@@siilis1089 I found first season quite boring, so it's well balanced to kill off good scenes to keep eyes on the screen. It was the same for Game of Thrones. I hope next season will be more colourful, instead of dark and moody weather :)
It was supposed to be. Renfri is a huge story in the last wish and Geralt even instinctively defended her from Stregobor's autopsy. They absolutely needed to have great chemistry to make that part believable. Sad that they ruined the story's entire point in the show.
@@MRGilD0 Yes. This is my absolute favorite short story from the entire frenchise. The whole debate about lesser and greater evil, being neutral etc., it's just so symbolic for the entire story. Geralt wants to be neutral, he wants the choice of refusing to do evil. But then, just like Renfri said, in the Witcher's world. "Only Evil and Greater Evil exist and beyond them, in the shadows, lurks True Evil. True Evil, Geralt, is something you can barely imagine, even if you believe nothing can still surprise you. And sometimes True Evil seizes you by the throat and demands that you choose between it and another, slightly lesser, Evil." It's present in the books, and it is present in the games, where there usually isn't a good and a bad choice. It may seem like a choice is good, but then there's a price to it. I'm still kinda pissed about how they left out so many details. The Tridamian ultimatum, the throwing a knife into a rat, the fact that Geralt and the alderman knew each other and he stayed at his place. The way Renfri talked about her past and present and the way Stregobor talked about the sections and the vivisection (disgusted noises). Even the fact that she would climb to his room on the roofs, instead of stalking him in the woods. Her fighting with a skirt (although it may have been too difficult from technical point of view). It just took away a good portion of the "magic" of the story.
One of the few sword fights in cinema where it looks like the combatants are actually trying to kill each other, instead of just bang their swords together.
@@Cj-xt6tv although i highly criticise how unrealistic most fight scenes are on TV shows and movies , fights like these are much more entertaining to watch. Real life duels either end in 15 seconds or they're just people standing against each other waiting for an opening.
I agree. But the impact of it was lessened a lot by the lack of important context in that episode-there was a lot kore buildup and exposition both to the story and their relationship in the book.
And choreographed in a way there it seems there's real power and the characters are in fact trying to kill eachother, as opposed to swinging it wildly out of range or carefully making a movement at the others' sword.
@@matheuscruz8574 lol. I've never played the games or read the books, so I guess that makes me new. You see it in every show or movie with swordplay though. Gotta throw in something for the crowd that likes the pretty lights. This is still one of the better ones though. They're actually trying to kill each other instead of just banging the swords together. When you consider that it's fantasy and Geralt is supposed to be significantly faster than a normal person all the extra movements are forgivable.
@@matheuscruz8574 Ya but why did they need to blow their load with the first fight in the first episode? The rest of the sword fighting sequences for the rest of the show are shit. It sucks cause it just seems like they did it to get people interested after the first episode and I remember for this scene they did reshoots right before release. Looks like they just threw most of their budget at this scene fake good action for the rest of the show.
I'd seriously consider this to be the best sword fight I've ever seen, I can feel the momentum of every swing. Brilliant actors to carry out such a difficult looking choreography.
Watch the movie Samurai X 1, 2, 3 and 4. That is what you call REAL sword fights. The Japanese director was Donnie Yen's ( of the Ip Man series ) apprentice.
@@godfathergtg That was fight was massive levels of BS with each powered swing well outside range and every other swing aimed at the weapon. Not to mention it was full of the moves 'Hollywood suicide-whirl' and 'Hollywood suicide-jump' and other things no remotely realistic swordman would ever do.
It's really excellent. Geralt being on the defensive until he grabs the dagger, looks in her eyes, and sees nothing but rage. Then he goes on the attack to finish things because he realizes she's never going to stop.
That is the problem. Swordsmanship is deadly, brutal and ugly it isn't supposed to be beautiful. While it is mentioned in the books as a dance, I think it is just a metaphor for the skill with which witchers wield the sword.
I love how it seems that he warns her a few times like he smacks her, literally nearly takes her collarbone off and pleads with his eyes but she is just so consumed. When she slashes him the final time he is just like fuck it, disarm her. But poor Renfri can't stop and that's why she dies. I think that's why he kills her with her own blade. Like it was her own doing.
Yep. Geralt is a flawed yet ultimately deeply moral man. He's done quite a lot of killing, but it's not something that he enjoys, and he's willing to give those who are innocent an out
It's sad that most people don't even know Renfri's actual backstory or lore. The show does everyone justice, and more is to come. But there's a lot the games and books provide that you cannot really find elsewhere.
That is probably due to the fact that he already had plenty of fencing and sword fighting experience through his time in the movie Immortals, in which he trained like hell for months to prepare.
I always feel so bad for these two, neither of them wanted to fight the other, but are too emotional to back down, Geralt for Renfri threatening civilians, and Renfri for Geralt killing her men, who she was loyal to and cared for. Geralt is haunted by killing her I think, evidence by carrying her brooch on his sword since this duel.
that's why she wanted him to kill her. She'd lost her chance at revenge which was all she was really living for at this point. She blamed Geralt for that so in her mind he had to be the one to kill her. Its was the most effective way of hurting him and I think deep down she knew he was the only one who could stop her.
In the book whole thing was even more Tragic, Renfri was ready to give up her revenge after she threatened the civilian because she was just bluffing but her man got out of control (least this is how I remembered)
@@Tattletale97 Renfri already gave up her revenge. She appeared after Geralt had already butchered her men since her plan to get Stregobor out would have never worked. That was the whole point of the chapter, and it annoys me how the show didn't see fit to tell the story like that, instead having Renfri threaten a child to justify Geralt's actions. The whole point was that Geralt chose the lesser evil for nothing. Geralt killed her men for nothing. Geralt was forced to kill her, someone he actually cared for for nothing. And he suffered for it and continues to suffer from it as evidenced by the following chapter with Iola.
Said no one ever. Cavill is a typical action scenes guy, his emotional stuff is kinda meh. More of a luck pulling a proper string rather than being a proffesional musican
@Pitero Aaaaand you just failed your Witcher exam. Whole emotionless thing is just a inside-universe rumour/myth .All witchers have feelings and Geralt is aware of his own aswell
1:22 - 1:32 - the best part of the show for me....Geralt realising that he really has to kill her to make her stop, despite trying to convince her otherwise, her determination even when she knows that she's outmatched and can't win, chemistry between these two, choreography and music...just top...
1:35 is even more impressive to me. He transitions from a normal grip to a tonfa style grip holding the crossguard, and then back again while it's behind him (out of sight from his opponent) And it looks like it's actually Henry doing this, not a stunt double
I understand why other fight scenes weren't as good, everyone in the Witcher World isn't a highly skilled Swordsman. Geralt is supposed to be exceptional, few could perform this well against him and even fewer could do better👑
This scene is actually a reshoot done with Henry Cavill's fight choreographer from Misison Impossible, whereas the original shoot was choreographed by a stunt performer from Game of Thrones. All of episode one is actually a reshoot that was done after the entire season was filmed. Why they only re-did episode 1 with a new choreographer we do not know. However, we do know that the GoT guy is not coming back for season 2, and a choreographer Cavill knew from MI will be taking charge for s2 instead (not the main choreo guy from MI that cavill brought over, but someone from the same team). Hopefully with these changes we get more of ep1 quality in season 2.
@@danielb351 I do believe he cheats with magic (uses a magical staff thing, created out of thin air, seemingly moving faster than any sword and heavier than any sledgehammer)- and Geralt is wounded... But then again the book version of Geralt. One of the things made better by the games and hopefully one to be adapted by the Series is Geralts superiority with a blade, the fantasy and the "Myth" and legend he becomes. And I do believe Geralt Beheads Vilgefortz?
this rly is great choreo combined with great subtle effects. u can just feel that his strikes are so powerful its unhuman. they did a great job on geralt being slightly more powerful but still more bound to his skill as a swordsman than just op maincharacter.
It was OK. Sadly Weve got so used to utter **** we get hyped for mediocrity. Replaying wither 3 these days, and any vid I see on YT about this show is so sad. Couldve been great. A commited nerd. FUCK NETFLIX
this scene is amazing to me for one specific reason. The audio. I mean listen to those first 3-5 seconds of fighting. its almost the best sword sound ive ever heard for a fantasy type movie/show. the ring of the sword is just so well placed and cut off. jesus you can feel the weight of their swords just in the sound. every swing sounds lethal. i love that so much as an audio engineer. a lot of love went into this and i have a lot of appreciation for the foley, filming, and screen writing of this scene. its perfection. i applaud these people.
As awesome as the fight is, my favorite moment of this scene is 1:44. That gaze she gives him. So intense, so determined. Actors who can play with their eyes alone are tremendously rare.
I love the level of thought that went into this to show Geralt doing his absolute best not to kill Renfri. Her first few strikes he dodges without parrying, and then only parries in the first bout, which he tries to end with a slap. It's like saying "Rethink this. NOW!" Then she stabs her, and Geralt sees Renfri isn't afraid of doing him harm, she's not just all talk. So he does a few preemtive strikes and finishes with a completely unnecessary back-cross parry to show her "This is how skilled I am, YOU DON'T WANT THIS FIGHT." When he sees the resolve in her eyes, he decides to wound her badly, hoping she'd give up. When at last Renfri goes for the stab at his thigh artery (which is a fatal wound) he decides "fuck it, I'm going on the offensive. Let her see what a Witcher can ACTUALLY do." He disarms her in about four moves and gives her one last desperate chance. She keeps attacking - he kills her with her own blade, a stab to the throat: a merciful, quick death that says "I didn't want this, I regret it ended like this". Never seen such effective storytelling through action; okay, maybe only in Fury Road
Hey thank you for your comment. For me.. its like shes killing herself.. knowing she had no chance and it looks like geralt would kill her but i dont believe.. I think she tried to end this. I think Geralt feels something for her (but i know witcher have no feelings xD) This is just my opinion.
@@cbrunner25 "(but i know witcher have no feelings xD)" Witchers absolutely do have feelings (both in the games and books), this is just a rumor that they started leaning into, because it helps them with their profession. Witchers go through grueling training and live long, hard lives filled with danger, loss, hardship and poverty. This would make any human jaded and distant, imagine doing it for 80+ years. But yeah, they do have feelings, they just suppress them to be able to focus on the missions. Geralt in the games is (or the player has the option to make him) one of the most emotionally healthy and mature characters. He knows when to put his feelings aside and focus on the action and allows himself to feel them when safe.
God I loved the fight choreography in this scene! I was actually on the edge of my seat the first time I saw it and didn't even realize it until the episode ended. LOL
Bro calm tf down she was only in a couple episodes your over here saying she needs her own movie 😂💀 geralt has to get his own movie before anything in the witcher universe
The first two books were just a series of short stories and this was one of them. That was until, by popular demand, Andrejz Sapkowski made a book series and continued with the other three books (which were fucking awesome). Unfortunately, the book doesn't have much for this character, but absolutely was this amazing.
What I really appreciated about this choreography was both actors looked as if they were actually attempting to make fatal strikes instead if the usualt banging swords together and random body kicks in almost every other medieval sword fight, you saw renfro actually duck beneath his slashes and geralt sidestep numerous times to avoid her daggers, this was some sick sword fighting right here
When she said "We are not so different" that was a very powerful acting performance i mean she is not just repeating lines she made me feel the meaning behind it and that is why i like this scene.
This fight scene really made me fall in love with medieval shows. It's not like those other medieval shows where two people are swinging plastic swords against each other
Point that I rarely see mentioned : sound effects. They feel so reel and satisfying, steel hitting against steel and not just random "fight sounds" like whoosh woosh you'd hear almost everywhere else. Those in chagre of sound design did a great work.
I think she actually wanted him to kill her. The way she's fighting, and her remark at the start 'I won't be able to stop' was it a threat? I won't be able to stop until you're dead' or was it a request 'I won't be able to stop. I don't want to be this. you have to stop me,' That's what I like about The Price of Neutrality, the characters the scenario... everything is ambiguous.
This is, without a doubt, the absolute best non-martial arts sword play I've ever seen in a movie or TV show. It's fast, beautifully choreographed, brutal, exciting, participants are close to being evenly matched, love the combo sword-and-dagger work from Renfri, love Geralt's transitions from forward to reverse grip (and yes, I've seen all the criticism from sword "experts" about how unrealistic his reverse grip is, it's still great to watch). Bravo to the actors, the fight choreographers, and the cinematographers!
Exactly. I’m still not over the fact that, specifically the striga fight, was not at all book accurate. Was it entertaining? Sure, was the striga cool? Sure, but in the book, the monster didn’t even hit Geralt until after she was back to human form. But I’m the series he was getting his ass beat. I see why Henry cavil doesn’t want to stay, but man he’s a good Geralt
I'm willing to bet a lot that Geralt could of easily killed her so many times throughout that entire fight scene, way more then we get to see, but chose to let her live. Until he couldn't.
I remember watching an interview with Henry Cavill where he mentioned in this scene, specfically at 1:35, that once Geralt decides to actually commit to offensive rather than defensive, within seconds he's disarmed Renfri and won.
Geralt is around 80 years old by that point of the books, and has been training and fighting since he was 10 at the latest. Book Geralt is a lanky guy, though they made him muscular here, but in either case he's easily twice as big as Renfri, who is a good fighter, but with only a decade or so of experience and regular human reflexes. She never had a sliver of a chance in a serious fight.
@@alfa-psi A lot of the time in movies and shows there is a load of cutting to make up for actors/actresses being unable to do things like this. It isn’t always expected and clearly the commenter above thought it was worth complementing.
Lmao you mean big props to the people who trained and showed them how to do that 😂your giving props to the wrong people they just do what thier shown and paid to do
The best scene in the Witcher. Nothing else the show ever did came close to capturing the brutal world, the emotional power, the stakes, the thrilling action, the magic, the chemistry between the two, and the skill and character of Geralt of Rivia better than this. I was really hoping Emma Appleton would get a few more flashback sequences for Renfri, by far the best and most memorable female character, and she had the least screen time, too. No shade on the other characters, but none of them clicked with Cavill’s Witcher as much as this. It went far downhill from here.
For almost the entire fight, all Geralt does is try to warn her. The moment he decides to kill her was the moment after he gave her a final chance and she refused. And the killing blow was instant. It just shows that he could have done that at any point during the fight.
Watching this scene at 0.25 speed is really interesting. In comparison to a lot of other sword fights in movies, most of Renfri's attacks (although not all) are actually made in range and actually aimed at Geralt, not his sword or right next to him. Same for Geralt once he really gets going at the end. Really makes this scene seem like a duel to the death.
I got worried, gotta admit that he handled very well though ...but when comes to "physical Geralt", Zach McGowan is my No.1 - lean body (Henry is too bulky for Geralt), his voice, long hair and generally that charisma suitable for Geralt
@@patrickkubinec7026 Henry is perfect and fits more video game version then book. Henry tried to mix both as much as he could but leaned more toward game version as he is a huge fan of the games. So am I...infact only reason I even looked for the books is cause of the game. Same with Metro 2033 series. If never read the books I highly recommend it plus the author is cool person in general.
@@tharengore7215 I love Metro, both series (meaning books and games) - in fact playing DLC for Metro Exodus now 👍 but when I tries to read “Future” from the author, I didn’t like it that much
It's simply the best and most stunning and most meaningful hand to hand combat scene I've ever seen. The way he doesn't want to hurt her is beautiful. Then when she put the sword on top of the dagger you knew she was going to die.
It took a lot of "convincing" on her part to make him kill her. Like he gave her so many outs here. She knew and still wouldn't stop. Both knew what was coming and what had to be done. Makes this all the more tragic.
Honestly Geralt didn't want to kill her let alone fight her. But she was so consumed by hate for Stregobor that it outweighed her judgement. That is why she couldn't stop that is why Geralt killed her even when he pleaded for her to turn away from her blind hatred.
Okay, so everyone is talking about the choreography, which don't get me wrong is absolutely glorious But can we talk about how perfect Renfri's acting was? Like, you can feel the seething, unyielding rage coming from her throughout the fight. The determination, the anger, the perfect portrayal of an unstoppable force
I wish they gave her the same last words she had in books and Polish series, though. But other than that it was the best fight scene in the series and perhaps TV. Although I prefer more realistic, down to earth fight scenes like in Deluge movie. First season was flawed but promising and I enjoyed it, I can't forgive Netflix how they butchered it since season 2.
This is such a pivotal moment in the books. A moment that is essentially a building block for him. It shows that even the hero can fuck up. He has to live with this death and always wonder if it would've even happened had it not been for the interference of Streggabor. Renfri became an outcast by the hands of wizardkind. She was a victim that tried to keep living til her hatred for Streggabor gets her killed.
Minus 1 or 2 cheesy parts of the sword fight like the sword block behind the back, this was probably the best choreographed fight scene I think I've seen.
The one thing I love the most about this scene is every single sword strike isn't your typical choreography. Every strike is meant to kill, I watched this in slow mo and not a single swing was directed at either of their swords. Renfri was all killing blows with her attacks and the moment Geralt got serious every single sword swing was meant to unbalance, throw her on the defensive and disarm at the very end. Even the quick hand grab and twist with her short dagger was superb sword technique using the flat of the blade to slightly move her arm away and grab her wrist to twist the dagger into her throat using her own momentum. This is 10/10 sword fighting right here that I wish more shows and movies would actually do instead of that choreograph bullshit that doesn't even look real.
Geralt was fighting defensively and wasn't trying to kill her and gave her chances to stop. Once he goes on the attack, he has the blade to her throat in 6 seconds. A good example of how skilled a witcher is
Seen a lot of real sword experts criticize how Geralt fights, but none of them take into account his super human abilities. It would change the way you fight if you knew a sword slash was more an inconvenience than dangerous.
sword fighting techniques are a result of optimisation. Yes , fatal is different from inconvenient, but it still scores negative and its something you want to avoid... Do something for long enough and you have access to a limited set of moves, all of them a result of optimisation. Anything else is sub optimal, and hence , the domain of fantasy
@@liamjm9278 But super human abilities give you the awareness and reflexes to guard attacks that normal humans would be too slow or unaware to. It's done to show that Geralt is so far above these guys that he can leave himself open without being in danger.
This is in my opinion one of the best sword fight I've ever seen in tv , for the last trilogy of star wars... Comparing those with this is a staright up disrespect to this. Those fights were like two amateurs trying fencing for the fist time, no technique, worst choreo ever, lame pacing. They were literarly just shouting at eachother with swinging lightsabers LMAO
@@clownslayer4670 So your complaint is that Rey (never held a lightsaber before), Finn (never held a lightsaber before) and Kylo (didn't get much training, was just shot by weapon that blows people up like an RPG, has just killed his father and shouldn't even be standing let alone fighting) weren't particularly adept fighters?
@@JainaSoloB312 actually finn's fight wasnt bad, it was exciting, but for the rest of them, yes I do have a complaint. The episode 8 choreo had mistakes, the one in rots was no different then episode 8 either considerinh it was 1 year later. The force jump of rey still cringes me like hell lmao
I have watched this show a few times and every time I forget that Triss is in it until her name is dropped and then I forget about her again until she reappears, meanwhile Renfri, I always remember her as one of the best characters.
Who knows now that he won't be playing Superman. Seeing as focusing on DC was the reason he let go of this role he may just as soon come back to it. I hope lol
After playing more of the witcher and reading the books, the "I won't be able to stop" line from renfri almost feels like shes finishing geralts sentance since Witchers go into a trance when fighting, so it would mean she knows thats shes gonna die and this is her way of going out on her own terms. makes the scene far more tragic
You'd think that Geralt would have learned from this incident about how dumb it is to be a centrist but he continues to spend the rest of the show being proud of both siding everything
Renfri's actress was so good. She should've been Triss, her chemistry with Cavill just worked so well. She was underrated.
I think thats why they casted her. She was the bait for the fish.
Her as Triss would have been awesome but we got very little of Triss so I will wait to judge until season 2 and more of her.
Very nice pfp you have there.
@@siilis1089 I found first season quite boring, so it's well balanced to kill off good scenes to keep eyes on the screen. It was the same for Game of Thrones. I hope next season will be more colourful, instead of dark and moody weather :)
In books Renfri's death affected Geralt and here the cast was perfect and her death affected audience.
I wish the actress who played renfri was cast as a character that had a longer time on the project. The chemistry between the two is undeniable
I think she will be back in some sort of way
It was supposed to be. Renfri is a huge story in the last wish and Geralt even instinctively defended her from Stregobor's autopsy. They absolutely needed to have great chemistry to make that part believable. Sad that they ruined the story's entire point in the show.
Isn't chemistry just a fancy word for wanting to bang? Quit sugar coating everything like it's anything more than that
@@rampagingshrew3191 well yes an know, u can still have chemistry with people u don't wanna bang
@@MRGilD0 Yes. This is my absolute favorite short story from the entire frenchise. The whole debate about lesser and greater evil, being neutral etc., it's just so symbolic for the entire story. Geralt wants to be neutral, he wants the choice of refusing to do evil. But then, just like Renfri said, in the Witcher's world. "Only Evil and Greater Evil exist and beyond them, in the shadows, lurks True Evil. True Evil, Geralt, is something you can barely imagine, even if you believe nothing can still surprise you. And sometimes True Evil seizes you by the throat and demands that you choose between it and another, slightly lesser, Evil." It's present in the books, and it is present in the games, where there usually isn't a good and a bad choice. It may seem like a choice is good, but then there's a price to it.
I'm still kinda pissed about how they left out so many details. The Tridamian ultimatum, the throwing a knife into a rat, the fact that Geralt and the alderman knew each other and he stayed at his place. The way Renfri talked about her past and present and the way Stregobor talked about the sections and the vivisection (disgusted noises). Even the fact that she would climb to his room on the roofs, instead of stalking him in the woods. Her fighting with a skirt (although it may have been too difficult from technical point of view). It just took away a good portion of the "magic" of the story.
One of the few sword fights in cinema where it looks like the combatants are actually trying to kill each other, instead of just bang their swords together.
Still highly unrealistic though..
@@jarsstuff1238 there are some parts that are really dumb but some are actually really good. Shad has a good video of it.
jars stuff real to life sword fights are boring on screen
@@Cj-xt6tv although i highly criticise how unrealistic most fight scenes are on TV shows and movies , fights like these are much more entertaining to watch. Real life duels either end in 15 seconds or they're just people standing against each other waiting for an opening.
Especially in a tv show.
I come back to this fight so often. He gave her five chances before he laid her down. One of the best choreographed sword fights to ever be made
I agree. But the impact of it was lessened a lot by the lack of important context in that episode-there was a lot kore buildup and exposition both to the story and their relationship in the book.
@@ZephyrWritesthis fight is the best fight in the show and unfortunately for me the show never topped episode 1 lmao
She was determined to die, in her mind she sees herself as a monster, and what better way for a monster to die than in the hand of a Hexer?
Many chances, what a pity.
Best sword fight in cinema. The camera isn shaking, no wild clumsy movements, no long boring pauses, just raw fighting.
lots of long pauses, lot's a spinning around too
And choreographed in a way there it seems there's real power and the characters are in fact trying to kill eachother, as opposed to swinging it wildly out of range or carefully making a movement at the others' sword.
Not the best but it is good
It’s pretty good but I would say that Troy was better
watch Inigo vs Malatesta
The actor, the actress, the fighting, the tension, the soundtrack, everything's amazing in this scene.
You sould find the old polish series- it is better,that it. Henry is a cool actor- but the rest is a rubbish.
@@tobolevsergey6769 this episode is as eredin puts it in the books "a diamond in a heap of dung"
Yeah, I love how he pulled off that disarm. He yanked that shit from her. Beautiful
When two best players of the each team are the only ones left:
Yet one is far more skilled than the other
Just like in games
@@hitlerparodiesbrb4692 That's why I bought a new mouse and mouse pad. I've upgraded my skills beyond belief.
Accurate.
@@tc2664 I have reached a level of skill and deftness that have superseded even my own expectations of possibility.
@@loganhess1389 😲🙏👍
One of the best sword fights I've ever watched! Wish I could see more of this in fantasy tv shows.
Shame the fight quality went down so much after the first episode
Other than the unnecessary spinning and backhanding it's definitely choreographed for realism instead of theatrics
@@billybones1694 Wouldn't be The Witcher without flashy swordplay. Guess you're new
@@matheuscruz8574 lol. I've never played the games or read the books, so I guess that makes me new. You see it in every show or movie with swordplay though. Gotta throw in something for the crowd that likes the pretty lights. This is still one of the better ones though. They're actually trying to kill each other instead of just banging the swords together. When you consider that it's fantasy and Geralt is supposed to be significantly faster than a normal person all the extra movements are forgivable.
@@matheuscruz8574 Ya but why did they need to blow their load with the first fight in the first episode? The rest of the sword fighting sequences for the rest of the show are shit. It sucks cause it just seems like they did it to get people interested after the first episode and I remember for this scene they did reshoots right before release. Looks like they just threw most of their budget at this scene fake good action for the rest of the show.
I'd seriously consider this to be the best sword fight I've ever seen, I can feel the momentum of every swing. Brilliant actors to carry out such a difficult looking choreography.
Watch the movie Samurai X 1, 2, 3 and 4. That is what you call REAL sword fights. The Japanese director was Donnie Yen's ( of the Ip Man series ) apprentice.
Try Hector vs Achilles in Troy
Look up Jet li vs Donnie Yen sword fight
@@godfathergtg
That was fight was massive levels of BS with each powered swing well outside range and every other swing aimed at the weapon.
Not to mention it was full of the moves 'Hollywood suicide-whirl' and 'Hollywood suicide-jump' and other things no remotely realistic swordman would ever do.
@@ftd7435 Where can i find those?
Damn, that was really well choreographed. It was like a dance.
It's really excellent. Geralt being on the defensive until he grabs the dagger, looks in her eyes, and sees nothing but rage. Then he goes on the attack to finish things because he realizes she's never going to stop.
it's great, the way witcher's fight in the books is written as if it was a dance
That is the problem. Swordsmanship is deadly, brutal and ugly it isn't supposed to be beautiful. While it is mentioned in the books as a dance, I think it is just a metaphor for the skill with which witchers wield the sword.
@@rajkumarmarichetty2737dude it’s a show enjoy it. This was well done good lord stop overthinking it 😂 there are worse scenes
@@MajesticLawnGnome That is true. I just get a itch when martial art scenes seem too flashy. A bad habit of mine I guess. 😅😂
I love how it seems that he warns her a few times like he smacks her, literally nearly takes her collarbone off and pleads with his eyes but she is just so consumed. When she slashes him the final time he is just like fuck it, disarm her. But poor Renfri can't stop and that's why she dies. I think that's why he kills her with her own blade. Like it was her own doing.
Yep. Geralt is a flawed yet ultimately deeply moral man. He's done quite a lot of killing, but it's not something that he enjoys, and he's willing to give those who are innocent an out
I think he might have done it as a impulse to a blade coming at him
It's sad that most people don't even know Renfri's actual backstory or lore. The show does everyone justice, and more is to come. But there's a lot the games and books provide that you cannot really find elsewhere.
I think that was her plan, in the show Renfri see herself as a monster.
@@Tattletale97 Why? Why force him to do this? Why threaten an innocent life? I do not understand!
this actor trained for more then half a year to star in a scene that would last for less then 3 minutes. dedication.
@@alfa-psi yeah, it's really not about the money at that point. have you seen how much only fans creators make?
He was already fighting in Immortals movie -,-
That is probably due to the fact that he already had plenty of fencing and sword fighting experience through his time in the movie Immortals, in which he trained like hell for months to prepare.
The fact you and thousands of people are talking about her means she did her job.
@@Jamplays592 You made me spit out my coffee, LOL.
I always feel so bad for these two, neither of them wanted to fight the other, but are too emotional to back down, Geralt for Renfri threatening civilians, and Renfri for Geralt killing her men, who she was loyal to and cared for.
Geralt is haunted by killing her I think, evidence by carrying her brooch on his sword since this duel.
that's why she wanted him to kill her. She'd lost her chance at revenge which was all she was really living for at this point. She blamed Geralt for that so in her mind he had to be the one to kill her. Its was the most effective way of hurting him and I think deep down she knew he was the only one who could stop her.
In the book whole thing was even more Tragic, Renfri was ready to give up her revenge after she threatened the civilian because she was just bluffing but her man got out of control (least this is how I remembered)
@@Tattletale97 Renfri already gave up her revenge. She appeared after Geralt had already butchered her men since her plan to get Stregobor out would have never worked. That was the whole point of the chapter, and it annoys me how the show didn't see fit to tell the story like that, instead having Renfri threaten a child to justify Geralt's actions. The whole point was that Geralt chose the lesser evil for nothing. Geralt killed her men for nothing. Geralt was forced to kill her, someone he actually cared for for nothing. And he suffered for it and continues to suffer from it as evidenced by the following chapter with Iola.
2 season had nothing good in comparison
@@MRGilD0Geralt didn’t kill her men for nothing, they literally tried to murder him, how’d you miss that part.
Cavill's acting is incredible. You could see the pain and regret in Geralt's face after killing the woman he had just fallen in love with.
Said no one ever. Cavill is a typical action scenes guy, his emotional stuff is kinda meh. More of a luck pulling a proper string rather than being a proffesional musican
@Pitero Aaaaand you just failed your Witcher exam. Whole emotionless thing is just a inside-universe rumour/myth .All witchers have feelings and Geralt is aware of his own aswell
@@carlosveil1001 Exactly, in the books Geralt is one of the most emotional guys in the entire universe
@@carlosveil1001 No the other guy got it right. Henry Cavill's acting in this series is great, it was really the only great thing about the series.
@@TeamCap623 There was no other portrayer of Geralt. Maybe thats why ? XD How can you claim that someone is the best when there is no competition lol
I wish the whole series was this good, what a damn missed opportunity
i think the same :/
What I like most about this fight isn't actually the choreography, it's the sound effects. Seriously, the ring of those swords clashing is so goood!
I love the weighty sounds of the clashing swords and not ones that make it sound like LARPing swords banging together
This girl acted very well... she deserved a big role 🥺
1:22 - 1:32 - the best part of the show for me....Geralt realising that he really has to kill her to make her stop, despite trying to convince her otherwise, her determination even when she knows that she's outmatched and can't win, chemistry between these two, choreography and music...just top...
just one episode and i missed her for 3 seasons..........
This is legitimately the only scene I even remember from the show. Excellent choreography
1:51 I just love how smoothly he changes his grip on the sword
1:35 is even more impressive to me.
He transitions from a normal grip to a tonfa style grip holding the crossguard, and then back again while it's behind him (out of sight from his opponent)
And it looks like it's actually Henry doing this, not a stunt double
@@JainaSoloB312 Witchers use both hands.. So Henry was trained to use both his hands..
I understand why other fight scenes weren't as good, everyone in the Witcher World isn't a highly skilled Swordsman. Geralt is supposed to be exceptional, few could perform this well against him and even fewer could do better👑
This scene is actually a reshoot done with Henry Cavill's fight choreographer from Misison Impossible, whereas the original shoot was choreographed by a stunt performer from Game of Thrones. All of episode one is actually a reshoot that was done after the entire season was filmed. Why they only re-did episode 1 with a new choreographer we do not know. However, we do know that the GoT guy is not coming back for season 2, and a choreographer Cavill knew from MI will be taking charge for s2 instead (not the main choreo guy from MI that cavill brought over, but someone from the same team). Hopefully with these changes we get more of ep1 quality in season 2.
@@Cj-xt6tv except Vilgefortz obviously.
@@samreeves2131 I was just thinking that.
Vilgefortz literally destroys Geralt
@@danielb351 I do believe he cheats with magic (uses a magical staff thing, created out of thin air, seemingly moving faster than any sword and heavier than any sledgehammer)- and Geralt is wounded... But then again the book version of Geralt. One of the things made better by the games and hopefully one to be adapted by the Series is Geralts superiority with a blade, the fantasy and the "Myth" and legend he becomes. And I do believe Geralt Beheads Vilgefortz?
this rly is great choreo combined with great subtle effects. u can just feel that his strikes are so powerful its unhuman. they did a great job on geralt being slightly more powerful but still more bound to his skill as a swordsman than just op maincharacter.
When the show was good
It was OK. Sadly
Weve got so used to utter **** we get hyped for mediocrity. Replaying wither 3 these days, and any vid I see on YT about this show is so sad. Couldve been great. A commited nerd. FUCK NETFLIX
I can’t imagine the show continuing without henry.
Just finished rewatching two seasons one more to go.
Never was
@@astfgl884 wrong
It was far from good
this scene is amazing to me for one specific reason. The audio. I mean listen to those first 3-5 seconds of fighting. its almost the best sword sound ive ever heard for a fantasy type movie/show. the ring of the sword is just so well placed and cut off. jesus you can feel the weight of their swords just in the sound. every swing sounds lethal. i love that so much as an audio engineer. a lot of love went into this and i have a lot of appreciation for the foley, filming, and screen writing of this scene. its perfection. i applaud these people.
As awesome as the fight is, my favorite moment of this scene is 1:44. That gaze she gives him. So intense, so determined.
Actors who can play with their eyes alone are tremendously rare.
I love the level of thought that went into this to show Geralt doing his absolute best not to kill Renfri. Her first few strikes he dodges without parrying, and then only parries in the first bout, which he tries to end with a slap. It's like saying "Rethink this. NOW!"
Then she stabs her, and Geralt sees Renfri isn't afraid of doing him harm, she's not just all talk. So he does a few preemtive strikes and finishes with a completely unnecessary back-cross parry to show her "This is how skilled I am, YOU DON'T WANT THIS FIGHT." When he sees the resolve in her eyes, he decides to wound her badly, hoping she'd give up.
When at last Renfri goes for the stab at his thigh artery (which is a fatal wound) he decides "fuck it, I'm going on the offensive. Let her see what a Witcher can ACTUALLY do."
He disarms her in about four moves and gives her one last desperate chance. She keeps attacking - he kills her with her own blade, a stab to the throat: a merciful, quick death that says "I didn't want this, I regret it ended like this".
Never seen such effective storytelling through action; okay, maybe only in Fury Road
yeah its very apparent how outclassed she was in this fight.
Excellent analysis
@@sohammitra8657 agreed
Hey thank you for your comment. For me.. its like shes killing herself.. knowing she had no chance and it looks like geralt would kill her but i dont believe..
I think she tried to end this. I think Geralt feels something for her (but i know witcher have no feelings xD) This is just my opinion.
@@cbrunner25 "(but i know witcher have no feelings xD)"
Witchers absolutely do have feelings (both in the games and books), this is just a rumor that they started leaning into, because it helps them with their profession.
Witchers go through grueling training and live long, hard lives filled with danger, loss, hardship and poverty. This would make any human jaded and distant, imagine doing it for 80+ years. But yeah, they do have feelings, they just suppress them to be able to focus on the missions.
Geralt in the games is (or the player has the option to make him) one of the most emotionally healthy and mature characters. He knows when to put his feelings aside and focus on the action and allows himself to feel them when safe.
God I loved the fight choreography in this scene! I was actually on the edge of my seat the first time I saw it and didn't even realize it until the episode ended. LOL
She honestly should have been cast as Triss. Her interactions with Cavil are explosive!!
Such a good fighting choreography. It must have taken a lot of work to nail this down. I love watching these kinds of scenes.
Man, does she need her own origin movie! She is an amazing actress and was so committed to the work needed for this role.
ao'
Bro calm tf down she was only in a couple episodes your over here saying she needs her own movie 😂💀 geralt has to get his own movie before anything in the witcher universe
I guess you could say that she lives in our heads Renfri (rent free).
The first two books were just a series of short stories and this was one of them. That was until, by popular demand, Andrejz Sapkowski made a book series and continued with the other three books (which were fucking awesome). Unfortunately, the book doesn't have much for this character, but absolutely was this amazing.
No TF she doesn’t.
What I really appreciated about this choreography was both actors looked as if they were actually attempting to make fatal strikes instead if the usualt banging swords together and random body kicks in almost every other medieval sword fight, you saw renfro actually duck beneath his slashes and geralt sidestep numerous times to avoid her daggers, this was some sick sword fighting right here
When she said "We are not so different" that was a very powerful acting performance i mean she is not just repeating lines she made me feel the meaning behind it and that is why i like this scene.
This fight scene really made me fall in love with medieval shows. It's not like those other medieval shows where two people are swinging plastic swords against each other
Point that I rarely see mentioned : sound effects. They feel so reel and satisfying, steel hitting against steel and not just random "fight sounds" like whoosh woosh you'd hear almost everywhere else. Those in chagre of sound design did a great work.
1:12 this move is great.
Greetings from Poland, The Witcher's home🇵🇱
And the home of Stanislaw Lem!
@@jswissman702 ucrania bro
I think she actually wanted him to kill her. The way she's fighting, and her remark at the start 'I won't be able to stop' was it a threat? I won't be able to stop until you're dead' or was it a request 'I won't be able to stop. I don't want to be this. you have to stop me,' That's what I like about The Price of Neutrality, the characters the scenario... everything is ambiguous.
She should just toss a coin to the witcher.
@@calyesil yeah she couldnt beat him anyway
Yeah in a breakdown of this fight by Cavill he says she was “determined to die”
If you look at her gaze, at 1:44, then you know. Dying was her goal all along.
Fun fact the song is call the ultimatum
This is one of the best sword choreography dance ever made.. wow amazingly done by them
This is, without a doubt, the absolute best non-martial arts sword play I've ever seen in a movie or TV show. It's fast, beautifully choreographed, brutal, exciting, participants are close to being evenly matched, love the combo sword-and-dagger work from Renfri, love Geralt's transitions from forward to reverse grip (and yes, I've seen all the criticism from sword "experts" about how unrealistic his reverse grip is, it's still great to watch). Bravo to the actors, the fight choreographers, and the cinematographers!
Sadly, one of the few episodes that does the books justice.
If only we'd had this much care and love going forward
Exactly. I’m still not over the fact that, specifically the striga fight, was not at all book accurate. Was it entertaining? Sure, was the striga cool? Sure, but in the book, the monster didn’t even hit Geralt until after she was back to human form. But I’m the series he was getting his ass beat. I see why Henry cavil doesn’t want to stay, but man he’s a good Geralt
Vesemir be like
"Stop dancing and be done with her Geralt"
RIP
Vesemir
I'm willing to bet a lot that Geralt could of easily killed her so many times throughout that entire fight scene, way more then we get to see, but chose to let her live. Until he couldn't.
I really hope the actor they choose for vesemir will fit the part...lmao
I love how the fight is so realistically detailed while not losing the awesome fight scene.
Frightening intensity of the actors. Very well executed. Congrats to them and special mention for the choregraph.
I remember watching an interview with Henry Cavill where he mentioned in this scene, specfically at 1:35, that once Geralt decides to actually commit to offensive rather than defensive, within seconds he's disarmed Renfri and won.
Geralt is around 80 years old by that point of the books, and has been training and fighting since he was 10 at the latest. Book Geralt is a lanky guy, though they made him muscular here, but in either case he's easily twice as big as Renfri, who is a good fighter, but with only a decade or so of experience and regular human reflexes. She never had a sliver of a chance in a serious fight.
@@Nerthos ты не сказал о главном. Она блять женщина! Как она может победить этого чувака? Никак
@@samleroy2964 soothaimoodu
@@insaners2420 what?
the dynamic in that fight was insane. kudos to the director. well done.
The choreographer for this BETTER have gotten a bonus!!!
I have been watching this on repeat like 20 times, it's so good. the music in the background is amazing
Yes
Es increíble
Big props to Cavill and the other actress here. They clearly put some work in on the choreography and swordplay
@@alfa-psi A lot of the time in movies and shows there is a load of cutting to make up for actors/actresses being unable to do things like this. It isn’t always expected and clearly the commenter above thought it was worth complementing.
@@whatinthek7931 100%
Lmao you mean big props to the people who trained and showed them how to do that 😂your giving props to the wrong people they just do what thier shown and paid to do
@@christiansantamaria7233 Henry Cavill himself made that fight and performed it. He teached the actress.
This scene was so beautifully done. Henry Cavill, the gal, the choreography … the music … everything.
The best scene in the Witcher. Nothing else the show ever did came close to capturing the brutal world, the emotional power, the stakes, the thrilling action, the magic, the chemistry between the two, and the skill and character of Geralt of Rivia better than this.
I was really hoping Emma Appleton would get a few more flashback sequences for Renfri, by far the best and most memorable female character, and she had the least screen time, too. No shade on the other characters, but none of them clicked with Cavill’s Witcher as much as this.
It went far downhill from here.
Started promising but went downhill straight from there ahah
First episode was the peak of the show. Fantastic choreography, loyal to the book, great acting and casting.
Well done. One of the best sword scenes ever
The Sword Sounds were incredible. They were definitely using Real Ones.
FANTASTIC SWORD FIGHT! the choreo is intense and well executed by the actors. kudos to this two!
For almost the entire fight, all Geralt does is try to warn her. The moment he decides to kill her was the moment after he gave her a final chance and she refused. And the killing blow was instant. It just shows that he could have done that at any point during the fight.
The fact that Henry has played the Witcher makes this all the more sweet.
He’s a fan of the series and he nails it perfectly.
Wow, these scenes are amazing! The sword play is just so well done!
Watching this scene at 0.25 speed is really interesting.
In comparison to a lot of other sword fights in movies, most of Renfri's attacks (although not all) are actually made in range and actually aimed at Geralt, not his sword or right next to him. Same for Geralt once he really gets going at the end.
Really makes this scene seem like a duel to the death.
This choreography is crazy good man! The skill it took to shoot the real thing w real swords! Top notch
I hope the next season have fight scenes that are as good as this one. Still rewatch this after months
One of the best fights in years. Renfri with Geralt would be so great duo.
Fkin badass both. This scene choreographer deserves a medal.
I’ve watched this like 6 times in a row now the choreography is just so AWESOME
Still remember some people complaining about Henry Cavill being Geralt of Rivia...😂
I still dont like it
Geralt of Rivia just looks different, even on the covers of the original books
I got worried, gotta admit that he handled very well though ...but when comes to "physical Geralt", Zach McGowan is my No.1 - lean body (Henry is too bulky for Geralt), his voice, long hair and generally that charisma suitable for Geralt
@@patrickkubinec7026 Henry is perfect and fits more video game version then book. Henry tried to mix both as much as he could but leaned more toward game version as he is a huge fan of the games. So am I...infact only reason I even looked for the books is cause of the game. Same with Metro 2033 series. If never read the books I highly recommend it plus the author is cool person in general.
@@tharengore7215 I love Metro, both series (meaning books and games) - in fact playing DLC for Metro Exodus now 👍 but when I tries to read “Future” from the author, I didn’t like it that much
He's too handsome to be Geralt. But he did a fantastic job I give him that. Totally blown away.
But he is still too handsome.
"Silver is for monsters"
(Kills her with her own dagger instead)
Well played Geralt, well played..
It's simply the best and most stunning and most meaningful hand to hand combat scene I've ever seen.
The way he doesn't want to hurt her is beautiful. Then when she put the sword on top of the dagger you knew she was going to die.
Renfri was an amazing character! This scene was also awesome. Shame she died so early in the show
It took a lot of "convincing" on her part to make him kill her. Like he gave her so many outs here. She knew and still wouldn't stop. Both knew what was coming and what had to be done. Makes this all the more tragic.
Honestly Geralt didn't want to kill her let alone fight her. But she was so consumed by hate for Stregobor that it outweighed her judgement. That is why she couldn't stop that is why Geralt killed her even when he pleaded for her to turn away from her blind hatred.
Okay, so everyone is talking about the choreography, which don't get me wrong is absolutely glorious
But can we talk about how perfect Renfri's acting was? Like, you can feel the seething, unyielding rage coming from her throughout the fight. The determination, the anger, the perfect portrayal of an unstoppable force
I wish they gave her the same last words she had in books and Polish series, though.
But other than that it was the best fight scene in the series and perhaps TV.
Although I prefer more realistic, down to earth fight scenes like in Deluge movie.
First season was flawed but promising and I enjoyed it, I can't forgive Netflix how they butchered it since season 2.
This is such a pivotal moment in the books. A moment that is essentially a building block for him. It shows that even the hero can fuck up. He has to live with this death and always wonder if it would've even happened had it not been for the interference of Streggabor. Renfri became an outcast by the hands of wizardkind. She was a victim that tried to keep living til her hatred for Streggabor gets her killed.
when first ep is better than all season
Minus 1 or 2 cheesy parts of the sword fight like the sword block behind the back, this was probably the best choreographed fight scene I think I've seen.
0:44 "If we cross swords.." "I won't be able to stop."
Then 0:50 the swords crossed, literally like a cross. And she never stopped.
The fighting choreography in this series is a benchmark for others to follow. Just fantastic
The one thing I love the most about this scene is every single sword strike isn't your typical choreography. Every strike is meant to kill, I watched this in slow mo and not a single swing was directed at either of their swords. Renfri was all killing blows with her attacks and the moment Geralt got serious every single sword swing was meant to unbalance, throw her on the defensive and disarm at the very end. Even the quick hand grab and twist with her short dagger was superb sword technique using the flat of the blade to slightly move her arm away and grab her wrist to twist the dagger into her throat using her own momentum.
This is 10/10 sword fighting right here that I wish more shows and movies would actually do instead of that choreograph bullshit that doesn't even look real.
Geralt was fighting defensively and wasn't trying to kill her and gave her chances to stop. Once he goes on the attack, he has the blade to her throat in 6 seconds. A good example of how skilled a witcher is
Bro the music slaps so hard in this show.
This was the way to start a season! This episode was great.
"You made a choice...and you'll never know if you made the right one."
The best and most realistic sword fight I have ever seen.
I loved this TV series and loved how The Witcher was utterly without mercy, no matter how that broke his heart.
Seen a lot of real sword experts criticize how Geralt fights, but none of them take into account his super human abilities. It would change the way you fight if you knew a sword slash was more an inconvenience than dangerous.
sword fighting techniques are a result of optimisation. Yes , fatal is different from inconvenient, but it still scores negative and its something you want to avoid... Do something for long enough and you have access to a limited set of moves, all of them a result of optimisation. Anything else is sub optimal, and hence , the domain of fantasy
Super human abilities doesn't make you spin.
@@liamjm9278 But super human abilities give you the awareness and reflexes to guard attacks that normal humans would be too slow or unaware to.
It's done to show that Geralt is so far above these guys that he can leave himself open without being in danger.
@@TimedRevolver As I said, they don't make you spin.
@LemonCoatedCenturion There is no reason to spin in a fight, especially if you're fighting someone who also has superhuman abilities.
01:13 it's the same face he does to Flash when they are fighting. Amazing.
Phenomenal swordplay. The spin at 1:15 is insane
It takes a lot of practice.
You know you have a well written and acted antagonist when the audience weeps at her demise...
Whoever choreographed this scene DEFINITELY needs a raise.lmaoo
Im amazed how u are able to put up 4k scenes on youtube
Lol, he slaps her on the face after rotating.
I never noticed the four people at 1:24 standing in the breezeway watching them fight.
what a great frkn scene!!! Agreed that we needed more of her in the series.
I love this scene so much, I cried when she died the first time I watched.
This sword fight is much better than all lightsaber fights in last star wars trilogy
This is in my opinion one of the best sword fight I've ever seen in tv , for the last trilogy of star wars... Comparing those with this is a staright up disrespect to this. Those fights were like two amateurs trying fencing for the fist time, no technique, worst choreo ever, lame pacing. They were literarly just shouting at eachother with swinging lightsabers LMAO
@@clownslayer4670 So your complaint is that Rey (never held a lightsaber before), Finn (never held a lightsaber before) and Kylo (didn't get much training, was just shot by weapon that blows people up like an RPG, has just killed his father and shouldn't even be standing let alone fighting) weren't particularly adept fighters?
@@JainaSoloB312 actually finn's fight wasnt bad, it was exciting, but for the rest of them, yes I do have a complaint. The episode 8 choreo had mistakes, the one in rots was no different then episode 8 either considerinh it was 1 year later. The force jump of rey still cringes me like hell lmao
Why? Because they got tights instead?
0:15 You cheers ... Let the go go
I have watched this show a few times and every time I forget that Triss is in it until her name is dropped and then I forget about her again until she reappears, meanwhile Renfri, I always remember her as one of the best characters.
The Background Score just literally elevates the whole experience
Choreography is everything.
1:29 Geralt: ok now you're fucked, woman.
and we will never see this man as Geralt again after Season 3, what a shame
Who knows now that he won't be playing Superman. Seeing as focusing on DC was the reason he let go of this role he may just as soon come back to it. I hope lol
After playing more of the witcher and reading the books, the "I won't be able to stop" line from renfri almost feels like shes finishing geralts sentance since Witchers go into a trance when fighting, so it would mean she knows thats shes gonna die and this is her way of going out on her own terms. makes the scene far more tragic
Well Choreographed!
Exquisite to the end 👏👏👏😃
You'd think that Geralt would have learned from this incident about how dumb it is to be a centrist but he continues to spend the rest of the show being proud of both siding everything