As You Wish

December 22, 2014
Elwes shares his experience as one of the lead actors in The Princess Bride—from his initial meetings with director Rob Reiner to the 25th-anniversary screening of the film. He includes trivia about the production, and the various challenges he faced personally and professionally throughout. Elwes peppers the memoir with interviews of various people involved with the production of The Princess Bride, including Reiner, Robin Wright, Christopher Guest, and Wallace Shawn. Some of them, such as Reiner and Wright, even narrate their contributions in the audio edition, effectively conveying their excitement about the film. The absence of the voices of some of those interviewed leads to an imbalance, however, with Elwes narrating their sections. Even so, his voice is light and energetic, and it’s clear that he is smiling throughout the production. An S&S/Touchstone hardcover.

August 25, 2014
The movie The Princess Bride achieved a certain cinematic magic, which Elwes (Westley) captures in his warm and revealing behind-the-scenes account. At 23, he was one of the youngest actors in the movie and was largely unknown. He proved himself early on during filming when he suggested to director Rob Reiner that instead of going in feet first to rescue Buttercup in the Fire Swamp quicksand scene, as written by William Goldman, it would be more heroic to dive in headfirst. The stunt hadn’t been designed for that move and Elwes could have been seriously injured, but his idea winds up in the film. Elwes also describes breaking his toe while riding costar André the Giant’s ATV, and relates other juicy anecdotes. The author was in virtually every scene of the film, including the sword-fighting sequence, which required intensive training. The book also includes reminiscences about the production from Reiner, Goldman, and other members of the cast.