rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 1987
Directed by Rob Reiner; produced by Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman; screenplay by William Goldman
Starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, André the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal
The better, more complete, review will be online very soon.
Rob Reiner's 'The Princess Bride' is an action packed adventure spoof. Cary
Elwes is Westley who loves Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn, but here still
Robin Wright.) Westley goes away to get money and never returns, presumed
dead. The prince of the country Florin has chosen buttercup to be his bride,
it is five years later. Buttercup is kidnapped and a stranger in black (he
looks like Zorro) follows the kidnappers. The stranger is the returned
Westley. Together with two of the kidnappers he must save buttercup from
marrying the prince because the only thing he wants to do is use her to
blame things on another country, Guilder.
The story sounds like a real adventure movie. In a way it is. The
swordfights in this movie belong to the best and funniest I have ever seen.
But it is not just an adventure. It is even more a comedy with some smart
and a lot of silly jokes. An example: the two countries are called Florin
and Guilder, two former Dutch coins (which is kind of nice for me as a
Dutchman.) I have to admit, the jokes are very funny and the way the actors
handle them works. Full with action this is a movie that keeps moving and is
never boring, not even for a second.