# Great Fencing Scenes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886 "2004-10-24T12:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roseworm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df788c/32.png) [@Roseworm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roseworm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/1 "2004-10-24T12:31:18Z")
Greetings, everyone, I love movies with fencing scenes! Good old-fashioned fencing where the swordplay is fast and furious - hokey but convincing. It may not be real fencing but it looks great! My favorites: \*The Mark of Zorro \* (1940) - Tyrone Power takes on the legendary Basil Rathbone in what is undeniably the most dazzling fencing scene ever filmed. The fight is intricately composed and brilliantly executed. Plus, I suspect the camera was slightly undercranked to speed up the action and give the scene more energy. _Scaramouche_ (1952) - Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer dispute every square yard of a huge, lavish set in the longest fencing scene ever filmed. Thrilling and exhausting. \*The Adventures of Robin Hood \* (1938) - Errol Flynn in a classic showdown with Basil Rathbone (again). This scene, with its famous “shadow bit,” is pure Hollywood. \*The Court Jester \* (1956) - Danny Kaye gives his all versus Basil Rathbone (yet again). This is actually a spoof, but the fighting includes some genuine razzle-dazzle. I am also very fond of Disney’s old TV series “Zorro.” Admittedly, the swordplay is not very good, but Guy Williams is fun to watch. Swashbucklers with good fencing scenes used to be a Hollywood staple but, alas, they seem to have been replaced by grade-Z fantasy epics in which two beefcakes ponderously belabor each other with improbably heavy weapons which they can barely lift and you can practically count the seconds between their swings. Eesh. But I still love to watch great movie fencing. Any suggestions? _ **What is your favorite fencing scene in a film, old or new?** _ Respectfully, [Roseworm234@yahoo.com](mailto:Roseworm234@yahoo.com) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/2 "2004-10-24T12:34:44Z")
> [@Roseworm](#): > > \*The Adventures of Robin Hood \* (1938) - Errol Flynn in a classic showdown with Basil Rathbone (again). This scene, with its famous “shadow bit,” is pure Hollywood. I’ve never been able to decide which scene I like better: this one or The Man in Black Vs. Inigo Montoya from _The Princess Bride_. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/3 "2004-10-24T12:35:03Z")
**The Princess Bride** , hands down. (Inigo Montoya vs. the Man in Black) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/4 "2004-10-24T12:39:20Z")
I did film and stage fencing at college, and we were shown the sword fight from _The Princess Bride_ as the example of the abolute zenith of such scenes. We were told that neither actor had ever fenced before, and they only had three weeks to put it together. Absolutely brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/5 "2004-10-24T12:48:33Z")
When I saw the thread title, _Scaramouche_ was the first thing that came to mind, but I see that was covered in the OP. Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer both move like dancers and look like they know what they’re doing. I’d like to add either well-known version of _The Prisoner of Zenda_; either the great black-and-white version with Ronald Coleman and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (playing a villain!) or the color remake with Stewart Granger and James Mason. They’re both excellent, and have a great saber match at the end, in which both parties are not only trying to skewer each other, but to achieve an objective: to either allow or prevent the rescue of the eponymous imprisoned king. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/6 "2004-10-24T12:52:45Z")
Luke Vs Vader. ESB ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/7 "2004-10-24T12:57:45Z")
The scene in the first _Highlander_ movie, where Drunken Macloed keeps getting stabbed, then coming back, and getting stabbed again. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/8 "2004-10-24T14:39:31Z")
> [@Roseworm](#): > > I love movies with fencing scenes! Good old-fashioned fencing where the swordplay is fast and furious - hokey but convincing. I prefer my fencing a little more realistic. How about the rapier duel at the beginning of [The Duellists](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075968/)? There’s also a fine cavalry saber slash-fest a little later in the movie if that first scene was too tame. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/9 "2004-10-24T15:51:45Z")
**The Princess Bride** wins hands down, but a personal favorite is the duel between Tony Curtis and Ross Martin in **The Great Race**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/10 "2004-10-24T16:03:15Z")
My favorite also was _Scaramouche_, but nobody has yet mentioned the excellent, if brief, duel between Ross Martin and Tony Curtis in _The Great Race_. Pretty good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/11 "2004-10-24T16:30:34Z")
Hi there. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/12 "2004-10-24T16:50:38Z")
Another candidate (or two, depending on how you look at it/them): Richard Lester’s **Three/Four Musketeers** (1973-1974). Not so much of the _extended_ swordplay à la **Prisoner of Zenda** or **Princess Bride** , but satisfying nonetheless. (I’m particulaly fascinated by the slow motion / stop action duel between D’Artagnan and his father that takes place behind the first movie’s main title.) ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/13 "2004-10-24T16:57:24Z")
I really enjoyed the fencing sequence in the latest James Bond film _Die Another Day_. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/14 "2004-10-24T17:02:49Z")
Another vote for Princess Bride. Not only well-performed, but also right in the mood for the story and best of all: - includes an SDMB poster! (hi, Inigo!) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/15 "2004-10-24T17:09:25Z")
The best fencing scene has got to be in _ **THE GREAT ESCAPE** _. Here they were, surrounded by this **huge** fence guarded by Nazis with machine guns and searchlights, and … … What? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/16 "2004-10-24T17:29:41Z")
> [@Roseworm](#): > > \*The Mark of Zorro \* (1940) - Tyrone Power takes on the legendary Basil Rathbone in what is undeniably the most dazzling fencing scene ever filmed. The fight is intricately composed and brilliantly executed. Plus, I suspect the camera was slightly undercranked to speed up the action and give the scene more energy. This selection never gets enough mention, but I’d have to agree that it’s the best. Rathbone is alleged to have said that Power was the best duelling “partner” he ever had, and I think what really helps the scene is (1) there’s no music. All credit to Korngold, et al, but having only the duelling clashes of the swords heightens the suspense enormously, and (2) it’s in fairly close quarters, with the stunning B&W photography (courtesy of Arthur Miller) playing shadows that enhance the mood. Great selection! ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/17 "2004-10-24T21:59:02Z")
I’d think **yojimbo** would have something to say in a thread like this. I used to think that it was funny that an Irish guy had a red-neck name like “Yo, Jimbo!” Then I was staying up late one night channel surfing and what do my naive little eyes see? I think you can guess. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/18 "2004-10-24T22:10:37Z")
I’d echo the Errol Flynn/Basil Rathbone show-down, but let me also give a plug for the Richard Lester THE THREE MUSKETEERS (the one with Michael York, Raquel Welch, et al). The opening credit sequence is an very tense, very intense bit of swordplay. The remainder of the film, the swordsmanship is pure fun, but that opening credit sequence had me on the edge of my seat – it delivers the message that this is real, these swords can cut and chop, they’re sharp and fast and there’s nothin’ funny about it. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/19 "2004-10-24T22:15:23Z")
There’s a pretty good fencing duel in Young Sherlock Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886/20 "2004-10-24T22:17:02Z")
I think the battle between Robin Hood and the Sherriff of Rottingham in _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_ was pretty spiffy. Shocking, even. Teehee. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-fencing-scenes/270886.md?page=2)