What’s your favorite movie? Most people demand to narrow it down to a couple of beloved choices or pick a film for each genre, since it’s impossible to compare action comedies to heartfelt dramas. 

One title that lands on a lot of lists is The Princess Bride. Released to little fanfare in 1987, the swashbuckling adventure gradually became a touchstone of our natural culture. Beloved by young and old, its charm is finding its way to its third generation of fans.

There will be a very special screening on Saturday, Feb. 10, when Honeywell Center in Wabash presents The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes. 

It will be an extraordinary opportunity to relive the film on a big screen, among an audience of adoring fans. But the highlight will be the live discussion about the making of the film with the actor who portrayed the heroic Westley. Elwes himself will lead the discussion, sharing his perspective on the experience of creating a masterpiece.

Calming story

Endlessly quotable and packed with medieval action, the scenes with Westley and his compatriots of Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), Fezzik (Andre the Giant), and Vizzini (Wallace Shaw) en route to save Buttercup (Robin Wright) from Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) are part of our collective memories. 

But it’s the framing story that connects The Princess Bride to audiences of all generations. Aside from the fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles, it is a story read by a kindly curmudgeon to his ailing grandson, who could use some cheering up. (If it needs to be said about a movie in its fifth decade, spoilers ahead.)

Fred Savage is credited as The Kid, a perfect name for his role as a relatable reminder of our own childhood. Peter Falk is The Grandfather, who knows a thing or two about storytelling and convinces The Kid that the story is worth hearing, even with the kissing parts.

The Kid is all of us when we were young and naïve. He’s tired of being stuck in bed and wishes he could be doing something more interesting. Think back to how it felt to be home and genuinely sick as a small child. An average 8-year-old doesn’t have much experience with illness, and a shaking fever can be a terrifying thing.  He hides it with his version of hip bravado, but The Kid is probably also a little scared.

And it’s here that The Princess Bride makes its primal connection with the audience. We’ve all been small and afraid. The Grandfather has enough experience to know that The Kid will be fine, and enough wisdom to know that his grandson could use a little dose of courage.

Nothing to fear

Throughout the story, The Kid and the cinema audience witness example after example of characters overcoming fear, particularly the fear of the unknown. They see the results of their bravery and the rewards of facing their fears.

Westley stood for unflinching courage, confident in his abilities and steadfast in his aims.  The Fire Swamp and the Rodents of Unusual Size were unquestionably terrifying, but he entered without fear. Once he identified the secrets of the swamp, it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as reputed.

The Dread Pirate Roberts represents our fears of the unknown. His bloodthirsty reputation precedes him, but in reality, each incarnation of the pirate is relatively benign. 

While Andre the Giant’s character Fezzik is certainly intimidating in his own right, his appearance as Roberts is a ruse. He’s not a supernatural villain. He’s a big guy in a wheelbarrow with pyrotechnics. The name was the thing that inspired the fear.

Maturation

Each chapter of the story reinforces the bravery of our hero and his singular purpose. 

The Kid is hooked by the action and his grandfather’s delivery. He’s also learning the value of overcoming fear in the service of doing the right thing.

Westley’s climactic “To the Pain” speech is memorable for the steadfast venom in the delivery, but it works only because Prince Humperdinck is a coward and Westley knows it. 

If Humperdinck had faced the unknown in Westley, the story would have ended very differently.

The Kid ends his visit with The Grandfather having gained a new appreciation for books and a little more tolerance for the kissing parts. He learned from his grandfather’s wisdom, and he has matured before our eyes. 

It’s easy to remember what it’s like to be a scared child. It’s important to remember to be the voice of comfort and wisdom.