Ah, yes ... The Princess Bride ...

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 1999)

A dazzling tale of a princess, a peasant, swordplay, revenge, good and evil - so why does William Goldman feel it needs a frame story? The frame story he uses in the novel is intrusive and, to be frank, pungently offensive; here he uses the more conventional device of having an old man tell the story to his grandson, which may be hackneyed but is nonetheless a distinct improvement. At any rate it helps me understand why the frame story is there. It's Goldman's way of announcing that he has a real corker of a story to tell - a story so superb that it's simply impossible not to be enthralled by it. Goldman is daring us to find fault. `My main story is SO GOOD,' he says, `that I can afford to encumber it with this irritating framing device, and it will STILL make your heart pound. I can dare you to be indifferent and you'll STILL care.'
And he's right.
So are you ready for it? Can you handle what Goldman is presenting as the Ultimate Story? Then proceed - and I'd advise you to proceed with the film, rather than the book.