THE PRINCESS BRIDE question (1 Viewer)

[EricW]

(**SPOILER**)
just watching this movie last night and i have a plot question: when Humperdinck kills Westly int he Pit od Despair, and his screams are heard throughout the land, Inigo and Fezzik hear it and Inigo says "that is the sound of the man in black, his love is due to be married tonight to someone else..." yada yada yada. now, my question is, how did he know this?
did he just know from 'the pain in his scream' about the marriage?

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I think the "Scream of Eternal Suffering" was just another attempt to add a storybook-type piece of mythology. Certainly there are similar plotholes in this movie if you choose to look that closely.
How did Humperdinck know where Westley and Buttercup would emerge from the forest?
How did the Dread Pirate Roberts know that Vizzini had kidnapped Buttercup?
And what the hell did she want with that damn water pitcher anyway?
In case you're wondering, I can't wait to pick up the SE tomorrow!
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Scott
Check out my Movie Reviews at Epinions. Help support my debilitating DVD addiction!
AOL IM: TheAngryJew29

 

[EricW]

Humperdinck probably knew that there was only one opposite end of the forest; wasn't it within the valley? i don't know. also, he was an expert tracker.
as for the Pirate finding Vizzini & Co., i read the book a long time ago, and the scene in which Humperdinck announces his marriage in the begining, there is said to be a "man in black" among the people, mysteriously watching from the background in the corner of the square, so it was the princess he was following the whole time.
another interesting thing from the book: as Humperdink doesn't die, he dedicates the rest of his life to finding and destroying Westly and Buttercup the couple spend the rest of their lives running from him

 

[Seth Paxton]

True, Scott, although I can see that perhaps he had come back to find her at the same time of the kidnapping. Coincendence sure, but possible as shown in the film.
And the king was smart enough to figure the best exit for a kidnapper heading to an escape ship from the forest.
It does seem like they forgot to explain how they would know that the man in black was in love with the girl. They would recognize the scream of despair, but they had been given no reason to think that the man in black would be screaming it.
Maybe, maybe, it's just that they heard the scream, knew that it could only be from someone losing their true love, knew the marriage was that night, knew that the man in black had been after the woman due to be married, and therefore put it together.
I can live with that, but it wouldn't have hurt to throw in a touch of dialog to cover this aspect. Hardly a major flaw, but I did think the same thing even watching it the other day.
BTW, it is a pretty nice disc. The docs are solid, if not as long as you would want them to be. I haven't had time for the commentary tracks.
I'll tell you what, I love Andre the Giant's screen presence. He is one of the best performers in the film, IMHO. Seriously. He played it just right, or was a lucky perfect casting. It's not like they had a lot of choices.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The book is a real hoot, I wonder if Goldman will EVER finish "Buttercup's Baby". This is one of the rare cases where the author wrote the screenplay, and ever change he made (very slight) made it work better as a film.
Humperdink actually has an entire zoo for hunting, which is located BEFORE the Pit of Despair, that in the book Fezzik and Inigo have to fight through

 

[Richard Kim]

Considering that shortly before, Inigo and Fezzik help kidnap Buttercup, and the man in black had confronted them and defeated them in order to get her from Vezzini, they might have deduced that he was in love with her.
Can't wait to pick up the Special Edition DVD!
[Edited last by Richard Kim on September 04, 2001 at 10:44 AM]
[Edited last by Richard Kim on September 04, 2001 at 10:59 AM]

 

[Brian Dobbs]

I hate it when SE's come out after I buy the first edition!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

OK, since I had to see the movie itself again as well as watch BOTH commentaries, I also have a question. (I've now seen this movie 14 times throughout my life! )
After Fezzik and Inigo are reunited in the Thieves Forest, we hear (from Falk's narration) Fezzik tell the Spaniard about the plot up to that point.
I'm just wondering how Fezzik knew all about Westley, Buttercup and (most curiously) the 6-fingered man - when the Giant disappeared from the story just like Inigo had!
OK, I know there's no real answer to this, as if I somehow missed some major passages of dialogue or something.
I'm just bored.
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Scott
Check out my Movie Reviews at Epinions. Help support my debilitating DVD addiction!
AOL IM: TheAngryJew29

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I'm just wondering how Fezzik knew all about Westley, Buttercup and (most curiously) the 6-fingered man - when the Giant disappeared from the story just like Inigo had!

It was Fezzik's professional obligation to follow these matters in the Brute Squad Gazette.

Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA