KKC Theory Wiki

The Princess Bride Meets The Crow: What Rothfuss's Pitch Comp Reveals About the Plot

fringe other · popularity 102 · 1 source thread

Rothfuss pitched the series as Princess Bride meets The Crow, hinting at legend-versus-reality themes and that Kvothe may return from the dead.

About: Kvothe

Also involves: The Chandrian, The Amyr, Haliax, Lyra

The theory§

This theory mines an old interview in which Rothfuss gives a half-joking 'comp' pitch for the series — The Princess Bride meets The Crow — and reads the two films as encoding the saga's themes and Kvothe's arc. The Princess Bride supports the legend-versus-reality motif: Westley becomes the Dread Pirate Roberts, a borrowed name and reputation handed down rather than an identity, mirroring the Kvothe/Kote split and the suspicion that supposed heroes and villains — the Amyr and Chandrian — may swap roles. The Crow, a resurrection-revenge story in which Eric Draven returns from death to right wrongs, is taken to hint that Kvothe has died or must return from his diminished innkeeper life to undo the harm he caused, echoing the Lanre-and-Lyra pattern. A darker variant notes that Brandon Lee died filming The Crow and reads the comp as a sign Kvothe is genuinely doomed. The chief caution is that Rothfuss prefaced the comparison by calling it a 'ridiculous', joke pitch.

Evidence§

  • His comp was *The* *Princess Bride* meets *The Crow,* and that in itself is interesting.
    Core premise: Rothfuss's pitch comparison encodes the saga's themes. — u/Mountain-Sector-9670
  • the main character, Westley, becomes the Dread Pirate Roberts, but he isn't. He had learned how to become that person from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts … Westley assumes the legend and myth and plays that part. Legend and myth, and the truth behind them, are obvious comparisons to the Kvothe story.
    Princess Bride maps to the legend-versus-reality, Kvothe/Kote split. — u/Mountain-Sector-9670
  • I would speculate that the supposed heroes and villains in the book will no doubt swap roles because nothing in Temerant is what it seems.
    Extends the motif: Amyr and Chandrian may swap hero/villain roles. — u/Mountain-Sector-9670
  • What makes this film unique is that the main character, Eric Draven, returns from the dead to seek his revenge and right all the wrongs … It may indicate that Kvothe has to 'return from the dead' of his assumed life as an innkeeper to clean up the mess he has made, or he has died at some point in his story.
    The Crow hints Kvothe died or must return from his diminished life. — u/Mountain-Sector-9670
  • look at Kvothe-the-cyridae - he does a lot of stupid shit, including lying, stealing and murdering people for the reasons he deems just. ANYTHING goes for the \~\~great justice\~\~ cause.
    Comment backs the role-swap claim with Amyr/Kvothe moral ambiguity. — u/P_Nh
  • Princess Bride novel is one of those books that exists in several realities as fairytale, a narrative frame story and a metaphyiscal commentary on 'story'. … I think both influence the Kvothe/Kote transitions between legend and reality
    Refines: the novel's frame-story layers reinforce the legend/reality reading. — u/luckydrunk_7
  • OP left out some pretty significant context IMO. … he can give a “joke” pitch where he compares it to 2 vastly successful Hollywood movies. … And immediately after he says “it’s a ridiculous comparison”. So I don’t think too much should be read into this
    CounterChief counter: Rothfuss framed the comp as a ridiculous joke pitch. — u/duggyfresh88
  • Westley spends most of the film chasing who he thinks are the mythical and dangerous villain. Uh.. No.. It would be difficult to misrepresent this more. … He chases Buttercup.
    CounterCounter: disputes OP's reading of the Princess Bride plot itself. — u/Zhorangi

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

single page; fringe correct: based on out-of-text pitch comp read speculatively

Contributors§

Source threads§