Best fencing movie

[Sildar]

Originally posted by Joaveen
Zorro--what does anyone think of the rest of the movie (yeah yeah, Catherine Zeta-Jones is cool and all that, but the rest of the film...?How about the whole circle thing?)

It's been a while since I've seen that film, but it had pretty standard swashbuckling theatrical swordplay with some interesting acrobatics thrown in for good measure. The choreographer was mainly basing the fencing on sabre as I recall. The "whole circle thing" was a vague reference to the old Spanish system of fencing on a circle, but the choreographer and the writers didn't actually know anything about old Spanish fencing so there wasn't much historical accuracy to it. Then again, I don't go to Zorro movies expecting realism or historical accuracy, so I was entertained...

[S. Fisher]

"It's been a while since I've seen that film, but it had pretty standard swashbuckling theatrical swordplay with some interesting acrobatics thrown in for good measure. The choreographer was mainly basing the fencing on sabre as I recall. The "whole circle thing" was a vague reference to the old Spanish system of fencing on a circle, but the choreographer and the writers didn't actually know anything about old Spanish fencing so there wasn't much historical accuracy to it. Then again, I don't go to Zorro movies expecting realism or historical accuracy, so I was entertained..."

Sildar, you took the words out of my mouth, I will agree with you completely.

For those who did not know, Bob Anderson choreographed the swordplay for the Mask of Zorro. Anderson is responsible for such works as The Three Musketeers (1993), Highlander (1986), The Princess Bride, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, First Knight etc.
Anderson in my opinion is a great example of the "anti-realistic."

[D'Artagnan1673]

I love the Gene Kelly version of the Three Musketeers. They did a fine job bringing the story to life. I enjoyed the fencing, although more theatrical than real. You can still see some nice disengages and true parrys.

How about the Douglas Fairbanks Jr. silent anyone?

[pkt]

Bob Anderson has been the most prolific sword fight coreorgrapher Hollywood has used in a long time. Bob Anderson was Head National Coach of British Fencing then he came to Canada and became our technical Director till he retired.

He also did the sword plays in the Star Wars, in case you have omitted...
http://www.fencingonline.com/academy/bob_anderson.htm
Date Last Modified: 16 Jul 2002

There, a definitive word on Bob Anderson...

Since nobody mentioned it yet, Cyrano de Bergerac - with Gerard Depardieu as CdB - was another good fencing movies esp. in that CdB like Musashi in real life, fought off a big mob singlehandedly.

Here's another proof of the edage that one can find almost everything on the Net:
http://members.tripod.com/~leongpc/fencing/Photos.html

PK

[Sildar]

Originally posted by D'Artagnan1673

How about the Douglas Fairbanks Jr. silent anyone?

Thanks for reminding me; I knew I was forgetting something.

A couple of the old black and white Zorro films (such as Mark of Zorro) with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. featured some of the best fencing ever put to film. That is to say, they actually used real parries and attacks from traditional Italian dueling sabre throughout the entire scenes in several cases. Granted this looks nothing like modern sport sabre, since ROW interpretation makes parries rare and ill-advised in most cases now. But for the traditional dueling sabre, the fights were quite genuine in terms of being things that classically trained sabre fencers could have actually done without being suicidal.

[Zouave]

A good place to find a lot of these films is at
[url=http://www.belleandblade.com]

They have "The Fencing Master", "Seven Samurai", Yojimbo", and a huge number of others. Good prices, and highly recommended.

As a plus, it's owned and operated by Steve Mormando, a former Olympic sabre fencer!

[D'Artagnan1673]

Sorry Sildar, I meant Sr.

How about the 1949 Cyrano de Bergerac anyone? Poor quality as far as lighting and sound, but Jose' Ferrer was great! I've never seen the modern movie. Speaking of Gerard, anyone seen Jean de Florette. Has nothing to do with fencing, but a great foreign film.

[JEC]

Manon of the Springs is the continuation. I thought both of those movies have been Depardieu's best films (out of ten or so I have seen). Obviously, his best fit for the job was Cyrano .

[D'Artagnan1673]

I've yet to rent Manon. I should as I loved the first movie. Ah, how about Depairdeu as Porthos in the Man in the Iron Mask?

[edew]

Originally posted by Zouave
A good place to find a lot of these films is at
[url=http://www.belleandblade.com]

They have "The Fencing Master", "Seven Samurai", Yojimbo", and a huge number of others. Good prices, and highly recommended.

As a plus, it's owned and operated by Steve Mormando, a former Olympic sabre fencer!

[Note: threadjacking in progress...]

Please, folks, once an Olympian, always an Olympian. There are no former "Olympic" or "Olympian" this that or the other. Unless they're dead, I guess.

[Inquartata]

For some reason the lavish Depardieu "Cyrano" just felt flat to me. Ferrer pulled it off with much more ( forgive me ) panache, even if everything else about that picture was forgettable. There's a reason he got Best Actor out of it.

[pkt]

In4,

Depardieu's acting has gone down hill in the last few, up to 10 years.

PK

[jusplainfencing]

ive heard of almost all of the movies that were mentioned and i have only seen zorro.....oh my.....i have just realized that i need to go to blockbuster rent all of the previously mentioned movies and watch.....

[schlager7]

Thinking of films with fencing and Depardieu...

"Vatel"

While there is a single scene involving swords, it is priceless! After some ruffians set upon Vatel (Depardieu), they are stopped by courtier's of Monsieur's court (Monsieur being the designation for Philippe, brother of Louis IV) sent to see that Vatel is not molested (an intentional pun for those who have seen the film).

At one point one of the ruffians tries to attack Vatel's rescuers. The lead courtier simply makes a series of commands along the lines of (not direct quotes here):
Jacques, calf
Edward, back,
Louis, wrist

As each, in turn, skewers the body part assigned him, with better than average point control (moving wrist with a small sword, after all).

Like I said, very brief and most fun.

[meph]

I can't belive no one has said Mark of Zorro with Basil Rathbone and Tyrone Powers! Wonderful sabre scene in the end when Basil and Tyrone go at it! AWESOME stuff!!!!

Meph

[schlager7]

I absolutely agree. It was one of my earliest childhood images of sword play. Even now I can enjoy their delightful characterizations punctuated by sharp, clean moves.

[pkt]

Originally posted by schlager7
I absolutely agree. It was one of my earliest childhood images of sword play. Even now I can enjoy their delightful characterizations punctuated by sharp, clean moves.

Isn't a "schlager" a kind of sabre?
"Sabre is Theatre. Foil is Art. Epee is Truth."

If it is, then you have a theatrical name.

PK

[ian]

I would have to say my favorite films with fencing are:
1: Scaramouche, you can always praise that movie. and Stuert Granger got into his lessons so much that he did all his own fencing for the movie, in the process though he received a sholder injury that bothered him for the rest of his life, and he also had to have 20 stitches in his calf!
2:Princess Bride. I meen realy, you got to give them credit, it's very entertaining!
3: The Mark Of Zorro. with Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone,
excellent fencing scene,and both actors knew how to fence. although Power had a double in a couple parts because he was not as athletic as Basil, and the director thought he undermined the fencing.
4: Mississippi Gambler. with Tyrone Power, as was brought up by some one who already posted; there is excellent form in this scene! from a purist view it is very real looking. and it is said that the scene was put together by the great Nadi of Italy.
5ie Another Day. For pure excitment I would have to say the scene in the latest Bond is quite good. You go from very controlled realistic epee fencing in a club, to hack and slash kill each other fencing! I thought it was pretty good.

[Sildar]

Originally posted by ian

4: Mississippi Gambler. with Tyrone Power, as was brought up by some one who already posted; there is excellent form in this scene! from a purist view it is very real looking. and it is said that the scene was put together by the great Nadi of Italy.

I have heard the rumor that Nadi choreographed the fencing in MG, but I think this is highly unlikely for two reasons:

1) Fred Cavens and another Maestro were both featured in the film, and Nadi was by all accounts highly unlikely to cooperate with another fencing master.

2) The fencing in that film is very Classical French technique, and bears little resemblance to Nadi's highly personal version of the Italian school.

[d0gz|song]

What about Choice of Weapons? Is it a good movie?