Updated September 23, 2021 3.4K votes 750 voters 30.8K views
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Vote up the charming details that make you say, 'Conceivable!'
The Princess Bride - it's what brings us here together, today. You know it, you love it, you quote it every chance you get. It's a swashbuckling tale of romance and daring, supported by heartfelt performances and written by William Goldman - who originally crafted it as a bedtime tale for his young daughters (one requested a story about a princess, the other about a bride).
It's a film that wasn't a huge hit in theaters, but has grown more beloved with every passing year. Redditors are fond of sharing their favorite parts of the film, as well as new things they notice with each rewatch. Here are the most interesting, fun, and touching Princess Bride little details you may have missed.
TIL in the movie The Princess Bride, when Count Rugen [Christopher Guest] knocks Westley [Cary Elwes] on the head, the tap came a little too hard and Elwes was knocked legitimately unconscious. He later awoke in the hospital. It's that take, with Elwes actually passing out, that appears in the film.
The sword fighting scene is probably the greatest choreographed fencing duel in film. It's well-paced, incredibly disciplined, and the buildup of complexity is fun to watch.
What makes it good is that the fight scene was not done by stuntmen - it really is Mandy Patinkin & Cary Elwes. They had to learn how to fence, and they had to learn how to fence with both left and right hands. Incredibly difficult, but they make the end product look effortless, which is the entire point.
[Editor's Note: The Redditor here is correct about the work that went into the duel, and it's worth giving a little more detail to appreciate the extent of it. According to actor Cary Elwes' book on the film, he and Patinkin trained 8-10 hours per day for two and a half weeks with stuntman Peter Diamond and Olympic fencer Bob Anderson. On top of that, the duel was shot at the end of the production schedule to give the actors the maximum amount of time to prepare; and on top of that, Patinkin had been studying fencing for two months prior to when filming began.]
Showed [the film] to my nieces this summer, and never understood the brilliance of the writing until the shrieking eels. The kids (9 and 6) were all tense when [Buttercup] was in the water, then it cuts to the grandpa who assures Fred Savage that she'll be okay.
The kids immediately relax and can get through the scene without it being too scary. They loved it and asked to watch it again the next morning.
393 votes
4
377 VOTES
The Movie Is The Rare Genre Mashup That Works For Everyone
Well, let's start by saying that not all genius works of film appeal to each person's taste nor should they. The fact that I cannot stomach Citizen Kane makes it no less groundbreaking and genius, objectively speaking, and Princess Bride absolutely qualifies as a top work.
Princess Bride is a whimsical tale that defies genre, originating as a bedtime story from a father to two daughters (one wanted a story about a bride, the other a princess) and evolving into a perfectly-written, immaculately-cast, carefully-directed film with low- and high-brow humor, subtle and in-your-face (though definitely leaning towards subtle) innuendo, and an undercurrent of hope with a sweeping, swashbuckling soundtrack.
It's an action crime thriller comedy romance whodunit revenge drama for kids.
That's what makes it "So Good."
Whether you enjoy it or not is neither right nor wrong. I'm personally sad that you didn't; I think it has a lot to offer.
377 votes
5
352 VOTES
Billy Crystal Literally Made Mandy Patinkin Laugh So Hard It Hurt
Billy Crystal brought two photos for his makeup artist, Peter Montagna, to draw inspiration from when creating Miracle Max: Crystal’s grandmother and Casey Stengel. As for the acting, Elwes wrote in his book, "For three days straight and 10 hours a day, Billy improvised 13th-century period jokes, never saying the same thing or the same line twice." Unfortunately for viewers, many of the improvised jokes were not fit for a family-friendly film. Only the cast and crew knows how funny his more crude Miracle Max takes were, but judging from the fact that Patinkin bruised a rib trying to stifle his laughter, as he recounts in the book, they were probably pretty good.
I really hope they release this reel. Just his outtakes. It would be perfect on Amazon or Netflix.
352 votes
6
458 VOTES
Fred Savage Is The Audience, Peter Falk Is The Movie
All you have to do is watch the very beginning of the movie to understand why everyone else loves it. In the beginning of the movie, Columbo (Grandpa) is selling his grandson on the book and why he will like it. It's at this moment that we the audience are also sold. Here is the dialogue.
The Grandson: A book?
Grandpa: That's right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I'm gonna read it to you.
The Grandson: Has it got any sports in it?
Grandpa: Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...
The Grandson: Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try to stay awake.
Grandpa: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.
