Ep. 12 - As We Wish!

This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] J.J.: So everybody knows this about me, that you're short. There's that. But people don't know that if they don't have never met me, I'm sitting in a chair. You don't know how short I actually am.

[0:12] Olaf: You're actually standing, guys.

[0:16] J.J.: No, I'm not. So there are a lot of people that run and they like to speak lost in their thoughts or lost in whatever outside nature is around them. That is not how I operate. I need music. So I listen to what I would think is an eclectic mix of music, but it got me to thinking, what music do you listen to? Or is there a set, like a set list you listen to when you just need to get pumped up for a show or you're into something? And if so, do you have any music from movies? Because I'll tell you right now, I'm going to call myself out. I've got the theme song to Chariots of Fire on my playlist. I mean, it's straight cliché. I'll be that guy, but I love that piece of music and it's there. And sometimes it'll be my, I'm about to start running number one on the top of my list song.

[1:15] Olaf: Oh yeah.

[1:16] J.J.: One, because it reminds me of that movie. Two, because it reminds me of National Lampoon's Vacation when they're running to the entrance of Wally World. And three, it's just a great piece of music. And so I thought, well, I wonder, because I know you are a big movie composer, fan and soundtrack guy. What other, do you listen, is there something that you would go like, this is the song that's getting me to where I need to go mentally?

[1:36] Olaf: Yeah. I mean, I have playlists for like, I'm just on a road trip, so I got to have this and that's going to keep me going. I've got playlists when I'm feeling introspective. I wouldn't say sad, but just like music that really just gets me in my head. I've got music that I just want to be like happy and go lucky, like, ah, I'm out of care in the world. And then I got to get pumped up. That's what I wanted. Like if I was going to the gym or something, I would play that. And then I have another one that's similar, and that one's literally just straight movie scores that get you going. But even the other ones, they have movie scores in the playlist. Is there a go to like, got to have this? I'm about to push play on this because it's going to do what it needs to do. It's going to get the job done.

[2:37] J.J.: Well, I mean, like if I really want to focus and drive fast or something, like nothing's better than the Danny Elfman Batman '89 score. Like charge that mobile or Attack of the Batwing or even just the opening theme. I have bits from Terminator and Terminator 2 in my playlist for like working out or something. One of my favorite bits of music from all of Indiana Jones is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in the beginning of the Steel Beast.

[3:12] Olaf: OK, or that piece is called.

[3:13] J.J.: Yeah, I love that piece so much. It's a piece. But yeah, I've got the Superman theme, John Williams. I mean, like that when you said drive fast, I'm like, I would do Superman to drive fast for whatever reason.

[3:24] Olaf: Oh no, because then I'm like in the Batmobile.

[3:26] J.J.: Well, that's fair because the score for Superman is so iconic and great and amazing. But it's more of this promise of hope and uplifting where the Danny Elfman Batman score is more like let's get to business.

[3:36] Olaf: Well, when I'm running, I need the hope. I need the promise of hope that I'll hopefully get to the finish line.

[3:52] J.J.: So that's fair. Well, as amazing as this topic is, and I know we have wanted to talk about music and movies as a whole episode, and we will, that is not what we're here to talk about today.

[4:08] Olaf: No, we're here to talk about something that, funny enough, has terrible music.

[4:13] J.J.: I don't, I see. I disagree. We'll get into it. But first, let's get back to the movie theater.

[4:34] Olaf: Wow, what an interesting segue into what we're going to talk about, because I've got to say it, if we're going to broach the topic of music in this movie, I have to come out and say that with the exception of like two pieces, if I'm generous, maybe three, the soundtrack is not good.

[4:54] J.J.: Well, how about we let everybody know what movie we're talking about, especially if they haven't read the liner notes in terms of just jumping into this episode. We are going to be talking about The Princess Bride.

[5:07] Olaf: Yeah, I kind of grew up with this movie.

[5:11] J.J.: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Do you remember you said you remember when you saw this movie?

[5:15] Olaf: I do. So this movie came out in '87. This movie didn't do well. And so shocking until shocking. But the summer of '88, we would go to the beach for the summer for like a week. And I remember we had either had the video or was on TV or something. And we just started watching it. And I'm just thinking, like, what is this? Because as we all know, this movie spans like five different genres.

[5:41] J.J.: Oh, yes. It's like everything.

[5:43] Olaf: If you're at a first viewing, you're just sitting there trying to take it all in. And I was 10. And so to me, it was just like, this is really cool. I'd never read the book. I'd never heard of the book. And so this was my first exposure to this movie. And because when it came out, I had no idea. And so watching it and having that first impression of, you know, the sword fighting and the, I was going to say the music, even though I like the music. But there are certain pieces of music that I said, like two, maybe three pieces, but everything. And I knew Billy Crystal. And we're going to dive into the casting. But his particular scene really stuck out to me initially and still does, of course. But there are just certain moments. And all of these characters are so larger than life that it really made a huge impression on me right out of the gate.

[6:32] J.J.: Yeah. I think I was also probably around 10 or so.

[6:40] Olaf: OK. I, funny enough, was homesick and my mom put it on and I was swept away.

[6:49] J.J.: Yeah. Almost immediately. Yeah. This movie took me by surprise. It took me on a wonderful magic journey with romance and action. And it does have a little bit. It has something I think for everybody.

[6:58] Olaf: And it really does. And it's set up that way, even in the first scene of the movie, when Peter Falk as a grandfather comes in and is trying to explain what this book is to Fred Savage that he's about to read to him.

[7:12] J.J.: Yeah. Let's get into this. So this movie, it's an hour and 38 minutes.

[7:17] Olaf: Yeah.

[7:17] J.J.: Which is today's standards kind of short.

[7:21] Olaf: Yeah.

[7:21] J.J.: But I'll tell you what, just kind of sort of rewatching this today. This movie flies. It is. It has no pacing issues at all.

[7:30] Olaf: It is not stopping for anything. It's like, go, go, go.

[7:33] J.J.: Even when the story itself stops, Fred Savage's character sort of stops the grandfather from reading the book. Even in those moments, it doesn't feel like, oh, now we got to reset and restart.

[7:49] Olaf: The meta score for this is a 78, which is kind of low.

[7:54] J.J.: That's an old... I think that's a meta score that hasn't been updated just because people don't...

[8:01] Olaf: I think if you were to poll people now, it'd probably be a lot higher.

[8:04] J.J.: Yeah. The Rotten Tomatoes score is a 96%, which I think is pretty solid.

[8:10] Olaf: Yeah. I would agree.

[8:10] J.J.: Might be a little higher, but... And then the audience score is 94%. So come on, guys. We can do better.

[8:18] Olaf: I think that's our generation needing to show it to the younger generations, which...

[8:24] J.J.: Maybe. This was directed by Rob Reiner, who...

[8:27] Olaf: Yes.

[8:28] J.J.: I mean, he's done so many great, wonderful things. This is Spinal Tap.

[8:33] Olaf: Stand By Me.

[8:33] J.J.: Oh, gosh, Stand By Me. Yeah. And those were the two... He had done Stand By Me right before this one. Like, Stand By Me, Princess Bride.

[8:41] Olaf: When Harry Met Sally.

[8:43] J.J.: And then that, and then Misery.

[8:45] Olaf: Yeah. I mean, he has such a great career. He's so likable. He's so fun. And he's got a great talent as a director. This is written by William Goldman, who is an absolute all-star.

[9:00] J.J.: Yes. He never thought he was, except...

[9:03] Olaf: Which is crazy because he was a well-respected, very famous screenwriter. He was a playwright. He was a novelist. He did screenwriting for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

[9:17] J.J.: Yeah.

[9:17] Olaf: He did All the President's Men. He did Marathon Man. I mean, it just goes on and on and on and on. And then he writes these amazing books as well, like The Princess Bride.

[9:28] J.J.: Yeah.

[9:29] Olaf: It's just... His resume is incredible. I...

[9:34] J.J.: No, it's a Hall of Famer for sure. And this, he always said this book was his, like, treasure.

[9:41] Olaf: You can tell.

[9:42] J.J.: Yeah. And it was really one of these things where this movie went through so many different attempts at trying to get made, but nobody really...

[9:48] Olaf: Yeah, I think he spent like 15 years trying to get it made.

[9:54] J.J.: Yeah. Nobody really knew how to do it, was the big issue.

[9:58] Olaf: And then Rob Reiner's, like, on a whim, just reached out to William Goldman just to see if...

[10:04] J.J.: He would even take an appointment.

[10:05] Olaf: Yeah. And that's when he finds out William Goldman's been trying to make a movie for this for a long time.

[10:11] J.J.: For a long time.

[10:12] Olaf: Then he sat down and watched This Is Spinal Tap and he's like, sold. This is happening. And then it's crazy to think that this movie didn't do well. But when we're about to talk about the circumstances of why, it makes a little bit more sense. But considering the cast that is in this, this is one of the most, like, all-star cast you could get. We have Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn.

[10:43] J.J.: Yes.

[10:43] Olaf: Andre René Roussimoff, or Andre the Giant, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Mel Smith, Peter Cook. I can name some more, but that is such a pantheon of a cast.

[11:00] J.J.: I mean, it's incredible.

[11:01] Olaf: And interestingly enough, they always ask the director, well, if you could have your dream cast, what would it be? Oh, I wish I could get this person, this person, this person, this person. And you find out that everybody that's in this movie, Rob Reiner was like, this is who I want. This is who should be this character. Even if the actor didn't think so, didn't have the confidence in themselves.

[11:23] J.J.: Yeah.

[11:23] Olaf: Rob Reiner would go like, you are the person. This is who you are, this character.

[11:28] J.J.: It's amazing. That is, it's an all-star, Hall of Fame cast, even Andre the Giant. When you read the history of this, when it was trying to get made before Rob Reiner got his hands on it.

[11:40] Olaf: It was written for him.

[11:43] J.J.: When a certain director was attached, they were going to try and get Arnold Schwarzenegger to play Fezzik. By the time they were able to finally get this movie greenlit, he was too expensive.

[11:58] Olaf: Oh, he was already a huge star.

[11:59] J.J.: William Goldman had said that he wasn't available, I think, because of wrestling. And then they went with Arnold and then that all fell apart. Then Rob Reiner was casting. He was like, hey, what if we try Andre the Giant and William Goldman, that's who I wanted. And then they asked him and he was like, absolutely boss. I want to do it.

[12:20] Olaf: Yeah.

[12:20] J.J.: Because he called everybody boss.

[12:22] Olaf: He called everybody boss. It's just to disarm them.

[12:25] J.J.: Andre the Giant, when they hired him, they were thinking, all right, he's going to struggle with the script and saying the script because English is not his first language.

[12:36] J.J.: Good on all the giant stuff. And it turned out that he was fine with the script and he couldn't do the giant stuff. At that point, he was having such painful back issues that he was very limited in what he could do. So pretty much anytime you see him holding somebody or whatever, they're on wires. Very rarely was he holding anybody for any extensive period of time for real.

[13:05] J.J.: And a testament to the filmmakers too, because when you watch the fight between the man in black and the giant, it's really hard to notice. There's like one shot where if you look, you can see this mask that the body double is wearing to sort of look like Andre the Giant. It looks terrible. But other than that, you don't really tell. You can't really tell. And that was the thing too, is that there's very few cutaways or wide shots of things where these guys are doing a lot of their stuff. And we'll get into that a little bit in a minute. But yeah, Andre the Giant, especially since they were shooting in these beautiful locations in England, but it was hard to get him to where he needed to go.

So they gave him an ATV. He was riding around. He's like, hey boss, the carry always. Why don't you take a spin? And carry always for the longest time was like, no, no, no, because I don't want to get hurt. Sure enough, the one time he's like, sure, I'll do it. He crashes it, essentially breaks his big toe, doesn't want to tell Rob Reiner about it because he's afraid he'll get fired. Obviously word gets back. Rob's like, so when were you going to tell me about the toe or whatever? And he's like, I'm sorry. He's like, look, man, your safety is more important. It's going to be fine. We'll shoot around it. And they did. And they did. I mentioned that because there's a moment when Wesley is still the man in black and he saves Buttercup, but she doesn't know who he is.

They're up on the hill and there's a moment where he has to rest. And so he sort of like slowly sits down and extends his left leg out. It's a quick shot, but it's noticeable because it's just so odd that anyone watching would be like, but even Rob Reiner was like, that's a pretty elegant way of choosing to sit down. I mean, after knowing what had happened. Yeah. And then when they're running into the fire swamps, there's a wide shot of them sort of running. And yeah. And, you know, I just favoring his toe. I just rewatched that. And it's actually kind of hard to tell because they're also running on loose. Right. Yeah, exactly. So they were falling all over the place. So that really helped cover it up.

Yeah. Yeah. This movie. Yeah. So they shoot this movie over the course of a couple of months in eighty six. What I find interesting is we've mentioned at the top, it didn't do well. No. And it was because the studio didn't know how to market it so much so that even if you were to go on IMDB page right now and put in Princess Bride, the original poster is the image that shows up, which is a picture of a boy in a bed getting read a book by a grand, an old man in a rocking chair. It tells you nothing. And Rob Reiner was furious. Like the whole making of this movie was just an absolute joy for everyone. There were no issues. There were no problems. Everyone was super happy to be there. Everybody had a good time.

Everybody pretty much got along. Then comes the time to market this thing. And the studio just has no clue what to do. So they're just putting out this mysterious vanilla poster. And he actually called the studio and he was like, guys, this is awful. I don't want this to be another Wizard of Oz because the same thing had kind of happened to Wizard of Oz at the time. And then the guy and then the head of the studio goes, why wouldn't you want it to be another Wizard of Oz in the long run? Like in the long run, of course, Wizard of Oz. But you're right. When Wizard of Oz came out, it didn't do well either. And then subsequently became a classic, much like the Princess Bride on another level. But if you've never seen this movie, I can't stress enough how wonderful it is. You need to. It'll capture your imagination. It'll transport you back to a time when maybe you were a kid. It's great.

[17:13] Olaf: It's interesting that you mentioned when you first started it, you were immediately sort of taken.

[17:18] J.J.: Yeah, I was just swept into it.

[17:19] Olaf: Which is interesting because and not to say that the first five minutes is slow because it isn't. But if you were to pick a slow part of this movie, it's the first five minutes. And that's not even slow. I know. But it's because of the brilliance of putting Fred Savage and Peter Falk's characters in the middle of that. Yes. Listening to it, it breaks it up. Imagine as a kid, you start watching this. You're immediately connecting with this kid. He's playing he's playing Nintendo or Atari and he's sick in bed. And then his grandfather's pinching his cheek and he's like a book. Right. Like most kids would say now. Yeah. He's not thrilled about this gift he just got. But then his grandfather starts reading.

He's like, all right, I'll give it a shot. And then we get into this and it's just this lovey dovey stuff. As a kid, you're probably already like, what is this? But before you can say anything or really have those feelings, Fred Savage's character beats you to it. Yeah. He's like, he's he's our voice. He's like our he's our eyes and ears for sure. It's a kissing book.

[18:27] J.J.: And then you have Peter Falk there to like calm you down and be like, no, no, no, no, there's there's more to it. So that really helps. And considering the fact that you're able to establish this immense, deep, true love in like five minutes is.

[18:43] Olaf: Less really, when you think about it, it's less than five minutes. I think their love theme is one of the pieces of music that's carries that is a through line of the movie that doesn't bother me. I mean, I'll admit, yes, the overall soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired.

[18:59] J.J.: Here's my problem with the soundtrack. OK, the whole thing is done on a synthesizer. Now, there's a couple of parts that really just sound like a nice, genuine guitar. And that is those are the parts where I'm like, I'm OK with that. But the rest is straight up synth. And I know it's the 80s, man. It was the late 80s. I know, but it just doesn't work. The movie would have been serviced so much better by a traditional orchestra. You could have played the same music just with an orchestra. Yeah. And it would have sounded better. It would have sounded more genuine and that would have been better. Yeah. Immediately the farm boy goes off. We find out in a few words from Peter Falk that his ship gets captured and he's he might die.

He might probably get killed. The Dread Pirate Roberts. Dread Pirate Roberts. No prisoners. Right. We smash cut to five years later. She's engaged. It's only because Prince Humperdinck can choose whoever he wants. Right. He chooses. She's not in love with him. Right. Yeah. And then she's like, OK, going for a ride. Boom. I'm kidnapped. So Buttercup gets kidnapped and we get introduced to Wallace Shawn and Mandy Patinkin and Andre the Giant. And before you know it, they're on a ship. They're they're supposed to be some sort of war that's going to break out. We're just poor lost circus performers. Wallace Shawn, who plays Vicini, is so is genius. There is no other word. And it's unbelievable to think that from the moment he stepped onto the set, probably to the moment he got off the set.

I hope it's not that long. He I don't know. It just feels right to explain it to him. But whether he finally, like, calm down or not, I don't know. But the fact that he felt like he was going to get replaced and this was of his own doing. It wasn't like anybody was like, if you don't get this right, we're you're going to get fired for whatever reason. He was told that he wasn't the first choice. And like Danny DeVito was, yeah, was in consideration for this role. I think his agent told him that or something. His own agent. Yeah, because it wasn't it wasn't Ryan crew. Right. And so the whole time he's shooting and he's in his head about like, I don't even know if I'm doing this right, if I'm like, I'm supposed to be Sicilian, but I'm this Jewish guy from New York.

And Rob Reiner just kept it like, look, you are this is this is you. This is how he talks. And this is this is how he taught how you talk is how he talks. Yeah. And he was so good. But hey, maybe him being so anxious helped him with the character. I mean, he definitely has the Napoleon complex, the little man syndrome thing going. And it is done so beautifully because maybe in anybody else's hands, you don't like this character. You find him annoying. You find him inconceivable. You just find him nauseating and like nails on a chalkboard. But for whatever reason, and this isn't due to time, because I've never felt like his character. I was never bothered by his character or anything he was doing.

I was always amused. I love. Yeah. I loved his character from the beginning of his stuff to the very end of his stuff. Everything the exchange he has in the boat with Fezzik and Inigo, when he goes, when I found you, you couldn't even afford brandy. And you just dig it into him. Both of them. Friendless, brainless, hopeless. Do you want to send me back? Do you want me to send you back where I found you? Unemployed in Greenland. He's he's a genius in this movie. And it's and his battle of wits is and he's likable. So he's like, oh, yeah, this movie. Yeah. The three of them as a unit are only really in one scene together or no, like they're like in one long scene, in my opinion, the one on the ship that sort of carries over to the top of the mountain.

And that's the top of the cliffs of insanity. Yeah. And it's crazy because their chemistry together, the three of them is so solid that you think that they'd been doing this for a long time or that they're in more of the movie. Like, yeah, you kind of like it's less is more sort of thing in this particular case, because I wouldn't have minded more of them. Yeah. But the fact that we just get this sort of the exchange in the boat, which is very minor. Yeah. Move the thing. Move the other thing. And then and then when they get to the cliffs of insanity, which are the cliffs of more in Ireland, which are beautiful on a side note, going back to what you had said about Andre the Giant, who is having like major back issues, he's not really carrying any of them on his back.

Yeah. He's got a fake dummy of Robin Wright. Well, they're actually sitting on like bicycle seats. She and Mandy Patinkin and they're like on this lift. And Wallace Shawn, who plays Vassini, his face and totally scared of heights, like terrified of heights. Yes. So much so that like before they were shooting, he was he was like, Rob, in the script, it says we're going to be doing all this stuff. We're going to he's going to be lifting. Are we doing this? What's going on? Like he was terrified and he's like, you're going to be fine. We're not we're going to do it in the studio or whatever. And he goes, we were almost like, oh, we're going to do it in the studio. We were only like 30 feet up on a rig and I was still terrified.

Yeah. But like Andre, like really took care of him, really made it sort of comforted him and made him feel good. But that in the meantime, Wallace Shawn's character is like insulting him in his face. Love it. That whole scene. You were supposed to be this great legendary thing and yet he gains. I'm just going to have to find myself a new guy. I do not accept excuses. I'm just going to have to find myself a new job. He's carrying only himself. I'm carrying three people.

[24:49] J.J.: Oh, man. Oh, again, it's one of those things where you wish there was more of them because, yeah, they are so good. They get to the top of the cliff and then they separate. It's like, yeah, pretty much if he falls fine, if not the sword, I think I'll do him left handed. You know what kind of a hurry we're in. If I don't know.

[25:13] J.J.: But he kind of says he goes, if I fight him on my ride, I'll be over too quickly.

[25:16] Olaf: Fine.

[25:18] J.J.: Even that, we're still like, we don't really know what he's saying because we haven't heard that story yet.

[25:24] Olaf: We haven't heard that story.

[25:26] J.J.: And then he's given, as is Cary always, this amazing showcase for like three and a half minutes in what is, I think, still or maybe not still. I mean, but one of, in modern times, the best sword fight put on film.

[25:40] Olaf: Like at some point, well, I'll rank my top sword fights on film.

[25:46] J.J.: Yeah, because I have been a lover of sword play and sword fights for years. And I used to sword fight when I was younger.

[25:51] Olaf: Got cut up a bunch doing that because I had a friend in high school.

[25:54] J.J.: He was also really into swords and we would sword fight with real swords.

[26:06] Olaf: Yeah. Hopefully not on school grounds.

[26:08] J.J.: No, no, no, no. But yeah, we would get together and we'd choreograph stuff all the time.

[26:13] Olaf: And there were other times where we would just let's not choreograph. Let's just go for it.

[26:17] J.J.: And like we were never trying to hurt each other.

[26:22] Olaf: No, but accidents happen.

[26:23] J.J.: Accidents happen. And they did.

[26:25] Olaf: And but then other crazy, wild accidents also happen where we're like, what? Did you see that?

[26:31] J.J.: Yeah. But no, I used to do that all the time. And then I got into some stunt shows doing sword play.

[26:38] Olaf: And I just it was one of my favorite things to do.

[26:41] J.J.: So this is by far one of the best.

[26:45] Olaf: It is. And they save this scene to shoot till the very end of production.

[26:50] J.J.: And they would rehearse and practice and fight every day.

[26:55] Olaf: Free moment. Right.

[26:57] J.J.: Not only before like before they started shooting, they were doing like five days a week, eight hours a day.

[27:01] Olaf: But then when they started shooting the movie, whenever there was a break in thing, break in time, the coordinators were putting a sword in their hands and they were getting after it.

[27:10] J.J.: I forget the stunt coordinator's name, but he's very well known.

[27:14] Olaf: And he had worked on Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

[27:19] J.J.: But then he brought with him Bob Anderson, who is a legend.

[27:25] Olaf: Yes. He's a sword master.

[27:26] J.J.: His film resume is extensive.

[27:30] Olaf: Right. There's sword play in it. People wanted Bob Anderson.

[27:33] J.J.: He fought on the Olympics.

[27:35] Olaf: That's what it was. I couldn't remember if it was Bob or the other one.

[27:37] J.J.: Yeah. And he played Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi.

[27:41] Olaf: So when you and Empire Strikes Back, when you see Vader sword fighting with his lightsaber, it's Bob Anderson.

[27:48] J.J.: Yeah. Which is amazing to be not only that, but to then be taught and coached by that.

[27:54] Olaf: And Cary Elwes was such a connoisseur of film.

[27:57] J.J.: He was definitely very exposed to American television, American cinema.

[28:01] Olaf: So it's almost like every time a piece of casting, he was told about a piece of casting, like somebody was given a role.

[28:07] J.J.: He was like, you got that person. That's amazing.

[28:09] Olaf: And then when it was, you're going to go and you're going to get trained by these two people.

[28:14] J.J.: He's like, what? He knew for the most part.

[28:17] Olaf: I think when he met them, he didn't know as much as he did as he started training with them.

[28:22] J.J.: Well, because I don't know if Bob Anderson was as famous as he is.

[28:28] Olaf: It wasn't until like he's a legend now.

[28:30] J.J.: Yeah. But this sword fighting scene, once they finally got it down and we're talking months and months and months, they finally showed it to Rob Reiner right before they were going to shoot it.

[28:40] Olaf: And they had gotten it down so tight that it was like 90 seconds.

[28:46] J.J.: Yeah. And Rob Reiner was like, that's it.

[28:48] Olaf: And they were like sweating over there.

[28:50] J.J.: Like, what do you mean?

[28:51] Olaf: What do you mean? Because we built you this big, beautiful set.

[28:54] J.J.: We got to use it.

[28:56] Olaf: So then they had to re choreograph the whole thing.

[28:59] J.J.: Yeah. So and they utilize the whole set.

[29:01] Olaf: And with the exception of one stunt, Manny Patinga and Cary Elwes are doing the whole thing.

[29:09] J.J.: It's so it's what makes it so cool.

[29:11] Olaf: The only time it is not Cary Elwes is when he leaps off the stairs and does that double, double flip and land.

[29:22] J.J.: But that is it.

[29:24] Olaf: Yeah. The rest is the real deal.

[29:26] J.J.: They're both fighting left handed.

[29:28] Olaf: They're both fighting right handed.

[29:29] J.J.: Yeah, it's amazing.

[29:31] Olaf: And they're not only fighting, but they're exchanging dialogue at the same time.

[29:35] J.J.: Now, again, they're doing this so hard to do, guys.

[29:39] Olaf: I cannot express to you how hard that is, because sword fighting in itself takes so much concentration, doing the dialogue and staying in their individual characters while they're doing it.

[29:51] J.J.: Yeah. Cary Elwes still has to be this cool, calm, collected swashbuckler.

[29:55] Olaf: Manny Patinga still has to be, you know, that Spaniard who's been doing it for 20 years.

[30:00] J.J.: It's amazing.

[30:01] Olaf: And they're so fast and it's so good.

[30:03] J.J.: It's amazing.

[30:06] Olaf: And so while we did get the trio collectively, then we do get to see him sort of take each one of them out.

[30:13] J.J.: Yeah. And I like that they all get a moment.

[30:16] Olaf: Yes. It's not just like he shows up, they fight.

[30:19] J.J.: He finally climbs up the cliff.

[30:22] Olaf: Right. And they have a dialogue.

[30:23] J.J.: They have a whole dialogue. They're like almost friends.

[30:27] Olaf: Right. Well, then that's where you get the you get Indigo's story and what his motivations are and all that.

[30:33] J.J.: But you don't happen to have six figures.

[30:35] Olaf: And do you start every conversation this way?

[30:40] J.J.: What I love is he gets the physic or before that when when they realize he survived the sword fight, he's like, get behind that.

[30:50] Olaf: As soon as his head is in view, hit it with the rock.

[30:54] J.J.: Well, he's like, give me the give me the princess.

[30:56] Olaf: Deal with them your way.

[30:57] J.J.: He's like, oh, good. My way.

[30:59] Olaf: What's my way?

[31:01] J.J.: My way is not very sportsmanlike.

[31:03] Olaf: Yeah.

[31:06] J.J.: And that that whole I mean, then they have a little dialogue and they have a dialogue while they're fighting.

[31:10] Olaf: It's great. The whole time they're talking, they're talking the whole time.

[31:15] J.J.: And it keeps the audience engaged on multiple levels.

[31:19] Olaf: Yeah. We are getting exposition.

[31:21] J.J.: You're getting backstory.

[31:22] Olaf: You're getting a better sense of who these people are.

[31:26] J.J.: Right. And you're getting action.

[31:28] Olaf: And you're getting action all at the same time.

[31:30] J.J.: So you're not leaving going, wait, what?

[31:33] Olaf: Or yeah, I don't understand.

[31:35] J.J.: Or even if like after the sword fight, you're you're like, oh, oh, that's right.

[31:40] Olaf: He wants to avenge his father.

[31:41] J.J.: That's because they're going to mention it later anyway.

[31:43] Olaf: And the physic dialogue is just funny.

[31:45] J.J.: It does nothing to move the story in any way, except that you if you didn't like me, you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll kill each other as God intended.

[31:56] Olaf: I could kill you now, kill you now.

[31:58] J.J.: Frankly, I think you're a little bit you have a little bit more advantage.

[32:02] Olaf: The odds in fighting hand to hand are slightly more my fault that I'm the biggest and the strongest.

[32:06] J.J.: I don't even exercise.

[32:07] Olaf: I don't even exercise.

[32:10] J.J.: He's like trying running up and trying to squeeze them.

[32:13] Olaf: I just want you to feel like you're doing well.

[32:19] J.J.: Why do you wear a mask?

[32:21] Olaf: You burn by acid or something?

[32:22] J.J.: No, I just think they're really stylish and I think everyone will be wearing them someday.

[32:29] Olaf: So you mentioned very briefly and then we moved on to something else.

[32:32] J.J.: The Battle of Wits, which is when he finally meets Vicini.

[32:36] Olaf: This was the very first scene that Wallace Shawn had to shoot.

[32:40] J.J.: So imagine getting on set, being completely in your head about whether or not you feel you're right for this role.

[32:46] Olaf: Maybe Dana DeVito's in the shadows waiting to replace you.

[32:49] J.J.: And you have to the first thing you have to do is this scene, which is classic.

[32:55] Olaf: It's a classic scene.

[32:56] J.J.: Oh, he's so good in it.

[32:58] Olaf: And he's doing all of the lifting in it.

[33:00] J.J.: Yeah. I mean, Cary Elwes isn't doing anything but listening and interjecting.

[33:03] Olaf: That's it. He just throws in a couple of lines to keep him going.

[33:06] J.J.: That's all my goodness.

[33:07] Olaf: Like this scene, it is all Wallace Shawn.

[33:10] J.J.: Now, he will admit that the fall at the end when he laughs and then dies is Rob Reiner.

[33:18] Olaf: That was like Rob Reiner said, this is what you should do.

[33:21] J.J.: So that was a choice.

[33:22] Olaf: Wallace Shawn will admit, like, I wouldn't have done that.

[33:24] J.J.: I would not have just laughed, stopped and fallen over.

[33:27] Olaf: Rob Reiner gave me that choice.

[33:29] J.J.: Well, fine.

[33:31] Olaf: It was perfect.

[33:31] J.J.: I'm glad that he did what Rob suggested, because it's such a perfect end to that whole thing.

[33:39] Olaf: Like it builds and builds and builds and he's just going and going and going.

[33:43] J.J.: And so there was a part of me, because, you know, he doesn't kill the other two that I always there was a part of me that thought, well, is Vicini live too?

[33:52] Olaf: Like, are we going to see him also?

[33:54] J.J.: Because the other two lived.

[33:56] Olaf: He clearly didn't.

[33:57] J.J.: Yeah, but I think it's because, I mean, as much as we all loved Vicini and the three of them together, and it would have been great for the three of them to come back.

[34:06] Olaf: It was pretty well established with all of the earlier scenes that Vicini was taking this legit and he was going to do what he was hired to do, which was kill the princess.

[34:18] J.J.: And the man in black learned who the other two were.

[34:23] Olaf: Right.

[34:23] J.J.: And realized these aren't bad people at all.

[34:26] Olaf: No.

[34:26] J.J.: And I have complete and utter respect.

[34:29] Olaf: It's like when he beats Inigo Montoya and Inigo Montoya is like, all right, kill me, kill me quickly.

[34:35] J.J.: And he goes, I'd rather destroy a stained glass window, such as an artist as yourself.

[34:39] Olaf: And then he knocks him unconscious because he can't have him fall.

[34:42] J.J.: I can't be falling.

[34:43] Olaf: Yeah.

[34:44] J.J.: And then he's even though he's unconscious at this point.

[34:46] Olaf: And I thought to myself, you probably could have said this before you hit him, which was, please know, I hold you in the highest regard.

[34:54] J.J.: Right.

[34:54] Olaf: Yeah.

[34:55] J.J.: But I think he knows that anyway.

[34:57] Olaf: Yeah.

[34:59] J.J.: I mean, it was just like when he told Andre to rest well and dream of large, large women.

[35:04] Olaf: Yeah.

[35:05] J.J.: So, I mean, yes, obviously, as the movie progresses, as much as we miss Vicini, we he's not needed moving forward in the story.

[35:14] Olaf: And Buttercup finally discovers that the man in black is, in fact, Wesley.

[35:19] J.J.: As they tumble down this very large hill with neither one getting injured in any way, even though it looks like Robin Wright's stunt double clearly is like he's a dude.

[35:30] Olaf: He's somersaults.

[35:31] J.J.: Yeah.

[35:32] Olaf: And there is a quick shot.

[35:34] J.J.: It's a blink and you miss it.

[35:36] Olaf: But the guy that was doubling Wesley, you see his face really quickly, but it's like spinning as well.

[35:43] J.J.: You're like, are you 60?

[35:47] Olaf.: Yeah.

[35:47] J.J.: When the mask comes off.

[35:49] Olaf: Yeah.

[35:49] J.J.: He looks so much older than Wesley, but it's so quick.

[35:55] Olaf: It's like you blink and you miss it.

[35:56] J.J.: And honestly, the only time you really notice that Robin Wright has suddenly beefed up is like in the first like tumble she does.

[36:06] Olaf: Yeah, yeah.

[36:07] J.J.: Or she just like it's like a throws herself down the hill.

[36:10] Olaf: I would have at least been like, I'm just going to roll this way.

[36:13] J.J.: I don't need to like fall forward and diving into a slide down.

[36:17] Olaf: Yeah, this dress will take me down there.

[36:20] J.J.: It's pretty slippery.

[36:21] Olaf: Now, meanwhile, all this is happening.

[36:23] J.J.: They're being tracked by Prince Humperdinck, Count Rugen and some guards and Humperdinck's retracing everything.

[36:31] Olaf: He's like the master tracker.

[36:32] J.J.: He can track a falcon on a cloudy day.

[36:35] Olaf: Yeah.

[36:36] J.J.: And he's Chris Sarandon is just eating up the screen and just giving full on douche.

[36:44] Olaf: Yeah, but he does it in such a subtle light.

[36:47] J.J.: I'm telling you, like all the villains and I'm never, never wrong.

[36:52] Olaf: Do you think it could be a trap?

[36:53] J.J.: I always think it's a trap.

[36:54] Olaf: This is why I'm still alive.

[36:56] J.J.: I'm still alive.

[36:57] Olaf: They do it in such a way where you don't dislike any of them.

[37:02] J.J.: Like I don't even dislike Count Rugen and he's the worst one.

[37:05] Olaf: But it's because it's Christopher Guest and, you know, he's like a total polar opposite.

[37:09] J.J.: I never liked Prince Humperdinck.

[37:11] Olaf: Well, I mean, it's not like, yeah, I mean, he is.

[37:13] J.J.: You're right. He's a total douche.

[37:15] Olaf: But the more you see it, you just start laughing at all of his nonsense.

[37:19] J.J.: I appreciate what Chris Sarandon is doing in this role far more now than I did then.

[37:26] Olaf: Someone has beaten a giant.

[37:28] J.J.: Really?

[37:29] Olaf: Like, how do you know this?

[37:31] J.J.: There was a mighty duel.

[37:34] Olaf: Iocane powder.

[37:35] J.J.: I bet my life on it.

[37:37] Olaf: She's alive.

[37:38] J.J.: She was an hour ago.

[37:39] Olaf: She isn't.

[37:40] J.J.: She'd be quite put out.

[37:49] J.J.: Welcome back to the Theater! This week, we’re diving into one of our all-time favorites, *The Princess Bride*.

[38:19] Olaf: Absolutely! It’s such a classic. I mean, who doesn’t love a good fairy tale with a twist?

[38:49] J.J.: Right? It has everything—romance, adventure, and of course, some unforgettable quotes.

[39:19] Olaf: And let’s not forget the memorable characters. From Westley to Inigo Montoya, they all have such unique personalities.

[39:49] J.J.: Speaking of Inigo, his quest for revenge is one of the driving forces of the story.

[40:19] Olaf: Yes! And his iconic line, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” It’s just so powerful.

[40:49] J.J.: It really is. And the way the film balances humor with serious moments is just brilliant.

[41:19] Olaf: Totally! The Fire Swamp scene is a perfect example of that blend. It’s intense but also has those comedic elements.

[41:49] J.J.: And let’s talk about the Cliffs of Insanity! That whole sequence is just so thrilling.

[42:19] Olaf: I love how it captures the essence of adventure. It’s like you’re right there with them.

[42:49] J.J.: Exactly! And the chemistry between Westley and Buttercup is just so charming.

[43:19] Olaf: It really pulls at your heartstrings. Their love story is central to the film.

[43:24] J.J.: Plus, the storytelling style, with the grandfather reading to his grandson, adds a nice touch.

[43:54] Olaf: Yes! It makes it feel like a story within a story, which is so clever.

[44:24] J.J.: And the film’s pacing is spot on. It never feels slow, even with all the dialogue.

[44:54] Olaf: Agreed! It keeps you engaged from start to finish.

[45:24] J.J.: So, what’s your favorite scene in the movie?

[45:54] Olaf: That’s a tough one! I’d have to say the duel between Inigo and the six-fingered man. It’s just so well choreographed.

[46:24] J.J.: That’s a classic! I also love the scene where Westley and Buttercup are reunited. It’s so emotional.

[46:54] Olaf: Definitely! It’s a perfect culmination of their journey.

[47:24] J.J.: And the ending! It leaves you with such a warm feeling.

[47:54] Olaf: For sure! It’s a timeless tale that resonates with so many people.

[48:24] J.J.: I think we can both agree that *The Princess Bride* is a must-watch for any movie lover.

[48:55] Olaf: Absolutely! If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?

[49:01] J.J.: Well, that wraps up our discussion for today.

[49:13] Olaf: Be sure to join us next week for another cinematic adventure!

[49:18] J.J.: And don’t forget to follow us on social media!

[49:48] Olaf: See you next time!

[50:18] J.J.: Bye!

[50:25] J.J.: Yeah so uh the wedding has sort of happened and our heroes have gotten into the castle and are searching the Prince and at this point Leslie still can't walk so he's being hauled around by Andre the Giant.

[50:55] Olaf: Right. They run into Count Rugen and we're about to have this epic faceoff Inigo Montoya, Count Rugen. He delivers his line.

[51:25] J.J.: He delivers that line. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. And they square off and Rugen's getting into position with his sword and then he turns and runs away.

[51:55] Olaf: He takes off. Coward! And everyone just kind of looks at each other for a second and then off Inigo goes and then it's just Andre and Leslie staring at each other.

[52:01] J.J.: He parks him into the old knight armor and Leslie gives the arms. Patinkin busts the door down for Inigo.

[52:05] Olaf: Yeah, and even, I mean obviously Christopher Guest had to do some sort of sword training as well because he has to look capable, which he does in his fighting scene with Manny Patinkin.

[52:13] J.J.: But he did say, so I don't, so this one you know, this is what Christopher Guest says versus what we see on film, but yeah he learned his choreography. He didn't have to train as heavily as the other two, but on the day that they were going to do their fight, apparently in a rehearsal, Manny Patinkin had stabbed him in the thigh.

[52:27] Olaf: And he could tell that Manny was really pumped up about the scene and he said to the sword trainer, so I'm guessing Bob Anderson, he said I think he's going to try to kill me. So all this choreography that we've just done, I'm not doing that. I'm just going to defend myself.

[52:43] J.J.: Throwing it out the window. How much of that is exaggerated, I don't know. Well you have to think too, how many times did they shoot that scene? Because what you see on film, it looks great but it looks safe. It looks well choreographed.

[52:59] Olaf: So it's somewhat of a throwaway scene but I think it's so hilarious. Buttercup is walking down the hallway with the king, the old man, and he's so old.

[53:05] J.J.: And he's so old. And he's so like, what's that for? She kisses him on the cheek.

[53:11] Olaf: Well I just wanted to thank you because I'm going to kill myself. Basically this is goodbye.

[53:17] J.J.: And he goes, isn't that nice? She kissed me.

[53:21] Olaf: I love that. She kissed me. That is my kind of humor.

[53:25] J.J.: Isn't that nice? And she's just like, I have no one.

[53:29] Olaf: Exactly. Wesley's dead, I don't know what's happening. Even this guy is like out to lunch. Love that.

[53:35] J.J.: That scene gets me every time because he's so happy that he got kissed on the cheek.

[53:41] Olaf: Well she goes back to her room and she's about to kill herself and Wesley out of nowhere, out of bed.

[53:47] J.J.: There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. I'd hate for you to ruin yours.

[53:53] Olaf: And then she runs to him and starts kissing him and he's like, gently. Somehow he manages to realize that they never said man and wife.

[54:01] J.J.: Did he have an ear tucked into the ceremony? Did he know that it got rushed? He seems to be aware that it wasn't a full official ceremony. He's like, it didn't happen.

[54:11] Olaf: It did, I was there.

[54:13] J.J.: It didn't happen. Wouldn't you agree, your highness? And they have their epic face off.

[54:19] Olaf: The whole time, Carrie Elwes is laying in bed. We're like, he can't walk. How did he even get there? We don't know.

[54:25] J.J.: How did he know which room was hers? That's a pretty big castle.

[54:29] Olaf: Along the ground, we don't know. The last time we saw him, he was hanging off of...

[54:35] J.J.: So he guessed correctly and he got to the correct room because that seemed like a pretty big castle. But good for him, he figured it out.

[54:41] Olaf: And then even Prince Humperdinck's like, you're bluffing, you can't do anything to me.

[54:45] J.J.: Maybe, pig. It's possible. And he rises, and it's epic. And he's got the sword out. The music builds up and he's like, drop your sword.

[54:55] Olaf: And he picks up his skirt thing and sits down. Tie him up as high as you want.

[55:01] J.J.: And he's like, woah. And she's like, what's wrong? And then he goes like...

[55:05] Olaf: He doesn't have the strength to stand.

[55:07] J.J.: How do we lose bluffing? How do we lose bluffing?

[55:11] Olaf: Yeah.

[55:13] J.J.: And then they're like, we'll leave you here.

[55:15] Olaf: Yeah, that's it. And he lives.

[55:17] J.J.: And then they... four white horses.

[55:19] Olaf: And then they ride off into the sunset. And that is not Andre the Giant on that horse because the horse saw Andre the Giant and was like, that dude is not getting on me. Sorry.

[55:29] J.J.: And he wouldn't have been able to ride the horse anyway.

[55:31] Olaf: No. Apparently Rob Reiner walked into the set and there was a crane lifting up Andre the Giant to set him down onto the horse.

[55:41] J.J.: But you can clearly see as they're riding off that this is not him.

[55:45] Olaf: What I love about the very end of this movie, and this is back to the Fred Savage Peter Falk, because there's a pretty good stretch in there where we're just into the movie.

[55:53] J.J.: Right, there's a moment where we sort of bypass where she has a dream and we think that they get married and Fred Savage interjects.

[56:01] Olaf: But then it obviously goes back to them at the end because the book is over. Well, they go in for the kiss and it cuts back to the grandpa and Fred's like, what's going on, what's wrong?

[56:11] J.J.: He's like, I'm okay with it now.

[56:13] Olaf: The kissing scene. And that kiss is the last thing that they shot.

[56:17] J.J.: Yeah, it was supposed to be the kiss to end all kisses. Top five. This was the best one.

[56:23] Olaf: But what I love about the last scene, Fred Savage says, can you come back tomorrow and say that to me again?

[56:29] J.J.: You can almost feel like that about the movie too. It's like, I just watched this movie but I can turn it right back around and watch it the next day because it is...

[56:37] Olaf: It's so special.

[56:39] J.J.: It's done so well, the pacing, everything about it, it blows my mind. And I'm so thankful as we all are as fans that it did become this sort of sensation long after the movie release.

[56:51] Olaf: If you have, for whatever reason, not seen The Princess Bride, check it out.

[56:55] J.J.: Please, do me a favor. It's streaming, it's out there, it's available. And if you haven't read the book, it's right behind me.

[57:01] Olaf: Gary always wrote this wonderful little biography about the making of The Princess Bride and his time on it and everything with the cast when they were making this movie.

[57:09] J.J.: He had a VHS recorder and he was recording a bunch of stuff like a video diary. So he had all of that footage to revisit and make this book.

[57:17] Olaf: And when you read this book, it is nothing but warmth and love and smiles just like when you watch this movie.

[57:25] J.J.: The pace of the book is like the pace of watching this movie. It is a quick read but it is so delightful.

[57:31] Olaf: If you have not read it, if you're interested in this movie, it's better to read than as you wish.

[57:37] J.J.: And I think he does an audiobook for it too, so that might be worth checking out.

[57:41] Olaf: If it's narrated by Gary Elwes, I'll listen to it.

[57:43] J.J.: Yeah, no kidding. Well guys, that is The Princess Bride. As you can tell, it means a lot to both of us and there's so much more I could say about it.

[57:51] Olaf: I'm sure there's plenty more that JJ could say about it, but this is one episode. Just know we love it. We hope you love it.

[57:57] J.J.: And if you haven't seen it, watch it and then I hope you fall in love with it. I dare you not to.

[58:05] Olaf: Absolutely, until then, to be continued.

[58:21] J.J.: Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at BackToTheMovieTheatre and find us on YouTube at BackToTheMovieTheatre with JJ and Olaf.