Assignment One Subject: “As You Wish” Scene from The Princess Bride

In the “As You Wish” scene from the Princess Bride, some of the primary themes and motifs of the film are revealed through the elements of cinematography. The scene takes place outdoors, with a backdrop of breathtaking mountain scenery. Across this idyllic background, the two main characters, Buttercup and Wesley, have a discussion. However, Wesley has become the new Dread Pirate Roberts and Buttercup believes she is speaking to the man who killed her one true love. There is a high degree of dramatic irony in this scene given that the audience knows that Wesley is behind the mask. The fact that Buttercup does not recognize Wesley—even though she waxes poetic about his eyes--underscores the humorous, satirical nature of the film.

The editors cut back and forth from Buttercup to Wesley, using middle range and wide-angle shots to enhance the dramatic tension. Because the scene takes place outdoors on a cloudy day, the lighting is even, giving no one character the upper hand. The audience is rooting for the couple to reunite and is not pitted one against the other. Buttercup’s red dress does, however stand out strikingly...

These are coloring choices that undercore the film being “highly stylized,” (Powell, 2006, p. 8). The director places her in the middle of the screen purposely to enhance her fairy tale beauty.
Wesley suddenly spies the prince’s horsemen on a cliff, the first extremely wide angle shot of the scene. However, only Wesley sees the horses, for at that very moment, Buttercup decides to push the Dread Pirate Roberts off the cliff. Cutting between what Wesley sees, and what Buttercup sees, allows the audience to get inside both of their heads. Finally, Wesley cries out, “As you wish!” so that Buttercup knows his true identity. She throws herself down the hill after him, and the editor cuts between each of them tumbling until they are both prone in the gully, but safely hidden from the Prince.

Assignment 2

Sound is integral to a successful film. Filmmakers rely on sound to enhance or create mood, manipulating audience reactions to the visual and plot elements in the film. Films also rely on dialogue and natural, or diegetic sounds that effectively tell the story on screen. The non-diegetic sounds are equally as important…