TSC: The Princess Bride

E

Eximious

Well-known member
Greetings DVX Writers,

I'm happy to post the first ever script for the DVX boards screenplay club. Take the next few days to read this script and come back ready to discuss the heck out of it. Pacing. Style. Structure. Characters. Plotting. Anything is fair game. A new script will be posted next Monday, so make sure to plan accordingly.

This thread is only for the discussion of this script. If you'd like to suggest more scripts, recommend changes to the format of this club, or mention something not directly related to this script, please post them over in this thread. Any post after mine may have spoilers, etc.

It's now my pleasure to introduce, from the mind of the great William Goldman, a story bursting with humor, romance, and adventure:


The Princess Bride
 
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I couldn't wait to get started. Sorry!

I love Goldman's witty asides. They're like playful little winks to the reader.

Buttercup is in her late teens, doesn't care much about clothes and she hates brushing her long hair, so she isn't as attractive as she might be, but she's still probably the most beautiful woman in the world.

The hyperbole at the end really captures the essence of his "asides." He's telling the reader, "Look, I know and you know that we're going to have an impossibly perfect woman play this role. Let me tell you what happens next."

Later, he does this:

And what we are starting now is one of the two greatest sword fights in modern movies (the other one happens later on)...

Now, I'm not sure if any writer or a beginner writer could get away with those asides, but I think it's a really clever tool. I'm sure you can go overboard (I think Shane Black is known for using too many witty asides), but I think Goldman's use mingles nicely with the story's humor.
 
Characters

Characters

Let's breakdown some characters. But first, some context to the story.

The Princess Bride, or TPB, was originally a novel written by William Goldman in 1973. He claimed his novel was a mere abridgment of a previous story written by S. Morgernstern. This is a fib. The entire story and eventual adaptation for the screen are from Goldman himself. The eventual movie performed very well, grossing $30 million domestically (twice the production costs) and receiving very positive reviews. As the movie reflects most of the main beats of the screenplay, I think we can judge the script as a "success." Now onto the analysis.


  • The Characters

TPB features a few main characters, all interesting in their own right:

Westley. A poor farmboy, lovestruck, who eventually becomes a skilled hero. Employs humorous banter and dry wit throughout. On a quest to realize his true love. Few weaknesses, but challenged by the sheer scale of obstacles put in his way: a master swordsman, a giant, a genius, and then a prince's entire army.

Inigo Montoya. The vengeful swordsman. On a quest to avenge his murdered father. Brave, dedicated, yet strikingly honorable and humble. A drunkard without guidance.

Buttercup. The "princess." Beautiful, kind-hearted. Something of a flat character, to be honest, but the story isn't about her. She serves her role gracefully. Not a bad MacGuffin at all!

Vizzini. The first antagonist. Cunning, cocky, eccentric. Humorously malevolent.

Fezzik. The giant. Powerful, good-hearted, and not as dumb as Vizzini makes him out to be.

Humperdinck. The evil ruler (a prince, but he seems to be in control). Willing to sacrifice Buttercup to instigate war with a competing kingdom. Deceitful, manipulative, cowardly, but a skilled hunter / tracker.


  • Why are we interested in these characters?

Let's focus on our two heroes: Westley and Inigo. Westley is a young, hardworking farmhand who falls madly in love. Trite, but fine. An ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances. You do have a little leeway as a writer in a feature, after all. Westley is unique through his wit, especially with lines like, "This is true love. You think this happens every day?" These are coy reminders to the reader to play along and read past the exposition until the story begins.

We continue to take interest Westley, as the story progresses, because of his skill and charm in tackling the many obstacles put in his way. Then, his pirate backstory adds a little more. Also his suffering in the torture chamber.

Inigo very quickly garners positive marks when introduced. He voices dissent to Vizzini's sinister plan of killing Buttercup and engages in playful rhyming banter with Fezzik. He gains further interest when he treats Westley honorably on the Cliffs of Insanity. After all... he's a bad guy... kidnapping the damsel... he should be ruthless. The revelation of his backstory, a classic tale of childhood loss, isn't terribly complex, but does accomplish its mission: this is actually a hero who's just doing a job to pay the bills.

It would seem that we do not have terribly "deep" or "complex" characters, but they are effective at moving this fairy tale along. The witty banter between the characters carries a high value.

More later from me later, but hopefully this will get the discussion going.

:nads:
 
Structure

Structure

Alright, let's talk structure. First, let's breakdown some of the major events of the story:

**********************************

1-5: Introduce Grandfather, Grandson, Westley and Buttercup

6: Westley "dies" in the pirate attack. We soon learn that Buttercup is to marry the prince.

8-16: Buttercup's kidnapping. Vizzini takes her across the sea. We discover the Man in Black following.

18-41: Man in Black chases Buttercup, defeating three foes. Humperdinck also tracks Buttercup.

43-54: Westley reveals himself and the two lovebirds brave the Fire Swamp.

56: Westley is captured.

58-67: Humperdinck's insidious plan unfolds. Westley is tortured.

68-70: Fezzik and Inigo reunite. Pledge to find / rescue Westley.

71-73: Buttercup spurns Humperdinck. Westley is tortured to near-death.

74-86: Inigo and Fezzik rescue Westley. Take him to Miracle Max to revive him. Explain the dire situation and prepare to storm the castle.

87-102: The wedding / rescue of Buttercup / slaying of Rugen.

102-105: Denouement.

**********************************

I really don't see a typical three-act structure. What I do see are a number of interesting sequences that move the narrative forward. I see an inciting incident around page six when Westley ventures out into the world to make his fortune and is captured by pirates. Everything between that point up to around the middle of the story is basically about Westley reuniting with Buttercup, then escaping with Buttercup. There's clearly a midpoint where Westley is captured. There's also a dramatic low point when Westley is "killed" in the torture chamber around page 73. Then the overall climax comes when Inigo kills Rugen and Westley defeats Humperdinck.

Overall, I'm not sure how I would characterize this structure. It's a short script. Perhaps we should judge it on a sequence-based approach?
 
What is inherently interesting in this story? We've seen that while there are certainly strong archetypes at play, we don't exactly have extraordinarily complex characters. While the structure is effective, by no means is it a wham-bang three-act thriller. So what qualities give this script strength?

1. It's both a fairy tale and a fairy tale satire. Sentimental in the right places, sardonic in the right places.

2. Charm. The overarching setting of the Grandson's bedroom helps with this.

What else? Why does this screenplay succeed (or does it)?
 
Well, I am still reading the script, as I said in the other post I have just stumbled upon this and am catching up.

Going by your outline the first act ends when Westley reveals himself to Buttercup, around 45 pages in.

The second act is them escaping from the prince, the midpoint is Westley's capture, the second act ends with Westley being revived or when he disturbs the wedding.

What it seems to have is a long first act, and a shorter final act, but still is roughly three acts.
 
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