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The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Special Edition PRINCESS BRIDE is worth celebrating!
Review: Unbelievably, THE PRINCESS BRIDE was not a commercial success until its release on video cassette. But, then again, there was little to no advertising for the film because the powers that be could not decide whether PRINCESS was a Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy or Romance... Well, they've got a point there. This film refuses to be pigeonholed. But, for those of us who did see it in the theatres, we were blessed. And now, with this SPECIAL EDITION DVD, the blessings are spread out to everyone. The DVD includes 4 documentaries, 2 great commentaries, one by director Rob Reiner (Meathead, THIS IS SPINAL TAP) novelist/screenwriter William Goldman(Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and a beautiful audio/video transfer. And there are several touching mini tributes to the late Andre the Giant Roussimoff. The story follows the romance between Buttercup(Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes) from their life where he served her as a farmboy to their future as Princess and Swashbuckler. Along the way, they encounter a trio of trouble, The 'brilliant' Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Fezzik The Giant (Andre Roussimoff) and the swordmaster Spaniard Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). On the evil side, we encounter 6 fingered Count Rugen (Christopher Guest) and Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Great casting all around helps keep the story pure. Even the bookend narration by Peter Falk reading to his grandson (A young Fred Savage). Watch for brilliant cameos by Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Cook and Mel Smith. And so, enjoy what is quickly becoming the most often quoted film in the past 25 years.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfect DVD for an American Classic
Review: The MOVIE: at first glance, this is your basic fairy-tale-fantasy-love-story between Princess Buttercup and her dashing lover Wesley. Mix in some pirates, giants, swashbuckling Spaniards, evil geniuses, dungeons w/ torture devices and six-fingered men, and you have possibly the best non-animated family classic of the 1980s. It's also the favorite (and usually most-quoted) movie of many of my friends. In sum, words cannot do justice to this movie, so please rent it.

The DVD: I absolutely refused to buy the first DVD release of this movie, as it was non-anamorphic (i.e., will not fit on widescreen TVs) and was sorely lacking in extras. This SPECIAL edition is well worth the wait. First of all, you have two high-quality featurettes from 1987, each roughly 10 minutes long. The first one is a look behind the making of the movie and includes on-location interviews of the actors between shots. The second featurettes is more of the same, although it focuses more on providing unique insight into the decisions behind the casting of every major character in the movie. Also included is a 5-minute video diary by Cary Elwes, which is basically Cary with a camcorder filming himself and other members of the production at various points (e.g., practicing with his fencing teacher, the crew eating meals, etc.). Cary and Robin Wright provide voice-over commentary.

However, the true gem of this disc is the 30-minute "As You Wish" Documentary, in which all the principals (Cary, Robin, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, Fred Savage, William Goldman, Mandy Patinkin, etc.) look back from 2001 at the entire history of The Princess Bride, from the reasons as to why Goldman wrote the original book in 1973, to his decade-long attempt to get it put on film, to the choice of Rob Reiner and its subsequent filming, and to the legacy the movie has left in the 15 years since its release. In covering almost every aspect of The Princess Bride, this documentary is often funny, sometimes sentimental (especially when the actors reminisce on their memories of Andre the Giant), and always fascinating.

Lastly, the DVD contains two audio commentaries, one by Rob Reiner and a separate one by William Goldman, with each providing their respective insight into the various parts of the story and its filming. (I will say, however, that Rob Reiner's commentary is much better than the sparse one he gave in the DVD for "When Harry Met Sally").

In sum, this is the consummate DVD for any true fan of the movie. I can't imagine too much more that could have been added to this DVD which would have made it too much better. A truly, can't-miss DVD. If you own the first release, you won't regret trading it in for this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sweet, funny... and sharp.
Review: Goldman's novel pulled off the seemingly impossible task of creating a really sweet, enjoyable classic children's tale while at the same time satirizing the entire genre. The movie, while not perhaps, manages to pretty much pull off the same trick, and create a story that's enjoyable for everyone from young children (though perhaps not *too* young) to the most jaded adult.

Mandy Patinkin's Ingo Montoya is an absolutely unforgettable character- no one having seen the film will ever forget his "My name is Ingo Montoya- you killed my father, and now I am going to kill you!". Christopher Guest's Count Rugen is so evil he makes Basil Rathbone's Sir Guy of Gismont seem like a pussycat. And who could imagine that wrestler Andre the Giant was capable of such a nuanced performance?

Truely a film for just about anyone. Treat your inner child.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful fairy tale.
Review: A wonderfully told tale of romance, pirates, political intrigue, and "true love" overcoming all. Fun characters, good for any age from 3 to 103. One of the few movies I can always put in to watch no matter who is in the crowd. All enjoy it. Some of the lines are great, and you can't help finding yourself repeating over and over for a few days!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My FAVORITE Movie!
Review: I can watch this movie 80 times without getting tired of it! Cary Elwes is just wonderful and Robin Wright is sooo beautiful! My favorite part was when Inigo(Mandy Patinkin) and the "Man in Black" starts sword fighting. I love a movie with adventure and humor mixed in it. THIS movie has the perfect blend with adventure and humor! I LOVE this movie! You just got to watch this!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Sweet dreams.
Review: Children's story based on William Golding's tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink novel. The movie tries to have a similar feel to the book, with the result that it's pretty smart-allecky for children's entertainment . . . and yet, it's not really sophisticated enough to be considered "adult" entertainment, either. The problem for this may not be Rob Reiner's direction, but probably the source material. At any rate, tongue-in-cheek swashbucklers have been done to death in cinema, from the silent films of Fairbanks to Indiana Jones, and *The Princess Bride* adds little to what is already a stale repetoire of stunts and gags. Another demerit is the look of the picture: the sets are cheap, looking rather like settings for a TV program rather than a movie (Reiner's backgroud, of course, is TV, e.g., *All in the Family*). The static compositions, proscenium set-ups, and relentless close-ups also bespeak the work of an amateur from TV-Land. But whatever -- the kids'll like it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Don't buy this edition!
Review: As far as the movie goes, it's excellent, and my favorite movie of all time. However, fans got ... with this DVD version in a rush to get it out. There are zero extras on it to begin with. Secondly, there is no true widescreen format, despite their claims on the box. ALl they did was take the pan and scan format, and put black bars on the top to make it appear to be widescreen, which is one of the most absurd things I've seen. The non-widescreen format on this DVD actually shows you more picture than the widescreen. If you're going to buy this movie, buy the special edition DVD, which is what this should have been to begin with

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I can't wait for the SE version of this great movie!
Review: Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies. It has it all:, swashbuckling action, humor, romance, a great villain, vivid characters, magic and Andre the Giant. It was great at the theater but not quite as fun on VHS. The first DVD version was better, but plain vanilla as far as extra features are concerned. This SE version sounds exciting with commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, and enhanced video quality. I'm glad I only rented the first DVD, now I can buy the SE and add it to our family favorites shelf at home. This is one of the rare movies that the whole family can watch and enjoy together, with no concern with inappropriate language or content, or the now-pervasive toilet "humor". BTW, if you enjoyed this movie but haven't read the book by William Goldman, you've missed out on a lot of the fun.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Classic movie, filled a with action, adventure, romance and comedy. The DVD transfer is good, but the movie lacks extras!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the funniest movies around
Review: I have enjoyed watching this movie with my family over and over again.


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