By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up!
“…The Princess Bride has aged remarkably well. I think this is in part because of the quality of the writing, the directing, and the wonderful ensemble of actors I had the sheer pleasure of working with.”
-Cary Elwes
Not many people are aware that the motion pictures The Wizard of Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life were not hits when originally released commercially in theatres. In fact, neither was considered profitable until years later when they were sold for television broadcast where I, like most people, saw them for the first time. The former is the most viewed film ever (it is estimated that over a billion people have seen it), and the latter has become a holiday classic. So was the fate of The Princess Bride (although its resurgence was due to the advent of home video in the ‘80’s). The story of the making of said movie is the subject of the new book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride.
As You Wish recounts the tale of The Princess Bride’s production mostly through the eyes of the book’s principle author, the film’s then-young star Cary Elwes (in his first major cinematic role). It also includes a clichéd and poorly written introduction by its director (for me The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap, Misery and Stand by Me remain to date the only watchable Rob Reiner efforts), an unnecessary epilogue by executive producer Norman Lear that left me scratching my head as to why it was even there, and numerous side vignettes (like little pop-up’s) by members of the cast and production staff; some of which are fascinating, but most are redundant and distracting.
I love behind-the-scenes stories about what we don’t see on the screen; often they can be more amusing than the movie itself. I especially enjoy yarns of horribly troubled productions that in the end create magical cinematic moments. But that’s the problem with this book: There was no serious conflict! Everyone got along! The worst thing that happened is Elwes breaking his big toe, and even that was no real drama. The author doesn’t have a bad word to say about anyone (not really a negative quality, but it does make for a dreary narrative). In fact the whole piece is like one huge mutual admiration society. It’s all praise, praise, praise! (I am aware that William Goldman is a great writer; in fact he is so revered in Hollywood that his nickname is “Mr. Fix It”. But you don’t have to say it three times a chapter!) There were so many compliments flying around I had to duck lest I be hit in the head by one of them. It’s fine to respect your co-workers and admire other people, but after a while I started to gag. The only parts of As You Wish I found truly inspired and touching were the passages relating to the late pro-wrestler André the Giant, who played Fezzik in the film (a role that almost went to Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the few rare stimulating facts in a text that is mostly loaded with useless information).
The author lacks any entertaining observations, insights or opinions – he simply relates to us what happened. And it doesn’t help that at times he comes off a little shallow and pretentious, with lines like “I always have time for fans…” [Page 169] (I must say now the story that follows that line is poignant, but really I don’t know anyone who is a Cary Elwes fan, although to be fair he may be referring to devotees of The Princess Bride), or the times he met Pope John Paul II and President Clinton.
As You Wish does convey some serious emotions and on occasion is sweet and delightful, but for the most part the book is bland, dull, and not as much fun to read as the title suggests. I would recommend instead to simply watch The Princess Bride again and enjoy the magic.
