Mawage

Just saw The Princess Bride for the first time in years. This may have only been the second time I've seen the film.

It wasn't quite as good as I last remember the film. I was told earlier by Dami that it was a "girlie" movie, though I'm not sure what she means by that. On the one hand, it is a romance, of sorts, since it's about "true love", but really, it's of the fairy-tale variety.

When there's no deep relation between the two leads, the relationship only works if they appear sincere, and Reiner does a great job with that, with Robin Wright playing a petulant girl who orders Carey Elwes around. He's infatuated, and she eventually is too. Her character isn't terribly well-developed, but then how many women are in a fantasy setting?

It's the side characters that make the film, from Wallace Shawn playing the dimunitive Vizzini, to Mandy Patinking playing Inigo Montoya, a man seeking to avenge his father's death, to Andre the Giant, playing Fezzik, formerly unemployed in Greenland. There's Billy Crystal and Chris Sarandon and Christopher Guest. So, not only is it a story about "true love", it's a vengeance tale, and even the story of a grandfather talking to his son (even though that's the weakest part of the film, with Fred Savage not even mugging as his best for the camera).

The sword fight that I thought was so amazing the first time I saw it? Eh. It was all right. I suppose the masterful swordplay (though dull) scenes from The Phantom Menace has set expectations so high. It's not bad, but at some point, swordplay doesn't do it for me.

If anything, what Reiner really manages to do well, is to inject just enough odd dialogue, without being completely anachronistic. So while you hear phrases like "there's a shortage of perfect breasts in the world", it's probably nothing that would be uttered in such a setting, yet, not obviously referencing something completely modern (except that "breasts" were once suggested as a replacement for "bosoms" since "bosoms" were too suggestive, except now breasts is suggestive).

For example, "I found you unemployed in Greenland" is one of those modernistic touches. The main reference to modern times is looking for a job (Inigo is in the "revenge" business and doesn't make enough money from it), but it isn't Shrek which knowingly winks at the audience, and will quickly date itself with many modern references.

I found it fun to watch again, but not nearly as thrilling as the first time. Only a few films seem to get to that level, and I think part of getting to that level is indeed watching it over and again.