Salguero Selects

Hi, and welcome to Salguero Selects – my weekly feel-good film recommendation. During these crazy times, it’s obviously important to keep the brain active (and I’ve seen the amazing work some of you have been doing while you’ve been at home); get your daily exercise and some fresh air as often as possible; and call, message or Facetime friends and family to stay connected.

But, we all need some down-time and I can’t think of a better way to relax and get together with your family than with MOVIE NIGHT! (but then, I would say that, I’m a film studies teacher J)

Each week I’ll be recommending a film for you (and your family) to enjoy and the focus will be on the warm and fuzzy. Films that simply can’t fail to cheer you up. Some of these might be classics we all know and love, but some might be ones you’ve never even heard of! But they’ll all have one thing in common: the feel-good factor!

The Princess Bride – a film that will lift you out of the ‘Pit of Despair’

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

The Princess Bride is the film we all need right now! It begins with a boy (played by the adorable Fred Savage – ask your parents about The Wonder Years!)  who is ill, stuck in bed and who needs cheering up (pretty relatable right now, hey?). So, his granddad comes round to tell him a story, one that has been passed down within the family for generations. The story his granddad tells him is pure, unadulterated escapist fun. There’s a princess, a poor farm boy who loves her and an evil prince who is determined to marry her. There are castles, fire swamps and quicksand (which, given how often I saw it in eighties’ films and cartoons, hasn’t been the problem in life I thought it would!). And there are swashbuckling pirates, a friendly giant and a sword-fighter hell-bent on revenge!

At its heart, it’s just a great adventure story but with humour the whole family will appreciate: it really is the perfect film to lose yourself in right now.

Reasons your parents will enjoy it: They probably watched it when they were kids and so it will give them a warm and fuzzy feeling of nostalgia.

Reasons your younger siblings will enjoy it: it’s basically a good, old-fashioned fairy tale!

Reasons you’ll enjoy it: Because it’s funny and for 98 mins you can forget about trying to look cool in front of your mates and just lose yourself in the rip-roaring ride!

(Currently available on Amazon Prime, You Tube Movies, Sky Store but not Netflix. Look in your parents’ dusty old DVD collection though – it’s bound to be in there!).