One more comment about the pirates in the “Light at the Edge [not “End”… sorry] of the World.” There is a palpable undertone of homoeroticism running throughout their portrayal – probably an accurate take on the pirate lifestyle of the time. Very daring and ahead of it’s time for 1971, if you ask me.
Wearing it out we certainly are.
BTW, I can only assume that your handle means you went to Stuy? I right?
Fencing trivia is much fun. 
Didn’t know that about Neil Diamond. And despite that it is Zsa Zsa’s story, I give it some credence. Hungary does have a fencing tradition, especially in sabre. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true.
I despise the Crimson Pirate, by the way. Dunno how any of you folks liked it.
But Scaramouche is marvelous, and I will certainly check out Light at the Edge of the World.
Regards,
MR
Maeglin asked:
“BTW, I can only assume that your handle means you went to Stuy? I right?”
That is correct, sir. Class of '77.
For sheer lunacy, there’s Sir Lancelot’s attempted swashbuckling in Swamp Castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The icing on the cake is “Um…could somebody give me…a…push?” as he swings helplessly on the chandelier…
I don’t know if the rest of you will count this as swashbuckling, but how’s about Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Darth Maul in the reactor room in Episode One? Incredible chorography. Ray Park is truly an artist.
My dad’s class of '68, btw. Back in the “Old Building”.
MR
For swashbuckling books, you might try Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles. Great anti-hero, lots of action, good historical research and even witty, erudite (if often opaque) dialog.
Sure, that counts. Especially since it was the only watchable part in the whole movie (Episode One - The Franchise Menace). Now if I could just get a 4-minute special version of the movie with all the other crap cut out, i’d buy it.
Hey, here’s an idea - why doesn’t someone make a “That’s Entertainment”-style movie with just the best sword scenes? It would be heavily loaded with Basil Rathbone and Toshiro Mifune, but hey, that’s okay with me. Here’s a list to get started:
Cliffs of Insanity fight - The Princess Bride
Danny kaye/Basil Rathbone - The Court jester
Any two of the hundreds of Mifune fights form Kurosawa movies
Neeson/Mcgregor/Parks lightsabre duel - Episode One
James Mason & that other guy - The Prisoner of Zenda
Maeglin:
Yeah, I did the Old Building too! But at least, thank God, I did it AG; you’re dad did it BG! (Ask your dad… trust me, he’ll know what it means.)
“The Hunted” with Christopher Lambert has some pretty good fight scenes. Not really fancy-showy swordfighting, just skilled people using weapons to kill each other as fast as possible. It comes off as believable, and since I have never actually seen a Samurai fight a Ninja I am willing to call it realistic. The plot sucks though.
Thank you, JosephFinn! I’ve had that candle bit in my head for years, and couldn’t remember (or find) the movie, no matter how many tapes I rented.
That’s a load off my mind!
(Off to the video store tomorrow!)
Probably The Flame and the Arrow with Nick Cravat playing Piccolo. AMC runs this every once in a while. I suspect the swordplay is as hokey as the plot, but it is tremendous fun–especially Cravat’s scenes.
Tim Roth and Liam Neeson - Rob Roy
No problem - it’s one of my favorite movies. Incidentaly, there is a bit of classic American icon trivia attached to “The Mark of Zorro.” It was the film that Bruce, Thomas and Martha Wayne went to see the night that Thomas and Martha were killed in Crime Alley, placing Bruce on the path to becoming Batman. This is actually a plot point in “The Dark Night Returns,” as Bruce forgets to check the TV listings and accidentaly comes upon the movie, forcing him to confront how empty his life has become since he gave up the mantle.
Pirates! did have, however, a great performance by Charlotte Lewis (who then appeared as the female lead in “The Golden Child,” but appears to have done not much else, and nothing since 1997).
Has anybody mentioned The Duellists? Very different in tone from most swashbucklers, but with great swordfighting scenes. Or the recent version of Rob Roy.
Incidentally, are there any movies in which somebody actually swashes a buckler, thus providing a visual explanation for the word?