West Virginia University Libraries Exhibit
The Princess Bride
It is a romance, a comedy, a satire, and an action film. It toes the line between dark humor and light comedy. It is loved by kids and adults. It is The Princess Bride.
Chapter 1: The Summary
A young boy is sick at home, listening to his Grandfather read a fairytale. In the story, a young girl (Buttercup) falls in love with a handsome farm boy (Westley). After his supposed death, the young girl agrees to marry the kingdom's prince, a devious man who is intent on taking over the throne. Before their marriage, Buttercup is kidnapped by three men (Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizzini) who were hired by the prince. However, she is kidnapped again by another masked man. She soon learns that the masked man is actually her true love Westley, though they are not together long before the prince captures Buttercup and attempts to kill Westley for good. What follows are a series of battles and clever quips made by Westley, Inigo Montoya and Fezzik the Giant. In the end, Westley and his friends save Buttercup, riding off into the sunset. As the grandfather finishes the story, the young boy learns the importance of fairytales and true love.
Click the video to view the original movie trailer.
Chapter 11: The Inconceivable Creation of the Film
When William Goldman wrote the book, he asked his daughters what he should write about. One said a princess, and another said a bride. So, Goldman decided to write about both (Schwarz, 2001). In a video documentary about The Princess Bride, Goldman states: "The book was finished in ’73. 20th Century Fox thought there might be a movie in The Princess Bride. Just before we went into production, the head of Fox was fired. That set up a series of over a decade when the movie almost happened. One studio loved it and the week they were going to make it, it closed. One studio loved it and the weekend the studio executive was going to make the deal, he was fired. Norman Jewison was going to do it at one point, and it would have been wonderful, and then we couldn’t get the money" (Schwarz, 2001). A few years later, future Princess Bride director Rob Reiner decides to direct a new film. In a documentary, Reiner claims to have loved the book before deciding to contact Goldman about making it into a movie. When he spoke with Goldman, he learned that the author had been trying to get the book made into a film for over 15 years. After hearing Reiner’s proposal, Goldman viewed Reiner's film Spinal Tap to get a sense of how he might direct The Princess Bride. Goldman loved Spinal Tap and accepted Reiner’s proposal for the film.
When casting for Westley, Reiner and Goldman searched for an actor who was handsome, funny, and athletic. They compared Cary Elwes to other famous swashbucklers in film history, noting his similarities to the character Goldman created. For Buttercup, they chose Robin Wright-Penn, a young soap opera actress at the time the film was made. In the documentary, Robin claims, "It was fate. I was one of the last girls of 500 or something to come in and read." Actor Chris Sarandon also auditioned for the film as Prince Humperdinck. In a documentary about the film, Sarandon states: "When I heard this was being made into a movie, I was doing handstands." (Schwarz, 2001) Other famous actors who became part of the film include Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, and Andre the Giant.
The movie was filmed in Sheffield England, using many of the surrounding landscapes and buildings within the film. The crew also used 3-4 sound stages to house some of the temporary sets, including several hallways, the fire swamp, and a tank for the water scenes. Rob Reiner explains the choice for the location, stating: "We had to do with what we had. We didn’t have a lot of money…" (Schwarz, 2001) When training for the fencing scenes, actors Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin viewed examples of sword fighting scenes in old films, asking the stunt coordinator to teach them the most difficult maneuvers. According to the director, "every single frame of actual sword fighting is done by Cary and Mandy" (Schwarz, 2001).
The role of Inigo Montoya stayed with actor Mandy Patinkin. In an interview, Mandy states: "I lost my father in 1972. And it just hit a cord with me because I wanted my father back just like he did. The reason I made the movie was coming to fruition, which was I was going to get the cancer that killed my father. And in my mind, I feel that when I killed that six-fingered man, I killed the cancer that killed my father. And for a moment, he was alive and my fairytale came true" (Schwarz, 2001).
The film initially struggled with promotion, unsure on how to capitalize or identify. According to author William Goldman, "they didn't know if they should sell it as a romance, as a comedy, as an adventure movie, or as a swashbuckler" (Schwarz, 2001). The film premiered in 1987 but did not become famous until after the introduction of the VHS. Since then, it has become one of the most iconic fairytale movies of all time. In an interview, actor Billy Crystal states: "It wasn't meant to be this big blockbuster. What it intended to be is what it was. A charming, very funny, very witty fable" (Schwarz, 2001). When thinking about the success of the film, director Rob Reiner states: "It is kind of timeless. We have adults who've seen it before and will say, 'hey, here is something you should watch.' And when those kids grow up, they'll say to their kids, 'hey, this was a film I liked as a kid.' And when you've made a film that works for both adults and children, you have a chance to grow because every generation that grows up will introduce it to the next generation" (Schwarz, 2001).
Chapter 111: The Role of Prince Humperdinck
An assistant at the WVU Libraries had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Prince Humperdinck himself, Chris Sarandon. During the interview, a question was asked about how the actor obtained the famous role. He states:
"I auditioned for William Goldman, the screenwriter, and for Rob Reiner at Goldman's apartment in New York City. And I had been a fan of the book. I had been given a copy of the book, oh gosh, maybe 15 years before when Robert Redford had the option for the project. He owned the rights for making a movie of it, but couldn't get anybody to make it. And I can't remember who, but I know William Goldman and his memoirs talks about...there was a possibility of the movie going to get done with his screenplay but I don't know if it was Norman Jewison or somebody else. And that fell through because
the person who had greenlit it at the studio was fired. And the new regime, as is the habit of this kind of transition, when one studio boss takes over for another, a new regime, they completely sweep out all the stuff that the former guy was doing and they they embark on their own. So I was a big fan of the book, and I'd heard that they were making a movie of it. And then I got a call from my agency saying, 'They want you to come in and read for Prince Humperdinck.' And so I went up to Bill Goldman in Goldman's apartment in New York City, and then Rob Reiner and Bill were there. And at the time, I was very angry about...I'm a sports fan and I became a New York Knicks fan from living in New York for such a long period. And the Knicks had just drafted a player that I thought was a big mistake. And so I'd reading about it in the paper on the bus up to the audition. And I walked into the room and I was still on fire about it. And they said, "How are you?" And I said, 'Oh, I'm okay. Except I'm pissed off that the Knicks drafted Kenny Walker.' And Goldman, as it turns out, was a huge Knicks fan. And he and I started talking about it and were just rattling away about the Knicks. And how badly they had managed to it, etc., etc. And I'm interrupted by Rob Reiner, who said, 'I hate to interrupt you guys, but would you mind...' And I said, 'No, no, no, no, of course. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me.' And so I read and at the end of the reading, Rob laughed hysterically."
To read more about Chris Sarandon's experience as Prince Humperdinck, click the button below.
To learn more Chris Sarandon's other famous roles, click the button below.
This is an actual copy of The Princess Bride script that was donated to WVU by Chris Sarandon. It is available to view at the West Virginia & Regional History Center!
Image provided by the West Virginia & Regional History Center