There's a point to all this, bear with me. It's really worth it.
You may have read about (or not, since -- though it's gotten attention -- it hasn't gotten the attention that something this adventurous and fun deserves) the new "remake" version of the movie The Princess Bride. The short version is that, having seen some "fan video" versions of movies, director Jason Reitman had the idea do have very well-known actors film short segments of The Princess Bride at home during lockdown and then edit them all together so the full movie would be "remade." He pitched the idea to the new streaming service, Quibi, which got on board. (Quibi streams high quality, short videos specifically and solely made to run on mobile phones.) The original movie's director Rob Reiner gave his approval, actors signed on, and the project went forward. It was all done as a fundraiser with money going to Chef Jose Andres' wonder World Central Kitchen. Among the many actors involved include John Malkovich, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Jennifer Garner, Josh Gad, Chris Pine, Penelope Cruz, Tiffany Haddish, Hugh Jackson Jon Hamm, Zoey Deutch, Elijah Wood, Charlize Theron, Keegan-Michael Key, Adam Sandler, Jason Segel, Zoe Saldana, Sophie Turner, Bryan Cranston, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, Paul Rudd, Sam Rockwell, Common, Neil Patrick Harris, and...okay, you get the idea. There's a lot more, but that's a good start. Okay, one additional actor -- Cary Elwes recreates his role as Westley. Most scenes with multiple characters in them could have have one actor in each shot -- after all, the actors were each sheltering alone at home -- so even scenes had to be patchworked together, even if they didn't match. Sometimes those husbands and wives (or partners) were both actors, so they'd be able to record their scenes together. All the actors had fun with it -- using home utensils for props, bringing in their pets to play the dangerous animals, and sometimes switching genders for the characters they played. And no single actor played the same role repeatedly throughout the movie. There were dozens of different 'Westleys' and 'Princess Buttercups' and 'Inigo Montoyas' and...well, everyone. Fred Savage -- who played the little boy in the original film -- got involved, as well, recreating his role, having the story read to him by his grandfather. And who played in the grandfather in one of those scene? The original director, Rob Reiner. And a few short clips from the original movie were occasionally edited it, as well. Jason Reitman did not direct the movie himself. Each segment was "directed" by the actors themselves in their individual scenes, though Reitman would consult with them about what was needed and help with sending some necessary props. And of course he was involved with getting it all edited together. For those interested, you can check out the whole production here at Quibi. And here's a minute-and-a-half segment to give you a short idea. That below is Tiffany Haddish and the rapper Common, who apparently are social-isolating together. They are a bunch of treats in the video, which begins in the little boy's room (not Fred Savage here) as his grandfather reads him the story. But no, all that's not the point here. That above is the bonus. This is the point. As you know, Carl Reiner passed away the other week at the age of 98. And he made his final appearance in this production, inspired by the film that his son Rob directed. And all the more notable, he performed in the final scene. And that's not the only thing notable. I'll leave it at that for now. I don't have a video of it to embed, but it's available from a tweet. And I don't say this often -- like almost never, but if you have a hanky around, you might want to keep it at the ready. Folks, when you've got to go...this is the way to do it.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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