As You Wish...

I almost don't need to reference the movie that this well-known line comes from. The Princess Bride has long been one of my favorite movies, and (once I learned it was based off a book) it quickly became a favorite book. It is one of those rare occasions when the book and movie are equal in greatness, and "book or movie?" has been a common debate among Princess Bride fans for a long time.

But the book and movie came out a long time ago. Imagine my surprise when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed one day, and there was an article about Carey Elwes (Westley) and the Princess Bride movie trivia he reveals in his new book, As You Wish. When I double checked Barnes and Noble online and realized that this was a real thing, the book shot to the top of my wish list. Luckily, We were about to go to Florida, so I needed a good book to read for the plane ride.

This did not disappoint. From pre-production to the twenty-five-year anniversary, Elwes takes the reader through his own memories, as well as the memories of the other actors and actresses involved in the film to paint an entertaining image of the behind-the-scenes happenings on the set.

For example: Did you know that the scene with Miracle Max and Valerie is almost entirely improvised? Carey Elwes kept laughing so hard during the shooting of these scenes, eventually a dummy was placed on the table, while he and Rob Reiner (the director) were asked to leave because they kept ruining takes.

Or, did you know that when the six-fingered man hits Westley on the top of his head, Westley really was knocked out? The actors couldn't get the timing right, because the six-fingered man's sword was not even touching Elwes' head, so Elwes suggested that the sword be tapped lightly on his head so he would know when to faint. Unfortunately, the sword fell harder than expected, and Carey Elwes was knocked unconscious, waking up later in the hospital. That is the take used in the film.

Page after page, I learned trivia tidbits. I loved it so much, and I kept interrupting Jeremy's reading to say "Hey, did you know..." and proceed to share the interesting tidbit I had learned.

I LOVED this, and I highly recommend it to any Princess Bride fan. It made me laugh, and it made me think. When I finished, all I wanted to do was sit down and read it again, then watch the movie, then read the original novel. Sadly, I haven't gotten to reading the novel yet, but I did watch the movie, and with my new knowledge of the behind-the-scenes action, I had a great time adding that extra depth to the story.

Read it!!