by Bob Ross » Sun Feb 11, 2007 12:55 pm
Well done, Randy -- ingenious research. I'm wondering, though, if he is translating the word into English. You've asked him the question in English, using the Parisian pronunciation of Languedoc. He stumbles a bit -- thinking and speaking in three languages is not that easy.
How would he say the word if you were speaking French with him in a normal conversation? [I don't really doubt the three syllable version -- he pronounces the way I remember hearing the word in the Midi -- but I've got a tin ear.]
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On another front, the Wall Street Journal reviewed a humor site this weekend, with a neat little spoof of the wine scene in "Princess Bride":
Spoofing Hollywood's excesses is a great tradition of "Saturday Night Live" and movies like "Airplane." But 19-year-old Brandon Hardesty does it from the basement of his parents' house in suburban Maryland.
In some of the best amateur comedy on the Web, Mr. Hardesty re-enacts scenes from classic movies beat for beat, playing all the characters himself. Every few weeks, he adds a new installment to his now nearly 20-part series, taking on films like "GoodFellas" and "The Silence of the Lambs" with surprisingly canny impressions, juxtaposed with low-budget props and scenery that heighten the sense of satire.
Portraying Wallace Shawn's wine-tasting "battle of wits" in the "Princess Bride," he fills two goblets from a Tupperware container of iced tea, launching into a dead-on impression of Mr. Shawn's squinting grimace as he gestures across the table to his masked rival. That character is also Mr. Hardesty, wearing a mask made from boxer shorts and filmed from a different angle.
In case you are interested in putting the clip on the video page, search for "Brandon Hardesty" on YouTube.com or go to brandonhardesty.com.
From the original screen play: Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me...
Vizzini in The Princess Bride (1987).
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Thanks very much for taking the time to put up these clips. They add a new dimension to the wine loving experience. Thanks for all the hard work.
Regards, Bob
