I Was Pleasantly Surprised By - The Princess Bride 

Mandy Patinkin's performance during the final confrontation scene against the 6 finger man was especially powerful because prior to the filming of the movie, Mandy lost his father to cancer. He turned his grief towards the 6 finger man, treating him as if he was the cancer that killed his father.

A few years ago there was talk about remaking/rebooting "The Princess Bride". Cary Elwes (Wesley) was asked about a remake. He responded "There is a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to ruin this one." A perfect and insightful response that shutdown the talks immediately.

Westley dealt with his opponents according to their nature. Inigo and Fezzic treated him fairly and were both reluctant to do harm, so he knew they were decent people at heart & returned fair treatment in kind. Vizzini, on the other hand, was legitimately malevolent and had murderous intent. Westley was counting on him to cheat, so he took cheating out of the equation & let Vizzini's ego do him in.

You're amazingly spot-on that "it skips over the boring parts" -- that's exactly how William Goldman's novel, on which he based his screenplay, is structured. He writes that his father read The Princess Bride to him and it became his favorite book, and only as an adult did he buy a copy and read it himself, and discover that his father had skipped over the boring bits. So Goldman arranged with the (fictitious) author's estate to create a new edition that would have only the "good parts," with the gaps bridged by his own linking description in a special font, so that his own (fictitious) son would be able to enjoy it. In the movie, this was replaced by the framework of grandfather reading to grandson. In real life, Goldman's children were two young daughters. Once when he promised to write them a book, he asked what it should be about. One said "a princess," the other said "a bride" -- hence the title, and the book.

The old King didn't die. That was only in Buttercup's nightmare. The Prince is still a Prince at the end.

The king didn't die in the movie - he died in Buttercup's dream.

This is probably the most universally beloved film of all time. There's a shortage of perfect movies in this world. This is one of them.

Andre The Giant was not 'Jaws' in the James Bond movies. Jaws was played by actor Richard Kiel.

Cary Elwes, who played Wesley, wrote a book called As You Wish that has lots of behind the scenes stories about the making of this movie. It explains how Andre the Giant climbed the rope at the beginning of the movie. It is definitely worth reading (or listening to, it’s on Audible) for anyone who enjoyed this movie.

The baseball video game at the beginning of the movie is Hardball for the Commodore 64, which was released in 1985.

The prince chose a commoner to marry because I he always intended to kill her. He chose someone "unimportant" to him.

"We'll never survive!" "Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has!" This movie is so quotable.

Peter Falk was NOT wearing "bad old man make-up". He was only 60 when they filmed the movie but he always looked like a rumpled old man, but Billy Crystal and Carol Kane did wear old age make-up. Maybe they added a little more grey to Falk's hair, eye brows, mustache but the rest of it is him Fun facts: -The Prince is an ex-husband of Susan Sarandon -Count Rugen is an actual Baron (5th Baron Haden-Guest) and has been married to Jaimie Lee Curtis for something like 30-40 years -The Impressive Clergyman is Peter Cook who started out in a comedy partnership with Dudley Moore, mostly in London stage and British TV -Many of the exteriors were filmed in the Peak District of England but the Cliffs of Insanity are actually the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland and you can visit them

That whole "Mawiage! Mawriage is what bwings us here today..." was such a memorable line in the film, people actually use it to start their own wedding ceremonies. IN FACT.... this past summer a friend of mind got married in a fantasy themed wedding and they started the ceremony with "Mawiage..."

Did you catch Peter Falk's "Columbo" reference at the end where he absent-mindedly pats his pockets looking for a pencil?

I love the politeness in this film and the little details that I think people miss nowadays. It's one of my favourite films.

One of Peter Cook's best small performances. He was an amazing comedian.

No one else seems to have noticed this, but I always thought it was funny how, during the battle of wits, the little guy called the cups a glass.

I love how folks get so invested in Inigo's story by the end. During the Covid lockdowns a ton of actors did an "at home" remake of this for fun. It can be found on YT as The Princess Bride Home Movie Full and while you may not end up wanting to watch it through, it is very worth watching for a while. Since everyone was stuck home and separate they kept changing who was who, how locations were done in homes and backyards, really cute "physical effects", etc. It's a wonderfully playful homage showing the love and humor of generations of actor fans.

The Princess Bride is such a classic! By the way, for another movie about reading a book, I HIGHLY recommend ‘The Never-ending Story’. It’s ‘never-ending’ because it’s UNFORGETTABLE.

I think the kid is playing an Atari, actually. Pre-Nintendo. I think this film might be the most quotable, meme-able film ever made. A true modern classic.

He's not that bad... oh you sweet summer child, ignoring the fact he lied and threw him in the pit of despair and then lied about the ships lol. Edit: there's a reason Lord Farquaad was modeled after him 😂

In Cary Elwes’ book “As You Wish,” he explained that the rise of VHS movies and movie rental stores like Blockbuster were the main reason The Princess Bride found its audience and became a cult classic. That how I found the movie! He said that studio didn’t know how to market a movie like this… not really a kids movie, fantasy wasn’t that big then, etc. and it didn’t do well at the box office. Once people found it in Blockbuster and other movie rental stores, they loved it and it became very popular because of word-of-mouth “you gotta see this one” publicity.

Andre the Giant always said this was the first time in his life that he felt normal. He was treated like a real person rather than a spectacle. Such a kind and pure soul.

Fun Fact:In the scene where Count Rugen knocks out Westley Christopher Guest(Count Rugen) hit Cary Elwes(Westley)so hard with the butt of the sword that he actually knocked Cary Elwes out and cause him to have a cut on his head that needed stitches and gave him a concussion and they kept that take in the movie.

Fun fact of the guy who plays Inigo Montoya is in criminal minds, and he also made a Christmas CD

The prince picks Buttercup because she is very beautiful. It doesn't get brought up in the movie, but the book makes the point that Buttercup is genuinely "the most beautiful woman in the world" at the time.

Cary Elwes is always great. Need to see him in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, it's a Mel Brooks comedy.

I love that last “as you wish” from grandpa to grandson. Because of course as you wish means I love you. The real love story of the movie. ❤

They really studied fencing for this movie, and they even trained to do it left handed but in the end they just shot scenes right handed and mirrored them. It's still one of the best swordfights in any movie ever. No fast cuts, no BS.

One of the best movies ever. Beautiful fantasy full of adventure and romance.

I'm guessing the one you're thinking of with Heath Ledger is A Knight's Tale, which is definitely worth watching!

There’s a shortage of perfect movies. But there is this one. Perfection.

Did you say Peter Faulk had old man makeup on? 😂😂😂

The director of this movie was Rob Reiner who was the son-in-law on that comedy show called All in the Family. It was a breakout hit in 1971. His father was Carl Reiner who was a famous comedian from the generation before. Rob did some great movies. Sleepless in Seattle, Misery, When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, and more

The book had an ironic and irresolute ending-life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death. Goldman's original screenplay preserved this, and it was Rob Reiner who understood how important it was to have audiences leaving the theater with a happy smile, and rewrote the finish we see, with the perfect 'As you wish' from the grandfather.

17:42 there is a theory that he put no poison in either glass but the poison was inhaled when he told vicini to smell but do not touch the poison

Miracle Max was played by Billy Crystal. You are correct that he was a big comedian in the 80's. He's been in quite a few movies and TV shows. If you've watched Monster's Inc. you may recognize him as the voice of Mike Wyzowski.

There's no such thing as a perfect movie; The Princess Bride "Hold my beer."

Andre the Giant played Fezzik, and he was the best behind the scenes part of the film. Andre was a famous wrestler, but at this point his gigantism caused his strength to wane. He couldn’t carry anyone or anything, so everything was wires or a body sized puppet. “Mr. Inconceivable” is deathly afraid of heights. He can’t even look down at his feet. So when he was hung from set on a wire for the cliff scene, he kept his eyes closed. It took a minute of Andre speaking reassuringly for him to calm down. Buttercup would get cold in a few scenes. But his hands were huge and his body warm, so he would cover her cap with an entire hand to warm her up. Andre was very bad at speaking English. One day, the director went up, slapped him on the cheek, and said he’d get more if he slurred his words. That was his last line mistake.

The actress who played Buttercup, Robin Wright, has been in a TON of movies. She was Jenny in Forrest Gump, Antiope in the Wonder Woman movies, House of Cards, just to name a few.

This movie had me thinking quick sand was going to be a major concern in my life.

You caught the joke where the guard commander yanks his hand off the armrest when the Prince gives him a look! That, and the prince gathering his sleeves ro sprint across the bridal suite, are my favorite jokes in the whole film and hardly anyone catches them!

The grandson was playing a game called Hardball and it was for the Commodore 64 console. The movie was already in post-production when the NES became available in the US.

I've seen this movie around 50 times and read book in college. One of my all time favorites...perfect

Andre didn't exercise because he physically couldn't. He was apparently in great pain while making this movie. In the scene where buttercup jumps from the castle into his arms, she has to be lowered down with ropes.

What I love about the book this movie is made from is that it reads like a low magic D&D campaign. Here’s a non-film scene as an example: As the Fighter and the Barbarian go to rescue the Rogue, there is a floor of the secret lair that has no dangers. Fighter: I go to open the door. DM: As you reach for the handle… Barbarian: WAIT! I smash it open. DM: tears up the aranchus deathicus stat block, which creature he put underneath the handle.

Such a classic film, glad you enjoyed it! Would highly recommend Robin Hood: Men in Tights (even more of a spoof than this film, and same lead actor!)

If you're ever looking for another really good movie that has the same vibe as The Princess Bride, check out Stardust from 2007. It's really good and too few people have seen it!

I think the 15 minutes was how long they were supposed to wait before giving him the pill, and they didn't wait that long because they were in a hurry. At least, that's how I always interpreted it.

This movie is so epic, well known, and beloved, a ton of celebrities did a full-movie quarantine reenactment during COVID for charity. It really stands the test of time. EDIT: The whole time you were like "Why would he marry a commoner who doesn't love him?" and "It's just a misunderstanding, he doesn't know Wesley didn't kidnap her," I was waiting for the ball to drop. 29:18 was so worth it lol.

I have developed a deep fascination with reaction videos to movies I’ve seen and loved. An unexpected bonus is that occasionally I’ll actually learn something that I’d never realized or noticed over the multiple times I’ve seen these flicks. I’m still near the beginning of your reaction here, and you said, “why would he pick her?” and of course my immediate response was “ummm, cuz she’s friggin’ hot!?!” BUT then I realized that she was chosen almost exclusively because she was a random “commoner,” because it would make the provocation to war that much more believable. Dang. Thank you!

The one with Heath Ledger that you mentioned toward the end, is it possibly A Knight's Tale? If so, I think you would love it!

Would’ve guessed this was already your favorite movie or something. Like you seem like someone who would.

The grandfather was not in old man makeup. Miracle Max and his wife were because they were played by young comedians. I remember watching this movie in the theater. It was epic and is still beloved to this day. It’s considered a perfect movie. Once upon a Deadpool has Fred savage doing the grandson bit with Deadpool as the grandfather.

“The Sandlot” is a wonderful film. I would also suggest “Secondhand Lions”

I love this because the boy's reaction to the romance aspect but we see as he continues to read that he asks to stop and the boy says to keep going. And we see that he realizes it's a wonderful story, not aside from the romance, but because of the romance. Combined with everything else. I think it subtly pushes against stereotypes like that of romance and what romances actually are. And all of the other aspects alongside that make it a story with such variety like real life and I always loved that it's a storybook being read to a child. Who sort of already has formed stereotypes in his mind yet he's young enough with an open mind, and he sort of forgets those as the story goes on. I really like that about this movie. Of course it is a very ridiculous comedy but it's like jumping into a real storybook filled with over the top characters and adventure. Like the old school stories that were told. I love it so much.

Miracle Max is played by Billy Crystal, the Voice actor for Mike from Monsters INC

Richard Kiel was Jaws in James Bond not Andre. That torture machine was a fantasy element.

I was around seventeen when this hit theaters, we went to see it, I wasn't too impressed with it at first, but it wasn't long after that I grew to love the film. Those box office numbers sound about right, it wasn't at the theaters for very long, it did indeed gather steam once it hit home video. And because of the era it was set in, the movie still holds up to this day as much as it did over thirty five years ago. Watch it a few more times, it's one of those movies that you can enjoy over and over again and pick up little things you might have missed. Glad you enjoyed it, great film.

Mark Knopfler OBE, British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits (and also for his equally successful MK Solo albums journey, still ongoing), wrote the soundtrack music for The Princess Bride. (Including musical soundtracks for 8 other movies including Local Hero & Cal). I’ve always loved this film and watched it again recently just to listen to Mark’s soundtrack.

Such a charming gem of a flick. Never get tired of this. First time i saw was when i was home from school sick on accident & loved every since

most of the small cameos are by famous comedians from the 80's/90's miracle max is billy crystal and the albino (the onr keeping westly alive) is mel Smith. a comedian from the UK and a few others

The hill they used is in England and it is pretty steep. Since the popularity of the movie it’s become a tourist attraction. Besides just seeing the hill if you want you can roll down it. The people throw themselves down yelling as you wish and hopefully don’t don’t get hurt. It’s supposed to be quite the experience. If you get the chance there are some making of videos out there that are really fun to watch. Carey Elwes has some great stories about the cast partying with Andre. For another movie with Carey in it, if you haven’t watched “Robin Hood Men In Tights” you should. It’s a great movie by Mel Brookes.

A long time family favorite. Couldn't tell you how many times I've seen it. Up there with Monty Python for most quotable movies of all time. Nearly flawless writing. And a perfect cast.

"old man make up"? don't be absurd! that is an actual old man. the grampa i mean

You asked why he chose a commoner, it's because she was the most beautiful woman in the country. In the book there's more about the princesses he met before her and he decided that he didn't care who it was so long as she was beautiful.

Yep, the setting is not strictly "medieval fantasy" but more "fantasy medieval". Also fun fact: I had to look this up, but the videogame the grandson was playing at the start was "Hardball" for the Commodore 64. I could tell from the visuals it was unlikely to be an NES title (which was barely even released at time of filming in the UK), and apparently its audio was dubbed in.

This movie is my friend Mitchell’s favourite movie

Miracle Max was played by Billy Crystal who was also in When Harry Met Sally, and his wife in this was played by Carol Kane who played the Ghost of Christmas present in Scrooged with Bill Murray

The prince was still the prince because the King was still alive.

This movie is an absolute classic. I can quote it fowards and backwards.

To help you out Miracle Max was played by Billy Crystal and his wife was Carol Kane

Billy Crystal is Miracle Max in this movie. Yes indeed famous comedian.

This movie is a classic!!!

You're so right, Buttercup's marriage to Humperdink WASN'T her choice. Long story short; the prince went out looking for a bride, one day and Buttercup's parents offered HER up the moment he showed signs of interest. Due to her still feeling heartbroken over Westley's alleged passing, she didn't really care WHAT would happen (at the time) and just went with it

I used a quote from this mivie for my senior yearbook. ("life is pain higness, anyone who says differently is selling something").

Some of the Cliffs of Despair scenes were filmed at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. It's worth a visit.

I know it's frustrating to see Buttercup just stand there and do nothing...but... She's completely untrained...in anything. Trying to engage the giant rat while it was on Westley would've been dangerously stupid. Trying to engage it while it's chasing her would've been extremely dangerous with the sword. She could've been more effective with the log, but then again, she probably has little strength in the first place. That's why almost all self-defense trainers will tell you that rule number one in a fight is to run-away. Once you've got a good head for that, then and only then will they actually teach you what to do when you CANNOT run away. The fact is...had she run away...she'd have gotten lost in a radically dangerous swamp. So, she couldn't really run. But, she also has no capacity to really defend herself, and attempting to do so while Westley was handling things, would've just brought MORE risk to his efforts. It's frustrating to watch, a bit...but she honestly did about the best thing she was able to do in that scenario.

My favorite movie of all time!

this reaction was inconceivable

That video game system is an Atari. If you had one, you remember taking the controller apart to jury-rig repairs because the innards were made of cheap plastic.

This was so fun to watch 🎉 your impersonations are spot on too ❤

The after credits shows the main actors with a slight clip showing them. Inigo survives. It's a fairytale/fantasy movie. Wesley was brought back from " mostly " dead " from a miracle pill. Gotta open your mind. Glad you like this movie.

Some of the best sword fight choreography on film. The 2 actors spent weeks training with a fencing master. I believe the instructor was also the fight choreographer. That's pretty much what Peter Falk (Grandpa) looked like irl at the time. He was in his 60's. 😂 The NES didn't come to American test markets until '85 so it was not owned widely when this movie was made. That's probably an Atari.

It was shot in England. The exterior shots prior to the Fire Swamp look like the Peak District.

another line that is a fairly subtle joke is when Andre says "people in masks cannot be trusted". As a professional wrestler he had faced many masked opponents. Masked wrestlers were almost always the "heels" (rulebreakers, bad guys), while Andre spent most of his wrestling career as a "face" (the popular wrestlers, good guys)

When Inigo says "I will not budge, keep your "ho there", the joke is that he actually said "Joder", which is the spanish word for "To F-word".

For another excellent gentle parody of swashbuckler films, this one a musical with Danny Kaye, look into 'The Court Jester'.

Mandy and Cary trained for 4 months in fencing for their fight. It was to have been less than 2 minutes but was expanded to nearly 4 minutes.

I just love how rediculous this movie is 😂❤

That was a Commodore 64 with the baseball game at the beginning, a very obscure little piece of '80s history, and the kind of thing just never successfully captured in any period pieces attempting to capture the era.

Sadly, gigantism often comes with health problems. Wallace Shawn has been in many things, he (or his voice) may be best known as the T.Rex in Toy Story. The Grandpa is Peter Falk best known for Columbo, Miracle Max is Billy Crystal.

My all time favorite movie

It was fun watching your reaction to this!! I feel movies like this are few and far between!! 💝💞

William Goldman, the author of the screenplay and the book on which it was based had two daughters, so he asked them what he should write about. One said a princess, and the other said a bride.

This movie is based on a book, which interups itself as it is narrated by a man trying to recall the history of events as they have been relayed to him by his family. Thus the gradfather and gradson interuptions in the movie. As for how Buttercup ends up engaged to the prince, it is explained in the book. After Wesley's death, she refused to eat for weeks, possibly a month, but all it did was make her more beautiful. The prince wanted to marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom and found out about Buttercup. Buttercup was just waiting to die, doesn't really see the difference in waiting in the farm house or in the palace to die so she says yes.

33:28 it means they are taking away 50 years of living/he’s gonna die earlier. It does not make him older

A Knights Tale with Heath is a must great movie.

Peter Falk was born 1927. I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing old people makeup when he played the grandpa in this movie.