From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes the New York Times bestselling account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and … author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.
The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.
Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets and backstage stories.
With a foreword by Rob Reiner and a limited edition original poster by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey, As You Wish is a must-have for all fans of this beloved film.more
I loved The Princess Bride and so did my children. We would quote lines from it to each other and laugh. So I was thrilled to discover this book, an insiders view into the movie and how it was made. As You Wish is delightful and even if you didn’t watch The Princess Bride, this book is a wonderful and warmhearted insight into the making of a movie.
I’m re-listening to this great memoir by Cary Elwes about the creation of The Princess Bride. I love the audio version which is read by Elwes and his gorgeous voice. He is also joined by other members of the cast.
Twenty-five years after the release of The Princess Bride, a movie that was not much of a success in its time but later became a cult classic, Cary Elwes, who played the iconic Westley in the movie, writes about his time working on the set. With additions by many of Elwes’s co-stars, along with the director, the producer, and the screenplay writer (who also wrote the book the movie is based on), Elwes gives us a peek at the making of a movie in general, and this family favorite in particular.
As soon as I knew this book existed, I knew I’d be reading it, and I knew I’d enjoy it. I’ve seen the movie several times, but even more importantly, it is my husband’s all-time favorite movie. So I suggested we both listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Elwes himself, an actor we have both really liked for a long time, which is exactly what we did. And we both loved it! We also loved that the bits added by other people who worked on the movie were mostly read by those people as well. I think the fact that they were willing to take the time to first write, and then narrate their own thoughts on the making of this movie illustrates exactly what Elwes says throughout the book, that this cast and crew became a lot like a family. Others who read this book seem to be looking for the seedy underbelly, assuming that Elwes left out anything negative in his rush to extol the virtues of his co-workers. And I can’t say that’s not the case, of course, but perhaps the reason this memoir is so friendly and upbeat is because that’s how it really was. It’s not like poor Wallace Shawn was brow-beaten into saying his time working on the movie was all sunshine and rainbows (he had some issues, but I won’t say more than that).
I loved hearing some of the accounts of things that happened throughout the months working on this film, and even in the time after. Some of them were described by multiple people, which added a nice depth to them. I had re-watched the movie in anticipation of reading this book, but still felt compelled to look up certain scenes to see something Elwes described, whether a specific way he moved during the scene due to an injury or a line that was improvised. For fans of The Princess Bride, this book may make you see the movie in a whole new light and, hopefully, a good one. If you’ve never seen the movie, I recommend it.
If you love, even remotely like the movie The Princess Bride, this book is for you. Such cute stories from the actors and director of this movie. I think it made me love it even more than I already did. So fun and totally worth the read.
Fun to hear the actors compliment love another and to hear some of their worries and struggles. Amazing to know that it wasn’t a blockbuster but the stressing power of this movie is greater than a whim.
Last year, Disney (I think) floated out the idea of remaking The Princess Bride. In a world of stupid politicians, racist violence, an unsteady economy and now Covid, apparently the one thing people agree on is DO NOT REMAKE THE PRINCESS BRIDE!!!!!!
Charming, sweet and engaging. Words that describe both The Princess Bride and As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride and make this a great book to either read or listen to right now. I recommend the audio as Cary Elwes narrates it along with additional narration from some of the major cast members. His enthusiasm for the movie as well as his crush on Robin Wright come through clearly.
Keep on flipping if you’re expecting a scandalous behind the scenes expose on Hollywood, this is the love affair the cast had in creating a quirky romantic classic. Each actor from sweet Cary Elwes, exuberant Rob Reiner, Chris Guest, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal etc and so forth talks about what a wonderful experience it was making the movie. You don’t have to read between the lines to see that the breakout darlings of the cast were Robin Wright, Andre the Giant, and I suspect Cary, as the more experienced actors were blown away how perfect they were for the part. In fact Goldman wrote Fezzik with Andre the Giant as his inspiration. CE was 24 at the time, and Robin Wright was a little younger and coming off the soap Santa Barbara.
Cary doesn’t detail every scene and experience but those that stand out to him regarding himself and the other actors. It’s fun reading the behind the scenes background of how Cary Elwes broken toe affected his performance, Wallace Shawn’s freak out over his casting, and the enthusiasm Rob Reiner had for his cast and the story. There is a hint of “Gee whiz” but who cares.
The ongoing second storyline is how hard he and Mandy Pantinkin worked to make their sword fight the very best. The scene stands out as one of the top three cinematic sword fights and is as much a duel of wits as a duel of swords.
My favorite individual was William Goldman who wrote this book decades ago and was so concerned about how it would be turned into a movie. So concerned he actually bought the rights back on his own book. And this is after directors as legendary as Francois Truffaut, Norman Jewison and Robert Redford showed interest but couldn’t get it done. Truffaut? Mmm, nope.
Goldman is pretty endearing despite insane talent. He states turning TPB into a movie was the most important thing he’s ever done, and this is a man that wrote the screenplays for The Stepford Wives, All the President’s Men, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. My favorite part
SPOILER
is when he sees Buttercup’s dress get set on fire and screams they’ve set Robin on fire forgetting he wrote the book AND the screenplay. The man was darling.
Well worth it if you like the movie and enjoy glimpses of and stories from behind the scenes 🙂
Anybody Want A Peanut?!?
I was introduced to the movie The Princess Bride at I believe age 13 maybe 14, by a very dear friend. She’d rented the VHS and we hunkered down on a cold night in her living room and drank cocoa. I fell in love with the story, the characters and the cast.
Reading the book brings the feeling back. The stories that Cary and the rest tell are hilarious, and touching. Many laughs and tears are found in these pages. The asides from the other cast and crew are wonderful to read, to see the tales being told from many angles.
The photos are fun, especially since they may possibly only be seen here.
If you’re a fan of the movie I’d recommend reading this, you won’t be disappointed.
A must for any Princess Bride fan!
This book is a must-read for fans of the film and Bill Goldman’s original book.
Just a fun behind the scenes of a movie classic.
Excellent audio book.
Inspired by the 25th anniversary of The Princess Bride, Cary Elwes, better known as Westley, sat down to share his memories of making the film. He goes from being cast at the age of 23 to meeting his cast mates and stories from filming on sound stages and on location. Helping him out, we get sidebars from his co-stars, the director, and the writer.
And any fan of the movie will love the stories told here. It is obvious that everyone has fond memories of their time on set, are proud of the results, and thrilled that so many people love the movie as much as they do. Even the stories that aren’t completely positive are amusing. I know I’ll watch a couple scenes differently as a result of the stories shared here.