20 February 2021

As You Wish


  

FYI, I am not a screenwriter. I'm just a short-story writer who loves movies and has always been interested in the way they're written and made. And one of the things I have observed is that any discussion of screenwriters eventually includes the name William Goldman (Butch Cassidy, Misery, Marathon Man, All the President's Men), and anytime you talk long enough about movies that are loved by just about everyone, somebody usually mentions The Princess Bride.

 

Goldman, who wrote the book and then the movie, once said, "I was going to California on a trip and I told my daughters, 'I'll write you a story; what do you want it to be about?' And one of them said, 'Princesses,' and the other said something about 'brides.' And I said, 'Okay, that will be the title.'"

As it turned out, the movie version of The Princess Bride became a classic, one of those rare films loved by viewers of all ages. I've probably watched it a dozen times, and it even has the approval of my wife and kids and grandchildren, who are sometimes bored crosseyed by my movie suggestions. TPB is unlike any other film I can think of, a weird combination of fairy tale ("Have fun storming the castle"), comedy ("Don't rush me, sonny, you rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles"), love story ("Farm Boy, polish my horse's saddle; I want to see my face shining in it by morning"), revenge story ("My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die"), and adventure story ("You're trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen"). It features pirates, giants, wizards, torture, fire swamps, The Cliffs of Insanity, and R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Size). And another thing: The Princess Bride is one of those movies--among them The Silence of the Lambs, Jaws, Lonesome Dove, The Godfather, Cuckoo's Nest, No Country for Old Men, and Shawshank Redemption--that turned out to be as good as the novels and novellas from which they were adapted. That doesn't happen often.

A special treat for me was a book I acquired a few years ago called As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, by Cary Elwes, who played Westley in the movie. If you're familiar with the story, you might remember that the phrase "as you wish" was the reply Westley always gave Buttercup anytime she asked him for something (like fetching a pitcher or filling a bucket with water or polishing her saddle). And because of that, in one of those moments that make good stories great, there was this exchange at the very end of the movie, when Peter Falk is about to leave after reading the story to ten-year-old Fred Savage:

The Grandson: "Grandpa? Maybe you could come over and read it again to me tomorrow."

The Grandfather: "As you wish." 

Anyhow, it's a delightful and educational book about the filming of the movie and about the actors and their roles. In case you don't know, or in case you've forgotten, here's the cast:


Robin Wright as Buttercup/The Princess Bride

Cary Elwes as Westley/Farm Boy/The Man in Black/The Dread Pirate Roberts

Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya

Andre the Giant as Fezzik

Wallace Shawn as Vizzini

Chris Sarandon as Prince Humperdinck

Christopher Guest as Count Rugen/The Six-Fingered Man

Billy Crystal as Miracle Max

Carol Kane as Valerie

Peter Cook as The Impressive Clergyman

Peter Falk as The Grandfather

Fred Savage as The Grandson

 

There's also plenty of interesting inside info about director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, and the many ups and downs of trying to put the movie together. Here are a few excerpts from the book:


Rob Reiner: "So I went with Andy [co-producer Andy Scheinman] to Bill's [Goldman's] apartment in New York, and he opened the door and said, 'This is my favorite thing that I've ever written in my life. I want it on my tombstone.' And the subtext was, 'What are you going to do to it?'"

Robin Wright: "My theory is that they were so completely tired of meeting girls--I think I was the five-hundredth girl they saw--at that point they were like, 'Just cast her. Make her the princess.' . . . That was my lucky fate--they were exhausted."

William Goldman: "I remember turning to Rob and saying, "You're setting fire to Robin on the first day?! What, are you nuts? It's not like we can replace her!"

Mandy Patinkin: "It was 1986. My father died in 1972. I read that script and I wanted to play Inigo because my mind immediately went, If I can get that six-fingered man, then I'll have my father back, in my imaginary world."

Cary Elwes (on meeting Andre the Giant): "I remember Rob introducing us, and watching my fingers disappear when we shook hands, completely engulfed by a palm bigger than a catcher's mitt . . . His shoe size was twenty-four and his wrist was nearly a foot in circumference. Standing next to him, I only came to his belly-button."


You get the idea. The point is, if you like movies, and if you liked The Princess Bride, you'll enjoy this book. 


Meanwhile, have fun storming the castle . . .




25 comments:

  1. I love this movie and this column. That Mandy Patinkin story gives me all the feels.

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    1. Me too, Barb. I dug this movie out and watched it again before writing this post, and I was reminded how different and delightful it is.

      I've come to believe that if you're already a fan of both a director and a writer, you can probably expect to like almost anything they create as a team, and this was true here, of Reiner and Goldman.

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  2. I read the book about the making of the film a few years ago and absolutely loved it. So much to read and see the pride that everyone has in the work they did and how popular it has become.

    There are a couple of scenes in the movie I will never view the same way again. Not in a bad way. Just knowing a little behind the scenes trivia makes them more interesting.

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    1. Glad to hear you enjoyed the book also--it was fun throughout, for me, to hear about the scenes, the players, the settings, and--as you said--the sense of pride they all had, afterward, about what they'd created.

      I especially liked all the info about Andre the Giant, who was a fascinating guy, in every way. And yes, knowing those kind of things makes the movie more interesting.

      Thanks for your thoughts! Stay warm . . .

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  3. William Goldman was a great screenwriter. He also wrote the screenplays of Ross Macdonald's HARPER, Donald E. Westlake's THE HOT ROCK, Cornelius Ryan's A BRIDGE TOO FAR and Ira Levin's THE STEPFORD WIVES.

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    1. Goldman was one of my absolute favorites, O'Neil. As you probably know, he also wrote some nonfiction books about screenwriting that are excellent. His first, and maybe the best, was ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE. Any storyteller can learn a lot from that book.

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  4. cj Sez: The dialogue...it's all about the dialogue! I took a screenwriting course from Robert McKee early in my "I wanna be a writer" years, and learned how important setting and dialogue are in a story. Thanks for the reminder, John Floyd. I always appreciate your stories.

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  5. Hey CJ. Yep, and William Goldman was wonderful with dialogue--some of those quotes from that movie are still well known.

    I have a hardcover copy of STORY by Robert McKee on the shelves behind me right now, and it's a great book about not just screenwriting but storytelling. I envy you for having been one of his students!

    Thanks for stopping in, here!

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  6. Sorry--cj, not CJ. I'm always forgetting that . . .

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  7. I quote TPB every time one of my students uses a word incorrectly: “I do not think that word means what you think it means.” And they always get the reference....

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    1. Ha!! I'm surprised they get it, Josh, but I'm glad. I think "Inconceivable" is the quote I hear most often, and usually with a lisp.

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  8. Such a great read, but especially if you are a movie fan/film buff. I love most of Rob Reiner's films. He's terrific and William Goldman was so talented!

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    1. Mary Ann, I'm not at all surprised that you like this movie. After all this discussion, I might watch it yet again!

      We indeed lost a great writer when Goldman died. I think I have all his novels, even the lesser-known ones, and I'm crazy about his writing.

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  9. I've read The Princess Bride twice, watched the movie multiple times, and have (and have read) the Cary Elwes book, too!

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  10. Loved the movie. Loved both books. Certainly one of the most quotable movies ever. (What are the others, John? Casablanca? Godfather?) A decade ago I heard a student in my university library say to two others: "Bye bye, boys! Have fun storming the castle!"

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  11. Good for you, Michael! You and I are never gonna grow up anyhow, so I can understand why you like all those as much as I do. It's a story that'll be popular forever.

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  12. Rob, if I had to bet, I'd say Casablanca probably has more quotable quotes than any other. But yes, the Godfather would be a good bet, too, and Princess Bride as well.
    I think others would be Butch Cassidy, Airplane, Pulp Fiction, Jaws, Star Wars, Back to the Future, and maybe Animal House. (This sounds like good fodder for another SleuthSayers post . . .)

    I think a lot of TPB's best quotes came from Billy Crystal.

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  13. Never saw it. If it's on one of the streaming services we subscribe to, perhaps we'll take a look.

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    1. I hope you will, Elizabeth--I think you'll like it!

      Thanks for stopping in at SleuthSayers.

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  14. Love the book, the movie, and also Cary Elwes book. Fun, romantic, heart-stopping, and surprisingly prescient:
    Fezzik: Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?
    Man in Black: Oh no, it's just that they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.

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    1. Timely exchange there, Eve. The Man in Black was indeed wise.

      As Rob said, there are SO many of these quotable quotes in that movie.

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  15. I fear you may disavow me as a friend and colleague. I've seen all the other films you mention, but not TPB, probably because I haven't had anyone to share it.

    But… If I correctly interpret your interpretation of the grandfather's, "As you wish," wow. I mean wow. I love that.

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  16. Leigh, you remain a friend and colleague, but I promise you'd enjoy this movie. And yes, that closing line was a wonderful way to end the story, especially delivered by someone as lovable as Peter Falk.

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  17. I'm one up on you, Leigh; I haven't read the book or seen the movie! (But I really want to!)

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  18. Hey Jeff. Yep, you gotta do both. Better to read the book first, but either would work. I promise you'll like them both.

    Keep in touch!

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