The Princess Bride

The contradictory notion that a film can appeal to children of all ages accidentally yielded a masterpiece - The Wizard of Oz. The Princess Bride, a lush fairytale movie adapted by William Goldman from his own novel, was not such an all-ages love-in - here, the action is continually undercut by adult knowingness that nudges towards satire.

The story is nominally told to a sickly 10-year-old and emerges as a tale of adventure, but is unlikely to appeal to kids any more than the central romance. Whatever its swashbuckling trappings, this is more a movie for the adult fans that adore it worldwide than for 21st century children.

But with an appealing cast including memorable characters roles for Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin ("Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You Killed my father. Prepare to die.") and Billy Crystal, you can see exactly why it's held in such high regard by its We Love Love The 1980s cult fanbase. Quoteable, rewatchable and funny, The Princess Bride stands up two decades after its original release.