There's just something about a bedtime story. When I was a little boy, my parents would take turns reading to me at night. It was often my favorite time spent with them because it was quiet, peaceful and personal. Just me, my mom or dad, and a great story. I'm the father of a beautiful three year old little girl who loves to hear stories of everything from princesses to Winnie the Pooh. I don’t read to her every night, but I really should. She enjoys listening so much and loves to pull the book away from me to see the pictures, when there are some. My parents reading to me turned me into a lover of books and I hope the same for my daughter.

In light of the idea of bedtime stories, director Rob Reiner introduced us almost 20 years ago to the story of "The Princess Bride." This fable-within-a-story was originally written by William Goldman, and the movie version is perhaps one of the greatest family movies in recent times. Every time I mention it to one of my friends, invariably they tell me how it is one of their all-time favorites. Needless to say, it is also one of mine.

"The Princess Bride" is a tale of true love. But I'm not just talking about the true love that can occur between a lowly stable boy and a princess, but also the love of a grandfather for his grandson. The bulk of the story tells the tale of young Westley (Cary Elwes) who is in love with the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright). From the beginnings of the story one would think they immediately live happily ever after, but they find themselves separated by an unusual twist of fate. Thinking that Westley has died, Buttercup accepts the marriage proposal of the evil Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon). But before that marriage can take place, Buttercup is kidnapped. Prince Humperdink sets of to find her, but soon finds that the famed Dread Pirate Roberts is also hot on her trail. To tell you any more of the story would be a disservice if you have never seen it.

But as I mentioned, this fable is but a story within the film. It is being told to a young boy (Fred Savage) who is home sick. The storyteller is his Grandfather (Peter Falk), who tries to convince his young charge that he really does want to hear it, even if it has kissing in it. These two characters, though they only show up at the beginning, the end and a few well placed scenes peppered within, are really the heart of "The Princess Bride." The dialogue between them is simple, yet elegantly poignant. And the three simple words he says to his grandson before he leaves at the end speak volumes.

I think the reason the film has been a favorite for so many for so long is that it offers something for everyone. Younger boys love the sword fighting while girls prefer the romance of the hero and heroine. Older audiences love the twisted and humorous take the movie gives this storybook world. The idea of fighting to the pain, instead of fighting to the death is but one example of how the movie turns the genre on its ear. The dialogue is sharp and witty and the performances brilliant.

Admittedly, as much as I love "The Princess Bride", I had to wonder why it was being released on DVD again. There have already been two DVD, the more recent coming out in 2001. This was a nice special edition that allowed for all of the extras that the original did not. This month, Sony / Columbia Tristar / MGM is releasing a 2-disc set of the movie that includes the previous extra features as well as a few more thrown in for good measure. They are even releasing two different versions, each with a different slipcover and set of menus. The content within is the same, but the "Dread Pirate" edition features the action / adventure, while the "Buttercup" edition looks more to the romantic aspects of the story. Hardcore collectors will undoubtedly want both.

As for the extra features, it carries over the commentaries by director Rob Reiner and William Goldman, a lengthy documentary, a 1987 featurette, and older making of featurette, a photo gallery and a video diary shot by Cary Elwes. New to this release is the featurette, 'Love is Like a Storybook Story', which touches on the elements that make up the typical love story and how they are used in this movie. There is also a look at the types of storybook characters that were used to draw up the character of the Dread Pirate Roberts. And as if that isn't enough, you'll also find a Battle of Wits Trivia Game (don’t play it against me - I've seen the movie about 100 times) and a collectible booklet.

"The Princess Bride" is about as perfect of a movie as you will ever find, and if it doesn’t reside somewhere in your DVD collection, you might as well not even have a collection.

Directed by: Rob Reiner
Starring: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Robin Wright, Peter Falk, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal, Fred Savage
Extras: 'As You Wish - The Story of The Princess Bride' Documentary, 'Dread Pirate Roberts - Greatest Legend of the Seven Seas' Historical Analysis, Cary Elwes' Home Movies, 'Love is like a Storybook Story' Featurette, 'Miraculous Makeup' Featurette, Original 1987 Featurette, Vintage Making Of Documentary, The Quotable Battle of Wits Trivia Game, Audio Commentary by Director Rob Reiner, Audio Commentary by Writer William Goldman, Photo Gallery, Fezzik's Guide to Florin - Collective Booklet
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar / MGM
Release Date: 6/20/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give The Princess Bride: Dread Pirate Edition an A+.