The Princess Bride Movie Script

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WESTLEY WHIRLING slashing at a U-shaped vine, hacks it in half -- it's still connected to the tree. Then be grabs it, drops his sword, and, clutching the other end of the vine, he dives into the lightning sand and there is another cloud of white powder, but it settles quickly.

Now nothing can be seen. Nothing at all. Just the lightning sand, lovely and lethal.

HOLD ON THE LIGHTNING SAND -- THEN -- An odd panting sound is heard now. The panting sound is suddenly very loud. And then a giant R.0.U.S. darts into view. The R.0.U.S. -- a Rodent of Unusual Size -- is probably no more than eighty pounds of bone and power. It sniffs around a bit then, as quickly as it has come, it goes.

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THE LIGHTNING SAND as Westley, lungs long past the bursting point, explodes out; he has Buttercup across his shoulders and as he pulls to the edge of the lightning sand pit, using the vine --

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CLOSE-UP - BUTTERCUP Her face is caked with the white powder. It is in her eyes, her ears, hair, mouth. She's still probably beautiful, but you have to look awfully hard to see it. As Westley continues to pull them to safety --

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THE R.0.U.S. high above them; it watches --

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BUTTERCUP: placed against a tree. Westley is cleaning the lightning sand from her face. He hesitates, glances around and

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THE R.0.U.S. on a much lower branch now. It stares down at Westley.

Westley stares back up at the beast. Buttercup is oblivious.

Her eyes flutter. He continues to work on her as -- BUTTERCUP: We'll never succeed -- we may as well die here.

WESTLEY:

No. No. We have already succeeded.

He glances back again. Now THERE ARE TWO R.0.U.S.'s. The have climbed into a nearby tree, stare hungrily down.

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WESTLEY, picking her up.

He puts an arm around her, starts to walk with her as he encouragingly goes on talking.

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WESTLEY:

I mean, what are the three terrors of the Fire Swamp? One, the flame spurts. No problem.

There's a popping sound preceding each, we can avoid that. Two, the Lightning Sand. But you were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in the future we can avoid that too.

BUTTERCUP:

Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.'s?

WESTLEY:

Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist... And as he says that, a R.0.U.S. comes flying at him from offscreen.

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BUTTERCUP: screaming and -- Westley, pinned under the attacking R.0.U.S., trying to fend it off. Can't. The thing's teeth sink deep into his arm. He howls.

Westley drives a fist into the beast's face, rolling it off.

He reaches for his sword just a few feet away, but the R.0.U.S. is back atop him. It's a fierce battle, and just when we think Westley can't possibly win, he flips the ugly rodent clear.

Westley scrambles for his sword. The R.0.U.S. stampedes on, changing its target, heading right for -- Buttercup, and she's scared to death and -- BUTTERCUP: Westley!

Westley abandons his sword, reaching for the rodent, grabbing only a tail, wrestling with it. Buttercup grabs a small branch, and using it as a club, beats the skull of the thing, doing pretty well, but the beast manages to snag her hem with its razor teeth, and she's pulled to the ground, and