“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

This well-known line comes from my favourite movie, Rob Reiner’s ‘The Princess Bride’, based on the book by William Goldman.  It’s a timeless classic that has appeal across the generations and today we celebrate its 25th anniversary.

It is engaging from the opening scene when the grandfather, played by Peter Falk, arrives to read his sick grandson (Fred Savage) a book.

That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I’m gonna read it to you.

Filled with great dialogue and wonderful scenes this movie has universal appeal.

I love the fact that you can mention “The Princess Bride” in a room full of people and will immediately hear classic lines quoted at you. Lines like the following flow off the lips of the legions of fans.

• Is this a kissing book?                
• You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles.
• We are men of action, lies do not become us.
• Am I going MAD, or did the word “think” escape your lips? You were not hired for your brains, you hippopotamic land mass.
• “Inconceivable!” “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
• You seem a decent fellow… I hate to kill you.” ” You seem a decent fellow… I hate to die.
• You know how much I love watching you work, but I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it; I’m swamped.
• Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
• Thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you’re at it, why don’t you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?
• There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.
• Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam…
• There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive
• “To the death!” “No. To the pain!”

As the Grandfather says, this film has everything “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.”

With a Saturn Award  for Best Fantasy Film, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and numerous nominations including an Oscar nomination and a Grammy nomination for Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack and title “Storybook Love”, this movie has not just withstood the test of time. It’s fans are not just those who remember its screening.  ‘The Princess Bride” has a fan-base that crosses generations and will continue to attract more well into the future.

I expect there’ll be lots of “The Princess Bride” quotes on twitter and facebook today in honour of the anniversary.

That being said, I now have an urgent need to go and watch it again.  And while I am at it I may visit the official site. You might like to check it out too.