The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride; fantasy, USA, 1987; D: Rob Reiner, S: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Peter Falk, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal

A grandfather reads a book to his grandson, called "the Princess Bride": Buttercup fell in love with servant Westley, but he was kidnapped by pirates. She thus decided to get engaged to Prince Humperdinck who plans to kill her and put the blame on the neighboring kingdom, to start a war. But then Westley shows up, alive and well, just disguised by a mask. Together with Fezzik and Inigo, they go through numerous adventures and save Buttercup from a forced marriage by Humperdinck.

Fairy tale "The Princess Bride" has been declared both a "timeless classic" and a "enchanting fantasy". Neither one of these assertions quite suit the film in question. Namely, it is an endlessly sympathetic and at times very funny little film, both spoofing and honoring fairy tales, but also frequently very problematic, mostly in the field of stubbornly (too) childishly resolving many tangles in the story. The best part is the excellent first third that abounds with intelligent humor and spirit. For instance, Buttercup and Westley start kissing, but the scene is suddenly "interrupted" by the grandson who complains to his grandfather that "the book has too much romance". In another great little moment, the evil Vizzini kidnaps princess Buttercup in order to put the blame on the neighboring kingdom and start a war, adding how that is a "respectable job with a long tradition". However, the first illogical moment causes a "bump" in the storyline: Vizzini's plan was to kill Buttercup, yet when she jumps from the ship into the sea, and an eel is about to attack her, Vizzini suddenly offers not to harm her if she returns back to the ship. If he intended to kill her, what difference would it make if he or the eel killed her? It makes no sense. 

Mandy Patinkin is amusing as the sword-fencing Inigo, and in one memorable sequence, he is fencing with his left hand against Westley, seems to be losing, but keeps a smile all the time, until he reveals to Westley: "I am actually not left-handed!", and then starts cornering Westley while holding the sword in his right hand. Billy Crystal also has a neat humorous cameo, as well as Mel Smith, who plays an Albino in the underground dungeon: when Westley wakes up there, the Albino greets him in a scary, Igor-like voice, but then clears up his throat and resumes talking "normally". Unfortunately, the rest of the story is standard, convulsive and unfunny, not less because Buttercup is such a bland, one-dimensional character, and the ending is too dry, whereas it tends to get especially annoying in the naive ways with which the main hero manages to get out of dangerous situations (the one where he cannot move, is lying in bed, but still manages to scare away the bad guy by threatening to "stand up" almost seems like an insult to intelligence). William Goldman wrote a good script, but not a great one, since he needed to add more witty jokes to keep the story in better memory.

Grade:++