Opening Credits
It is generally accepted that movies made from novels are always disappointing to those that loved the book. The Princess Bride is one very notable exception. While the book and the movie differ in significant ways, they are of equal quality in my opinion. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the screenplay was written by the author of the novel, William Goldman. He was a novelist and a talented screenwriter. He wrote the scripts for other classic movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the Presidents Men, and The Ghost and the Darkness. Another factor maybe the love and respect that the cast and crew had for the story and for each other. Interviews with the actors reveal the immense impact the making of this movie had on them even though it was not a commercial success when it first released in 1987. Their admiration for the movie and each other continues to this day.
You have to watch the video even if you’ve see it before.
Fade In…
I love that the movie starts with a grandpa reading to a child. Like the book, the movie places value on passing beloved stories down through generations. My love of reading goes back to my earliest memories of sitting on my grandmother’s lap as she read me fairy tales and Little Golden Books and taught me nursery rhymes. Many of these I passed on to my own children and I hope they will continue with the next generation. These are some of my sweetest memories, being read to as a child and reading to my own children. When we spend time engaged in stories together we naturally become more connected. Reading, watching movies and talking about our own experiences brings us together, uniting our hearts and minds, as we react and process the story emotionally and intellectually. We can grow in our understanding of each other as we see the similarities and differences into our responses.
Cut Away…
The movie Inside Out created a significant argument between my husband and I. When we watched it as a family, I loved every funny and touching moment. I commented what a beautiful message it had about Sadness being an important part of our experience. Carl said he thought that was stupid and Sadness had ruined everything. I tried explaining how Sadness touching the memories had actually made them more meaningful and joyful. Carl insisted Sadness was unnecessary and should’ve kept out of it and let Joy run everything. (No, he was not kidding) I was devastated at what seemed to me an irreconcilable difference in our views. How could he not see this the way I did? It was a sore spot for quite sometime (seriously - years). Our understanding of each other’s viewpoints and compassion for the reasons behind them has grown. It’s more like an inside joke than a conflict at this point, but I don’t think our opinions of the movie have changed much. In this case it took time for the story to be a connection point.
Back to the movie…
The grandpa is opening up a piece of his childhood to his grandson. His overview of the story mentions fighting and giants as well as miracles and true love, the good and the bad. Sharing our histories, our precious memories is a vulnerable and valuable gift. My grandmom (my mom’s mom) told me many stories from her childhood growing up on a farm, walking over a covered bridge to a one-room schoolhouse. Like the grandson in the movie, I wasn’t always excited to listen. Her stories eventually drew me in with humor, but I think the best part was how she lit up telling them. Love, joy, sorrow and wisdom flowed with her memories. She gave me a vital part of herself, by helping me get to know people and experiences that shaped who she was. Those stories are still vivid to me, I can see her smile and hear the laughter.
Ending scene
There are more cute scenes throughout the movie showing the grandpa’s enthusiasm and the grandson’s growing interest. After my father’s death, I started realizing that I didn’t know much about his family, just bits and pieces really. I knew far more about my mom’s family because of my grandmom’s storytelling. So I asked my aunt (my dad’s sister) to answer questions in a journal called Aunt Tell Me Your Story. She spent time and energy and delivered to me one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I grew in love and appreciation for her, along with the rest of her family by reading the highs and lows, the good and the bad. Her compilation of anecdotes, facts and photos bears witness to her love for those she wrote about as well as for me. I treasure it and I will pass it on to my children along with a mother’s journal (a gift from my daughter) of memories I am recording of my life.
Closing Credits
The Princess Bride is a story within a story. A grandfather telling his grandson of a grand adventure with scoundrels and sorrow alongside loyalty and love. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon talking with a friend. Our stories were different and yet so similar. We shared sensitive incidents, commented on each other’s courage and strength and marveled at the way our own stories were influenced by the stories of our family members. We shared our trust in God with all of it and our desire to see our lives have positive influence on others. We live stories within stories all being told within God’s all-encompassing story.