Wow this um… might actually work better on TV than on the big screen?
Just a thought. It might have something to do with the quality of the projector they were using at the Varsity. I’m not sure if they are bothering to get 35mm film, the magnetic tape stuff, or just widening the image of a DVD (although I don’t think it’s that). Something about the picture quality made it seem very much not-like-a-film, is what I’m saying, and more like a BBC special.
Oh, but I love The Princess Bride! Doesn’t everyone? I remember seeing it for the first time when I was eight and thinking it was Zorro… good times. Meanwhile, in the Actual Universe! I think that, now, when we think of “Fairy Tale Movie”, it’s always going to be Disney, and then The Princess Bride. It stands up in a genre of its own, just because.
Buttercup, in love with Westley, though believing him dead agrees to marry Humperdinck, the prince. And… hijinks ensue. (C’mon y’all, do I really need to summarize this movie?)
While not as fan-active as the Pulp Fiction screening (no one behind us shouting out famous lines and/or laughing in anticipation of the jokes), it was really fun. I think just about everyone was mouthing along with “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” The fight scene between Inigo and Count Reuben was probably the best scene to see on the big screen. Other than that, watching the movie was a lot of “Spot the set!” game. I love the sets in The Princess Bride, but huge and in front of you lessens the effect you would get from them on the TV. I love how cheesy-beautiful this movie is. It is a pulpy fantasy novel come to life, and makes me hope that the next time I’m sick, someone comes to read to me.
Aw sweet review- seeing this with an audience sounds like fun!
Have you read the book? It’s actually a bit confusing because William Goldman fabricates this intricate introduction about how he didn’t write the story, it’s a translation of some old book in a weird language, and he removes a lot of the cultural stuff that Westerners wouldn’t understand, so occasionally there’ll be an editor’s note saying “This was 30 pages of clothing description which I’ve removed for your sake”. But it’s all just this weird high-concept lie. When I read it for my high school freshman English class, I didn’t really pick up on the “fake” part, and was a bit flustered. (I was young and stupid! What did I know?)
Yeah, I read the book a few years ago. I was totally sucked into the lie of the introduction/frame story too. I think my main conclusions were “Wow, this country is REAL!” and “Why is he revealing this much personal information in a book?” Some of my friends who read it were convinced that there was an original version by Morgenstern floating around that they could get their hands on.