63 Fun Facts About The Princess Bride

Who directed The Princess Bride (1987)?

Rob Reiner directed The Princess Bride; his father Carl Reiner had given him Goldman's novel as a teenager, and he made it right after Stand by Me (1986).

Who wrote the 1973 novel and adapted it for the screen?

William Goldman wrote the 1973 novel and the screenplay; he had already won screenwriting Oscars for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men.

What does Westley say every time Buttercup gives him an order on the farm?

Buttercup eventually works out that the phrase is his way of saying 'I love you'.

What is the name of the kingdom where Buttercup lives?

Buttercup lives in Florin, the kingdom whose prince, Humperdinck, chooses her as his bride; the story opens on a farm 'in the country of Florin'.

Prince Humperdinck plans to start a war with which neighbouring country?

Humperdinck wants war with Guilder, the rival country across the sea; he hires Vizzini to kill Buttercup near the Guilder frontier so the crime can be blamed on Guilder.

Which sea raider is said to leave no survivors?

The Dread Pirate Roberts is said never to leave captives alive; Westley later explains the name is a title handed from one pirate to the next when the holder retires.

Vizzini describes himself as coming from where?

Vizzini comes from Sicily; his last words warn that one should 'never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line'.

In Goldman's novel, which country is Fezzik the giant from?

In the novel Fezzik is from Turkey, where his parents pushed him into fighting as a boy; the film changes this, with Vizzini threatening to send him back to Greenland.

Where does the man in black duel Inigo Montoya?

They duel atop the Cliffs of Insanity, where Inigo sportingly waits for the man in black to finish his climb before they cross swords.

What poison does the man in black use in the battle of wits?

The poison is iocane powder, which the man in black describes as odorless, tasteless, instantly soluble, and among the deadlier poisons known to man.

According to the man in black, which country does the poison come from?

The man in black says iocane comes from Australia, which Vizzini notes is 'entirely peopled with criminals' who are used to not being trusted.

How does the man in black beat Vizzini in the battle of wits?

Both goblets were poisoned; the man in black had spent years building an immunity to the poison, so he drank safely while Vizzini died mid-laugh.

Complete Vizzini's classic blunder: 'Never get involved in a land war in ...'

The 'only slightly less well known' blunder is never going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

What one-word exclamation is Vizzini's catchphrase?

Wallace Shawn's 'Inconceivable!' is Vizzini's signature, shouted at each failed attempt to shake off the man in black on the way to the cliffs.

Complete Inigo's response to Vizzini's overused word: 'You keep using that word. I do not ...'

The line has become shorthand online for correcting anyone misusing a word.

How does Fezzik ask if anyone would like a snack, in rhyme?

When Inigo asks 'Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?', Fezzik rhymes 'If there are, we'll all be dead'; after Vizzini's 'No more rhymes now, I mean it!' he adds 'Anybody want a peanut?'

How does the man in black defeat Fezzik?

Unable to out-muscle the giant, the man in black clings to Fezzik's back and chokes him unconscious, winning the 'sportsmanlike' hand-to-hand bout Fezzik himself proposed.

What does Buttercup call Westley when ordering him about in the opening scenes?

Buttercup addresses Westley only as 'Farm boy' while ordering him to polish her saddle and fetch water pitchers; he works her family's farm, and she comes to realise she loves him.

What are the outsized creatures that attack Westley in the Fire Swamp called?

They are the Rodents of Unusual Size, or R.O.U.S.; Westley has just said he does not think they exist when one leaps on him in the Fire Swamp.

In the film, what is the torture chamber where Westley is taken called?

In the film Westley is held in the Pit of Despair, where the Albino tends his wounds before Count Rugen tests the Machine on him.

In the novel, what is Count Rugen's underground torture complex called?

In the novel Rugen's lair is the Zoo of Death, a five-level underground menagerie of deadly creatures; on its lowest level he drains Westley's life with the Machine.

What physical feature identifies the man Inigo has hunted for years?

Count Rugen has six fingers on one hand, his right; Westley notices the extra finger just as Rugen knocks him out at the edge of the Fire Swamp.

What was Inigo's father Domingo Montoya's trade?

Domingo Montoya was a swordsmith; he slaved a year over a blade for the six-fingered man, then refused to hand it over for a tenth of the promised price and was killed.

How old was Inigo when he watched Rugen kill his father?

Inigo tells the man in black he was 11 years old when he challenged Rugen; the six-fingered man spared his life but scarred both his cheeks.

Which hand do Inigo and the man in black both start their duel with?

Both begin left-handed; Inigo then admits 'I am not left-handed' and switches, and the man in black answers that he is not left-handed either.

What is the fictional fencing rank Inigo achieves in the novel, above 'master'?

In the novel Inigo trains for years after his father's death until he becomes a 'wizard', Goldman's invented fencing rank above 'master'.

Complete Inigo's line: 'Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. ...'

IGN ranked the moment number 86 on its list of the top 100 movie moments.

When the dying Rugen offers Inigo anything he wants, what does Inigo say he wants?

Inigo says he wants his father back ('I want my father back') and runs Rugen through; Mandy Patinkin has said he drew on losing his own father to cancer for the scene.

What does Miracle Max declare about Westley's condition?

Max explains that mostly dead is slightly alive, and all dead means going through his pockets for loose change.

Why did Miracle Max lose his job at the castle?

Prince Humperdinck fired him: Max calls the prince 'the King's stinking son' and agrees to help once Inigo promises a revived Westley will bring him 'humiliations galore'.

What does Miracle Max call out as the trio leaves his hut?

Max shouts 'Have fun storming the castle!'; when Valerie quietly asks whether he thinks it will work, he replies 'It would take a miracle.'

Which sandwich does Miracle Max rank above true love as the greatest thing in the world?

Max says true love is the greatest thing in the world 'except for a nice M.L.T., a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean'.

How does Westley answer when Humperdinck proposes they fight 'to the death'?

Westley replies 'To the pain', then describes leaving Humperdinck his ears so he can hear every shriek of horror at his ruined face.

Why does Westley tell Buttercup her marriage to Humperdinck is not valid?

Westley asks 'Did you say I do?'; she never said 'I do', because Humperdinck told the clergyman to skip to the end when the castle came under attack, so she is not married.

What does Westley offer Inigo at the end of the film?

Westley asks if Inigo has ever considered piracy and offers him the title of Dread Pirate Roberts, since Inigo's revenge is done and he has no idea what to do next.

Who plays the grandfather reading the story aloud?

Peter Falk, best known as TV's Columbo, plays the grandfather who reads the book to his sick grandson, played by Fred Savage.

Which actor plays Prince Humperdinck?

Chris Sarandon plays Prince Humperdinck; he later provided Jack Skellington's speaking voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), with Danny Elfman doing the singing.

Which actor plays the six-fingered Count Rugen?

Christopher Guest plays Count Rugen; three years earlier he had been guitarist Nigel Tufnel in the director's mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.

Which real name did the film's Fezzik go by?

André the Giant was born André René Roussimoff in France in 1946; Fezzik in The Princess Bride was his best-known film role.

Which future action star was the author's second choice for Fezzik back in the 1970s?

Goldman wanted André the Giant but kept Arnold Schwarzenegger as his 1970s backup for Fezzik; by the time the film was made in 1986, Schwarzenegger was too expensive to cast.

Why could André the Giant not actually carry his co-stars during filming?

André could not lift anyone because he had recently had major back surgery, so Elwes walked on hidden ramps for the wrestling scene and Wright hung on cables when Fezzik 'carried' her.

The fencing coach who trained Elwes and Patinkin had also trained actors on which film series?

Bob Anderson had trained actors on the original Star Wars films, doubling Darth Vader in the lightsaber duels of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, before drilling Elwes and Patinkin for months.

Which real Irish landmark stood in for the sheer rock face the kidnappers climb with Buttercup?

The Cliffs of Insanity were played by the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland; much of the rest of the film was shot around Derbyshire's Peak District and Haddon Hall.

Which musician composed the film's score?

Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler wrote the score; he jokingly demanded that the cap Reiner wore in This Is Spinal Tap appear on screen, and it sits in the grandson's bedroom.

What was the film's only Academy Award nomination?

Its sole nomination was Best Original Song for 'Storybook Love' at the 60th Academy Awards, where it lost to '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' from Dirty Dancing.

Roughly how much did the film gross in the US and Canada on its first release?

It grossed about $31 million in the US and Canada on its initial release against a $16 million budget, a modest return for a film that became a classic on home video.

In what year was the film added to the US National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress named The Princess Bride to the National Film Registry in December 2016, 29 years after its release.

Who is the fictional 'original' author whose work Goldman claims to be abridging?

The publisher's letters about the missing 'reunion scene' even blame the Morgenstern estate's lawyer, Kermit Shog.

What are the two rival countries in the story named after?

One was a gold coin minted in Florence, the other a Dutch gold coin.

Where did Goldman get the idea for the story?

The story grew from tales he told his two daughters: one asked for a princess and the other for a bride, which gave Goldman the title and the plot.

What is the name of the unfinished sequel Goldman teased in later editions?

The sequel is Buttercup's Baby; its sample chapter ends with Fezzik leaping from a cliff to save Westley and Buttercup's daughter, Waverly.

In the novel's footnotes, which famous author was allowed to abridge the sequel instead of Goldman?

Goldman's 25th-anniversary footnotes claim the Morgenstern estate picked Stephen King to abridge Buttercup's Baby instead of him; Goldman died in 2018 without finishing it.

Which studio paid Goldman $500,000 for the film rights back in 1973?

20th Century Fox bought the rights in 1973; when the studio's production chief was fired the project stalled, and Goldman later bought the rights back himself.

Which producer, famous for All in the Family, financed the film?

Norman Lear, creator of All in the Family, financed the film through his company Act III Communications after the major studios passed on it.

In the 2020 quarantine 'Home Movie' remake, who gave a final performance as the grandfather?

Carl Reiner played the grandfather opposite his son Rob as the grandson in the final segment; it was his last performance, and he died in June 2020.

Fred Savage reprised his grandson role in a 2018 PG-13 recut of which film?

Once Upon a Deadpool, the PG-13 recut of Deadpool 2, has Deadpool reading the story to a kidnapped Fred Savage in a recreation of the grandson's bedroom.

Which comedian played Fezzik in the 2020 virtual cast reunion?

Josh Gad read Fezzik in the September 2020 reunion for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, alongside Patton Oswalt as Vizzini and Eric Idle as the Impressive Clergyman.

Complete Westley's line to Buttercup: 'Life is pain, ...'

He adds that anyone who says differently is selling something.

What does Westley wish the unconscious Fezzik before leaving him on the trail?

Westley tells the choked-out Fezzik 'rest well, and dream of large women', adding that he does not envy the headache the giant will have on waking.

Which director was signed and nearly made the film before the Fox production head was fired?

Richard Lester, director of A Hard Day's Night, was signed by Fox in the 1970s; the deal collapsed when the studio's production chief was fired, and Goldman bought back the rights.

Which future Schindler's List star auditioned for Fezzik but was turned down over his height?

Liam Neeson, at 6 ft 4 in, auditioned for Fezzik but Reiner judged him not tall enough for a giant; André the Giant was billed at 7 ft 4 in.

At which festival did The Princess Bride premiere and win the People's Choice Award in 1987?

It premiered at the 1987 Toronto Festival of Festivals (now TIFF), where it won the People's Choice Award; it also won the 1988 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

Who played Buttercup in Jason Reitman's 2011 live script reading at LACMA?

Mindy Kaling read Buttercup at Jason Reitman's 2011 LACMA live read, with Paul Rudd as Westley, Patton Oswalt as Vizzini and Cary Elwes reading Humperdinck.