While perusing the original 1974 script for the classic film, The Princess Bride (stored in the Mercury One artifact vault), Glenn's daughter, Mary, noticed something was missing. The script neither began nor ended with the words “as you wish.”
Inconceivable! Right?!
Without that phrase, the movie masterpiece might just have been another addition to a long line of adventures with “fencing, fighting, torture, poison, true love, hate, revenge, giants, hunters, bad men, good men, beautifullest ladies, snakes, spiders, beasts, chases, escapes, lies, truths, passion and miracles.”
Instead, that little phrase tied The Princess Bride together in a way that served as a catalyst for miracles in the lives of not only Wesley and his beloved Buttercup, but also that of the grandfather and grandson.
Why? Because it meant “I love you.”
In both cases, the word “love” was spelled T-I-M-E and was coupled with selfless service. Is there any other “miracle pill” with or without a “chocolate coating to make it go down easier” that more effectively facilitates learning, trust and understanding?
Mary, who works with the Mercury One team, shared her thoughts in her own words:
In the 1987 film, The Princess Bride, a child’s grandfather comes to read a story. In the beginning, the grandson has no interest in listening to the book. But he began to listen. Over time, he loved reading it with his grandfather although he does not want to show it. In the end of the film, the grandson says, “Grandpa, maybe you could come over and read it again to me tomorrow.” The grandfather replies, “as you wish,” which, in The Princess Bride, this phase means “I love you.”We realize that we do not know many people in the millennial generation that want to spend time with their grandparents, let alone their very own parents. Yet, in these times, we must gather together with all generations. We must sit down and listen to each other. We know that sometimes it could start uncomfortably, but over time, it can become the greatest memories. The best part about it is either way you can sit down together as long "as you wish."
The 1974 first draft of 'The Princess Bride' from the Mercury One historical collection. Photo courtesy of Mercury One.
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Republished with permission from MercuryOne.org.