The Princess Bride is the fourth soundtrack album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 12 November 1987 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album contains music composed for the 1987 film The Princess Bride, directed by Rob Reiner. The album features the song "Storybook Love", written and performed by Willy DeVille and arranged by Mark Knopfler. In 1988, the song received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Background In his audio commentary of the film on the Special Edition DVD, director Rob Reiner said that only Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits could create a soundtrack to capture the film's quirky yet romantic nature. Reiner was an admirer of Knopfler's work but did not know him before working on the film. He sent the script to him hoping he would agree to score the film. Knopfler agreed on one condition: that somewhere in the film Reiner would include the baseball cap (modified to say USS Ooral Sea) he wore as Marty DiBergi in the film This is Spinal Tap. Reiner was unable to produce the original cap, but did include a similar cap in the grandson's room. Knopfler later said he was only joking about the hat.The Princess Bride (Special Edition), audio commentary by Rob Reiner, 1987.
Critical reception
In his review for AllMusic, Johnny Loftus gave the album four and a half out of five stars, praising Knopfler's ability to capture the varied dramatic elements of the film in the music.
The editorial reviewer on Filmtracks gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "an important piece of late-80's film music history."
In 1988, the song "Storybook Love", written by Willy DeVille and arranged by Mark Knopfler, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Track listing All music was written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated.
Charts Chart (1988)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report) 87
Personnel Music Mark Knopfler – guitars Guy Fletcher – keyboards Willy DeVille – vocals
Production Mark Knopfler – producer Bill Schnee – mixing Marc De Sisto – engineer Bob Ludwig – mastering Steve Jackson – engineer, mixing ("Storybook Love") Deborah Feingold – photography
References
External links The Princess Bride at Mark Knopfler official website