The Princess Bride is one of those cult classic films with an extremely dedicated following of fans. If this was ever in any doubt, the events of the last week has straightened that out as the internet (especially Twitter) mounted a united backlash against Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra after he spoke about the possibility of remaking the film. In a Variety article on Norman Lear published earlier this week, Mr. Vinciquerra stated that “we have so many people coming to us saying, ‘We want to remake this show or that show.’ Very famous people whose names I won’t use, but they want to redo The Princess Bride”. After the article was published, fans and celebrities alike took to Twitter to protest against such a move, with comments ranging from the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis and Seth Rogen to politicians like Ted Cruz and even the Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes) himself.
Oh really? Well, I married the six fingered man, obviously why we have stayed together for 35 years and there is only ONE The Princess Bride and it’s William Goldman and @robreiner’s. “Life is pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something!” https://t.co/hv33UIZKN3
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) September 17, 2019
It may seem puzzling to some that there could be such backlash against remaking this film when so many others have met the same fate (here’s looking at you, Disney). Although it is true that remaking films is not a new idea, such strong reactions indicate just how much people associate nostalgia and perfection with The Princess Bride in particular. The characters are brilliant, the writing is witty and memorable, and the fun, family-friendly nature of the plot combines seamlessly with action, adventure, romance, and plenty of comedy to create a truly irreplaceable film. From a fan’s perspective then, it seems clear that no remake could capture the heart of The Princess Bride, but even from a more objective perspective a remake would not add anything new in terms of visuals or plot. The original was already shot in live-action, and as it is set in medieval times there is very little that the advances in CGI and film technology could possibly add to the script or effects.
In the words of Dread Pirate Roberts himself, Cary Elwes: “There is a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one”.
Words by Yasmin Bye