Still simply stunning

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2001)

Having just recently sat through Dungeons and Dragons (*shudder*) with my daughter, I decided that I should show her that there is indeed good in the world, blew the dust off my VHS copy of The Princess Bride, and settled down to watch it with her.
I'm not going to draw a comparison, though. It'd be so unfair, for this film remains one of the very best I've ever seen. It's beautifully photographed and directed, it's extremely funny, and succeeds captivatingly at poking fun at itself too, and it's totally engaging throughout. There's not a weak piece of acting in there - okay, admittedly we're talking about fairy tale stereotypes almost throughout, but even so every performance meshes just perfectly. Cary Elwes (and what *has* happened to his career?) is just ideal in his slightly self-mocking role as boyscout meets Errol Flynn, and Robin Wright just shines as the Princess - she's possibly the most beautiful woman I've ever sen on film, giving Grace Kelly a real run for her money. Chris Sarandon makes an excellent scheming evil prince, and the comic vignettes from the likes of Billy Crystal, Wallace Shawn and Mel Smith are a sheer delight.
Fred Savage, who I am no particular fan of, gives a very creditable performance as the grandson, capturing the truculence of a 9 year old without once becoming annoying, and his relationship with the accomplished Peter Falk as his grandfather is touchingly and accurately observed.
But the whole show is entirely stolen by Mandy Potemkin as Inigo, the bandit with a mission. His role is both a comic tour de force, and poignant too. I'm sure that even in 30 years' time, if I hear the words "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die", I'll start smiling and chuckling at the evoked memory of a movie that is in its genre simply beyond compare.
Oh and my daughter sat simply spellbound through every frame. What more could you want?