The Princess Bride

Action Comedy -- CaryElwes, Robin Wright Penn, Andre the Giant, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, and a cast of dozens.

The movie of this name is described/reviewed at...

The movie is based on William Goldman's novel of the same name; a script is available at http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/princess.shtml.

Also the source of several "in-the-family" quips for many years.

"Inconceivable!" [spoken with sharp incredulity]
- "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." [spoken with a thick Spanish accent]
"I swear it shall be done." [spoken with mock solemnity]
"I would not say such things if I were you!" [spoken with controlled fury]
"He's only mostly dead." [spoken with your best Yiddish accent]
"Have fun storming the castle!" [same thick Yiddish accent]
"As you wish...." [spoken romantically]
"Hallo! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." [spoken with same thick Spanish accent as before]

Taken out of context, they sound silly. Appreciated from their source, they lighten any moment, extracting mirth from otherwise somber or boring surroundings.

A really fun movie -- one which "takes the Mickey" on itself as well as the various subjects presented.

The book: 1973
The film: 1987

Seriously, it was better than Cats. I want to see it again and again.

I love this movie. No, I really, REALLY love this movie.

It's uproariously funny, and chock-full of quotable lines. The cast is superb. Mandy Patinkin was a riot, and this movie created the persona that Cary Elwes has played in EVERY movie he's made since then.

I thank this movie for making it possible to be sitting in a crowded room of programmers listening to some windbag B.S. for way too long on a subject he doesn't really understand and then hear someone quietly say "inconceivable!" Either they blithely bluster about their way (which makes it even funnier for the rest of us) or it quickly takes the wind out of their sails. [gentle PissTake.]

-- KyleBrown

I watched this film, and just didn't find it very funny. Somewhat funny, but not very. It's clear which bits of it are meant to be funny, so I was able to enjoy it in a theoretical sort of way. But I wasn't rolling around, and have nil incentive to quote any line from it at all. I'm even prepared to don my asbestos pants and say: leave Pythonesque to the Pythons (unless you can do it better than them, which would have to be way, way better than this).

Alas, you are completely wrong. There is less room for divergent opinion on this matter than on whether the sky is blue. Either you must be inconceivably humourless and unpoetic, or I must be too stupid to recognize the irony of your analysis.

[Uh, oh. I hope we don't make this guy think we're all a bunch of loons just because we find this film funny beyond measurement. And watch out for the R.O.U.S.es(1) !]

(1) Rodents of Unusual Size <aside> (Personally, I don't believe they exist.)

The book by WilliamGoldman is just as funny. BTW, he's the guy who wrote The MarathonMan and ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid. -- MichaelSchuerig

The great thing is that WilliamGoldman actually wrote the screenplay. That's why it's so good. (Actually, the movie might even be better. He tightened up the dialogue in a bunch of places).

I just wish the screenplay had kept the betrothal scene. Prince: I said nothing about love. Buttercup: Then by all means, let us marry.

One of my daughters and mine favorites. I had run a stunt group which performed at Renaissance Festivals for a few years at that time. When ThePrincessBride came to Kansas City, promoters gave away tickets to the premier at Renfest like water. The result is that the auditorium was packed with 300+ Festers. It's hard to imagine how in-sync with the movie this group was. And when the words "I want my father back, you ....." were uttered......... -- CHergerThomann

Apparently a remake is on the way: http://www.spiritonin.com/animation/film/rubbersharktrailor1.mov

No! A remake is a terrible idea! Don't let them do it! Nobody could be better than Mandy Patinkin. Or Wallace Shawn. Or, let's face it, the late, great Andre the Giant.

Apparently, the responder above didn't bother watching the clip referenced. Try it... you'll like it.

Perhaps the remake of Johnny Lingo should be taken as a warning. The original shares almost cult status with The Princess Bride at my university, but the remake was universally deplored.

If you're ever in need of some quick cheering up, one watch of the BattleOfWits scene should take care of the problem. Just remember, never start a land war in Asia.

A favorite quote when playing Civilization, Risk, or some other such game. You've fallen victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is "Never get involved in a land war in Asia!" Only slightly less well known is this: "Never go against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line! HAHA-HAHAHA HAHA-HAHAHA HAHA-(thump)"

Indeed, "Iocaine Powder" was the name of a RockPaperScissors-playing algorithm which won a programming contest and placed highly in subsequent ones. http://www.ofb.net/~egnor/iocaine.html

Not to mention http://www.absurdnotions.org/page124.html :

I just saw it again, not too long ago. I had forgotten just how really, really good this movie is. -- MikeSmith

Have to have seen this twenty times. Probably will view it another ten times. Surely you don't really mean it... Anybody got a peanut?

Quoted from the on-line script:

"I'm sure you've discovered my deep and abiding interest in pain. At present I'm writing the definitive work on the subject. So I want you to be totally honest with me on how The Machine makes you feel.

"... What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity, so be honest -- how do you feel?"

: -- Count Rugen

-- GavinLambert (who really loves this movie!)

Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something. -- ManInBlack
You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. -- Miracle Max
Grandson: A book?
- Grandpa: That's right. When I was your age, television was called books.
We are men of action, lies do not become us. -- Westley

"Hallo. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my Father. Prepare to die." -- Inigo Montoya to 'the six-fingered man'
- You can't even read it without wanting to say it out loud, and I bet you did it in a mock Spanish accent, too, didn't you? I know I did. -- SusannahWilliams?

Coincidently, my wife dug out our VHS tape of this movie a couple of days ago and had it on when I came home. Curious that this page appeared in the NewRecentChanges page on one of my occasional visits back here.

I have to admit that I find it more than a little disturbing (in a CognitiveDissonance sense) that the same author who wrote the absolutely hideous torture scene in Marathon Man (dental drill and clove oil - NuffSaid...) could also write this.

Interestingly, for many years (and perhaps still), the card-catalog at the UW-Madison main library listed ThePrincessBride with author "S. Morgenstern" and edited by William Goldman -- GeoffSobering

Sitting through a developers' meeting, with the CIO outlining the direction of the next several months, it soon became apparent that the oft-occurring word "refactor" was being used as a synonym for "change". Cue faux Spanish accent...

Reference: http://www.martinfowler.com/bliki/RefactoringMalapropism.html

See: DreadPirateRoberts, ManInBlack, BattleOfWits

CategoryMovie, CategoryIdiom (source of much American iconism)