On September 13, 2020, most of the original cast members of the 1987 film The Princess Bride took part in a virtual live dramatic reading of the film script to support Wisconsin Democrats. The returning cast included Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, and Carol Kane, with additional performances by Rob Reiner as the Grandfather, Josh Gad as Fezzik, Eric Idle as the Impressive Clergyman, Whoopi Goldberg as the Ancient Booer and the Mother, and Jason Reitman as the narrator, among others. Norman Lear joined the Q&A session at the end, which was hosted by Patton Oswalt. Cast members promoted the event beforehand using the hashtags "#PrincessBrideReunion" and "#DumpTrumperdinck." More than 110,000 viewers donated a dollar or more to Wisconsin Democrats to view the livestream, which raised $4.25 million and received widely positive reviews, with special praise for Patinkin's performance.
The idea to recruit Princess Bride cast members for a fundraiser was inspired by a benefit event organized by Wisconsin Democrats that reunited cast members of The West Wing . [1] [2] According to the Hollywood Reporter , Cary Elwes (Westley in the film) approached a friend who knew Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to ask if he could help raise money for the battleground state. [3] Wisconsin Democrats and others promoted the virtual script reading with digital ads and social media. [4] [5] Elwes began teasing the event in his Twitter feed in early September 2020, announcing it openly on September 4: [6]
#Inconceivable! I’m excited to announce a virtual #PrincessBrideReunion! Chip in any amount at the link & get an invite to this special event on Sun. Sept. 13th with myself, @RealRobinWright, @PatinkinMandy, @robreiner & many more! #DumpTrumperdinck.
Wisconsin was considered an important "swing state" in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. In 2016, Donald Trump won the state, despite consistent polls that showed Hillary Clinton ahead. [7] [8] The police shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020, followed by the fatal shooting of two protestors, also created political tension in Wisconsin. [9]
Senator Ted Cruz, responding to the event announcement on Twitter, said that he wished the Princess Bride movie, which he called "perfect," would stay out of "Hollywood politics". [10] Widespread news coverage of Cruz's criticism, and of pushback from the cast, [11] [12] [13] "led to a surge of publicity," according to The New Yorker . [14]
Although most of the original actors volunteered for the fundraiser, Deadline Hollywood announced on September 9 that there would be several replacements and additions. The replacements included Whoopi Goldberg (playing more than one part), Eric Idle (playing The Impressive Clergyman), and Josh Gad (playing Fezzik). Grandpa and The Narrator, two roles originated by Peter Falk (who died in 2011) were taken by Rob Reiner and Jason Reitman. Norman Lear joined the Q&A session at the end, which was hosted by Patton Oswalt. [15] Fred Savage was unable to join the event because it conflicted with his brother's birthday. [16] [17]
The 2020 event featured: [15]
After some technical problems that delayed the performance, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler thanked the audience for supporting Democrats. Although 2020 polling showed Joe Biden ahead of Donald Trump in Wisconsin, Wikler noted that Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 despite trailing in polls throughout that campaign. [3]
To set the scene, Jason Reitman read the screenplay's stage directions in addition to reading the role of The Narrator. A few performers had transient audio problems, and King Bach did not appear due to technical problems. Finn Wolfhard read Bach's parts, as well as The Grandson. The actors were filmed individually in their homes, as was common in 2020 due to Coronavirus. Most wore ordinary street clothing and read without props, although Mandy Patinkin and Billy Crystal used some of their props from the film. [18]
After the readthrough, Patton Oswalt moderated a Q&A session with questions from the online audience. Norman Lear, the film's producer, said there were no plans to remake the movie but that he hoped to see a musical version some day. [18]
Though live and not perfect, the table-reading received positive reviews. The A.V. Club mentioned "the obvious love and enthusiasm with which every member of the cast, original or otherwise, brought to this event," but singled out Mandy Patinkin for special praise. [19] Listing "11 delights" from the event, they mentioned Josh Gad's "surprisingly moving Andre the Giant tribute," Billy Crystal's homemade "Miracle Max" set, and "basically everything involving Mandy Patinkin." [19]
According to Rolling Stone , "highlights included Elwes donning a medical mask for the line 'It’s just that masks are terribly comfortable — I think everyone will be wearing them in the future' and Patinkin’s entire performance." [20]
The New Yorker also singled out Patinkin, and his dramatic introduction of Inigo Montoya's six-fingered sword: [14]
...he threw himself into his old role with a passion that seemed to sear the lens of his Webcam. He roared, he wept, he danced; he rolled his 'R's and sharpened his 'E's; he even came in costume—a white shirt, rakishly unbuttoned to mid-chest. At the moment of the story’s first marvelous duel, when Montoya introduces his sword, Patinkin presented—to considerable excitement in my household (and on Twitter, where my feed was briefly overwhelmed by exclamation marks and the word “sword”)—an actual prop sword from the film itself.
Entertainment Weekly noted many viewer comments on the "Miracle Max" background Billy Crystal had created (he also wore his original hat from the film.) They also enjoyed the Q&A session, including the cast's memories of Andre the Giant. [18]
More than 110,000 listeners donated $1 or more to be able to tune in to the event, [21] which raised $4.25 million for Wisconsin Democrats. [22] On September 18, the Associated Press updated earlier numbers to say that more than 142,000 viewers made donations, bringing the amount raised to $4.26 million. [23] Wikler said of the event that it was the biggest grassroots fundraiser the party has ever held. [24]
Trump campaign spokespeople, however, said that the online event would not help Biden win Wisconsin. Trump's spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, "Unlike the movie, we know what inconceivable means, and a Biden victory in Wisconsin is simply inconceivable". [16] Mr Biden would go on to win the state by 20,697 votes, according to the final ballot count. [25]
Elwes, being interviewed on Morning Joe on September 17, said that following the success of the reunion other battleground states approached him about doing table reads of other classic movies. [26] By October 31, according to The Washington Post, the Princess Bride table-read [27]
propelled an unprecedented run of virtual cast reunions...The flurry of Democratic fundraising cast reunions and readings in recent months has included Veep, Seinfeld, Parks and Recreation, Happy Days and Superbad ...
A recording of the live performance can be accessed using a passcode, in exchange for a donation to Wisconsin Democrats. [28]
Ivan Simon Cary Elwes is an English actor. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in The Princess Bride (1987), Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the Saw film series.
Mandel Bruce Patinkin is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television, and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning for his leading role in Evita (1980), and seven Drama Desk Award nominations. For his work in television he has received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He has also received a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Golden Globe Award nominations.
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner and starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, and Christopher Guest. Adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel of the same name, it tells the story of a swashbuckling farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck. The film preserves the novel's metafictional narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather to his sick grandson.
Inigo Montoya is a fictional character in William Goldman's 1973 novel The Princess Bride. In Rob Reiner's 1987 film adaptation, he was portrayed by Mandy Patinkin. In both the book and the movie, he was originally from Spain and resided in the fictional country of Florin.
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The "Good Parts" Version is a 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman. The book combines elements of comedy, adventure, fantasy, drama, romance, and fairy tale. It is presented as an abridgment of a longer work by the fictional S. Morgenstern, and Goldman's "commentary" asides are constant throughout. It was originally published in the United States by Harcourt Brace, then later by Random House, while in the United Kingdom it was later published by Bloomsbury.
Joshua Ilan Gad is an American actor, comedian and singer. He is known for voicing Olaf in the Frozen franchise, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, and playing Le Fou in the live-action adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. For his role as Olaf, Gad won two Annie Awards, and for his work in The Book of Mormon, he co-won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, both shared with Andrew Rannells as one of the two leading artists.
Kathryn Janis Grody is an American actress and writer.
Benjamin McDonald Wikler is an American politician and the chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since July 2019. He is a former Senior Advisor at MoveOn.
Maschenka is a 1987 international film adaptation of the debut novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first published under his pen name V. Sirin in 1926. The film was directed by John Goldschmidt from a screenplay by John Mortimer and stars Cary Elwes as Ganin and Irina Brook as Maschenka.
Brandlive is a Software as a service (SaaS) company based in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Live Read is a monthly live staged reading of a film script and a part of the Film Independent at LACMA film series at the Bing Theater directed by Jason Reitman and hosted by Elvis Mitchell from 2011 to 2016. In 2019, Film Independent brought the series back as part of Film Independent Presents... at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, produced by director of programming and events, Rachel Bleemer. A guest director reads the stage directions in the scripts while images from the film would be projected behind the cast. The script is typically announced days before the event and while some actors were announced beforehand, full cast lists and the role each actor would play were kept secret until the event itself. The actors do not rehearse ahead of time.
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Harris defeated the incumbent Republican president, Donald Trump, and vice president, Mike Pence. The election took place against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic and related recession. The election saw the highest voter turnout by percentage since 1900, with each of the two main tickets receiving more than 74 million votes, surpassing Barack Obama's record of 69.5 million votes from 2008. Biden received more than 81 million votes, the most votes ever cast for a candidate in a U.S. presidential election.
The 2016 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election. Wisconsin voters chose 10 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting Republican Party nominee Donald Trump against Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), also known as "Jewish Dems", is an organization that defines itself as "the voice for Jewish Democrats and socially progressive, pro-Israel, and Jewish values". It was announced in August 2017, and officially launched in November 2017. JDCA was incorporated in Washington, D. C., in June 2017. JDCA has 15 chapters across the United States.
The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of the United States Democratic Party formally chose former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris of California as the party's nominees for president and vice president, respectively, in the 2020 United States presidential election.
The 2020 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Wisconsin voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris. Wisconsin has 10 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
Home Movie: The Princess Bride is an American comedy miniseries directed by Jason Reitman, a "fan made" recreation of the 1987 film The Princess Bride. Produced while the participating actors were isolating themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, it is filmed in a deliberately DIY fashion, with an ensemble cast recording their scenes on their own smartphones, and multiple actors playing the most prominent roles. It features the final screen performance of Carl Reiner, the father of the original film's director Rob Reiner. It premiered in short installments in June and July 2020, on Quibi.
The following is a timeline of major events leading up and during the 2020 United States presidential election, the 59th quadrennial United States presidential election, from January to October 2020. For previous events, see Timeline of the 2020 United States presidential election (2017–2019). For subsequent events, see Timeline of the 2020 United States presidential election
Father of the Bride, Part 3(ish) is a 2020 American romantic-comedy short film, presented in the form of screenlife story-telling. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie serves as a legacy-sequel which takes place chronologically after the events of Father of the Bride Part II. It is the third release in the film series starring Steve Martin in the titular role, and is the fifth overall installment in the Father of the Bride franchise. The plot centers around the Banks family, and depicts how they handled the self-isolation restrictions order during the early days of COVID-19, while also preparing for Matthew's upcoming wedding. The short depicts his unconventional wedding, during the difficult social limitations as a result of the pandemic.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the idea came after the former cast of "The West Wing" reunited to promote When We All Vote, the voter registration initiative co-chaired by former first lady Michelle Obama.
So I called a friend of mine, Pantera Sarah, who worked for President Obama on his election campaign who happened to be from Wisconsin to discuss what could be done. That is when we came up with the idea of a table read. After the success of that, we got a call from Speaker Pelosi thanking us
Elwes organized the Princess Bride reunion event with the original cast of the 1987 classic film in mid-September that went on to raise $4.25 million dollars.
The cast of The Princess Bride will reunite virtually for a reading of the script of the 1987 classic, as a virtual fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin...The event will raise money for the state party, with a signup and donation required to view but no minimum. The party also is promoting it through digital ads and social media.
Word of the event quickly spread on Twitter, with promotions by Elwes using the hashtag #DumpTrumperdinck" as a nod to "Princess Bride" character Prince Humperdinck.
Elwes, 57, teased the event on Thursday on Twitter, and shared the news on Friday, writing, '#Inconceivable! I'm excited to announce a virtual #PrincessBrideReunion! Chip in any amount at the link & get an invite to this special event on Sun. Sept. 13th with myself, @RealRobinWright, @PatinkinMandy, @robreiner & many more! #DumpTrumperdinck.'
In 2008, Barack Obama and Joe Biden carried the state by 14 points, carrying 59 of the state's 72 counties. They carried it by 7 points in 2012, despite Ryan's presence on the Republican ticket, and the 2016 Hillary Clinton-Tim Kaine ticket led in every single public poll of the state before losing by less than 1 point.
Wisconsin has also been the site of unrest in recent weeks after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot several times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wis., Two days later, two protesters demonstrating against police brutality were killed, and another injured, by a 17-year-old shooter who is a supporter of President Trump.
Elwes noted he began wearing a mask in February – the same time that President Donald Trump told reporter Bob Woodward that he knew the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Woodward's book, Rage.
Elwes then quote-tweeted Cruz's reaction, saying to him 'If you only left the fire swamp you could join us,' once again referencing the film and using the hashtag #Dumptrumperdinck.
In a tweet Saturday, Cruz called The Princess Bride 'perfect' and said he wishes it would stay out of "Hollywood politics." Elwes, who played the movie's hero, Westley, responded that Cruz should 'leave the fire swamp.'
Ben Wikler, who chairs the Wisconsin Democratic Party, responded to Cruz's tweet later on Saturday, urging him to join the virtual read. "Just think—you can say to Trump: 'Hello. My name is Rafael Cruz. You insulted my father. Prepare to lose,' " he tweeted.
Unfortunately for Cruz, his tweet led to a surge of publicity for Sunday's event, which drew an audience of more than a hundred thousand connected devices—and secured, therefore, more than a hundred thousand donations for the Biden-Harris campaign's operations in the battleground state.
Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Idle, Jason Reitman and Josh Gad are among the guests added to a virtual reunion of The Princess Bride on Sept. 13.
But the Trump campaign insisted the event won't help Biden win Wisconsin. 'Unlike the movie, we know what inconceivable means,' Wisconsin Trump campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
Sources close to the actor – who played The Grandson in the '80s cult classic – tell us he was in the loop about the Zoom reunion but was unable to participate because he was celebrating his younger brother Ben's birthday.
Many commenters thought that the night's MVP was Patinkin, who portrayed Inigo Montoya in the 1987 film. Fans loved the actor's spirited performance during the table read, especially when he delivered Inigo's famous "You killed my father, prepare to die" line....Many viewers also praised Crystal, who portrayed Miracle Max in the classic comedy, for his set decoration during the event. The actor even wore his character's hat from the movie.
The table-reading and reunion, which served as a fundraiser in support of Wisconsin Democrats, was a messy, technically clumsy, non-stop source of delight, with the cast giving it all they had, their giddiness coming through even when they were off camera.
highlights included Elwes donning a medical mask for the line "It's just that masks are terribly comfortable — I think everyone will be wearing them in the future" and Patinkin's entire performance, which he supplemented with the very sword he used during the filming of the original movie
More than 110,000 people donated at least $1 to tune into "A Virtual Princess Bride Reunion" on Sunday night, making the online event an inconceivable fundraising win for Democrats here.
Actor Cary Elwes, who played Westley in the film, dropped the $4.25 million figure Thursday morning during an interview on "Morning Joe." Elwes also played a key role in organizing the fundraiser. During the event, Elwes said he called his friend Sarah Uphoff, a Wisconsin native, to see what he could do to help.
The original cast from the beloved 1987 film reunited Sunday for the reading along with guest stars Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Idle of Monty Python and Josh Gad. Viewers had to donate $1 to gain access for the stream. The party said the average donation was $30.
Actors Robin Wright and Carry Elwes, both of the classic film 'The Princess Bride' took part in a virtual table read that was a benefit for the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Both Wright and Elwes join Morning Joe to discuss the read, which raised over $4M.
The flurry of Democratic fundraising cast reunions and readings in recent months has included Veep,Seinfeld,Parks and Recreation,Happy Days and Superbad, and this weekend brings live-stream events involving Rocky Horror Picture Show (Saturday) and several members of the Veep team (Sunday).
The link above asks for any monetary contribution to get access to a replay of the online event...After you donate, you'll get an emailed receipt with the link and passcode to watch the replay.