The Princess Bride [Criterion Collection]

Director: Rob Reiner Rob Reiner

Overview

Based on William Goldman's novel of the same name, The Princess Bride is staged as a book read by grandfather (Peter Falk) to his ill grandson (Fred Savage). Falk's character assures a romance-weary Savage that the book has much more to deliver than a simpering love story, including but not limited to fencing, fighting, torture, death, true love, giants, and pirates. Indeed, The Princess Bride offers a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale depicting stable boy-turned-pirate Westley's journey to rescue Buttercup (Robin Wright), his true love, away from the evil prince (Chris Sarandon), whom she had agreed to marry five years after learning of what she had believed to be news of Westley's death. With help from Prince Humperdinck's disgruntled former employee Miracle Max (Billy Crystal), swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and a very large man named Fezzik (Andre the Giant), the star-crossed lovers are reunited.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/30/2018
UPC:	0715515222617
Original Release:	1987
Rating:	PG
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	4,032

Special Features

New 4k digital restoration; Audio Commentary from 1996 featuring Director Rob Reiner, Screenwriter William Goldman, Producer Andrew Scheinman, and actors Billy Crystal and Peter Falk; Edited 1987 audiobook reading of Goldman's novel The Princess Bride by Reiner; New program about Goldman's screenplay; New program about Goldman's tapestry based on his novel; Archival interviews with Reiner, Goldman, and actors Crystal, Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage, and Robin Wright; New interview with Art Director Richard Holland; Programs about makeup, fencing, and fairy tales; On-set video diary filmed and narrated by Elwes; Five behind-the-scenes videos with Commentaries from 1996 by Reiner, Scheinman, and Crystal; Trailer; Plus: An essay by author Sloane Crosley

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Cary Elwes	Westley
Robin Wright	Buttercup
Mandy Patinkin	Inigo Montoya
Chris Sarandon	Princípe Humperdinck
Christopher Guest	Count Rugen
Wallace Shawn	Vizzini
Andre the Giant	Fezzik
Peter Falk	El abuelo
Peter Cook	The Impressive Clergyman
Fred Savage	The Grandson
Billy Crystal	Miracle Max
Mel Smith	The Albino
Carol Kane	Valerie
Anne Dyson	The Queen
Janet Hirshenson	Actor
Jane Jenkins	Actor
Willoughby Gray	Actor
Malcolm Storry	Actor
Margery Mason	The Ancient Booer
Guy Fletcher	The Balladeer's Keyboardist
Betsy Brantley	The Mother
Danny Blackner	Rodent Of Unusual Size
Mark Knopfler	Composer

Technical Credits

William Goldman

Rob Reiner	Director,Producer
William Goldman	Screenwriter
Nick Allder	Special Effects
Norman Lear	Executive Producer
Arnold Scheinman	Producer,Producer
Bob Cuff	Special Effects
Tom Bellfort	Sound Effects
Lon Bender	Sound Effects
David E. Campbell	Sound Effects
Jacqueline Cristianini	Sound Effects
Steve Nicolaides	Producer
Jeffrey Stott	Producer
Terry Schubert	Special Effects

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Princess Bride
255. Chapters
1. A Special Book [2:30]
2. "This Is True Love" [3:27]
3. The Princess Buttercup [1:42]
4. Abducted [2:35]
5. Followed [3:23]
6. The Cliffs of Insanity [3:57]
7. "My Name Is Inigo Montoya" [4:21]
8. Battle of Skill [3:21]
9. Battle of Strength [4:23]
10. Battle of Wits [5:26]
11. "I Died That Day" [5:35]
12. The Fire Swamp [4:29]
13. R.O.U.S. [3:08]
14. "Surrender!" [2:18]
15. The Pit of Despair [1:41]
16. Diabolical Plan [5:15]
17. The Machine [1:52]
18. "There Will Be Blood Tonight!" [1:14]
19. Fifty [3:12]
20. "He's Dead" [3:15]
21. Miracle Max [3:06]
22. Storming the Castle [4:25]
23. "Mawidge" [3:18]
24. "Prepare To Die" [3:10]
25. "To the Pain!" [6:22]
26. "As You Wish" [2:50]
1. Color Bars [8:05]
1. Genesis of the Novel [2:30]
2. Inventive Framing [3:27]
3. Failed Attempts [1:42]
4. Young Upstart [2:35]
5. Perfect Casting [3:23]
6. Studio Shooting [3:57]
7. Praising Patinkin [4:21]
8. "The Best Fencing" [3:21]
9. Doubling for André [4:23]
10. No Rules [5:26]
11. Raves for Robin [5:35]
12. First Day in Flames [4:29]
13. Directing Rodents [3:08]
14. "Evil Buster Keaton" [2:18]
15. "That Was Our Audience" [1:41]
16. Atrocious Marketing [5:15]
17. Writing Torture [1:52]
18. Carl and Rob [1:14]
19. Spine of the Story [3:12]
20. A Big Moment [3:15]
21. "Mandy Couldn't Stop Laughing" [3:06]
22. Driven by Beckett [4:25]
23. Speech Impediment [3:18]
24. "I Can't Do Any Better" [3:10]
25. Grounded in Reality [6:22]
26. "I Love Credits Like This" [2:50]
1. Color Bars [8:05]
1. "Chapter One: The Bride" [2:30]
2. "In the Top Twenty" [3:27]
3. "I'll Take Her" [1:42]
4. "I'll Never Love You" [2:35]
5. "The Sicilian Senses All" [3:23]
6. "Straight for the Steepest Part" [3:57]
7. "The Six-Fingered Sword" [4:21]
8. "Scarred for Life" [3:21]
9. "Finish Him!" [4:23]
10. "No Match for My Brains" [5:26]
11. "An Honest Woman" [5:35]
12. "Sudden Flames" [4:29]
13. "Foolish To Be Afraid" [3:08]
14. "I Swear" [2:18]
15. "There was Pain Coming" [1:41]
16. "It Comes To This" [5:15]
17. "Then His World Exploded" [1:52]
18. "Fezzik, It's You!" [1:14]
19. "The Bond of Love" [3:12]
20. "Scared to Pieces" [3:15]
21. "Rabies! Rabies!" [3:06]
22. "The Green-Speckled Recluse" [4:25]
23. "No Survivors!" [3:18]
24. "You Killed My Father" [3:10]
25. "You Are Not Married" [6:22]
26. "I'm an Abridger" [2:50]
Disc #2 -- The Princess Bride
255. Chapters
1. Chapter 1 [14:57]

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Princess Bride
   Play the Movie
   Commentary
      Commentary: On/Off
         Commentary: On
         Commentary: Off
      Index
   Audiobook
      Audiobook: On/Off
         Audiobook: On
         Audiobook: Off
      Index
         Color Bars
   Trailer and TV Spots
      U.S. Trailer
      Foreign-Market Trailer
      TV Spot 1
      TV Spot 2
      TV Spot 3
      TV Spot 4
Disc #2 -- The Princess Bride
   True Love
      Play
   Pure Enchantment
      Play
   The Tapestry
      Play
   Making the Film
      As You Wish
         Play
      "The Princess Bride": The Untold Tales
         Play
      Fairy-Tale Reality
         Play
      Miraculous Makeup
         Play
      Behind the Scenes
         "On the High Seas" (Scheinman)
         "Fezzik, Vizzini, and Buttercup" (Crystal)
         "Westley and Fezzik" (Scheinman)
         "Miracle Max's Hut" (Crystal"
         "Buttercup, the King, and the Queen" (Reiner)
      Cary Elwes Video Diary
         Play
   The Art of Fencing
      Play
   Fairy Tales & Folklore
      Play

Editorial Reviews

With its tongue firmly in cheek, Rob Reiner's delightful revisionist fairy tale The Princess Bride simultaneously challenges and reaffirms the conventions of happily-ever-after stories. Once upon a time, as this particular yarn goes, there was a beautiful princess named Buttercup (Robin Wright) who was being held against her will by the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) and his dastardly henchmen. Luckily, her childhood sweetheart, now the Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes), and his newfound friend, the dashing swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), come to the fair maiden's rescue. In chronicling their adventures, director Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman tinker playfully with time-honored plot devices and counterbalance swashbuckling action with plenty of laughs. Broad character turns by Billy Crystal, Peter Falk, Carol Kane, and André the Giant give the film a loosey-goosey feel, and all the actors play it to the hilt throughout. Although the twinkles in their eyes could have made this a cloying affair, Reiner finds a nice balance, never making it feel as if they're trying too hard to have fun.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Both a tribute to and revision of fairy tales past, The Princess Bride manages to combine subtle, acerbic humor with a classic understanding of what makes the elements of fantasy so appealing to children. Director Rob Reiner took a chance on William Goldman's novel of the same name; though the central plot is unarguably Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup's (Robin Wright) journey to happily-ever-after, a variety of subplots and personal quests make for the daunting prospect of producing a film that very well might have too much going on. A surprisingly gentle performance from late wrestling icon Andre the Giant, along with an excellent supporting team including Billy Crystal, Wallace Shawn, and Mandy Patinkin, however, not only make the intermingling of plots seem perfectly natural, but express a sense of camraderie so realistic that one hardly notices the subject at hand is as likely to be the pitfalls of life in the revenge business as it is the tedious process of bringing one back from the dead. Patinkin in particular is compelling as Inigo, a Spanish swordsman on an obsessive quest to avenge his father's murder, while Wright plays the title role of with all of the angst, priss, and unbending faith in true love expected from a princess. Elwes' Westley, however, is far cry from the traditional knight in shining armor--clothed in all back and well-versed in the pirating industry, Wesley is a verifiable fairy-tale bad-boy--and like the film itself, somehow, it just works.

All Movie Guide