When Historical Fencers Attack

[MikeHarm]

One of my friends claimed he saw the guy at the ren fests. Not sure if its true but it does fit with what he was waving around. Its a pretty funny idiot with a sword story I think. Some of the language in the police report is a little unsuitable for kids though.



1000 Years Of Power

[Lefty1]

Hahahaha, now that was pretty funny!

[Elemental]

He's 5'9 and weighs 220 - 230lbs. He was a hefty fella.

Reminds me of some of the more "colorful" sca people I see at the parks archery range.

[geezer]

Hey, that was a HOOT!!! (big smile) Reminds me of a news flash from a year or so ago...a well dressed guy waving a two-hander around, on a city street one night, his girfriend freeking out in disbelief as the cops circled around him...most unusual!

[Larrison]

Man......

True story from *ahem* years ago.. The fencing club I was with (lo! so many years ago) ran a Fencing lessons booth at the local Rennaisance Faire as our annual moneymaker for the club This was like 15-20 years ago when the Renn Faire in SoCal was still at the Malibu Film Ranch. We'd put protective equipment on folks, run them through a 15 minute lesson on footwork, parries and lunges and let them bout some of the club fencers, with the customers usually "winning".

As one of the older folks in the club and somewhat experienced I had the fortune to get the more experienced fencers as well as the drunks and idiots. And one day I got a "historical fencer" who was both. The fellow was about 5'9, late 20's early 30's, with the goatee and long hair, slightly over weight. It was pretty obvious he had been drinking a bit -- from smell and a bit of a list as he stood in his version of on guard.

He got run through an abbreviated "lesson" and I got to "fence" him. With idiots and drunks they got no mercy, so I quickly scored 5 touches on him and we started to hustle him out. Then he started talking "if he had his broadsword he would have whopped me good."

So I stopped him and said words to the effect of "You really believe that? Take your foil and use it as a broadsword and see what happens..." He grabs his foil with a two handed grip and comes at me in what looks like Babe Ruth setting up a the plate. I come on guard, advance in to see if I can sucker him into swinging and of course, he goes for a side stroke at my head.

A quick retreat back and he makes a clean miss, and while he's staggering from that load of beer and assorted alcoholic fluids he's consumed I lunge in and nail him under the arm where plate armor wouldn't be and chain mail isn't usually strong. He winces and comes back into his Casey-at-the-Plate guard.

This time I feint and then lunge to hit his hand on the pommel as he lifts both hands up for another swing, and retreat out of distance to put up my hand and stop the contest. But he's into his Rennaisance Fencing zen and keeps advancing. This time I advance in intending to slap his weapon out of his hand, and he takes a roundhouse kick at me. Fortunately he was drunk and slow and I was wired on fencing adrenalin so he telegraphs the move. Seeing the kick develop and come out lets me step into it, take his shin on my hip and trap it there with my free hand. This leaves him trying to stand there on one leg, with both hands in the air trying to hold his weapon up. I take another step forward, still holding his leg trapped against my hip in midair. He overbalances and falls down on his back.

I waved the tip of my weapon back and forth just above the front of his mask (protective equipment was on, remember?) to get his attention and loudly announced that this lesson was over.

Reading this news story made me remember that and wish that I'd had a taser at the time.....

[Moses]

Reading this news story made me remember that and wish that I'd had a taser at the time.....

I kinda wish you did, too.

-Da Mose

[ThatReallyHurt]

Heh... those are great. Kind of reminds me of that part in Indiana Jones where there's that big guy swinging the sword really enthusiastically, and Indy pulls out his pistol and shoots him.

[geezer]

Heh... those are great. Kind of reminds me of that part in Indiana Jones where there's that big guy swinging the sword really enthusiastically, and Indy pulls out his pistol and shoots him.

Ford was supposed to have a sword in that scene too, but Props messed up..he ad libed and pulled his pistol...suddenly a cinema classic is born!!!

[pixie]

Ford was supposed to have a sword in that scene too, but Props messed up..he ad libed and pulled his pistol...suddenly a cinema classic is born!!!

I thought the story was that Ford was feeling kinda sick that day, and he asked the director if he (Ford) could make the the scene quick by just shooting the guy...?

[Fechter1]

I thought the story was that Ford was feeling kinda sick that day, and he asked the director if he (Ford) could make the the scene quick by just shooting the guy...?

That's what i heard as well. If you look closely, you can actually see that he's absolutely miserable during that scene.

Also (from IMDB):

The scene in Cairo in which Indy just shoots a sword-wielding man was intended to be a long, choreographed fight scene featuring Indy's whip versus the Arab man's saber. Harrison Ford, suffering from dysentery after three months of filming in Tunisia, couldn't face the three additional days of filming and suggested that this much shorter version should be tried instead. Some sources attribute the idea to Steven Spielberg rather than to Ford. In the American Film Institute's tribute to Spielberg, Ford stated that, on the day of shooting, he begged Spielberg to find a way to get the scene done in less than two hours so he could get back to the hotel before a dysentery attack hit him. Spielberg said the only way they could complete the scene so quickly would be for Ford to "pull out your gun and shoot him." Crew members standing nearby began to laugh uncontrollably at the idea.

[geezer]

Wow, I was wrong!!! Amazing...do you know how rare this is...Jebus, I can't believe it...it's only happened one other time!!!