As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (37 page)

Note: Italic page numbers refer to illustrations.

Academy Awards,
16
,
33
,
51

The Academy of the Sword
(Thibault d’Anvers),
66

Act III Communications,
22

Actors Studio,
12

Adventures in the Screen Trade
(Goldman),
218

Adventures of Don Juan
(film),
200

The Adventures of Robin Hood
(film),
78

Agrippa, Camillo,
66

Alamo Drafthouse cinemas,
9

Albrecht, Chris,
231

Ali, Muhammad,
122

Alice Tully Hall,
3

Alien
(film),
36
,
37

Aliens
(film),
137

Allder, Nick,
37
–38,
95
–98

Allen, Woody,
24

All in the Family
(TV show),
20
,
22
,
27

All That Jazz
(film),
51

All the President’s Men
(film),
16
,
91

Almost Famous
(film),
131

American Film Institute,
9

Anderson, Bob, sword fighting and training,
67
–69,
72
–79,
81
–84,
85
,
86
,
89
,
126
–27,
187
,
196
–203,
206
–8

André the Giant:

attitude toward life of,
117
,
118
–19,
127
,
224
–25,
227
–28

boyhood and youth,
119
–21

breaking wind and,
123
–26

casting of,
28
,
30
,
48
–51,
242

cast’s table read and,
50
–51,
53

Cliffs of Insanity scene and,
158
–59,
160

as connoisseur of fine food,
130

Billy Crystal and,
120
,
166
,
167

death of,
3
,
227
,
234

drinking adventures of,
62
–64,
223
–27

Cary Elwes and,
116
–26,
167
,
174
–76,
211
,
223
–28

health problems of,
51
,
61
–62,
118
,
159
,
174

heat and cold and,
116
–17

hotel fire alarm and,
140

laughing on set and,
124
–26

Miracle Max scene and,
168
,
169

NYPD and,
223
–25

Mandy Patinkin and,
119
,
120
,
124
–25,
167

Rob Reiner and,
48
–51,
120
,
124
–26,
213

Andy Scheinman and,
48
–49,
50
–51,
62
,
63
,
117
,
120
,
122

Wallace Shawn and,
159
,
160

shooting final scenes and,
212
–13

Mel Smith and,
197

wrestling and,
49
,
61
,
118
,
119
,
120
,
121
–22,
130
,
227

Robin Wright and,
63
,
117
,
118
,
148

Angels (costume house),
33

Annie Hall
(film),
163

Another Country
(film),
13

Archie Bunker’s Place
(TV show),
22

Atkinson, Rowan,
197

Barron, David,
53
–54,
106
,
129
,
130

Beckett, Samuel,
119
–20

Bessette, Carolyn,
231

Best in Show
(film),
188

Bewkes, Jeff,
231

Biddle, Adrian,
137

B. J. and the Bear
(TV show),
53

Blackner, Danny,
104
–10

The Black Pirate
(film),
78
,
200

Blazing Saddles
(film),
123

Boorman, John,
22

Bradford, Andy,
97
,
100
,
102
,
103
,
186
,
211

The Brady Bunch
(TV show),
24

Brasi, Luca,
233

Brazil
(film),
40

A Bridge Too Far
(film),
91

British Academy of Fencing,
68

Brooks, Mel,
52
,
123
,
163
,
164
,
217
–18,
227

Brothers in Arms
(album),
191

Bruegel, Pieter,
36

Buckinghamshire,
187

Burwell, Lois,
88

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
(film),
16
,
60
,
91

Buttercup’s Baby
(Goldman),
237

Cahiers du Cinéma
(film journal),
17

Cameron, James,
137

Capo Ferro, Ridolfo,
66

Captain Blood
(film),
67
,
200

Captain Kangaroo
(TV show),
115

“Captain Kangaroo” fire warden,
114
–15,
126

Carnal Knowledge
(film),
163

Carter, Helena Bonham,
13

Catch-22
(film),
52

Cave Dale,
174

Chernobyl accident,
14
–15,
16
,
26

Citizen Kane
(film),
237

Cliffs of Insanity,
4
,
41
,
57
,
127
,
158
,
191
,
198
,
202

Cliffs of Moher,
158
,
159

Clinton, Chelsea,
232
,
233

Clinton, Hillary,
231
,
232

Clinton, William J.,
230
–33

Collins, Michael,
230

Colomby, Bobby,
192

Columbia Pictures,
19
,
21

Columbo
(TV show),
171

Conan the Barbarian
(film),
37
,
219

Conan the Destroyer
(film),
53

Connery, Sean,
78

Cook, Peter,
9
,
126
,
144
–45,
234
,
242

Cosby, Bill,
27
,
30

The Count of Monte Cristo
(film),
200
–201

Cranston, Bryan,
231

The Crimson Pirate
(film),
200

critical reviews,
7
–8,
220
–21

Crossland, Sue,
97
,
100
,
186

Crowe, Cameron,
131

Crudup, Billy,
131

Cruise, Tom,
93
,
173
,
175

Crystal, Billy:

André the Giant and,
120
,
166
,
167
,
227

casting of,
23
–24,
41
,
164
,
242

cast’s table read and,
54

Cary Elwes and,
31
,
161
–62,
168

on film’s charm,
238
,
239

Christopher Guest and,
113
,
163

imitating accents and,
143

improvisation of,
198

Carol Kane and,
42
,
166
,
167
,
171

Miracle Max role and,
159
–69,
162
,
198

Peter Montagna and,
161
–63

Rob Reiner and,
93
,
155
,
164
,
165
,
166

sword fighting scenes and,
205

twenty-fifth-anniversary screening and,
4
,
235

Dalton, Phyllis,
33
–36,
90
,
156

Davis, Jeff,
201

Days of Thunder
(film),
6

Derbyshire, England,
7
,
111
,
127
,
140
,
148
,
174
,
224

De Vito, Danny,
153
,
155
,
157
,
158

Diamond, Peter:

Cliffs of Insanity scene and,
158

Fire Swamp scenes and,
95
,
97
–100,
102
–5,
107

sword fighting and training,
67
–69,
71
–84,
85
,
86
,
89
,
126
–27,
161
,
186
–87,
190
,
196
–203,
206
–8

The Dick Van Dyke Show
(TV show),
24

Diller, Barry,
222

Doctor Zhivago
(film),
33

Dog Day Afternoon
(film),
51
,
163

Dorchester Hotel,
47
,
63
–64,
86
,
128
,
140

Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall
(film),
112

The Draughtsman’s Contract
(film),
88

Dreyfuss, Richard,
153

Dr. Strangelove
(film),
36
,
144

Ebert, Roger,
220
–21

Edgar Award,
14

Edward VI (king of England),
13

Eisenberg, Deborah,
152

The Elephant Man
(film),
36

Elizabeth
(film),
113

Elwes, Cary:

André the Giant and,
116
–26,
167
,
174
–76,
211
,
223
–28

Battle of Wits scene and,
155
–58

birthday party for,
192
–93

casting of,
11
–16,
24
–31

cast’s mutual affection and respect,
3
–4

cast’s table read and,
47
–56,
59
–61

Bill Clinton and,
230
–33

costuming and,
33
–39,
88
–89

Billy Crystal and,
31
,
161
–62,
168

end of production and,
215
–16

Peter Falk and,
170
–71

fan mail from children and,
9
,
239

filming of final scene,
211
–15

film’s popular resurgence and,
239

film’s release and,
217
–19

Fire Swamp scenes and,
37
,
40
,
85
–107,
109
,
110

William Goldman and,
16

grandfather’s death,
209
–11,
215

Christopher Guest and,
146
,
188
,
191

Tom Hanks and,
230
–31

imitating accents and,
143
–44

injuries during filming,
173
–87,
189
–91,
196
,
202
,
206
,
211
,
224

John Paul II and,
229
–30

Carol Kane and,
165

laughing on set and,
124
–25,
168
,
198

Norman Lear and,
241

Miracle Max scene and,
168
–69

“mostly dead” and,
115
,
123
,
168

on movie-making as circus,
131
–33

Rob Reiner and,
11
–16,
25
,
113
,
137
,
141
,
144
,
161
,
177
–79,
181
–85,
189
–91,
198
,
211
,
237

Andy Scheinman and,
11
,
14
–15,
103
,
144
,
183

sets and,
40
–41

Wallace Shawn and,
153

sword fighting and training,
65
–84,
85
,
126
–28,
177
,
186
–87,
195
–208,
202
,
211

twenty-fifth anniversary screening and,
3
,
9
,
234
–36

Robin Wright and,
41
–45,
60
–61,
96
–99,
143
–49,
183
,
186

Elwes, Lisa Marie,
231
,
232

The Empire Strikes Back
(film),
37

English weather,
135
–37

Enter the Dragon
(film),
81

Ephron, Nora,
233

Evans, Ceri,
199
–200,
214

Everett, Rupert,
13

Evita
(film),
71