The Princess Bride Film Analysis

Throughout much of art history, the exploitation of feminine sexuality can be attributed to many works of art dating all the way back to the 15th century from Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus to Edouard Manet’s Olympia (Burk), and it hasn’t stopped with paintings. Even as the film and television industry kicked off in the 20th century, producers began to use female sexuality to attract male moviegoers, and many sexualised icons, such as Marilyn Monroe, arose from this era. As a result, women are now portrayed, by the film industry, as submissive, passive objects for men to obtain and and tame (Sampson). However, through the usage of semiotics in The Princess Bride, Rob Reiner satirizes industrials norms and allows Princess Buttercup to

In the opening scene, Buttercup comes out, with a spring in her step and hair bouncing, and seductively orders Westley around. The camera focuses itself on her as she speaks, and almost immediately the audience understands Westley’s fascination with her. At a glance, Buttercup is objectified as something impossible for Westley to obtain, but in the end, they fall in love with each other. The important part is that Westley does not force her to love him. Instead, Buttercup makes her own decision to fall in love with Westley (Doz). Later on, during the battle of wits between Vizzini and Westley, Buttercup quietly sits in the background tied up and blindfolded while the two men fight to posses her. First of all, the nature of the fight is comical at the least and drones on and on. This makes fun of the whole notion of “battling” for the Princess and can be seen as satirizing the need for men to fight over a woman. Immediately after Westley defeats Vizzini, Buttercup becomes extremely hostile towards Westley because she thinks he is the Dread Pirate Roberts. She attacks him furiously with her words claiming he killed her lover. Buttercup’s sudden shift from passive, idle captive to an offensive, mouthy individual proves that she is well-versed with words and a force to be reckoned