The Princess Bride
Posted on December 13, 2002 at 5:18 am
A+| Lowest Recommended Age: | Kindergarten - 3rd Grade |
| Profanity: | Very mild |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | None |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Action-style violence, peril, character injury and death |
| Diversity Issues: | None |
| Date Released to Theaters: | 1987 |
This witty modern fairy tale by William Goldman (screenwriter of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men”) is resoundingly satisfying. The most beautiful woman in the world (Robin Wright) is engaged to the cruel Prince (Chris Sarandon) but kidnapped by a huge man with enormous strength (Andre the Giant), a master swordsman (Mandy Patinkin), and an evil genius (Wallace Shawn), until she is rescued by a mysterious masked man who must defeat them all, and then escape with her through the treacherous Fire Swamp. But then she is captured again by the Prince, until honor, courage, and true love prevail.
The book by Goldman is even better, and lots of fun to read aloud, though I admit that when I read it to my children I skipped his asides, which are better appreciated by adults.
This is my favorite movie – and my kids love it as well. It gets better each time you view it, as you notice more and more of the subtleties and the wry humor. It takes a while to understand all of Andre the Giant’s lines, but he adds greatly to the story.
I’ll never forget when, in a meeting where we were all introducing ourselves, one co-worker lead with “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”. It was clear that the vast majority in the room were fans of the movie – and the confused few who had never seen it were directed to rent it immediately!
Thanks for a wonderful comment, Sleepyndoc! The movie — and the book — are family favorites. There are so many quotable lines!