As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
By: Cary Elwes
My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
Best for: Fans of The Princess Bride who are 14 and up

As if we needed more reasons to love The Princess Bride…

Is there a movie more beloved than The Princess Bride? I’m sure there are individually, but as a society–as a culture–The Princess Bride has got to be near the top.

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Inconceivable!”
“Anybody want a peanut?”
“Have fun storming the castle.”
“Never get involved in a land war in Asia.”
“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
“Rest well, and dream of large women.”
“This is true love. You think this happens every day?”
“I’m not a witch. I’m your wife.”
“Mawidge. That Bwessed Awangement!”
“You seem a decent fellow. I hate to Kill you”…”You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.”
“Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!”
“There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.”
“As you wish.”

I rest my case.

Of course, all these wonderful lines are tied to wonderful memories of family movie nights, laughs, fun, and snuggles. And if you’re a book nerd like me, they’re tied to the glorious story by William Goldman who wrote The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (The “Good Parts” Version) back in 1973. If you haven’t read it, you’re doing yourself a disservice that MUST be remedied.

Goldman is the source of so many loved stories of stage, screen, and page. All the Presidents Men. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Marathon Man. Flowers for Algernon. The Stepford Wives. Misery. These are examples of books or screen/stage adaptations that were written by William Goldman. His personal favorite thing he ever wrote?

The Princess Bride. The book, and the screen play.

So, the movie is magical. But…it’s Hollywood. Egos. Drama. Budgets. In fighting. Competition. Prima Donnas. Certainly, when you lift the tent and peek under you’ll see that all was not well with the making of such a magical movie, right?

Wrong, apparently. The making of The Princess Bride was just as magical for those involved as it is for the audience who gets to enjoy it.

Cary Elwes, who plays Westley, gathered his memories and the memories of all the other players, and put together this wonderful collection of stories from the making of The Princess Bride. It’s so much fun!

Everyone gets a voice in this collection, and everyone’s perspective is told. The stories are equally adorable and hilarious, the kindness among the players is heartwarming, and the tributes to the experience are touching. I’ll never be able to watch the movie again without adding the commentary I learned.

“This is the part Andre the Giant let out a giant fart!”
“This is the first scene they recorded, and Cary had to practice saying ‘summer home’ over and over.”
“Cary is sitting like that because he had just broken his toe!”
“Vizzini is terrified of heights here, but is only okay because Andre is helping him feel safe!”
“It took Westly and Inigo four months to learn to fence!”

On and on and on. Apologies to my friends and family in advance. I’m going to be impossible.

The audio is great too. Cary narrates, so we get Westley reading to us in his wonderful British accent. Every other person involved tells their part of the story too. So we get Billy Crystal’s voice. Robin Write’s voice. Rob Reiner’s voice. Wallace Shawn’s voice. Mandy Patinkin’s voice. Fred Savage’s voice. All there. The only ones missing are the ones who’ve died. Peter Faulk. William Goldman. Andre the Giant.

And, by the way, apparently Andre the Giant was the kindest human to have ever lived. I think we need a movie about HIS life.

I can’t recommend this book more to fans of The Princess Bride. I don’t think fans of the movie will be nearly as enamored with the book as I was, though. It’s definitely tailored to those who love the movie. But…since that should be everyone, I guess everyone will love this book, too.

Best for fans 14 and up.

Happy Reading!