For those of us that celebrate it, it's Valentine's Day. As such, it would be most appropriate if I put a romantic film on ETF at this time, so what better option than The Princess Bride? Since it came out in 1987, it's been a classic romantic comedy with quotes that are practically iconic.
Once upon a time, a young boy is in bed with what may be a cold or the flu. When his grandfather comes to visit, he gives him a special book called The Princess Bride. "It's the book my father used to read to me when I was sick and I used to read it to your father. And today, I'm gonna read it to you," says the grandfather. Once upon a time, there lived a young girl named Buttercup on a farm in the country of Floren. There with her is the farm boy named Wesley, even thought she only called him "Farmboy." Buttercups takes pleasure in giving Wesley orders, in which he simply responds with "as you wish." After a while, Buttercup comes to find that as Wesley loves her, she loves him back. Since Wesley couldn't pay for marriage, he went across the sea to seek his fortune. Before he leaves, he tells Buttercup that he will always come for her. But word gets to her that Wesley's ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and that he was murdered.
Now it's five years later, and Buttercup, still devastated, has unwillingly been betrothed to Prince Humperdinck. One day while riding her horse, Buttercup gets kidnapped by three men, who are now being followed by a man dressed all in black. Will true love save the Princess Bride?
The film was made with few physical flaws. The costumes suit our story and our characters. Most of us ladies love the dresses and hairstyles that Buttercup wears in the film. The set, such as certain places of filming along the English Chanel, were well made to suit the general time period of the Middle Ages.
An opinion concerning the Princess Bride: As a character, Buttercup has a small lack of personality. We can see that she is laid back and thoughtful, but what else is there to her besides that? As well as personality, Buttercup does not show as much emotion as some of the characters in the film. A lot of the time, Buttercup seems unhappy. That's normal of course when her circumstances are considered. Here's what bugs me: Towards the end of the film, Buttercup is planning to commit suicide after Wesley didn't come to save her from her wedding ceremony with Prince Humperdinck. Don't worry, he shows up in time stop her, and when she didn't expect it to. That's the second time Wesley had come for her when Buttercup least expected it! He had already told her that he would always come for her! Not only that, she kept telling Prince Humperdinck that "My Wesley will always come for me." Did she never consider the fact that he may be "late" sometimes?! To me, killing herself seems to be going a little to far. This is why Buttercup is not a good role model, and also because a lot of times in the film, she is made a damsel-in-distress and just looks pretty. Mind you this doesn't make the film bad, so it's still awesome! A lot of kids grew up with this movie. Why? It has action as well passion. Who doesn't love sword fights and battles of wits? To NOT find enjoyment in this film is basically inconceivable! Also, if you're a single on Valentine's Day, watching The Princess Bride can be uplifting rather than depressing.
The Princess Bride has an interesting outlook on faith and love while it still appeals to both children and adults. It expresses the basic need to trust and have faith in the one you love. These things Buttercup had to learn in the film. When she thought Wesley was dead, she lost all hope saying, "I will never love again." Because he wasn't dead, Wesley came and found Buttercup at what may seem a shocking or unexpected time, proving that time without someone important puts one's faith to the test and thus, proves the need for that faith she didn't have. There's that second instance in the film where Buttercup was going to kill herself because Wesley hadn't come when she thought he would, making her think that he may not come at all. But he still came for her despite that. This teaches that loves doesn't always come when you think it will, and may in fact come when you least expect it.
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