Vanity Fair: For six months, Princess Bride star Mandy Patinkin had trained to become Inigo Montoya, the world’s greatest swordsman. His worthy opponent, the Man in Black/Westley—played by Cary Elwes—had four months of prep under his belt as well. Spirits were high as the actors performed their duel for director Rob Reiner on the Cliffs of Insanity set for the first time, in London in 1986.
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I was recommended to watch this movie last year, and not only is it a fantastic movie, but this sword fight is by far the most engaging fight scene I have ever seen in a movie. The whole interaction preceding the fight with The Man in Black on the cliff's edge and Inigo Montoya pulling him up and then telling his life story is fantastic scene overall, and creates great character development. I have a tendency to zone out when watching fight scenes because the action moves so quickly that I have a hard time staying engaged with the path it takes and not get a headache from all the fast movement. This scene, however is brilliant. The months of training is truly evident in how fluid and perfectly executed this sword fighting sequence is. Patinkin and Elwes are so focused on the fight, but also still having a conversation. I think it is extremely fitting that Patinkin spent months prior to shooting the film training in fencing too, since Inigo Montoya has a lifetime of sword play under his belt. Rewatching the scene, it was cool being able to see the places where there was definitely a hidden trampoline, or where the camera angle is purposely changed to mask the use of a stuntman, or the part where Diamond catches the sword out of frame and then passes it back down to Patinkin. Being able to watch a film or show through the lenses of a crew member is something I enjoy to do. It must have been fun getting to work on the crew for this show with such a beautiful landscape. This article reminded me how good this movie is and will probably lead me to rewatching again this weekend.
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