I received this ARC from Publisher, Purchased for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes, Joe Layden Published by Simon and Schuster on 2014-10-14
Pages: 272
Source: ARC from Publisher, Purchased
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads
From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person 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 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.
I typically only review young adult books here. I know As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride was not published as such. However, I would have read the heck outta it as a teen so it totally fits 🙂
My Thoughts:
First things first, I am a huge fan of The Princess Bride movie. I vividly remember when my cousin brought it over for me to watch the first time. It was one of the first VHS tapes I owned and I wore that sucker out. More recently, I have loved sharing my love for the movie with my nieces and nephew. I cannot even express how adorable it was to watch my first grade nephew latch on to the character of Fezzik and try to imitate his deep, deep voice.
Obviously I was thrilled to hear about As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. I mean, Cary Elwes, the Man in Black telling his memories about making the movie? With excerpts from people like Rob Reiner, William Goldman, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, and more? Yeah, I need to read that! But then, but then!!!! I saw that the audiobook was narrated by the author as well as Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Carol Kane, Norman Lear, Rob Reiner, Chris Sarandon, Andy Scheinman, Wallace Shawn, and Robin Wright. Gimme, gimme, gimme!
I so enjoyed listening to this story. It made me fall in love with The Princess Bride in a totally new way. Cary Elwes does an incredible job of making the reader really feel the sense of community and magic that the cast and crew felt while making the movie. The input from the others involved really added to this. I loved getting excerpts from them throughout the book. It becomes clear early on that everyone involved is just so grateful to have been a part of such a lasting story.
I have to admit… I teared up a bit while reading! Mostly when Cary Elwes or the other cast and crew talk about Andre Roussimoff. What an incredible man! I also got choked up towards the end of the book. As I said, Elwes really builds the sense of community and I didn’t want to see that end with the wrapping of the movie!
Immediately after finishing the book I was putting in my DVD of the movie to watch all the special features. I also pulled my copy of The Princess Bride by William Goldman off my shelf for a re-read. I simply couldn’t get enough!
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride is a must for any fan of The Princess Bride. It’s truly a treat.
Note: The audiobook is incredible but I highly recommend getting a physical copy of the book as well. The photos are great and the dust jacket doubles as an amazing poster:
Ohmystars! I need to buy a second copy so I can frame this!
Check out this video about it from Simon & Schuster (featuring Cary Elwes.)
Bonus story:
When I was at BEA (through crazy luck!) I ended up in an author green room with some friends. There were amazing authors and actors there but I was internally freaking out because Cary Elwes was there! Of course I didn’t bother him (he was with his family) but I so wanted to say hello!! Basically my favorite brush with celebrity 🙂
Leave a Reply