On DVD again!
What is it.
Rob Reiner and William Goldman come together to construct a sweeping fairy tale that has enchanted audiences for the last 20 years. It's one of those movies that seems to have always been there, even when you first see it. It's the story of Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) who has lost her true love (Cary Elwes)and is to be married to an evil king.(Chris Sarandon)
How was it.
This movie deserves to be called classic. It is one of the most entertaining films ever presented. Some of the effects are totally cheesy, and if you get a list of continuity mistakes for this film, it's about a mile long. Still, the fairy tale feel is so well preserved that none of that matters. It's in the frame work of a grandfather (Columbo's Peter Falk) reading to his grandson (a pre-Wonder Years Fred Savage) to preserve the mythos of the story. I remember this having a very classic look to it. Now when I see it, all the hair has a decidedly 80's look to it. Even that can not detract from the magic and fun of "The Princess Bride".
Is it good for kids?
There are some off colored comments here and there (including some made by the hero's). The grandson uses the name of Jesus as a swear word. The violence is very removed, though more impressionable children will still be influenced. The problems in this film lie more in the spiritual issues.
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What about Spiritual issues?
Some people disregard most of this because it's a Fairy Tale. But a good fairy tail is still going to give you something to bring back to your own life. The reason people relate to the love story is that they truly, on some level, believe in love.
Where true love is the primary plot, the secondary plot is simply about revenge. (Spoiler) Revenge is not only sought, but gained and shown to be honorable. And once vengeance is his… he moves on to piracy.
"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
Yes revenge happens, but it's not a good thing. Man On Fire was all about revenge, but show's it in it's proper light.
Suicide is also shown in a neutral to positive light. (Spoiler) The Princess thinks her true love is dead so she will kill herself. The problem was not that suicide was immoral, but that it was hasty. He was actually still alive (and stopped her with one of the films more crude lines.)
Finally, the consulting of the dead is held up as a legitimate act. The Bible tells us Isaiah 8:19
"When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?"
But here we see a man consult his dead father. We see the streaming light and the trappings of spiritual involvement. There is a comic moment when they think it has not worked, but they quickly find that it has. Here the fairy tale motif may soften the idea that the movie is promoting this sort of thing. But it is actively looking other places than God. (Though with the amount of people today who profess to speak to the dead, I doubt that this is considered a fairy tale element.)
What is your recommendation
It's sad that one of our cultures greatest love stories denies the author of love. The other sad thing is that this movie has been upheld as a wonderful thing by Christian's because of the story and the lack of bad language (Hey, they only use Jesus - where is the F word when you need it.) This is a very good movie, but the problems are anti-Christian themes that are at the heart of the story.
