As You Wish: The Story of 'The Princess Bride' (2001 Video) User Reviews

Awesome! Heartily recommend to any p-bride fan.

[Dougmeister · 9/10 · 13 January 2002]

It was *great*! I guess it would be "so-so" for anyone who hasn't seen the movie, but then again, why would they be watching it in the first place? :)

ANY fan of the Princess Bride would be remiss by not watching this, as well as all of the extras included on the Special Edition DVD. The only thing I haven't done yet is watch it with the director's commentary - and I'm really looking forward to that. The behind-the-scenes footage, bits of trivia, and the telling of how the movie came to be was most enjoyable.

Best parts (IMHO): the fencing lessons, insights into Andre the Giant's life, seeing the actors/actresses now, Mandy Patinkin's story about his father dying of cancer, Billy Crystal, and the story about Count Rugen and kids coming up to him (in real life) and staring at his hands. Hi Kevin!

So if you haven't seen it, go get it tonight. Don't miss out on this one.

Great addition to the DVD release of the Princess Bride.

[aruegg · 9/10 · 13 April 2004]

This is part of the DVD on the Princess Bride. I've had the Video and just got the DVD version this week (4/2004). My younger daughter, age 16, and I enjoyed this so much! As I watched it, I realized that my daughter wasn't even born when the movie came out and she loves the movie as much as I do. The viewpoints on getting the movie made from all different aspects was very interesting. The reaction to Andre the Giant on the set was touching.

One of the questions that Rob Reiner kept asking people was if they had read the book, a suggestion I support. I wish it was longer. If you bought the Video of the movie, I would suggest getting the DVD just for this piece.

Entertaining and enlightening

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 26 November 2017]

I was one of those fortunate enough to see The Princess Bride in the theaters back in 1987. My wife and I recently shared the film with our oldest son (I'm happy to say he enjoyed it) and I stumbled on this little "making of" short. It's obvious that the people in the movie look back on it fondly. Their stories are told with a great deal of love and humor. I think my favorite bits have to be the casts' recollections of working with Andre the Giant. I especially like the story of Andre putting his huge hand on Robin Wright's head to help keep her warm. He seemed like such a sweet man. It's just one of the many interesting bits I picked up watching this short.

As for a rating, I'll use the scale I always use with documentaries and shorts. Was it entertaining? Does it do what it intended to do? The answer to both is "yes". Even though I was left wanting more, the 20+ minute runtime is filled with so many good memories and stories, it's impossible to watch this short as a fan of the film and not be entertained and enlightened. Very nicely done.

Fantastic Behind the scenes documentary

[AUTOMAT001 · 13 October 2002]

Far better than the other run of the mill DVD documentaries by less distinquished producers of DVD added value. This one ranks as first rate! Why doesn't documentary producer/director/editor/actor, JEFFREY SCHWARZ, do more? His talent far outshines everyone else working in added value? Buy this DVD if only for this superb documentary. Like much of his other work it's almost better than the films they're talking about.

A terrific retrospective documentary

[Woodyanders · 10/10 · 19 April 2009]

This wonderfully warm and informative documentary offers a lovely look back at the making of the marvelously charming cult favorite fantasy gem "The Princess Bride." The picture is discussed as a celebration of storytelling and a modern fairytale with a great sense of humor. Screenwriter William Goldman notes that the film adaptation of his book was postponed several times. Rob Reiner got the project because of his already diverse cinematic career. Cary Elwes was cast because he was handsome, funny and athletic. Robin Wright Penn was one of the last people to read for the role of Buttercup. Elwes and Mandy Patinkin studied fencing extensively so they could do their big swordfight in the picture. The giant rats were played by midgets in elaborate costumes; one particular little person thespian portraying a rodent was arrested and had to be sprung from jail so he could continue working on the movie. Wallace Shawn was cast against type as one of the villains. Everyone remembers Andre the Giant as an incredibly sweet and gentle soul who was happy to be acting in the film and be part of the team. The movie was shot on location in Britain and the Fire Swamp was a set. Reiner had to leave the set for Billy Crystal's sidesplitting cameo as Miracle Max because he was laughing too hard; Crystal based Max on relatives he knew. The picture was difficult to market and wasn't a big hit at the box office, but has endured as a cult favorite thanks initially to VHS and its universal appeal that works for adults and children alike. Essential viewing for fans of the movie.

A really good watch for fans of the movie

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 21 January 2018]

"As You Wish: The Story of 'The Princess Bride'" is a half-hour documentary (27 minutes to be precise) released back in 2001, so this one is also already over 15 years old and the title summarizes very well of course that this is a new take on the film "The Princess Bride", a movie that becomes more and more one of the defining fantasy film classics of the 20th century the more time is passing. Jeffrey Schwarz directed this one here and he is one hell of a prolific filmmaker. Of course, this is not a look at behind the scenes and there aren''t really any parts in here that were directly from the filming, but not in the movie, as obviously a lot of time had passed in 2001 already since the filming of this one, so it is just some of the key players, those still alive, talking about how they see their characters, what they remember from production and how they see the film in general. I personally would say I like "The Princess Bride", but don't love it, so maybe I need to watch it again at some point in the future to make a new judgment, and that's why for me it was a good watch this documentary here. But those who really love the movie this is based on, will maybe also really be happy to find out a bit more about it. A worthy DVD addition and I recommend checking it out. It was decent fun and informative, better than many other examples of film on film I have come across. So I give it a thumbs-up and a positive recommendation.