Home Movie: The Princess Bride
A fan-made quarantine recreation of the 1987 film.
Home Movie: The Princess Bride is an American comedy television miniseries that recreates the 1987 film The Princess Bride. Directed by Jason Reitman, it was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic with actors filming themselves on smartphones. The series features the final screen performance of Carl Reiner.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Fantasy adventure comedy
- Starring
- Various actors
- Director
- Jason Reitman
- Episodes
- 10
- Executive producers
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Van Toffler
- Barry Barclay
- Floris Bauer
- Producer
- Jason Blumenfeld; Erica Mills
- Editor
- Nathan Orloff
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The home movie version keeps the same basic story. In the present day, a grandfather reads a book to his sick grandson, who is not very interested. The book is set in the made-up medieval kingdom of Florin. A farmhand named Westley and a woman named Buttercup fall in love. Westley leaves to make money so they can marry, but Buttercup hears he was killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. She then agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck. Just before the wedding, three criminals—Vizzini, Inigo Montoya, and Fezzik—kidnap Buttercup on Humperdinck’s orders to make it look like another country did it, giving him an excuse for war. A man in black chases them. He beats Inigo and Fezzik but lets them live, wins a poison contest with Vizzini, and rescues Buttercup. He says he is actually Westley, that the Dread Pirate Roberts is a title passed between people, and that he came back because he heard Buttercup was in danger. Humperdinck and Count Tyrone Rugen capture them. Humperdinck tells Buttercup that Westley went back to sea, but really Rugen tortures Westley in a secret room. Humperdinck uses Rugen’s torture machine to seemingly kill Westley. Inigo and Fezzik find Westley’s body and bring him to Miracle Max. Max sees Westley is barely alive because of his true love for Buttercup and helps revive him. Westley, still weak, makes a plan with Inigo and Fezzik to stop the wedding. Inigo fights and kills Rugen for murdering his father. Westley wounds Humperdinck to humiliate him, then escapes with Buttercup, Fezzik, and Inigo. The grandson, who earlier told his grandfather to skip the kissing parts, now lets him read the final kissing scene.
Production
Reitman conceived the idea in March 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, as a way to remake the 1987 film with actors performing in their own homes. He saw it as a way to raise money for World Central Kitchen to support struggling restaurants. Reitman talked to Jeffrey Katzenberg, who made a million-dollar donation to the charity and arranged to stream the final product on Quibi. Reitman created a proof of concept scene with himself and his daughter recreating the initial grandfather-and-boy scene, using it to gain approval from Norman Lear and the estate of William Goldman. He also secured rights to the film's score from Mark Knopfler. Actors filmed at their homes during quarantine, providing their own props and costumes and swapping roles between scenes. Each actor filmed their own side of a scene in isolation due to social distancing, except for roommates and cohabitating couples who filmed together. Special effects were created in a humorously homemade manner, with sets recreated in miniature using LEGO and an R.O.U.S. represented by Sophie Turner's corgi. Reitman provided minimal direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Home Movie: The Princess Bride?
Home Movie: The Princess Bride stars Various actors.
How many episodes of Home Movie: The Princess Bride are there?
Home Movie: The Princess Bride has 10 episodes.
When did Home Movie: The Princess Bride first air?
Home Movie: The Princess Bride first aired on 29 June 2020.
When did Home Movie: The Princess Bride end?
Home Movie: The Princess Bride last aired on 8 July 2020.
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