The Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary Edition Review & Gift Guide

"Come my love I'll tell you a tale" is the opening line of the theme song to The Princess Bride. It's a story about a young couple and their true love.

Since its first release in 1987, The Princess Bride has captured the hearts of millions, becoming one of the most watched movies of all time.  And why not?  It meets the requirements of what makes a great movie by combining every emotion a human can experience.

The Princess Bride is not only a great romantic comedy, but it is full of suspense, intrigue, action, drama, and adventure making it the out of the ordinary fairy tale story.

Celebrate the 25th year of this movie with the brand new release of the film on Blu-Ray.  With this edition you will enjoy all new features and behind the scenes footage that have never been released.  There are also other collector’s editions you may like along with special gifts to commemorate the movie.

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The story begins with a young boy (Fred Savage) who is at home sick in bed. The grandfather (Peter Falk) comes to visit and shares a book that he read to his son when he was sick. As the grandfather sits down he opens the book and begins to tell the tale of two young lovers.

Buttercup a commoner (Robin Wright), and Westley the farm boy (Cary Elwes) had fallen in love. Every time Buttercup made a request to the farm boy, he responded, "As you wish." She came to realize that his response to her demands were done out of love, and saying "as you wish" really meant I love you.

In the middle of a sentence the sick boy yelled out to his grandfather to stop reading. He had become upset because it didn't seem to be anything but a love story. He was looking for adventure, thrills and tragedy. Grandpa assured the lad that those scenes were coming and he had to be patient.

Westley wanted to marry Buttercup, but he was poor and couldn't afford the dowry. He decided to sail away to make a fortune and then return to claim his bride. Buttercup didn't like the plan and resisted not knowing if he would return for her. The farm boy swore he would by saying, "I will always come for you." Buttercup asked, "How can you be sure?" Her love replied, "This is true love, think this happens every day?" With that Westley left Florin.

• Cary Elwes as Westley, a farmboy and Buttercup's beloved.
• Robin Wright as Buttercup, Princess of Florin and Westley's true love.
• Chris Sarandon as Prince Humperdinck, vows to marry Buttercup.
• Christopher Guest as Count Tyrone Rugen, the vizier of Prince Humperdinck. He has six fingers on his right hand.
• Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya, a Spaniard wants revenge for his father's death,  He has trained for 20 years in fencing.
• André the Giant (Roussimoff) as Fezzik, a giant and Inigo's friend.
• Wallace Shawn as Vizzini, Sicilian genius and the boss of Inigo and Fezzik.
• Billy Crystal as Miracle Max, was a miracle worker in Florin who the Prince fired.
• Carol Kane plays Max's wife Valerie.
• Peter Cook is the Priest at Humperdinck and Buttercup's wedding who cannot pronounce "R"s or "L"s.
• Mel Smith works for Count Rugen and plays an Albino.
• Margery Mason plays the Ancient Booer woman in Buttercup's dreams.
• Malcolm Storry as Yellin, a soldier of Florin.
• Willoughby Gray father of Prince Humperdinck is the King of Florin.
• Anne Dyson, mother of Prince Humperdinck plays the Queen of Florin.
• Peter Falk is the grandfather/narrator.
• Fred Savage plays the sick grandson.
• Betsy Brantley plays the boy's mother.

Courtesy of wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Bride_(film)

It wasn't long before Buttercup got word of the Dread Pirate Roberts, and that Westley was believed to have been murdered by him. Buttercup declared that she would never fall in love again.

Five years pass and the evil Prince Humperdinck was to declare his wedding to Buttercup on the 500th anniversary of the Florin City. She didn't love the Prince and her only solace was when she rode her horse.

One day while Buttercup was out riding, she was captured by the evil Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) who was plotting with the King to start a war. With the Princess kidnapped, they had bargaining power and would make it look like the King's enemy was the one who killed the Princess.

Now Fezzik (Andre' Roussimoff aka the Giant) and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) worked for Vizzini, but they were not wicked and didn't want to kill her. The two men became friends from that time on and would do what they could to save Princess Buttercup.

The plot thickens when the Prince, Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) and the masked Dread Pirate Roberts trace the steps of Vizzini. It was in this chase that Inigo the Spanish Master swordsman, and the Dread Pirate Roberts meet and the famous sword fight takes place. Roberts wins the sword fight, but instead of killing Inigo he knocks him out with the end of his sword and continues to hunt down Vizzini.

When the Dread Pirate Roberts catches up with Vizzini their confrontation puts the Princess in danger. Roberts suggests that a battle of wits take place. Vizzini, being arrogant, felt confident that the Dread Pirate would be no match for him, so he accepts the challenge. To Vizzini, it would be inconceivable to lose.

Both Vizzini and Roberts sip from a drink that had poison in it. Vizzini thinks he has outsmarted Roberts and switches the drinks, but he has failed in the battle. Buttercup was blindfolded and did not know which man had died, until Roberts untied her.

With the Princess now under new captivity she discovers that her true love is alive and vows she will kill herself if the Prince insists on marrying her. In their attempts to escape they are captured. Westley, her true love, is tortured by Prince Humperdinck and "mostly" dies, leading Princess Buttercup to believe her beloved is dead (again).

This two part 25th anniversary edition has many amenities you will enjoy, starting with tributes and commentaries by the director, writer and a few of the actors.

Also included:

As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride; Cary Elwes Video Diary; Miraculous Makeup; The Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Pirate of the Seven Seas; Love is Like a Storybook; The Princess Bride the Untold Tales; The Art of Fencing; Fairytales and Folklore; Original theatrical trailer and Princess Bride: The Untold Tales.

Princess Bride 25th Anniversary Q&A (1/2)Princess Bride 25th Anniversary Q&A (2/2)

The "Princess Bride" cast interviewed during their reunion photo shoot.

The Princess Bride - Casting the Princess Bride

The Princess Bride! Mandy Patinkin Blu Ray dvd extras

The Princess Bride - ANDRE The Giant, A Look Back

These are two of my favorite scenes in the movie.  Because they are both really, really good, I wanted to know what you thought.  Do you have a favorite?  How would you compare two of the best parts of the movie against one another?

Which scene do you think was best?

This edition includes special features:  Commentary by director Rob Reiner;  Commentary by story author/ screenwriter William Goldman;  "As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride"; "Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Legend of the Seven Seas" mockumentary;  Behind the scenes footage shot on the set by Cary Elwes; "Love is Like a Storybook Story" ; "Miraculous Make-up" ; Original 1987 clips;   "Battle of Wits" trivia game of quotes;  Photo gallery; Collective booklet: "Fezzik's Guide to Florin"

The Famous Sword Fight

This is my favorite scene in the movie and it is in the first part of the film.

Princess Bride Sword Fight

As you wish (the beginning)Princess Bride - Anybody Want A Peanut

He's been mostly dead all day

Miracle Max

An inconceivable Montage

The Princess Bride - MY NAME IS INIGO MONTOYA!

Memorable Movie Death #3: Vizzini From Princess Bride

The Princess Bride - The Best Bit

Dialectics in "The Princess Bride"

Princess Bride - The Wedding

Storybook Love - Mark Knopfler - Princess Bride- LyricsOnce Upon A Time...Storybook Love - Princess Bride Soundtrack

Princess Bride music video

The Princess Bride 02 - I Will Never Love Again

The Friend's Song - Princess Bride Soundtrack

Princess Bride Music Video

The Princess Bride - Overture

Chorus Lyrics to the Love Song

My love is like a storybook story.

But it's as real as the feelings I feel.

My love is like a storybook story.

But it's as real as the feelings I feel.

It's as real as the feelings I feel.

Full lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/mark+knopfler/storybook+love_20089276.html

Inigo is still in search of the six fingered man who killed his father 20 years ago. His only hope was to rescue the Princess and get into the castle where the evil Count Rugen (the murderer) lived. He knew he couldn't do it alone and went in pursuit of finding The Dread Pirate Roberts who outsmarted Vizzini.

Along the way he learned who Westley was and that he had been killed by the Prince. With Westley dead, Inigo and Fezzik seek the miracle man (Billy Crystal) to buy a miracle that would save Westley's life.

The climax of the adventure continues as Inigo, Fezzik and (mostly dead) Westley set out to rescue the Princess before the wedding, with Inigo close to being able to avenge the death of his father by the six fingered man.

Note: Although this movie is rated PG, there is one curse word at the end of the scene where Inigo kills Count Rugen.

The three "amigos" are victorious saving the Princess, and Inigo's revenge comes to an end with his killing of Count Rugen.

Of course, there is a white horse (actually four), and they (Westley, the Princess, Inigo and Fezzik) all ride off into the dark night.

The Cliffs of Insanity are actually the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Republic of Ireland.

1. The movie was shot in 5 locations, 4 in England and one in Ireland.

2. Both Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin took lessons in fencing with both hands. However the famous sword scene in the beginning of the film was shot using mirror-imaging to make it look like they could use both hands equally. They did all the sword fighting, but the somersaults were done by stunt doubles.

3. Because Andre' (the Giant) Roussimoff had back surgery right before the movie began shooting, he could not lift any weight. Large cables and a smaller giant double was used in some of the scenes.
   
   In the scene where he fights the Dread Pirate Roberts, Elwes looked as if he was hanging on to Fezzik's back, when in reality he was walking on a series of ramps directly below the camera range.

4. Because of his work with Andre' (the Giant) Roussimoff, Billy Crystal later did the film called My Giant.  It was another good film, but the ending turned out sadly.

5. During the scene where Westley is captured by Count Rugen, the production of the film had to stop for a day. Elwes wanted it to look authentic so he told Guest to make it look real. When Christopher Guest (Rugen) hit Westley (Elwes) over the head, he hit him so hard that he had to go to the hospital. 

6. The only other injury that was reported was when Mandy Patinkin bruised a rib when he tried to squash laughing during a scene being filmed with Billy Crystal.
   
   Rob Reiner, the director was said to have laughed so hard that he told Crystal to go ahead and do what he wanted just so they could get through the scene. 

7. This was Robin Wright's (Princess Buttercup) first feature film, but she was already an actor starring on the soap opera Santa Barbara.

8. The book The Princess Bride was written in 1973 by William Goldman. He also wrote the screenplay for The Princess Bride movie which was first released ion September 25th,1987 with a total film budget of $16 million.  A rather small budget compared to what actors get paid for one film nowadays.

9. Even though the movie made $30,857,814 at the box office, it was considered a flop.  It wasn't until after the movie went to DVD that it became a hit and now has one of the biggest followings in history.

10. On the Bravo list of Top 100 Funniest Movies, The Princess Bride is #50. It places #88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) list.

Our romantic comedy comes to an end with the famous kiss that surpasses all other kisses. Westley and Buttercup leave Florin and live happily in a far away land, with the Prince left in humiliation.

The writer brings us back to present day. As the grandfather closes the book, his grandson shares how he liked the story after all and hopes he would return tomorrow to read it again. On his way out the door, the grandfather turns to the boy, smiles and says, "As you wish," cleverly tying the end of the story to the beginning.

And they all lived happily "Ever After" (oh, that is another movie... oops!)

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