The Princess Bride (Ultimate Collector`s Edition) - UHD/Blu-ray

Film: Sentences like Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Now you are of death, the dangerous RVAGs (rats of extraordinary size), the Miracle Max and, last but not least, the wonderful music by Mark Knopfler are among the many reasons why Rob Reiner's ironically tinged, uninhibitedly romantic fairy tale The Princess Bride has become a cult film that has lost little of its charm, wit and originality even after more than 30 years.

It's all the nicer that Turbine, a supplier known for bringing high-quality editions to market with great attention to detail, has now taken on this enchanting film. Just think of the great wooden complete box of the series Alaska of all things or the great Psycho Legacy box. In addition, the label is known for its commitment to removing gems of the horror genre from the index, restoring them and putting them on sale in Germany with great bonus material. Turbine has once again done a great job with the Ultimate Collector`s Edition of The Princess Bride, both technically and in terms of features. But more on that later.

Based on William Goldman`s The Princess Bride, the film features a grandfather (Peter Falk) telling his initially very skeptical grandson (Fred Savage) the story of the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright) and the stable boy Westley (Cary Elwes), whose young love is abruptly destroyed when Westley, in pursuit of wealth and fortune, is supposedly killed by the cruel pirate Roberts. Distraught with grief, Buttercup agrees to marry the sleazy Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Through a ruse, Buttercup falls into the captivity of crook Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) and his companions Fezzik (André the Giant) and Indigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). The cruel pirate Roberts, of all people, frees them, and delightedly Buttercup discovers that the masked stranger is indeed her Westley. Too bad, though, that her newfound happiness is about to be ruined by Humperdinck and his handlers.

The Princess Bride holds a very special place in the hearts of many who grew up in the 1980s. And while some aspects may not work quite as well for today's audiences and seem arguably dated, even after all these years it's still very easy to see why this fairy tale comedy is so beloved. Rob Reiner (Harry and Sally, Stand by me) has found a very good mix between real fairy tale and irony, between adventure and slapstick, between romance and comedy. He uses absurdities like the RVAGs again and again, but skilfully avoids letting his film slide into too silly clamour.

On the other hand, he uses unrestrained fairy tale romance, which can definitely go to the heart, but never drifts too much into unintentional comic kitsch. And even when things get a little trashy or not every gag hits the spot, Reiner makes up for this shortcoming with a charm that works extremely well even after three decades. The film also scores with a wonderful cast, from Peter Columbo Falk to a truly wonderful Mandy Patinkin or an enchanting Robin Wright to the magnificent Billy Crystal, who is hardly recognizable under the mask of Wundermax.

The Princess Bride is a timelessly beautiful fairy tale film that humorously plays with the many clichés of the genre and blends them into an endearing whole, which after 30 years now shines in new splendor in this edition. Therefore, especially for children of the 80s: an absolute must for every home theater collection!

Picture + Sound: The Blu-ray presents the film in really good picture quality. The age of the film is only marginally noticeable. There is no dirt or picture distortions to be spotted, instead the very powerful colours and good to very good overall sharpness are pleasing, maintaining the fairytale look of the film well. The Ultra HD Blu-ray even manages to kick it up a notch, which is especially noticeable in the outdoor scenes.

The German audio, which is available in a DTS 5.1 and 2.0 mix, can please overall with powerfully mixed dialogue and the well-matched music. The sound effects are also well worth listening to here and bring the story to life in an atmospheric way. For this there is a deserved: very good!

Extras: If the early DVD releases in Germany still had to get along without bonus material, although the versions from the U.S. or the UK had to offer numerous extras, there are finally all the extras to see and hear the film in this edition. This starts with the extensive 48-page booklet, in which Tobias Hohmann guides the reader through the making of the film, enriched with numerous pictures and international artwork. Anyone who loves the film should not miss reading this companion booklet.

Continues with not one but two audio commentaries on the main film, one by director Rob Reiner and one by writer William Goldman. While both commentaries struggle with some very plodding moments, they offer enough interesting anecdotes and intriguing details about the making of the film to be worth listening to for fans. Commendably, both commentaries come with optional German subtitles.

The video extras kick off with a 30-minute, two-part featurette consisting of a 25th anniversary conversation between Rob Reiner, Cary Elwes, and Robin Wright, as well as a look at the film's impact. This is followed by a featurette on the art of fencing (approx. 7:08 min.), a humorous look at the cruel pirate Roberts (approx. 11:43 min.), and two short documentaries on the story's fairy tale background (approx. 09:16 + 16:44 min.). In addition, the disc also features As You Wish, a making of about the making of the film (approx. 27:19 min.), memories of the filming (approx. 9:07 min.) in the form of the untold stories, as well as a look at the work of the make-up artists (approx. 11:22 min.). Then in the archive, there's a video diary by Cary Elwes (approx. 3:56 mins), a making of (approx. 6:35 mins) and a promo featurette (approx. 7:48 mins) from 1987, as well as trailers (including the one from Germany) and TV spots. Since some of these features were made for different editions, there is some repetition of content here and there. Still, for the bonus material as a whole, this is a great package that is well worth watching, especially for fans of the film!

The video extras are on the Blu-ray, as well as on the bonus DVD.

It must also be mentioned that this edition not only offers a lot of extras, but also looks beautiful. The four discs are in a high-quality book edition with a leather look that gives the impression of a real storybook. Surrounding the whole thing is a sturdy cardboard slipcase with exclusive artwork by Paul Shipper.

Conclusion: The Princess Bride has lost little of its wit, charm and originality even after more than 30 years. The affectionate and humorous mixture of fairy tale, cloak-and-dagger adventure and romance shines in this wonderful edition in new splendor and brings in addition to the audio-visual enhancement, the beautiful design (including great booklet) also a lot of extras. There applies quite clearly: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp