The Princess Bride: Another 80's Classic

The movies that become classics, whether they're from the eighties or not, all have something in common. They each have a special quality, something about them that appeals to massive amounts of people. In, "The Goonies", it's our memories of childhood. In, "Raiders of the Lost Ark", it's our desire for adventure, our longing to fight the bad guys and do something important or exciting with our lives. In "The Princess Bride", we watch because we want to believe in true love, the sole focus and main pursuit of the characters in the movie.

To me, one of the biggest reasons why this movie is still so important today, it's because it is tempered with humor. When you look at other great love stories such as, "Titanic", or, "The Notebook", the genre of those films is definitely drama. But in real life, love is not so dramatic. It's not nearly so intense. Love is funny, love is blundered, and love is not a drama. If it is, something is amiss in the relationship. It's true that the love story in, "The Princess Bride" is dramatic, but the movie itself is filled with jokes, site gags, self-aware humor, and imperfect characters. Buttercup even kicks the love of her life down a hill.

This movie is the perfect mix of action, humor, and also sweetness. Because the story is being told to a child by a grandfather, we feel the innocence of the story. I'd also like to note that the source material for the movie is just as good as the movie that was made out of it. William Goldman's book of the same title set the tone for the film. Once Rob Reiner decided he wanted to adapt it, the rest was history. (Reiner has also directed, "When Harry Met Sally", so you're dealing with a director who handles chemistry and romance very well.)

Much like the other movies I've written about, I would recommend this movie to just about anyone on the planet. It works for people who like adventures, fantasy, comedy, and romance. The actors in this movie are all at their finest. Especially great in the film are Robin Wright-Penn, (Who was then only Robin Wright.) Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, and Wallace Shawn. They're performances are some of the funniest and most convincing of the entire movie. For actors to be able to portray such whimsical characters as believable is quite the feat. The character of Westley is probably Cary Elwes finest role, a part that he was no doubt perfect for, much the same way that Nicolas Cage's greatest role was H.I. McDunnough in, "Raising Arizona". Which is another film that I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys the Coen brothers.

"The Princess Bride" is a film that every movie geek should have in his or her collection. Aside from owning a copy of the film, the owner will relish in all of the great DVD special features (found in some recent versions) featuring interviews with cast and crew and inside stories from the filming. It's well worth a purchase, especially because prices are so low on DVDs at the moment. Check any of the following links to get a copy of your own.

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