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A mystery benefactor (which emailing has now revealed to be my friend Halle) just sent me a Princess Bride T-shirt. Perfect timing. I just finished listening to this book.
If you're a fan of the movie, it's absolutely delightful. If you're not, I imagine it will drive you bonkers. This is a 100% positive account of a movie that everyone involved obviously had a great time making, which is both its charm and its drawback; all the "I love you guys!" could have probably been trimmed by about 10-20%. That said, it is more than mostly charming.
I highly recommend the audio. It's read by Cary Elwes (Westley) and includes interviews with most of the cast, done by them. Elwes has a lovely voice which I could listen to forever, and also does hilarious impersonations of everyone. Normally my favorite would be Andre the Giant, but it's not because his impression of Rob Reiner is, amazingly, even better. I would listen, just waiting for the moment when he would once again say, "Heyyyyyy Caaaaaaary..."
Elwes comes across as sweet and humble. This was his big break and still his most iconic role, and he's totally fine with forever being remembered as Westley. (All else aside, he was already a fan of the book, which he'd read when he was thirteen.) He has some hilarious stories from the set, a fascinating account of the making of the swordfight, and touching/funny remembrances of Andre the Giant. William Goldman is exactly as neurotic as one might imagine; Mandy Patinkin contributes a very moving account of his own role, which he took soon after his father's death. And while Elwes' massive crush on Robin Wright apparently did not lead to an actual romance, they bonded so much that they kept requesting re-takes of the final kiss, which was the last shot of the movie, and are friends to this day. Now that's what I call a happy ending.
If you're a fan of the movie, it's absolutely delightful. If you're not, I imagine it will drive you bonkers. This is a 100% positive account of a movie that everyone involved obviously had a great time making, which is both its charm and its drawback; all the "I love you guys!" could have probably been trimmed by about 10-20%. That said, it is more than mostly charming.
I highly recommend the audio. It's read by Cary Elwes (Westley) and includes interviews with most of the cast, done by them. Elwes has a lovely voice which I could listen to forever, and also does hilarious impersonations of everyone. Normally my favorite would be Andre the Giant, but it's not because his impression of Rob Reiner is, amazingly, even better. I would listen, just waiting for the moment when he would once again say, "Heyyyyyy Caaaaaaary..."
Elwes comes across as sweet and humble. This was his big break and still his most iconic role, and he's totally fine with forever being remembered as Westley. (All else aside, he was already a fan of the book, which he'd read when he was thirteen.) He has some hilarious stories from the set, a fascinating account of the making of the swordfight, and touching/funny remembrances of Andre the Giant. William Goldman is exactly as neurotic as one might imagine; Mandy Patinkin contributes a very moving account of his own role, which he took soon after his father's death. And while Elwes' massive crush on Robin Wright apparently did not lead to an actual romance, they bonded so much that they kept requesting re-takes of the final kiss, which was the last shot of the movie, and are friends to this day. Now that's what I call a happy ending.
