I recently had the pleasure of rewatching The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) I have always enjoyed the sword fight between Percy and Chauvelin.
There have been some really enjoyable sword fights in movies, what's your favouorite?
My favourite is Wesley and Inigo in the Princess Bride (1987). The banter and music just make me so happy.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with Errol Flynn had some great sword fights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MqmpL6X_8w
Swashbuckling at its best.
shareThe tea house battle between the blind dancing girl and the sherif in House of Flying Daggers. The scene features superb composition, sound, cinematography, production design, and compelling drums. Ziyi Zahng shows off her background in ballet. Magnificent.
shareI'm a big fan of the swashbucklers of the 1930s and early 40s, the heyday of the genre. There is brilliant swordplay between Douglas Fairbanks Jr and Ronald Colman in The Prisoner of Zenda (1937).
shareNow this guy knows how to start a thread !
shareWhat else makes "The Princess Bride" swordplay so mesmerizing is the fact that both of them displayed acrobatic charisma.
In taunting each other, they even went over some of move sets and what they're called, allowing the uninitiated within the audience to still tag along while being treated intelligently.
I know this wasn't really a sword fight, not because these two guys were using lightsabers (1 and 1/2 if counting Darth Vader as part machine), but because no technique was actually used except for swinging around their blades like they were both angry golf players who really messed up a play.
The sheer force, ruthless aggression and unrelenting brute strength by Vader revealed what a freak powerhouse he could be when not even trying. Luke was clearly out of his league during their duel in "The Empire Strikes Back".
~~/o/
Hector vs Achilles in Troy
Will vs Jack in POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl
Maximus vs Commodus in Gladiator
OP, I share your admiration for the Princess Bride scene. I know the actors trained for it very hard. So too with the first confrontation between Jack Sparrow and Will Turner in pirates of the Caribbean. I have to confess a prejudice in favor of a certain sword, however, that guides my enjoyment of swordplay. The Japanese Katana (Samurai sword) is the most perfect sword ever forged and folded. It is the only sword that can both cut and thrust equally well, due to the subtle but brilliant curvature in its slender blade. A rapier (Zorro) can thrust, and slice candles, maybe, but not people. A saber (Conan), can slice but not thrust. Conan hacked off Thulsa Doom’s head. He did not skewer him. Because the Katana is the ultimate sword, I delimit my favorite scenes of swordplay to those with Katanas.
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