With Princess BrideRob Reiner whispered in our ears a tale of cloak and dagger, of adventure and magic, of love and friendship, with immense evocative power. But before being images, faces or landscapes, the feature film is first of all a voice: that of a mischievous narrator (Peter Falk) who makes us love fantasy romantic literature by breaking the codes of the genre to better celebrate them. Or a film that listens to the book. And a book that serves a film. A success of what metatextual cinema could do best in the 80s.
It is in a room, the cozy cocoon of an ordinary American house, that a young boy (Fred Savage), a little ill, plays a baseball video game, at a time when we were discovering the irresistible charm of virtual interactivity. The screen is cathode, and the rendering is warm and analog, with characters with somewhat caricatured behavior. His mother opens the door and announces the arrival of his grandfather (Peter Falk). There, the latter returns, thundering, with a gift: a thick book, bound with the solemnity of ancient treasures.
– A book!
– When I was your age, television was called “book”!
– Is there any sport in it?
– What a question, that’s all there is to it! Fights, duels, torture, revenge, giant, monsters, pursuit, escape, true love, miracle!
Slightly stooped silhouette, sparkling gaze behind wise glasses, the grandfather opens the work with an almost ceremonial gravity. The pages flutter like wings ready to soar. And in this quiet gesture, there is eternal transmission: that of a story, of a tradition, of an invisible link between generations.
If the feature film draws on the classic characteristics of fantasy, it also knows how to demonstrate self-deprecation, frank irony and lines that have become cult.
Characters between casualness, bravery and irony
Robin Wright, golden hair, milky skin, plays Buttercup, a farm girl who falls in love with her valet, Westley (Cary Elwes). This is the beginning of the romantic heart of the story, the one for which Westley will confront pirates, conspiracies or creatures, in the name of a love presented as true.
Buenos dias, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.
Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), a Spaniard driven by a quest for revenge, carries within him the gravity of oaths. His presence, at once virile, funny and deeply moving, ends up eclipsing the hero played by Cary Elwes.
His friend, Fezzik (André Roussimoff), a giant with childlike eyes, combines prodigious strength and touching gentleness.
The irresistible first brain of the group, Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), delicate and diabolical, is driven by an excessive confidence in his intelligence which will fail him.
It’s inconceivable!
All of them have as their antagonist Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), with royal ambitions, who hides strategic cruelty under his courtly exterior.
A discreet game of metareference
Its sketched, charismatic characters, combined with the clear and frank acting of the actors, contribute to the great cohesion of the film. Each brings a tone – melancholy, epic, funny, zany or picturesque – which enriches the whole.
The story contains elements of magic capable of reassuring the viewer, making them believe that anything is possible. Whether through certain clichés of the genre, sometimes mocked, sometimes admired, the feature film acts like a fairy tale about a fairy tale. And this is the strength of its mise en abyme: we navigate between first and second degree, all with constant delight.
There is sometimes, in the mischievous look and the mischievous smile of certain characters, a sort of awareness that they are evolving in a fantasy tale (metareference) and that nothing can happen to them, because in this universe, good always triumphs over evil.
This distance, this beneficial step back, does not prevent the impact of the different key scenes thanks to characters that we want to follow, and a story articulated as in a tree structure. If we guess that the story will end well, the issues, the quests and the synergy of the actors give a tasty dynamic to Princess Bridewith a constantly renewed curiosity. The young boy, personalized like the spectator, lives the story intensely.
It is a child’s perspective that is highlighted, and guides our perception: this moment when every detail of the world can amaze us.
Artisanal setting, intimate music
With its blend of spectacular natural landscapes and studio creations, Princess Bride has a very strong visual identity, whose charm comes from the same alchemy as The Neverending Story by Wolfgang Petersen. A time when the marvelous came through the tangible (physical settings, mechanical special effects, etc.). In both cases, there is the magic of manual work, and patinated textures of the most beautiful effect.
The whole thing is varied and evocative: steep cliffs, carefully laid stones, fiery swamps, rodents of unusual size, door hidden on a giant tree trunk, medieval kingdom, country dresses, fitted tunics, high boots, black mask…
The music, surprisingly composed by the leader of Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler), surprises with its elegiac softness and intimate style. The rock guitarist evokes the idealism of the romance between Buttercup and Westley, through a soft, whispering, smoldering electric guitar and discreet synthesizers that envelop the viewer. Never orchestral, always minimalist, she underlines the lyrical passages and duels with a light virtuosity, but always on point. The central theme, sublime, experiences striking variations. Its melody is used for the film’s song, “Storybook Love”.
Magical for children, refined for older ones
By stripping away the codes of the adventure film, while highlighting its strengths, Princess Bride is a mischievous, gentle, lyrical work, finely crafted and capable of amaze young and old. Like The Neverending Storyshe reminds us that the ability to dream never disappears, even in the midst of the chaos of life. Romance, duel, humor, metafiction: the film brings together all the recipes for a tale that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer – magical for children, refined for adults.
Trailer: Princess Bride
Technical sheet: Princess Bride
Synopsis : To entertain his grandson, bedridden with a bad flu, a man begins to tell him a story that he often heard during his childhood: that of Princess Buttercup. After the death of her fiancé Westley, murdered by bandits, the beauty swears to never love anyone again. Until the day when, five years after this tragedy, she finally agreed to marry Prince Humperdinck. Three men then organize the kidnapping of Buttercup: a Spanish swordsman seeking revenge and a giant, led by a clever dwarf. But a masked man defeats them and flees with the princess.
- Titre original : The Princess Bride
- French title: Princess Bride
- Quebec title: Princess Buttercup
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Screenplay: William Goldman, based on his own novel Princess Bride
- Music: Willy DeVille, Mark Knopfler and Albert Von Tilzer
- Décor: Norman Garwood
- Costumes: Phyllis Dalto
- Photographie : Adrian Biddle
- Montage : Robert Leighton
- Production : Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman et Norman Lear
- Production company: Act III Communications, Buttercup Films Ltd. and The Princess Bride Ltd.
- Distribution company: 20th Century Fox (United States), Artédis (France)
- Budget : 15 000 000 $
- Country of production: Flag of the United States United States
- Language: English
- Format: colors – 35 mm – 1.85:1 – Dolby sound
- Genre: adventure, fantasy
- Duration: 98 minutes
- Release dates: Canada (September 18, 1987 – Toronto Film Festival); United States (September 25, 1987); France (March 9, 1988)
- Peter Falk (VF: Marc de Georgi): the grandfather, reader and narrator of the story
- Fred Savage (VF: Emmanuel Garijo): the narrator’s grandson
- Betsy Brantley (VF: Tania Torrens): the narrator’s daughter-in-law
- Cary Elwes (VF : Bertrand Liebert) : Westley
- Robin Wright (VF: Véronique Alycia): Buttercup (Buttercup in VO)
- Mandy Patinkin (VF : François Leccia) : Inigo Montoya
- Chris Sarandon (VF : Michel Papineschi) : Humperdinck
- Christopher Guest (VF : Hervé Bellon) : Rugen
- Wallace Shawn (VF: Jean-Claude Montalban) : Vizzini
- André The Giant (VF : Daniel Sarky) : Fezzik
- Peter Cook: the clergyman
- Mel Smith : l’albinos
- Carol Kane (VF: Perette Pradier): Valerie the witch
- Billy Crystal (VF: Jacques Ferrière): Max the Miracle
- Anne Dyson as Queen Bella
- Margery Mason (en) (VF: Lita Recio): the old lady of the dream
- Malcolm Storry : Yellin
- Willoughby Gray : le roi Lotharon
