The Princess Bride at 30: how a nerve-wracked actor stole its finest scene It’s hard to believe that cult family favourite The Princess Bride celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. The fantasy movie, […]

It’s hard to believe that cult family favourite The Princess Bride celebrates its 30th anniversary this month.

The fantasy movie, based on William Goldman’s novel, was not a critical or commercial hit on its release in September 1987. But over the decades it has enchanted generations of fans – and with good reason.

A winning blend of wry knowing humour, fairytale adventure and swashbuckling derring-do, it is one of the 1980s’ most enduring and entertaining flights of fancy.

The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

But there is one key sequence that stands out to this day.

Setting the scene

The film’s main plot springs into action when Cary Elwes’ dashing hero Westley, under the guise of ‘The Dread Pirate Roberts’, pursues the kidnappers of his one true love Buttercup.

Following them to the wonderfully named ‘Cliffs Of Insanity’, Westley defeats both the flamboyant Inigo Montoya, and Andre The Giant’s lovable Fezzik, in combat, before facing their smug, narcissistic boss: Vizzini.

The Princess Bride was directed by Rob Reiner; part of a golden run of Reiner films that included Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men

Played with a wonderful mix of charisma and sleaziness by Wallace Shawn (you may also recognise him as the voice of Rex in the Toy Story movies), Vizzini is an arrogant, self-proclaimed genius who loves to taunt his enemies, remind everyone just how clever he is, and exclaim “inconceivable!” every time his well-oiled plans go predictably awry.

When the two meet, Westley panders to this pomposity by challenging Vizzini to a battle of wits.

‘Never go in against a Sicilian!’

Westley presents a tense problem. He turns away for a moment with two full wine goblets and a vial of “iocaine powder”, an odourless, tasteless and thoroughly deadly poison.

After returning the goblets to the table, he then asks “where is the poison?”

Vizzini gets to choose which goblet he will drink. And which Westley will consume.

In amusing fashion, Shawn’s over-confident villain spends several minutes breathlessly explaining how simple the answer is. All while overly-elaborately setting out his reasoning.

Then, sneakily, he distracts Westley and switches the cups – certain he has out-foxed his mysterious rival.

They drink, and Vizzini laughs like a drain, berating Westley as a fool: “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!”

However, his red-faced guffawing is cut short when he suddenly slumps comically to the side. Dead.

“To think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned,” muses Buttercup.

“They were both poisoned,” reveals Westley. “I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocaine powder…”

The histrionics were all too genuine

Even among numerous highlights, Westley’s skewering of a pompous would-be nemesis stands out as particularly satisfying.

Everything from Elwes’ deadpan delivery to Shawn’s child-like taunting is perfectly handled; and the scene manages to carry genuine suspense and intrigue before its double punch-line.

In his wonderful book about the making of the film, ‘As You Wish’, Cary Elwes describes the scene as “the one with long, complicated passages of dialogue”.

And he praises Shawn for his stand-out performance.

“Whereas Wally did all the heavy lifting, my job was fairly simple: to sit there and react to his character’s histrionics.”

But what you might not know is that those histrionics were all too genuine. As was Vizzini’s sweat and stress.

Other Princess Bride highlights The interactions between grandfather and grandson that frame the movie

Westley and Montoya’s delightful, ambidextrous sword duel

An encounter with monstrous R.O.U.S or “rodents of unusual size” in the Fire Swamp

Peter Cook’s phenomenal guest performance as a priest with a speech impediment: “Mawage…”

When the six-fingered man turns and runs away from Montoya

“My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die…”

The perfect Vizzini – but not without problems

Shawn is a talented writer, intellectual and dramatic actor. But the role of Vizzini was probably the most nerve-wracking experience of his career.

At a cast reunion in 2011, Shawn revealed that he heard Danny DeVito was originally sought for the role of Vizzini. This revelation plagued the performer with neurotic doubts.

“Danny is inimitable,” he explained. “Each scene we did, I pictured how he would have done it and I knew I could never possibly have done it the way he could have done it. It made it challenging.”

In ‘As You Wish’, Elwes describes Shawn as “a bundle of nerves from day one”.

Rob Reiner, speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2013, said Shawn thought he was as doomed as his character.

“He was sure we were going to fire him. ‘I can’t get the Sicilian accent!’ I said, ‘Wally, we want the Sicilian to sound just like you!'”

Incredibly, considering how well he performed the scene, Shawn has since admitted that he didn’t understand the film’s style of comedy either.

Inconceivable, you might say.

“I didn’t get the sense of humour, really,” said Shawn. “Didn’t understand it very well. The director had to kind of coach me through everything I did.

“By following Rob Reiner, by trying to imitate him—he would do [my lines], and then I would imitate him. And I must have done it adequately, as people compliment me on it on a daily basis.”

An enduring legacy

It all worked out brilliantly.

“It’s by far what I’m best known for on planet Earth,” Shawn added. “No day goes by without someone commenting on it to me.

“It turned out to be one of the most beloved films. People had the most astonishing response to it.”

The battle of wits remains one of the movie’s most fondly-remembered scenes. And while there were “tension-filled moments” for Shawn, those only helped impact upon the genuine sense of suspense that it has.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njZBYfNpWoE

“Much of the credit should rightfully go to [William] Goldman, who scripted the countless quotable lines,” writes Elwes, in ‘As You Wish’.

“But Wally deserves recognition too, for the unmistakable stamp he put on the character, and the unique manner in which he delivered those lines.

“It’s a beautifully crafted performance, and it anchors the most hilariously convoluted scene in the movie. It is both perfect and timeless.”

The Princess Bride is in cinemas nationwide for special anniversary screenings on October 23. A new DVD and Blu-Ray of the movie also comes out the same day.