Thursday 12 April 2012

Inigo

There's a scene near the end of the splendid fairytale film romp The Princess Bride where a swashbuckling character bent on revenge repeats his catchphrase over and over again.

The ridiculously-named actor Mandy Patinkin confronts Christopher Guest, who plays The Six Fingered Man - the villain he has been searching for his whole life.

"Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" Mandy growls, in a cod Spanish accent. "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

"Stop saying that!" pleads his over-generously-digited foe.

It was at this point yesterday, when we were watching the film for the what must have been the 50th time, my daughter turned to me, shaking her head and smiling ruefully.

"God, he doesn't half go on! He's said it once, he really doesn't need to say it again and again, does he?" she said, looking at me askew.

Now my girl is a world-beater at repeating particular phrases ad infinitum. And she knows this, because even as she does it she'll occasionally interrupt the flow to tell herself she doesn't need to keep saying what she's saying. And then she keeps saying it.

When I giggled, she giggled back, and started parroting the Inigo Montoya phrase.

Her brother and her dad were hiding from dragons under a blanket in the little lad's bedroom. So we crept upstairs, and whipped the blanket off. The slightly startled but amused pair listened dutifully as she performed the line. More than once, obviously.

Small pleasures.

Recorded on my phone: My name is Inigo Montoya...



Video is The Princess Bride - My Name Is...


Song is Gillian Welch with David Rawlings - No-one Knows My Name

5 comments:

  1. Since recently re-watching The Sopranos, I walk around all day chanting: 'Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.' It's very satisfying.

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    1. I say that one regularly, too. Along with most lines from Withnail & I.

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  2. I mentioned this very scene when I txted our local radio station yesterday regarding films that make you cry. My trigger is the "I want my father back, you son of a bitch" which they don't show when it's on the telly.
    My other point was that Inigo is very good as the Middle East Division chief in Homeland, although I do rather keep expecting him to advise Carrie that "I don't think that means what you *think* it means..."

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    1. I'm hoping she doesn't start repeating the SOB bit.
      Mandy is excellent as Saul in Homeland, isn't he? When Damien Lewis kept drumming his fingers in the press conferences, I kept expecting Inigo to yell: "HE HAS SIX FINGERS!

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  3. Catching up again on your blog. Excellent.

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