Page One: ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Screenplay by William Goldman based on his novel

The movie version of the opening:

Considerable differences between script and screen. No foretelling of the swordsmanship from the novel. No backstory about the boy having been in the hospital. Thus on the one hand, the movie version of the opening slows the entrance into the fictional world, but speeds up the appearance of the grandfather. Perhaps the decision was about grounding the story in the Ordinary World: a sick boy playing a video game. Everyone can relate to that. Sets up a more dramatic juxtaposition when the father’s reading of the book dissolves into the world of the Princess Bride.

The Princess Bride was released in 1987. That was the year I broke into Hollywood and was introduced to industry screenings and premieres. I was invited to a special screening of The Princess Bride on the 20th Century Fox lot on Pico Boulevard. That is one premiere I’ll never forget. What a special movie. Later, when Castle Rock was producing my movie Alaska, I had a chat with director Rob Reiner about The Princess Bride. They made that movie on a shoestring budget, but this circumstance benefited the film in that with minimal special and practical effects, the actors were given leeway to really run with their characters. It shows on screen, each character fully realized and entertaining to the max.

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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