Audio Commentary by Rob Reiner, Audio Commentary by William Goldman, As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride, Cary Elwes Video Diary, Miraculous Makeup, The Dread Pirate Roberts: Greatest Pirate of the Seven Seas, Love is Like a Storybook, The Princess Bride The Untold Tales featurette, The Art of Fencing featurette, Fairytales and Folklore featurette, SD-DVD presentation, True Love and High Adventure: The Official Princess Bride Game, The Princess Bride: The Untold Tales, The Art of Fencing, Fairytales and Folklore ---

The Princess Bride is directed by Rob Reiner (This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me) and stars Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, Fred Savage, Robin Wright, Peter Falk, Peter Cook, Carol Kane, and Billy Crystal. The musical score is composed by Mark Knopfler of the pop-rock group Dire Straits. The film is based on the 1973 book of the same name written by William Goldman. ***

When a young boy is ill and his mother has to leave for the day, she has the boy’s grandfather come over to look a fter him. He brings along a book called The Princess Bride, to read to the ailing boy. The story comes to life, and is filled with exotic locations, inhuman creatures, knights and soldiers, medieval kingdoms, giants, pirates, corrupt princes, criminals, and a variety of other fantasy elements. The story largely focuses on Buttercup, a young princess who is forced into a forthcoming loveless marriage to the local prince, following the death of the farm boy she loved. But is he really dead and gone? ***

Rob Reiner is, and always has been, one of the most diverse directors in the entertainment industry. There’s nothing the guy hasn’t done – comedy, drama, satire, suspense, romance, coming-of-age tales, the list goes on. His films are always great, and yet, no two are alike. He rarely fails to please, and The Princess Bride just might be his best film of them all. It rivals even the classic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap for the covered title of “Best Rob Reiner Film.” ***

Equally deserving of credit is William Goldman, who wrote the novel in 1973 that inspired the film. Numerous attempts to make the book into a movie fell through in the past, but after seeing how well Reiner handled the material, it’s not hard to see that those delays are for the best. Goldman himself was no stranger to Hollywood, having written a number of screenplays. His credentials include the screenplays for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men – both of which won him Academy Awards. ***

And then there’s the cast and the characters they play. Robin Wright appears here as the princess Buttercup, in one of her first major film roles. Other memorable performances include Cary Elwes as the farm boy she loves, Mandy Patinkin as a Spanish swordsman out for revenge, famed wrestler Andre the Giant as (you guessed it!) a giant, Chris Sarandon as a corrupt prince, Christopher Guest as a count and the prince’s right-hand man, Wallace Shawn as the loudmouthed, self-proclaimed genius leader of a group of thieves, and Billy Crystal as a hideous miracle worker. I can’t go to into what makes these characters and their actors’ performances great because a) I don’t want to spoil the movie and b) their performances have to be seen to be appreciated. ***

Rob Reiner directed a classic for the ages with this film. While he claims the film he will be remembered for is Stand by Me, I honestly think in the long run, THIS is the film people will remember him for. It’s a fantasy tale with a ton of brilliant elements combined ingeniously, and perhaps most importantly, it’s easily accessible for young and old alike. Easily one of the greatest films ever made. ---

Image and Sound:

So, you want The Princess Bride to look and sound better than it ever has before? ***

As you wish. *** This is a back-catalogue transfer done right. Throughout the course of the movie, the picture exhibits a substantial upgrade from earlier DVD releases of the film. Fine object detail has increased greatly (I noticed some very subtle writing and details on things in the grandson’s room I could never have made out in standard def), and the image is clear and well-defined throughout. Grain is consistent throughout, and only tends to spike in a few scenes – and even when it does it’s hardly an issue. Even deep, dark scenes maintain a strong level of detail and depth. Audio gets an upgrade to lossless, and this benefits a number of portions of movie – everything from sound effects and speech to Mark Knopfler’s musical score. ---

When the 20th anniversary DVD was released two years back, it was absolutely, positively inconceivable that the bonus features from earlier DVD releases were omitted. ***

Fortunately, it looks like the crew that put this DVD together got Miracle Max to work a few miracles on this disc. And they aren’t rushed, rotten miracles either. He took his time. ***

I don’t have access to an older version of the film (so don’t quote me on this), but as far as I can tell, this set contains all of the bonus features from earlier pressings on the movie on DVD, as well as the most recent anniversary edition. This includes a Rob Reiner commentary track, a William Goldman (author of the book) commentary, and a ton of behind-the-scenes footage and documentaries. There’s even a standard DVD included (which houses some of the features) in case you find yourself without access to a Blu-Ray player. Whether you’re a giant or a six-fingered count, you won’t be disappointed by the wealth of bonus material presented here.

Final Words: