Do you know the Three Terrors of the Fire Swamp? Have you fallen victim to one of the Classic Blunders? If you'd love to surrender to the Dread Pirate Westley, then you need this geeky deconstruction of the cult-favorite movie 'The Princess Bride,' by popular and respected film critic and geek-watcher MaryAnn Johanson. In her breezy analysis, Johanson explores why this delightful film -- full of fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles -- has endeared itself to millions of moviegoers. From its unusual structure to its archetypal characters, its wonderful quotability to its outrageous humor, Johanson delves into the surprising depth and profound wisdom to be found in this wildly entertaining adventure/fantasy/romance/comedy. MaryAnn Johanson has been called "one of online's finest" film critics by Variety. Her pop culture thinkery appears at FlickFilosopher.com, which Time magazine has praised for its "snarky, well-informed commentary."
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Shroomgirl
No this is not a kissing book! It is however a must read for any hardcore Princess Bride fans out there. MaryAnn Johanson gives us the 'okay' to be complete and utter PBG's (Princess Bride Geeks) So if you are like my family and me and find yourself quoting The Princess Bride daily you will love the insight into one of the greatest cult movies of all time.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
40 of 47 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
If you are a fan of the book... don't buy this
July 13 2008
By M. Kooiman
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
I was very disappointed. I had selected the next book for our monthly book club and it was The Princess Bride". I was looking for a good reference book that would aid in the discussion of "The Princess Bride", saw this online and bought it. It wasn't a good reference book. Instead, it was chapter after chapter of the author repeating her favorite lines and scenes from the movie. There were a few snippets of famous people talking about the movie including some from the actors in the movie. I didn't find anything else in the book vaguely interesting. Anyone who's read "The Princess Bride" and seen the movie knows the movie is good but is missing some of the best of the book (i.e. the zoo of death, Inigo and Fezzig's history and what Miracle Max REALLY thinks is as good as true love and it's not an MLT).
I read the first few chapters of the "Totally Geeky Guide to the Princess Bride" and couldn't read any further. I skimmed through the rest, read the quotes from the actors,etc. and then donated the book to a charity book sale. It was just a big advertisement for the movie and, think about it, if I bought this book then I'm already a fan of the movie and/or the book.
If you're a big fan of the movie, I recommend you buy The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure and read it. William Goldman wrote this book first and later the screen play that everyone has come to love.
I read the first few chapters of the "Totally Geeky Guide to the Princess Bride" and couldn't read any further. I skimmed through the rest, read the quotes from the actors,etc. and then donated the book to a charity book sale. It was just a big advertisement for the movie and, think about it, if I bought this book then I'm already a fan of the movie and/or the book.
If you're a big fan of the movie, I recommend you buy The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure and read it. William Goldman wrote this book first and later the screen play that everyone has come to love.
54 of 71 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
I was dissapointed...
Sep 14 2006
By Daniel delSobral
- Published on Amazon.com
with this book. My sister gave it to me because she knew I was a big fan of the movie.
The book doesn't really have a point - to me, it came across as a collection of arguments why the author thought Princess Bride was a great movie - almost like a term paper written about the Princess Bride that had been published.
This wouldn't have been a problem, except the author's reasons for thinking the movie was great were different from mine. Her thesis seemed to be that the movie's story about true love resonates better because it is told within the context of cynical characters and cinematic convention defying screenplay. I actually sort of agree with her point, but I think she misses three more important reasons: it has an *excellent* cast, it has a great soundtrack, and the screenplay is very funny.
I'm interested in what other people think about the book, but for me, it fell flat. I don't feel like I learned anything new from it, and for whatever reason, the author seems to have a different basis of appreciation for Princess Bride than I do, so most of the book seemed off-target.
The book doesn't really have a point - to me, it came across as a collection of arguments why the author thought Princess Bride was a great movie - almost like a term paper written about the Princess Bride that had been published.
This wouldn't have been a problem, except the author's reasons for thinking the movie was great were different from mine. Her thesis seemed to be that the movie's story about true love resonates better because it is told within the context of cynical characters and cinematic convention defying screenplay. I actually sort of agree with her point, but I think she misses three more important reasons: it has an *excellent* cast, it has a great soundtrack, and the screenplay is very funny.
I'm interested in what other people think about the book, but for me, it fell flat. I don't feel like I learned anything new from it, and for whatever reason, the author seems to have a different basis of appreciation for Princess Bride than I do, so most of the book seemed off-target.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
quite fun
Jan 31 2007
By Reader Views
- Published on Amazon.com
Reviewed by Shannon Bailes for Reader Views (1/07)
This book was a difficult read for me. First of all, I am not a Princess Bride fanatic, nor a geek, so I had to learn a bit about that before I even began. Therefore, anyone who chooses this book to read would have to know a little bit about The Princess Bride before they can even begin to really enjoy this book.
With that said, I did find it an enjoyable read even though I did not thoroughly understand everything that I was reading. The flow of the book is good, and the author does a good job of engaging the reader. The dry humor that comes from this book is right up my alley, but a person who does not enjoy that kind of humor may find that it is too pointed.
I particularly enjoyed the story about the exchange with Mandy Patinkin as I am an avid fan of his and have been for years. This exchange assisted me in relating to the storyline even better.
"The Totally Geeky Guide to the Princess Bride" was well proofread, better than most I have reviewed. While this is not a book I would choose to read, for a small population it would be quite fun. Being a Princess Bride enthusiast and a geek would tie this altogether for some!
Book received free of charge.
This book was a difficult read for me. First of all, I am not a Princess Bride fanatic, nor a geek, so I had to learn a bit about that before I even began. Therefore, anyone who chooses this book to read would have to know a little bit about The Princess Bride before they can even begin to really enjoy this book.
With that said, I did find it an enjoyable read even though I did not thoroughly understand everything that I was reading. The flow of the book is good, and the author does a good job of engaging the reader. The dry humor that comes from this book is right up my alley, but a person who does not enjoy that kind of humor may find that it is too pointed.
I particularly enjoyed the story about the exchange with Mandy Patinkin as I am an avid fan of his and have been for years. This exchange assisted me in relating to the storyline even better.
"The Totally Geeky Guide to the Princess Bride" was well proofread, better than most I have reviewed. While this is not a book I would choose to read, for a small population it would be quite fun. Being a Princess Bride enthusiast and a geek would tie this altogether for some!
Book received free of charge.
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3.6 out of 5 stars
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