THE PRINCESS BRIDE. Directed by Rob Reiner; written by William Goldman; produced by Andrew Scheinman and Rob Reiner from Twentieth Century Fox. Starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon and Robin Wright. Rated PG (violence).
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Hurray! Another movie has joined that very skimpy list of entertainment enjoyable for both kids and their parents. My whole family saw it (a 3-year-old, a 7-year-old and two 30-somethings) and the verdict was unanimous— It's a hit!
The heroine's clothes impressed our girl, but she also liked the Rodents of Enormous Size that live in the Fire Swamp. Our son was quite taken by the swordplay. And my husband and I found the witty repartee amusing. Something for everyone!
The movie is a story-within-astory as an unnamed little boy (Fred Savage), recovering from the flu, is being read to by his uncle (Peter Falk). The story he reads is, of course The Princess Bride. This simple little framing device of the story being read accomplishes a lot of different things for the movie and is responsible in large measure for its success.
The comments and questions of the boy and his grandfather, interspersed throughout the showing of The Princess Bride story, bring the romance down to earth where it can be appreciated by a 1987 audience. Their interaction is funny and touching and it sets this movie apart from many others that try to capture the magic of fairy tales.
The story of The Princess Bride itself, though, is also a little unusual. Although a stock cast of heroes and villians inhabit its world, they are developed with a sense of humor that is missing, and would even be inappropriate, in "serious" fairy tales.
Buttercup (Wright) and Westley (Elwe) are young lovers separated circumstances and reunited through determination, loyalty and a healthy helping of luck. Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon) is a dastardly, but cowardly, Machievellian who wants to marry Buttercup. At first opposing the lovers, but eventually fighting on their side, are the giant Fezzik (played by wrestler Andre the Giant) and the master swordsman Inigo Montoya (Patinkin).
Patinkin nearly steals the show (no mean feat considering there are cameo appearances sprinkled througout the movie by the likes of Billy Crystal, Peter Cook, and Wallace Shawn). Inigo is more of a believeably human character than any of the others, perhaps because he's given a tragic past when no one else has much of a past at all.
The two principals in the affair are reasonably well-played, with Wright looking radiant in her royal robes, and Elwes (although not quite capable of carrying as much of the movie as he's asked to do) dashing in Westley's Zorro-like disguise.
The villians in The Princess Bride invite boos and hisses as readily as the heroes provoke cheers. The prince has his sinister moments, but he is played mostly for laughs and there is never much doubt that Westley will finish him off with little trouble.
His head henchman, however, the notorious six-fingered Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) is another matter, however. He is sadistic and unrelievedly menacing, and is really almost too much of a villian for such a light-hearted tale.
But, on the plus side, for the most part, The Princess Bride is remarkably free from the off-color innuendoes and mildly vulgar language that is prevalent in most kids' movies these days.
A minor quibble: for a modern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is noticeably sparse when it comes to modern women, and that's too bad. Not only is Buttercup the only major character that is female, but except for a little spunk she's allowed to show near the beginning, she does little but look regal. Especially since my daughter was born, I admit I'm hypersenstive to the lack of female fantasy figures that little girls can imitate when they play. But it's a failing I had hoped hip moviemakers such as Reiner and Goldman would at least try to address.
October 14, 1987