Commandments in the Media: Volume 1

"True love, really is the greatest thing in the world..." Miracle Max

Ooh, watch! He's going to fight left handed!

The Princess Bride

I wanted to start "Commandments in the Media" with a movie that nearly everybody loves and cherishes. I wanted it to be a classic that stands the test of time, one so classic that you could close your eyes and see the characters and scenes. The only movie I could think of that deserved that honor was The Princess Bride. Most of us know it as a childhood favorite that we could quote every single line from, but as I thought more about it, I realized that it would also make the perfect movie to start this feature with. 

The Princess Bride is a story of true heroes, true villains, and true wove, flooding with unfailing christian chivalry. You've probably seen it a thousand times before... but have you ever considered it from perspective of The Commandments?

The Commandments in The Princess Bride

Nearly all of the greatest moments in The Princess Bride can be tied into The Commandments. The entire movie is filled with good old-fashioned christian chivalry, which is not only inspiring but humorous in a positive sort of way.

A lot of my favorite moments in the movie come during the fight scenes. The sword fighting is kind of neat (old-fashioned and still neat), but I also find it interesting to see the respect that the heroes have for life. Even when the villains play dirty (like throwing a dagger or fighting left handed), the heroes never kill anyone unless they're attacked first. For example, during their duels, Wesley knocks Inigo and Fezzik unconscious rather than killing them. During the scenes in the castle, the only soldiers killed by the heroes are the three who attack Inigo. Then later, when Inigo faces Count Rugan, he waits to fight him until he makes the first attack. There is not a single character that the heroes kill who wasn't trying to kill them first, and to me, this respect for life creates respect for the heroes.

Another one of my favorite moments is Inigo's prayer. When Inigo and Fezzick face a closed door on their journey to find "the man in black," Inigo drops to his knees and prays for his father's spirit to guide his sword. With his eyes closed and in hilariously dramatic fashion, he ends up accidentally stabbing it into a tree knot, which reveals the hidden passageway to "the man in black." This moment really shows that prayer doesn't make a big show or give us all of the answers. Inigo was gently guided to the knot and he initially thought his prayer hadn't been answered, however when he leaned on it, he learned that his faith was correct. How important is it for us that we lean on the answers that we receive through Prayer and exercise that faith?

Another great moment, remember the battle of wits? Wesley tricked Vicini into drinking poison by drinking along with him. However, he had built up an immunity to iocane power. If Vicini had let go of his pride and refused to drink, he would have survived his encounter with the man in black. Just like that, we have modern poisons like alcohol and drugs, that can be just as deadly to us, even though we don't see other people experience the consequences. I'm thankful for the Word of Wisdom, which protects us from "falling into one of the classic blunders."

Finally, the entire movie is just full of Christlike love. Wesley and Buttercup have such a sweet relationship, because it is founded on service and loyalty, rather than on looks or cheap pleasure. Having an attitude of service creates "true wove" in our relationships. May we all follow this example and serve our families and friends. As we do, we will experience the joy and confidence of serving our neighbors and we will be able to follow the Savior's example, who loved us so much he gave us His life in service. "As you wish."