, the latter holds the young woman hostage, claiming it is impossible for him to lose since he possesses an intellect superior to any other person. The stranger proposes a battle of wits to the death: two glasses of wine will be served; he will put an undetectable poison called iocaine in one of them, and the Sicilian will choose which glass each drinks, using his intellect to deduce where the poison lies. After a string of reasonings, Vizzini chooses and both drink. The dwarf (Vizzini) dies, and the masked man later confesses to Buttercup that he actually poisoned both cups, as he is immune to iocaine.
With Prince Humperdinck’s rescue party in pursuit, the Man in Black flees with Buttercup. Horrified, she realizes he is the Dread Pirate Roberts, who took her beloved’s life years ago. He recounts how Westley wished to live to reunite with her, and at that moment, he mocks Buttercup, who in the Man in Black’s opinion, lacked loyalty to her beloved for having replaced him with the prince. Enraged, she pushes him into a ravine, shouting, “You can die too, for all I care!”. Only when she hears from the bottom of the gorge, “As you wish!”, does Buttercup realize he is Westley. She follows him down the ravine to find him battered but largely unharmed.
As they travel through the Fire Swamp to reach the coast and flee together on Westley’s ship, he explains that the Pirate Roberts attacked his vessel but spared him after he explained his intense love for her. Westley became his valet and then his friend. Over those four years, Westley learned how to defend himself, fight, and sail. Finally, Roberts confessed that the pirate’s reputation for immortality was because, whenever the Dread Pirate Roberts wishes to retire, he seeks a successor to take his name and fame—for which role he chose Westley.
After overcoming the terrible dangers of the Fire Swamp, both are captured by Prince Humperdinck and his men. Buttercup agrees to return with Humperdinck to the palace to marry him in exchange for Westley’s release.
Rugen follows Humperdinck’s secret instructions to lock Westley in the fifth level of the “Zoo of Death.” There, Rugen tortures Westley for months. However, Westley, through sheer will, feigns suffering until he is unfortunately connected to The Machine, a horrific device that sucks out life through a process so painful that it breaks Westley from the very first moment of the first session.
Meanwhile, Buttercup expresses her unhappiness to Humperdinck, who promises to send his four fastest ships to locate Westley. If they don’t find him before the wedding, Buttercup will marry him. It is later revealed that to start a war with Guilder, Humperdinck himself arranged Buttercup’s kidnapping and murder, and now plans to kill her on her wedding night to motivate his subjects for war. This was why he wanted his fiancée to be a beautiful woman, to more easily gain the people’s affection and, upon her death, foster a hatred for the neighboring kingdom that would support the war effort.
Months later, on the wedding day, Inigo, who has become an alcoholic, is rescued from the prince’s squads by Fezzik. Fezzik tells him he discovered that Count Rugen is the six-fingered man who killed his father. Knowing Vizzini is dead, they seek the Man in Black, hoping that if he could defeat the Turk’s strength, Inigo’s swordsmanship, and Vizzini’s intellect, he will help them plan a successful attack on the castle to find and kill Count Rugen.
Buttercup learns that Humperdinck never sent any ships and mocks him, declaring her enduring love for Westley. Enraged, Humperdinck tortures Westley to death using The Machine at maximum capacity. Westley’s death cries echo across the land, drawing Inigo and Fezzik to the Zoo of Death and through its many dangerous levels.
Finding Westley’s body, they seek the help of the King of Florin’s former court sage, a wizard named Miracle Max, who was fired by Humperdinck to give his post to Rugen—the reason he decides to help them as revenge.
Westley is resurrected, but his body will be incapacitated for months. Even so, he devises a successful plan to invade the castle during the wedding. The resulting commotion leads Humperdinck to cut the ceremony short, while Buttercup decides to take her own life as soon as she reaches the honeymoon suite.
Inigo pursues Rugen through the castle, reciting aloud his long-rehearsed oath of vengeance (“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”) throughout the duel. He is gravely wounded by a treacherous move from his rival but kills him in a final sword fight. Westley finds Buttercup before she can end her life. Still partially paralyzed, he avoids a sword fight with Humperdinck, instead cowing him with threats until he surrenders. Rather than killing his rival, he chooses to spare him so he may live with the humiliation of being exposed as a coward.
Fezzik steals the prince’s four fastest steeds, and they flee upon them, trying to reach where Westley anchored his ship while the prince and his men give chase.
As Goldman explains, the story ends with an open conclusion, recounting how they must deal with Fezzik accidentally causing them to stray, Buttercup’s horse losing a shoe, Westley succumbing to his poor physical condition, and Inigo’s wound worsening. Thus, the story closes without clarifying if they manage to escape or if it all ends in tragedy. However, he remarks that since he was a child, he has liked to believe they made it to safety.
Film Plot.
The film begins with an elderly man (Peter Falk) who decides to tell an old story to his grandson (Fred Savage) because the boy is ill. Although the child is initially bored with the story, he soon begins to take a keen interest in it.
The tale recounts how the young Buttercup (Robin Wright) spends her days on her farm in the kingdom of Florin. There she meets Westley (Cary Elwes), a stable boy she constantly tries to provoke by ordering him to perform chores. The young pair grow up and soon fall deeply in love.
One day, Westley leaves the kingdom to earn money so they may marry, but the vessel upon which he travels is boarded by a terrible pirate. Buttercup believes her beloved has died at the villain’s hand, and thus she becomes engaged to the wicked Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon).
Suddenly, three strange men kidnap the princess with the goal of overthrowing the despot Humperdinck. Westley, hearing of what has transpired, comes to save his dear Buttercup, deciding to join forces with her captors. Simultaneously, he will attempt to prevent the imminent wedding to the prince. Miracle Max (Billy Crystal), thanks to his powers, will help Westley save the lady.
Film Facts.
- Release Date: 1987.
- Director: Rob Reiner.
- Box Office: $30,800,000 in the USA and Canada.
- Budget: $16,000,000.
- Screenwriter: William Goldman.
- Music: Mark Knopfler.
- Photography: Adrian Biddle.
- Achieved cult status: when it reached video rental shops.
Differences between the Film and the Novel.
- The film constantly breaks the fourth wall, whereas in the book, it breaks the rhythm of the narrative.
- In the film, the framing centers on the grandfather reading to his grandson, while the book develops the characters’ lives further. It is through William Goldman’s introductions that he builds a world based on his own personal history.
- William Goldman continuously expands the story.
- Stephen King appears within one of these expansions as a character.
- William Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the film Misery. It is considered one of the best book-to-film adaptations.
Characters.
| Actor | Characters |
|---|---|
| Cary Elwes | Westley / Dread Pirate Roberts |
| Robin Wright | Buttercup |
| Mandy Patinkin | Inigo Montoya |
| Chris Sarandon | Prince Humperdinck |
| Christopher Guest | Count Tyrone Rugen |
| Wallace Shawn | Vizzini |
| André the Giant | Fezzik |
| Peter Falk | The Grandfather / Narrator |
| Fred Savage | The Grandson |
| Peter Cook | The Impressive Clergyman |
| Billy Crystal | Miracle Max |
| Carol Kane | Valerie, Max’s wife |
| Mel Smith | The Albino |
| Malcolm Storry | Yellin, Chief of the Guard |
| Margery Mason | Ancient Booer (In the dream) |
| Willoughby Gray | The King |
| Betsy Brantley | The Mother |
Soundtrack.
The soundtrack was released by Warner Bros. in 1987. It was composed and recorded by Willy DeVille and Mark Knopfler—the only person Rob Reiner believed capable of creating music that captured the film’s peculiarity and romantic character. Reiner was an admirer of Knopfler’s previous works but had not met him before working on the film; he sent him the script hoping he would accept. Knopfler agreed on one condition: that somewhere in the film, Rob Reiner include the baseball cap he wore playing Marty DiBergi in This Is Spinal Tap. Reiner couldn’t show the original cap but included a similar one in the grandson’s bedroom. Later, Knopfler would say he was only joking.
Track List.
- Once upon a Time… Storybook Love.
- I Will Never Love Again.
- Florin Dance.
- Morning Ride.
- The Friends’ Song.
- The Cliffs of Insanity.
- The Swordfight.
- Guide My Sword.
- The Fireswamp and the Rodents of Unusual Size.
- Revenge.
- A Happy Ending.
- Storybook Love (composed and performed by Willy DeVille).
Curiosidades.
- Actor Mandy Patinkin, who plays Inigo Montoya, lost his father to cancer six months before filming began. Thus, during the sword fight, he imagined he was fighting against cancer. He became so immersed in the character that he accidentally wounded his opponent, Christopher Guest (Count Tyrone Rugen), in the leg.
- The character of Fezzik (The Giant) was played by the wrestler known as André the Giant. André René Roussimoff suffered from a condition called gigantism. By the age of 12, he had reached 1.91 meters (6’3”) and weighed 94 kg (207 lbs). His wrist was thicker than a normal man’s ankle, and his hand could completely cover a beer can. He passed away shortly after the film was finished due to his serious health condition. The filmmakers had also considered Arnold Schwarzenegger for the role.
- In the sword fight between Westley and Inigo Montoya, they always fenced with their right hands, as they found it very difficult to handle the sword as well with their left. Thus, what they did was change the entire choreography and set-up to make it appear as though they were fighting left-handed.
- The boy who appears in the film is based on the creator himself, William Goldman, who had been ill with pneumonia as a child.
- Robert Redford wanted to buy the rights to star in the film.
- Director Rob Reiner wanted to make the film because the novel had been read to him as a child.
- The screenplay he is most proud of is The Princess Bride, even having written other hits such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Oscar), The Great Waldo Pepper, All the President’s Men (Oscar), Marathon Man, Last Action Hero, Absolute Power, Good Will Hunting (uncredited polish), The General’s Daughter, Hearts in Atlantis, Dreamcatcher (Stephen King adaptation), and Misery (Stephen King adaptation).
- Mandy Patinkin injured a rib from laughing so hard at Billy Crystal.
- Christopher Guest, in one of the combat scenes, asked his partner to hit him for real, and they did it so realistically that he was knocked unconscious.
- Wallace Shawn was chosen for his short stature; however, he shares with his character a vast culture and knowledge. He had studied English Philology, Economics, and Acting.
- Robin Wright (The Princess Bride): She had an initial meeting at the director’s house. When Rob opened the door and saw how the sun illuminated her, he realized she transmitted innocence and purity as well as beauty.
- The sword in the novel is made in Toledo.
Mythic Phrases.
- Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.
- Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
- Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!
- Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.
- Now, I must also say, for the umpteenth time, that life is not fair. It’s just fairer than death, that’s all.