The Princess Bride

Plot hole: In the scene where Westley is tortured to extremity, he screams, and upon hearing him scream, Inigo is instantly able to identify Westley and that he is in love with someone about to marry. You could say Fezzik told him, but how did Fezzik know? For all they knew, he was just a pirate after a prize.

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Suggested correction: He doesn't instantly identify Westley; he identifies the sound of ultimate suffering. He surmises that it must be Westley because he can't think of anyone else who would have cause for ultimate suffering. By now the news would have spread that Humperdink's men apprehended a pirate claiming to be Buttercup's true love. Inigo was simply putting two and two together.

Revealing mistake: When Inigo and Westley are duelling, they are making athletic jumps. One does it after the other and when they land you can see the mat wrinkle under the "dirt" on the ground.

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Trivia: When Count Rugen knocks Westley out to put him in the Pit of Despair, Cary Elwes wanted the scene done properly, so he told Chris Guest to hit him for real with the sword butt. Guest did, and accidentally hit him hard enough that production had to be shut down for a day while Elwes was taken to the hospital.

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Question: Inigo shows Westley the sword his father made for the 6-fingered man ("I've never seen its equal"). How did Inigo acquire this sword? You would think that if Count Rugen was prepared to kill Domingo for the sword then he would have taken it with him.

Answer: When Inigo was a child, Count Rugen came to Inigos father and requested a sword be made for him. When the sword was finished, Count Rugen refused to pay the price he originally offered for the sword. Inigos father refused to hand the sword over so Count Rugen killed Inigos father. Outraged, Inigo took the sword his father made and tried to kill Count Rugen. He has kept the sword ever since so he could use it to kill Count Rugen.

Answer: In the book, Count Rugen told the outraged villagers that Domingo had tried to rob him and he killed Domingo in self-defense. He couldn't very well take Domingo's sword after that.

Brian Katcher

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