70 Fun Facts About The Princess Bride

Who directed The Princess Bride (1987)?

His father gave him the novel; he decided to film it after This Is Spinal Tap proved he could direct.

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

He had already won 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?

Both fictional countries in the story take their names from old European currency.

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

His scheme is to have Buttercup murdered and pin the crime on the neighbours.

Which sea raider is said to leave no survivors?

Westley later explains the name is a transferable title, passed on whenever the current holder retires.

Vizzini describes himself as coming from where?

His fatal mistake in the battle of wits is assuming his origins make him unbeatable when death is on the line.

Fezzik the giant is described as coming from which country?

In the film he was played by a Frenchman who worried his English was not good enough for the part.

Where does the man in black duel Inigo Montoya?

The location was played by a famous stretch of sea cliffs on Ireland's west coast.

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

He says he spent years building up an immunity to it, which is how he survives his own goblet.

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

Vizzini reasons that the place is peopled entirely with criminals, who are used to not being trusted, and so on.

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

Vizzini dies mid-laugh right after warning against going in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

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 is Vizzini's catchphrase, and the reason Wallace Shawn was cast?

Casting director Janet Hirshenson loved how he said the word in My Dinner with Andre; fans have shouted it at him ever since.

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?

His rhyming game with Inigo drives Vizzini to shout 'No more rhymes now, I mean it!'

How does the man in black defeat Fezzik?

Fezzik insists on a fair fight, so it becomes a wrestling match rather than a rock-throwing contest.

What does Westley shout as he tumbles down the hill, revealing his identity to Buttercup?

Hearing it, Buttercup throws herself down the hill after him.

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

Two actors in costume, Anthony Georghiou and Danny Blackner, are credited for playing them.

What is the name of the torture chamber where Westley is taken?

In the novel the same place is called something different and is described as an underground menagerie.

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

Rugen drains Westley's life there with a device simply called The Machine.

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

Westley spots it as Rugen knocks him out; the man in black had earlier proved his own hand normal by removing a glove.

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

He laboured a year over a sword for the six-fingered man, then refused to sell it when offered a tenth of the promised price.

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

Rugen disarmed the boy in under a minute but was unsettled by his skill and left him with a scar on each cheek.

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

Each is hiding that he is really right-handed; the actors learned to fence both ways for the scene.

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

He is described as the only living man to hold it after ten years of training.

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?

Mandy Patinkin said he drew on the loss of his own father to cancer to play the moment.

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?

Inigo wins him over by promising the revived Westley will humiliate the prince and ruin his wedding.

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

His wife Valerie mutters that it would take a miracle, and Max cheerfully agrees.

According to Miracle Max, what would Westley trade his beloved for? 'Except for a nice ...'

Max is misreading Westley's mumbled 'true love' as 'to blave', which he insists means 'to bluff'.

What does Westley say when the man in black is asked to fight Humperdinck 'to the death'?

He describes leaving the prince 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?

Humperdinck had rushed the ceremony to a close when he heard the castle was under attack.

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

Inigo has just admitted he has no idea what to do with his life now he is out of the revenge business.

Who plays the grandfather reading the story aloud?

He was best known as TV's Columbo, and Fred Savage played the reluctant grandson.

Which actor plays Prince Humperdinck?

He would later provide the speaking voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Which actor plays the six-fingered Count Rugen?

He was also part of This Is Spinal Tap, the film that convinced the director he could pull off The Princess Bride.

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

The wrestler called Fezzik his own favourite role, and said the cast treated him as a colleague rather than a curiosity.

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

By the time the film was green-lit he was too expensive; Liam Neeson also auditioned but was judged too short.

What conflicting engagement nearly kept André the Giant out of the film?

The bout was reportedly worth $5 million; when it was cancelled he was free to play the giant.

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

For the wrestling scene Elwes walked on hidden ramps, and Wright was suspended on cables when she appeared to be carried.

How close to the start of filming was Robin Wright cast as Buttercup?

Uma Thurman, Meg Ryan, Courteney Cox and Whoopi Goldberg were among those who auditioned for the part.

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

Bob Anderson made both actors learn each other's choreography so neither would be surprised mid-fight.

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

Most of the rest of the film was shot in Derbyshire and the Home Counties, with the frame story done at Shepperton Studios.

Which musician composed the film's score?

He jokingly asked that a Spinal Tap baseball cap appear somewhere on screen; a similar cap sits in the grandson's bedroom.

What was the film's only Academy Award nomination?

The nominated song was 'Storybook Love', performed by Willy DeVille.

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

Fox marketed it as a zany comedy without a trailer; studio head Barry Diller predicted it would grow into a classic over time.

Which rare grade did CinemaScore audiences give the film?

Rotten Tomatoes lists a 93 percent approval rating and Siskel and Ebert gave it two thumbs up.

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

That same year the director admitted a Disney stage musical was still stuck behind 'roadblocks'.

What is the title of Cary Elwes's 2014 memoir about making the film?

The film's producer sent him a bound copy of the production's call sheets to jog his memory.

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?

One girl asked for a story about princesses and the other about brides.

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

Its sample chapter has Fezzik leaping off a mountain 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 died in 2018 without ever finishing the real thing.

Which stop-motion legend was approached to adapt the novel in 1982?

He liked the book but could not fix the problems he found in the script and gave up.

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

Richard Lester was signed to direct before the studio's production chief was fired; Goldman later bought the rights back.

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

He had also funded This Is Spinal Tap and approved the 2020 fan-made remake shot during lockdown.

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

He played the last scene opposite his own son and died days later; the film was dedicated to him.

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

Deadpool took over as narrator, reading him the story at bedtime and skipping the adult parts.

Which comedian played Fezzik in the 2020 virtual cast reunion?

Eric Idle read the Impressive Clergyman and Whoopi Goldberg the Ancient Booer at the Wisconsin Democrats fundraiser.

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

He adds that anyone who says differently is selling something.

What does Westley wish the defeated Inigo before leaving him at the top of the cliff?

He has just told Inigo he would as soon destroy a stained-glass window as an artist like him.

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

Truffaut, Jewison and Redford had all tried to adapt the book too, and Christopher Reeve was once lined up to play Westley.

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

Danny DeVito was considered for Vizzini, while Wallace Shawn's small stature was chosen to contrast with the giant.

Which Fox chief urged Reiner to make a film that, like The Wizard of Oz, would find success over time?

Fox promoted it as a zany comedy without an audience trailer; it took a modest $30.8 million on a $16 million budget.

Who sang 'Storybook Love', the film's Oscar-nominated song produced by Mark Knopfler?

It lost Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards; the film did win Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards.

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

The screening was at the Ryerson Theatre; the film also took the 1988 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

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

Paul Rudd read Westley, Patton Oswalt was Vizzini and Cary Elwes switched roles to play Humperdinck.