‘The Princess Bride’ is a Delight
Robin Wright and Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride | Credit: 20th Century Studios
A grandfather (Peter Falk) reads a storybook to his sick grandson (Fred Savage), taking us into a fantastical story of pirates, duels, and true love.
I have been on a personal journey with this film throughout my life. As a child, my parents loved The Princess Bride, and I hated it. I was scared of the Fire Swamp and the ROUSes, which meant that I had a terrible time watching this film. Plus, I was probably way too young to appreciate just how brilliant it is.
Now, as an adult, I really enjoy this film. It’s so very quotable, and it is a joy to experience this familiar and silly story over and over again. Watching this again after a number of years felt like hanging out with some great friends after being away for a while. There are many ways to define a comfort film, but I think this film could be a good candidate for that label.
Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, and André René Roussimoff in The Princess Bride | Credit: 20th Century Studios
The Princess Bride is one of those rare films that really has something for everyone. There’s action and adventure, fantasy, humor, and romance. What really impressed me upon rewatching this film again is that the humor in it is so varied. Despite all of the different tonal shifts and types of humor, this film still manages to feel cohesive and whole.
This film is also so smart in its pacing and the use of the framing device of a grandfather reading a story to his grandson. One of my favorite examples is after Buttercup (Robin Wright) has been kidnapped. She attempts to escape by jumping ship and trying to swim to shore. But she doesn’t know that the lake is filled with enormous shrieking eels. One of the eels begins to charge at her, and just before it reaches her, we are snapped out of the story. The grandfather checks on his grandson, who looks a bit nervous. When they are finally able to resume, the grandfather starts reading the wrong part of the story, so the film fast-forwards back to where we were.
It’s such a small moment, but I think it really highlights the brilliance of The Princess Bride. Taking us out of the action at a moment that was really tense helps make the story not too scary. It diffuses the tension so that the film is still accessible to younger viewers. We are also put back into this tense moment in a way that’s somewhat humorous, bringing levity to an otherwise serious moment.
In both little and big creative decisions like that one, The Princess Bride keeps the story light and fun. But it’s also never too silly that the humor feels out of place. The film beautifully balances fun and comedy with drama and tension.
Mandy Patinkin and Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride | Credit: 20th Century Studios
The Princess Bride features an incredibly talented cast, many of whom went on to play other iconic characters throughout their careers. Watching this now feels like the stars really aligned with this film. Everything just came together at the right time and place for this really special movie to be made. And it came out at the right time to make this into a cult classic.
Throughout the years, there’s been talking about doing a sequel or remaking this, and I’m really happy that those attempts haven’t been successful thus far. Even though The Princess Bride is over 35 years old, it doesn’t feel dated. The jokes are still funny today, the action is still exhilarating, and the characters are incredibly endearing.
The Princess Bride is a pretty magical film, and I’m so glad that it’s remained part of pop culture for so many years. We need more silly, light-hearted fun in our lives.