‘Princess Bride’ Has Some Things Old and Some Things New

Tales filled with swordplay, sinister plots, harrowing escapes and true love have been told a thousand times, but none has been told better than “The Princess Bride.”

This wry take on heroic fantasy movies is based on the book of the same name by William Goldman and is framed as a story read by a kindly grandfather (Peter Falk) to a sick child (Fred Savage). But it wastes little time in launching into a series of wild chase scenes and daring escapes.

The action begins when, in a move calculated to start a war, the beautiful Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) is kidnaped. Buttercup’s lover, Westley (Cary Elwes), struggles to get her back, but once he does, all hell breaks loose.

The movie, infused with disarming humor, captures the essence of the heroic fantasy by combining a dazzling cast--including Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin and Chris Sarandon--with excellent writing and a dizzying pace.

Patinkin is especially good as Inigo Montoya, the Spanish swordsman-for-hire. Although Buttercup’s kidnaper, what he really lives for is to exact his revenge on a six-fingered nobleman who slew his father. To that blackguard, he would say: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”--if only he could find him. Patinkin portrays Inigo with the perfect combination of anguish and bravado, earnestness and hopefulness.

Crystal stands out in his cameo as Miracle Max, a grumpy wizard with little patience and even less charity. And Carol Kane (hardly recognizable in her old-age makeup) is hilarious as Max’s wife.

--JON NALICK

“The Princess Bride,” (1987) 101 minutes, Rated PG.