By Ryan O’Connell
In the category of modern storytelling, very few cinematic creations possess the enduring charm and universal appeal that made The Princess Bride a cult classic. Directed by Rob Reiner and adapted from William Goldman’s iconic novel, this film stands as a timeless classic that can appeal to both children and adults alike. Through its whimsical narrative and unique characters, The Princess Bride captivates audiences with a tale that feels both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly original. Because of this, the film is more than just a movie; it is a modern masterpiece that can perfectly slot into the fairy tale genre. The Princess Bride is the perfect representation of a modern fairy tale as it matches modern definitions of a fairy tale, follows the verbal tradition of the original folk tales, and closely resembles the fairy tale outline laid out by Vladimir Propp.
The modern Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a fairy tale as “a story involving fantastic forces and beings,” which is an overly simplistic definition that fails to capture the depth of the genre. Despite the shortcomings of this definition, The Princess Bride fits this definition completely. While there are no immediately obvious magical beings, there are several impossibilities that appear upon closer inspection. The most obvious of these is definitely Wesley’s revival from the dead. A chocolate covered pill provided by a man named Miracle Max bringing a man back to life is clearly a prime example of a fantastic force. Additionally, characters like Fezzik, while not completely impossible, certainly could be a fantastical being. In the movie, Fezzik is described as “…this colossus. You were this great legendary thing (The Princess Bride 15:10-15:20).” This is clearly a fantastic being through that description alone. Just because something is possible does not mean that it cannot also be fantastic. Part of what makes a movie great is the casting, and Andre the Giant in the role of Fezzik is great because he would be so awe inspiring to see in real life. Other aspects of the story, such as the fire swamp with its random jets of fire, quicksand, and “rodents of unusual size” further add to the fantastic nature of the tale. So while The Princess Bride doesn’t have any completely impossible beings, the pill that revives Wesley, the giant Fezzik, and other aspects such as the fire swamp as a whole certainly fall into the category of fantastical forces and beings.
The other definition provided by Merriam-Webster for a fairytale is “a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending.” This definition again is severely lacking, as it completely misses the fact that a significant number of the original fairy tales did not have happy endings at all, and involved a great deal of suffering. For example, some versions of Little Red Riding Hood have everyone get eaten by the wolf, or even a version where the wolf makes the little girl eat her grandmother. Despite the slight inaccuracies in this definition, it again fits the story of The Princess Bride extraordinarily well. The entire story is incredibly improbable, with aspects such as the six fingered man, a swamp that shoots fire and has rats the size of dogs, or three people defeating one hundred guards. We also have a happy ending, though this is not essential for a classic fairy tale despite this definition. In The Princess Bride, Wesley and Buttercup are reunited, riding off into the sunset together. Additionally, Inigo gets revenge on the six-fingered man who murdered his father so there is a happy ending for all of our protagonists. The whole series of events that is the plot is highly improbable, yet all of our protagonists get a happy ending.
Another way that The Princess Bride represents a fairy tale is that it relates back to the verbal tradition of folk tales before they were written down and became fairy tales. The Princess Bride does this by adding the aspect of the grandfather reading the original book version of The Princess Bride to his grandson when his grandson is home from school sick. This was a deliberate choice by the director, rather than following the plot of the original book that the movie was based on. This deliberate choice by the director, Rob Reiner, to frame the film within the narrative of a grandfather reading the story to his sick grandson adds a layer of depth that directly connects The Princess Bride to the oral tradition of storytelling. By presenting the tale as a story within a story, the film pays homage to the ancient practice of passing down stories through spoken word, long before they were transcribed into written texts. In doing so, The Princess Bride not only honors the rich heritage of folk tales and fairy tales but also underscores the timeless nature of its narrative, as it is represented as a story that is cherished and retold across generations. Through this cinematic choice The Princess Bride embraces the oral tradition from which fairy tales originally emerged, further cementing its status as a modern embodiment of this classic style.
Lastly, The Princess Bride follows the morphology of fairy tales as laid out by Vladimir Propp; in fact it follows the structure better than many of the classic fairy tales. Of the 31 Propp’s functions, The Princess Bride has plot points that can fit into nearly every aspect that Propp identified as being part of a fairy tale. In fact, the film’s adherence to Propp’s functions surpasses that of many classic fairy tales, demonstrating again the film’s relatedness to a classic fairy tale. For example, in The Princess Bride only four of the thirty one functions that Propp identified are missing, while I was only able to identify seven or eight functions in much more traditional fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood when I wrote about it previously. To name a few, function number 16, or the struggle between hero and villain is present twice in the movie, between two different hero and villain pairs. The first and most obvious is the confrontation between Wesley and Prince Humperdink, but there is also the confrontation, chase, and sword fight between the six fingered man and Inigo. Another one of Propp’s functions is number 23, or “The hero, unrecognized, arrives home or in another country(Propp 35).” This can be seen when Wesley returns to Florin in hot pursuit of Buttercup’s kidnappers, but he is wearing a black mask so he is not recognized by anyone, including Buttercup. Everyone who sees him in his mask either refers to him as the man in black or the Dread Pirate Roberts. This is an important function because it shows that the director of the film and author of the book put effort into matching the movie to the functions of a fairytale. This function doesn’t appear in a significant portion of classic fairy tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel. Another notable function in The Princess Bride is the second, which states, “An interdiction is addressed to the hero [OR: [she]he is ordered to do something] (Propp 34).” This is again present in two different characters, as Buttercup finds herself constrained by the societal expectations imposed upon her as she is coerced into a loveless marriage with the villainous Prince Humperdink. Wesley experiences his own interdiction as he is compelled to undergo rigorous training to assume the name and role of the Dread Pirate Roberts. The use of these functions helps to adhere to the fairy tale theme that runs through the whole film, while increasing the prevalence of certain functions allows multiple characters to follow their own unique journeys, thus adding depth and diversity to the plot. The characters’ different goals who come together, whether it is Wesley fighting for love or Inigo hunting the six-fingered man for revenge, help create a more interesting tale than a movie that would have followed Propp’s functions one at a time in a linear sequence. Through the film’s complex yet meticulous adherence to Propp’s functions, the film diverges from conventional storytelling, offering audiences a captivating tale that more closely mirrors a traditional fairy tale rather than a modern story.
Many film critics claimed that the movie is “a fractured fairy tale that gently mocks the genre.” However, a deeper analysis reveals that the film is, in fact, a modern example that faithfully follows the classic fairy tale tradition. Rather than simply mocking the genre, The Princess Bride embraces and celebrates the timeless elements of fairy tales while infusing them with wit, humor, and self-awareness to make them more entertaining to modern audiences. Critics make this claim because there is an increased level of suffering when compared to the more modern ideas about fairy tales created by Disney. Wesley is tortured to death which is not a subject you would ever expect to see in anything classified as a fairy tale today. However, this is not permanent and the level of suffering actually makes The Princess Bride more similar to most classic fairytales than the more recent adaptations. In Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, using the little mermaids legs is described as “every step you take will feel as if you were treading on a sharp knife, enough to make your feet bleed(Tatar 226).” This depiction of physical suffering is a hallmark of classic fairy tales, where characters often endure trials and tribulations as they pursue their quests or face the consequences of their actions. This is only present in the classic fairy tales, and the removal of this pain from any modern fairytale can explain why many critics would think that The Princess Bride can only pay homage or mock the fairy tale genre rather than being a good modern example. By portraying the characters’ struggles in this traditional and deeper fashion, the film captures the essence of traditional fairy tales, where adversity and suffering are integral to the hero’s journey. Far from simply paying homage or mocking the genre, The Princess Bride embraces the inherent complexities of fairy tale narratives, offering a modern portrayal that resonates with the timeless themes and motifs found in classic folklore.
In conclusion, The Princess Bride transcends its label as a mere parody or fractured fairy tale to emerge as a genuine modern classic that faithfully follows the tradition of classic fairy tales. Despite criticisms that the film may only pay homage or mock the genre, a closer examination reveals that it embodies the timeless elements and narrative structures inherent in traditional folklore. From its adherence to Vladimir Propp’s functions to its exploration of themes such as love, friendship, and the inevitability of suffering, The Princess Bride captures the essence of classic fairy tales while infusing them with modern wit, humor, and self-awareness. By embracing both the whimsical charm and the darker complexities of the fairy tale genre, the film transcends generational and cultural boundaries to enchant audiences of all ages. Through its enduring appeal and universal themes, The Princess Bride solidifies its place as perhaps the best modern example that both celebrates and also revitalizes the magic of fairy tales for generations to come.
Works Cited
Bogel, Anne. “A Fractured Fairy Tale. (Yes, You Have to Read the Kissing Parts.).” Modern Mrs Darcy, 19 Oct. 2013, https://modernmrsdarcy.com/the-princess-bride-cult-classic-fractured-fairy-tale/
Cleto, Sara. “The Classic Fairy Tales Ed. by Maria Tatar (Review).” Marvels & Tales, vol. 32, no. 2, 2018, pp. 461–63.
Reiner, Rob. The Princess Bride. Twentieth Century Fox, 1987.
MORPHOLOGY OF THE FOLK TALE : VladÃmir Propp : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/MorphologyOfTheFolkTale. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Tatar, Maria. The Classic Fairy Tales: Texts, Criticism. W. W. Norton, 1999.
“What Makes a Fairy Tale?” Curriculum Review, vol. 40, no. 3, 2000, pp. 8-.
Zipes, Jack. The Enchanted Screen : The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films. Routledge, 2011, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203927496.
