As You Wish

I’ve been feeling kind of crappy lately and I thought to myself, “There’s only one movie that can pick me up right now.” Though I didn’t have a grandfather to take care of me and read me stories when I was sick, there’s still something about watching The Princess Bride when you’re not feeling up to par. That combined with the fact that the interwebs are buzzing about The Princess Bride heading to Broadway made this a perfect Throwback for this week.

I remember when I was in the fifth grade we would, on occasion, have a “movie day” on Friday. I convinced everyone that there was this great movie we NEEDED to watch. I knew it line for line. (Sadly, I forgot about the “I want my father back you SOB” line until it was right upon us and had to jump up to fast-forward it…oops.) I don’t know if any of my friends remember watching it then. It seems like it has a much bigger following these days, but that could just be because I was 9 and didn’t know any better at the time. Whether or not they remember, it remains one of my favorite movies to this day. It’s a wonderful story with action, comedy, romance, and some of the most memorable lines ever.

On the off-chance that you haven't seen this movie, here's a general synopsis for you. The movie opens with a young boy who is ill and home from school. His grandfather comes over and reads him the classic tale of The Princess Bride, and as he reads, the action comes to life. The story starts with a young woman named Buttercup and a boy who works on her farm. They fall in love, but the farm boy, Westley, leaves to seek his fortune on the high seas. Buttercup receives news that his ship has been taken by the Dread Pirate Roberts and that Westley is dead.  

Five years later, Prince Humperdinck announces that he and Buttercup will be married. After the annoucement, Buttercup goes riding and is abducted by three men claiming to be circus performers: Vizzini (the leader and intelligent Sicilian), Inigo (who has been studying swordplay for the last 20 years while he searches for his father's killer), and Fezzik (the giant). The kidnappers take her away in a boat and up the Cliffs of Insanity. A mysterious man in black follows them and begins taking them out one by one until he takes Buttercup for himself. All the while, Humperdinck and his men track the entire group.

The man in black, (who had previously identified himself as the Dread Pirate Roberts) reveals that he is actually Westley, and upon seeing Humperdinck, he and Buttercup retreat into the Fire Swamp. Here they come up against jets of flame, Lightning Sand, and ROUS's (Rodents of Unusual Size). They come out on the other side only slightly singed, but Humperdinck and his men are waiting for them. They take Buttercup and throw Westley into the Pit of Despair where he is tortured and eventually "killed". As Humperdinck plans to murder Buttercup on their wedding night, he assembles a brute squad to clear the Thief's Forrest where Fezzik and Inigo are reunited.  The two of them make plans to attack the castle, but need the help of Westley. They finally find his body in the Pit of Despair and take him to Miracle Max, who makes a miracle pill that brings Westley back to life.

Westley, Fezzik and Inigo storm the castle gates during the very unusual wedding of Buttercup and Humperdinck. Humperdinck speeds things along and has Buttercup taken to her room where she plans to kill herself. Inigo finally finds the man who killed his father and chases after him while Westley goes to Buttercup's room. Humperdinck finds the two of them together, but quickly cowers in fear when Westley stands and tells him to drop his sword. Buttercup ties Humperdinck to a chair to give Westley a moment to recover and Inigo enters, quickly realizing that Fezzik is missing. Just then, Fezzik appears beneath the window with four white horses to aid in their escape. With that, the four companions ride off into the night. The scene cuts back to the grandfather as he finishes the story and begins to leave, and the once reluctant grandson asks him to come back and read it again the next day.

Over the period of one day and one story, a grandfather and grandson form a lasting bond. I find that idea to be absolutely precious. It's odd to me that even though this is such a wonderfully hilarious movie, I always feel sad when it's over. I'm not sure why that is. 

Everyone knows the lines and catchphrases like, "As you wish", "Inconceivable", "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die", and "Have fun storming the castle", but there are SO many memorable lines from this movie. What are your favorites? Comment and let us know!

Happy Thursday!

~Songbird