My name is Inigo Montoya.
Today is Friday, another week closer to Fall Break. But this is not to say it was a bad week. In Film as Literature class we have been studying comedy, so naturally it was a perfect moment to bring out one of the greatest films of all time. The Princess Bride (1987) has been and will likely remain one of my favorite movies. It is an hour and 38 minutes of awesome - eminently quotable and simply a fantastic movie. The movie almost did not get made. The movie was based on William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride, which was considered too quirky to be made into a film for over a decade. Goldman himself had doubts about ever seeing his book on screen, but Rob Reiner's dedication brought it to life. Thank goodness for Rob Reiner.
While I knew a lot about the movie - I have watched it sooo many times - there were some things that I found out while I was researching it. I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to do a deep dive, but settled on just some bullet points of cool stuff.
Cary Elwes broke his toe while riding around on Andre the Giant’s ATV - the scene where he confronts Humperdinck he is actually in considerable pain.
Andre the Giant was capable of some amazing feats. He could eat 12 steaks and 15 lobster in one sitting. 6 plates of eggs was a breakfast. And the man could drink! It was said that 7000 calories a day from alcohol was not uncommon. There were 2 reports about beer: One was that he drank 156 beers in one evening. The other was that he drank 102 beers in 45 minutes before a flight.
The epic duel between Westley and Inigo Montoya is one of the most famous sword fights in movie history. It took months of training for Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin to perfect the choreography, and they performed most of it themselves without stunt doubles.
Patinkin says random people say the line, “My name is Inigo Montoya…” to him at least 3 times a day.
Billy Crystal, who played Miracle Max, improvised much of his hilarious dialogue. In fact, he was so funny during his scenes that co-stars couldn’t stop laughing.
Rob Reiner, the film’s director, has a cameo you can’t see but can hear. He voices the “clergyman” at the wedding scene, who delivers the iconic “Mawwage” speech.
Back to school. I thought of some of the people I know that are huge fans of the movie and I want to see how they might do on my short essay test. The questions are below:
Select 3 of the following and answer as completely as possible:
Here are six thematic essay questions based on The Princess Bride:
The Nature of True Love: How does The Princess Bride portray the concept of true love? Discuss how the relationship between Westley and Buttercup reflects or challenges traditional notions of love in fairy tales.
The Role of Storytelling: How does the framing device of a grandfather reading a story to his grandson shape the narrative of The Princess Bride? Discuss how the film comments on the power and importance of storytelling.
Heroism and its Many Forms: What does The Princess Bride suggest about heroism through characters like Westley, Inigo Montoya, and Fezzik? How does the film subvert or uphold classic heroic tropes?
Revenge and Forgiveness: Inigo Montoya’s quest for vengeance is a central subplot. How does the film explore the theme of revenge? Does it suggest that vengeance brings satisfaction, or does it complicate the idea?
Fate vs. Free Will: Throughout The Princess Bride, characters seem to struggle between destiny and their own choices. How does the film navigate the tension between fate and free will, particularly in Westley’s journey?
The Nature of Villainy: How are the villains—Prince Humperdinck, Count Rugen, and Vizzini—depicted in The Princess Bride? What does the film suggest about the nature of evil, and how does humor play a role in its portrayal?
Answer a question or questions below in the message field. Lets see what you got!
