KID:	Is this a kissing book?

VIZZINI:

Inconceivable!

INIGO MONTOYA:

There’s not a lot of money in revenge.

FEZZIK:

My way’s not very sportsman-like..

PRINCE HUMPERDINCK:

Please consider me as an alternative to suicide.

MIRACLE MAX:

Have fun storming the castle!.

COUNT RUGEN:

You've been chasing me your whole life only to fail now? I think that's about the worst thing I've ever heard. How marvelous.

II could go on. Indeed, was ever a movie so endlessly quotable as The Princess Bride? Businessman Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) from You’ve Got Mail might maintain that the answer to all of life’s questions can be found inside The Godfather, but that film’s omniscience is far outshone by Rob Reiner’s 1987 fantasy romance classic, in my estimation.

Can I trust someone in disguise?

FEZZIK:

You be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.

What happens when you rush a miracle man?

MIRACLE MAX:

You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.

Should I get involved in a land war in Asia?

VIZZINI:

Never get involved in a land war in Asia.

Again, I could go on.

At the heart of The Princess Bride’s timeless appeal (I’ve seen it at least 200 times, and plan to see it at least another 200) is the touchingly simple true love story of farm boy turned pirate, Cary Elwes as the quick-witted Westley (“As you wish”) and peasant turned princess, Robin Wright as Buttercup (“Well… you were dead.”). It helps that both leads are impossibly beautiful and that they are surrounded by a dizzying array of quirky characters portrayed unerringly by one of the most flawlessly assembled cast of actors ever to grace our screens. From Christopher Guest as the sadistic Count Rugen (“Stop saying that!”) to Peter Cook as a speech-afflicted priest (“Mawwage.”), to Carol Kane as the shrill-voiced magician’s wife Valerie (“I’m not a witch, I’m your wife!”) to Mandy Patinkin as the world’s greatest swordsman (you killed his father, prepare to die), it is a panoply of perfection that can be enjoyed again and again and again.

Narrator Peter Falk, playing the world’s greatest grandfather (“She doesn’t get eaten by the eels at this time”), does his best to sum up what this tale is about, to wit: “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...” And that is all true. But it is the humor of this movie, the ever-amusing dialogue and beautifully shot scenes that make it an enduring and eternal delight. William Goldman somehow turned his dense and wordy novel into a sharp, snappy screenplay to rival any ever written, which director Rob Reiner gave a jovial and yet respectful treatment. Coming as he was off Stand By Me, and with This is Spinal Tap in his then-recent back catalogue, The Princess Bride could have ended up far too schmaltzy, or far too satirical. Instead, it strikes the optimal balance between the sublime and the ridiculous, and makes for an absolutely captivating cinematic experience.

Anyone who has yet to see this movie is to be pitied, and potentially scorned. Worse yet is anyone who has seen this movie only once. This film is an adventure to be enjoyed early and often, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. From the Shrieking Eels (“They always grow louder when they're about to feed on human flesh.”) to the Cliffs of Insanity (“Did I make it clear that you job is at stake?); from the Fire Swamp (“It’s not that bad. I’m not saying I want to build a Summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.”) to the Pit of Despair (“Nobody withstands The Machine.”); and from the Thieves Forest (“I do not budge. Keep your ‘Ho there’.”) to Florin Castle (“To the pain!”), it is simply the best movie ever. My favorite movie ever.

To sum up, and to paraphrase the tale’s final lines: since the invention of film, there have been five movies rated the most rewatchable, the most fun. This one leaves them all behind.

   -- Rachel Hyland