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I read the book back in the 70s and am one of those who didn't like the film as well. I didn't hate it or anything, but I felt it wasn't very compelling and have never cared to see it over and over. While I remember laughing out loud at some of the humor in the book, I remember the adventure/romance parts more. I thinkthe film had the makings of a classic. It was quite well cast (though I would have used a real villain rather than Christopher Guest). I think Reiner was the wrong choice for director. He is good at subtle comedy, but I think he lacked the ability to make the film truly thrilling. I think it needed a touch like Richard Lester's with the Musketeer films. Those films jumped from silliness to slapstick to adventure to tragedy with the lightness of a feather.
When warner Bros made The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938, they replaced the original director (Wm Keighley) with Michael Curtiz, because they felt that Keighley concentrated too much on the comedy rather than the adventure of the story. I guess that's how I feel about The Princess Bride. I've always felt it was a near miss rather than a bullseye-a pretty good film that, with the appropriate director, could've been great.
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