A small historical note: El Cid fought for both Christian and Muslim lords, against both Christians and Muslims, commanding both Christians and Muslims at various points in his career. Characterizing him as a proto-crusader whose goal was to expel the Moors from Spain is a bit of a simplification/distortion of his career.
@@amang1001 Exactly. The Poema de Mio Cid is the saga of a workaday knight just using his career skill set and doing his job. In one engagement outside his castle he got his wife to take their children to a battlement overlooking the action so they could watch what daddy did for a living.
I was going to post the exact same thing. Also, his weapons and equipment may have been of the kind we typically associate with the Normans, but may also have been North African, or a mix of the two. A sword said to be his still exists, although it's highly disputed and even if it contains genuine parts has probably been remounted and repaired at various points. One examination did suggest the blade was Moorish and from the 11th century.
Dude! Richard Lester's Three Musketeers/ Four Musketeers fron '73 & '74! Loaded with great fights, even with humor injected! William Hobbs' choreography is supurb, and bloody SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE!
The BEST Three Musketeers ever! And the closest to the book (my favorite book). The fights look so unpolished you are left wondering if they are only supposed to be funny or if they are also characteristic of how fights play out between people who don't know what is coming next. Warning to those who go watch it expecting the greatest movie ever, it is a rollicking adventure, not meant to be taken too seriously, but meant to be fun. The final duel is the best though, two handed, driven to exhaustion, desperate measures like grabbing the blade and slicing your hand open, another broken blade, and then that epic finishing blow! From the opening credits training sequence before D'Artangnan leaves home, to his first encounter with the Cardinal's Gaurds, to the night fight with lanterns, to the duel on thin ice, there are so many memorable, astounding, and hilarious fights! "Only Porthos would invent a new way to disarm himself." Hahahahahaha. The only duel I like better is Princess Bride's.
And they use colours and patterns on their costumes...what sorcery is this??? Medieval people only used brown and grey ...and black, if you were a bad guy!
Many thanks for your detailed analysis of this fight scene. Indeed the film El Cid was filled with historical inaccuracies. But to a boy of 11 watching it in the theater when it came out in 1961. I was mesmerized. 😳
Skall already did a review of the polish movie Potop, where Kimicic fights Wołodyjowski, but it would be interesting to see your take on it. A bit of context: Wołodyjowski, at this point is a truly accomplished soldier, while Kmicic is a rash young nobleman. I think it is interesting how the movie manages to depict the difference in skill between the fighers and the growing frustration of Kmicic. At the end, Kmicic, realising he is absurdly outmatched, asks Wołodyjowski to stop playing around and end the fight, to which Wołodyjowski obliges. There's also the "prequel" movie Ogniem i Mieczem (With Fire and Sword), where there's an interesting fight of Wołodyjowski vs Bohun. It is a more modern movie, and more emphasis is put on making the fight spectacular, so it is not as good as the one from Potop, but still, I think it's an interesting fight. I specially want your take to know the feasability of the thrown change of hand technique that Bohun uses, as at the start of the movie he manages to use it successfully to surprise an opponent, but here, against a more skilled opponent he fails and the results are fight-ending.
You're telling me, this guy's been doing movie fight reviews for 11 years already... And that one wasn't the VERY FIRST ONE ON THE PLAYLIST? The hell is wrong with you people. 😜
Interestingly a lot of the fight scenes in Ladyhawke have some half decent brawling and unorthodox weapon use including things like throwing a hand full of horseshoes into someone's face the hero pulling a crossbow bolt out of his own leg to stab someone else in the gut with, using a crossbow like a pickaxe to beat someone with - let's just not mention the two incidents of throwing a two handed sword or the use of a very short sword with both hands as if it was much larger. It's possibly some of the most realistic fantasy film violence between Conan the Barbarian and the Lord of the Rings trilogy as most fantasy films during the intervening period resorted to out of reach weapon bashing and the vast majority of killing blows being thrusts to the heart (because no other wound was allowed to kill anyone).
Great video! El Cid is one of my favorite movies. It should be noted that at the beginning of the fight scene Rodrigo didn't want to kill the count, after he cuts the count's arm he steps back and says "I'm satisfied" and then the count attacks in anger. So when the fight starts, Rodrigo is trying to just wound the count, to draw blood, and the count is not taking it seriously. His status as the King's Champion has inflated his ego and Rodrigo is a young, untested knight compared to the count. I like that for the first half of the fight scene there's no music, and its only when the count rejects Rodrigo's desire to stop the at first blood that the music kicks in and the tension rises. Rodrigo, while avenging his father for being shamed in court, is fighting the father of the woman he loves, the count has his status as King's Champion to uphold, being defeated in combat, especially by a knight as green as Rodrigo is, would have been humiliating. So after the cut the tempo of the fight changes, the count is attacking in anger and Rodrigo is more hard pressed to defend himself. The fight moving under the stairs actually makes sense, as we don't see what the final position is that leads to the count's death, nor do we get a good look at Rodrigo's face as he stands there under the stairs and Chemayne kneels at her father's side. In a couple scenes later, Rodrigo steps forward to champion for the king in the fight for Calahorra, and he states that he stands accused of treason, looks at Chemayne, and says, "and other things." And by Prince Alfonso's comment on how Rodrigo defeated the count "how do we know it wasn't from behind and in the dark?" Even as we, the audience, might side with Prince Sancho and say, "That is not the Cid's way" there remains the question, how did it happen?
@@simonmoody8400 Yup, the way he smirks when he answers "no" to Rodrigo's question about can a man live without honor. He does act like he thinks the fight will be over quickly in his favor.
@@shamrockdragon7634 Yeah, but it's just the almost lazy way he holds himself and his sword, just his physical stance and movement oozes exactly what you just said, it's a lovely bit of acting with your body.
The two don't often look at each other at all. They are focused almost exclusively on the other's sword - this is two swords fighting rather than two people fighting using swords. Fun and informative review. Keep on comrades:)
Loved the film because because I fell in love with Sophia Loren.I was 12. The History of El Cid is brilliant. Switching sides from one to the other. Bit like Sir John Hawkwood
El Cid's sword in this scene is based on a most likely fictional sword that El Cid used for some time called Colada. A sword by the same name, complete with 16th century hilt, is preserved at the Royal Palace of Madrid and is often considered to be the same blade used by Rodrigo de Vivar.
The move El Cid is like a 13th or 14th century retelling of the 11th century tale. I am fine with that since it is just such a feast for the eyes. The fight scenes are of course Hollywood schlock and designed to to hurt the actors.
I have two suggestions for Swordfights I'd love your opinion and insight on: -The 2-on-2 lightsaber duel in the Star Wars: The Old Republic cinematic trailer "Return". -The Wilkinson Sword commercial "Swordplay". Both could be worth a look. Cheers, and keep up the context.
Especially their final fight in the church please 🙂 There was no choreography and the late Sir Christopher Lee even said that it was exhausting in the full historical outfits they were wearing 🙂
@@valandil7454 I have never heard it wasn't choreographed. But I agree, that is the best duel in the movie. And the last. Most of the others seem like just overgrown kids having fun, but less serious in general, but here at the end, with multiple lives on the line, it is terrifying and wonderful! Great final fight after 4 hours of film.
El Cid is one of my all time favourite movies. I tend to give movies of this vintage a bit of a pass when it comes to fight scenes and historical accuracy, and just enjoy those movies for what they are.
and Rosza's soundtrack is so incredible, it overwhelmed me at the first seeing, so perfect music, rarely a sountrack has been so matching with a movie.
It would be great to see an examination of the rapier duel in the first scene of the Jose Ferrer film of _Cyrano de Bergerac._ Actually I can see options for three videos here: one for the opening duel, one for the "fifty men" fight (both are within the first 30 minutes of the film -- check it out here on TH-cam, the whole film's up for viewing), and then one for the very different version of the duel in the 1990 _Cyrano de Bergerac_ starring Gerard Depardieu. Of course, I'm biased here, as one of my ways of getting out of nearly any foul mood is to watch the first 30 minutes of the Ferrer version -- it's that much fun!
3:02 Glad to hear it! These are some of my favorite types content from you. I like almost everything you do, but seeing how cinematic versus realistic different scenes and movies are is very interesting! Any possibility of examining Ladyhawke's big final fight?
(If you haven't done it) I'd be super interested to get your views on the end fight in "Ladyhawk" - a fairly decent/ok movie ruined by an awful soundtrack - but one of the first movies I ever saw where the actors make it look like their swords have real weight. (Not to mention fighting with swords on horseback inside a church)
thank you for covering this show. One of the best . They don't make them like this any more. Charlton Heston is outstanding in these films😊 I am reminded of General Scarlett using his sword against the Russian cavalry during the charge of the heavy brigade when seeing this scene😂
If you haven't done a review of the duel between Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in The Mark of Zorro, I'd love to see one. It's probably not very authentic, I think a non-existent sword was even created just for that fight, but of all the movie swordfights I've seen in my 75+ years it's my favorite and I'm not averse to learning what the specific differences are between the film fight and real life.
@@JoramTriesGaming Yes, that sounds like the one. The movie clip is at th-cam.com/video/Beu_X8lklG8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hIF0CnmdPPIbbGNx Do you have the link to Matt's video on it?
You're partially right. They didn't invent the "swords" they use in that fight, but they're using Olympic fencing sabres. Olympic sabre fencing has its *roots* in military/dueling sabre systems, but as fencing started becoming a sport, they made the sabres much lighter than real sabres. This was done both for safety, and to make matches faster and more exciting to watch. Given Basil Rathbone's fencing background, I suspect they might have used sport sabres for convenience's sake (or for the aforementioned reason of making the fight look flashier.)
@@NDOhioan Thanks for that clarification. I've always noticed that the weapons in that scene looked like fencing sabers (not like foils or épées) but believed they'd been modified for the duel.
Yeah, movie reviews! :) Suggestion: Banovic Strahinja movie from 1981. There's a fight scene (at about 1 hour 13 minutes) that starts on a horse back with maces, then transitions yo a seord fight on foot and finishes with wrestling :)
Great review, Matt! Could you do a review of the combats and costumes of The Warlord, also starring Charlton Heston? As for El Cid, it was one of the films that got me hooked on the military history of the Middle Ages as a kid...
One of my favorite movies and introduced to me by my father as well. “What you do is against Gods law. I would not be outnumbered were you 13 times 13!”
Another fight is more interesting, the one of the turnament, a little bit far in the movie, in which the swords seem so heavy and difficult to manipulate, very interesting.
The first fight in the movie Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) with José Ferrer as Cyrano. The historical Cyrano de Bergerac served in a guards regiment from 1638 to 1640 and was known as a duellist, among other things. The first fight, shortly after the film begins, seems remarkable to me. He seems quite improvised in a few places as if the choreography was only very rough. Not sophisticated, elegant fencing art is shown here, but powerful attacks and parades in quick succession.
Yeah this wasn't a well done fight. I've done stage fighting and see a lot of the stuff I learned back then on display, including cutting into the blade and blows that are clearly being pulled long before they'd make contact. You're also 100% right about the thrusts being done that way for safety. The vast majority of actors aren't sword fighters, they don't wear any safety equipment, and you need the sword to look like a sword so while they're blunt they still have a relatively significant point on them. I've seen an improper thrust draw blood on a set before, while it thankfully wasn't serious, it absolutely could have been.
Should do some Sword & Sorcery movies. I remember thinking that The Warrior and The Sorceress had some good, believable fight scenes, but I don't know if I would think so now. Deathstalker and its sequels have some outright comical fight scenes. Edit: Also, Sword of the Valiant 1984 was a take on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, starring Sean Connery as the Green Knight and Miles O'Keeffe (Tarzan) as Gawain. I derrided this movie because Tarzan straight up turns his sword around and clubs his enemy with the hilt at one point. Nowadays I know that this is a real maneuver, but from what I remember, I don't think this was an intelligent time to Mordhau somebody.
honestly, a review of the final duel between Oxford and the Shepherd in the King's Man film would be great. We don't get too many sword fights set in that period (not to mention it's nice to see the pattern 1897 in action).
I've made it a tradition to contribute hounding Matt every movie review to do the 70s musketeer movies. The ones starring Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, and Frank Finlay as our heroes with Christopher Lee delivering a superb performance as the main heavy. Raquel Welch and Faye Dunnaway are also unforgettable in these films. Come on Matt, do us all a favor! You know you like these as much as the rest of us. Give them the recognition they deserve already! You'll have a great time revisiting them, so win win.
Las espadas que se conservan de El Cid (supuestamente) son las hojas. Las empuñaduras son posteriormente, de tiempos de los Reyes Católicos, etcétera. Así recuerdo una en el Museo del Ejército de Madrid. Las escenas de lucha las practicó Charlton Heston con Enzo Musemuci Greco, deportista olímpico y maestro de actores que tuvieran que “fingir” que luchan. Así lo cuenta Heston. Entrenaban en el estadio del Real Madrid. En efecto, el vestuario que hubiera llevado El Cid estaría más cerca del que vistió Heston en ‘The War Lord’, pero, con todo, la producción de la película de Anthony Mann es maravillosa. La escena del Torneo para decidir quién se queda con Calahorra es una de las mejores en su género. Es excelente su documentación habitualmente, pero en la Reconquista, no se “cristianizó” España. La población de la península cuando invadieron los musulmanes era ya cristiana y mayoritariamente hispanorromana. Los musulmanes fueron muy pocos en comparación a la población cristiana que permaneció bajo su dominio durante setecientos años. Los cristianos, desde el norte de España, fueron recuperando palmo a palmo el terreno hasta acabar con el último reino “moro” en 1492, en Granada. Esta gente de frontera, extraordinariamente sacrificada y dura, fue la que llevó esa inercia de lucha a América. Le felicito por su canal, es de lo mejor. Saludos - Don Rodrigo: ¿A QUIÉN PERTENECE CALAHORRA? - Rey Ramiro de Aragón: CALAHORRA PERTENECE… A FERNANDO Y A CASTILLA.
The War Lord was a strange movie, but I saw it a long time ago and was very young. In reading the Conquest of New Spain, I was surprised to find muslims in Cortez army. It shouldn't have, but it did.
very true! the attention in this fight is focused on the swords, the feeling is that each one wants to make the sword of the other one collapse rather than hit the opponent itself. I appreciate the mention of the music which is essential in the tension of the scene. Go right now to hear entirely this soundtrack, one of the greatest sountracks of all time to my mind, Rosza maybe made better than on Ben Hur, so powerfull!
People lived in a real world back then. Not only were animals much less commonly neutered, animals you raised were typically butchered, by you, and prepped and eaten, by you. No one needed a sex ed class, they were surrounded by the circle of life. In some ways, they lived while we no longer do.
I would love to see videos on swords associated with El Cid. I remember seeing this scene and thinking his sword was off by hundreds of years and wanting to do some research.
Could you do a fight review of The Three Musketeers (1973)? Maybe you could compare different Three Musketeers films on how accurate the fencing is? Which is the most historical accurate?
The scene from The Three Musketeers (Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston) where they get caught by the Cardinal's guards. They each use different techniques (secondary weapons) how accurate is this scene?
Lots of stuff just for fun, like spinning around a close line to kick someone. BUt other stuff, like using rocks, sticks, hats, and trickery to win is very realistic in that you will do anything to win, especially outnumbered 2-1.
The sword in this movie scene looks like "Colada"- the other of the two "ElCid Swords" which you can see in Spain today, called "Tizona", looks more like 11th century.
Alatriste! Some fun solo rapier as well as rapier and dagger fights. Also, the (cut from the theatrical) end fight of kingdom of heaven between Balian and Guy. Longsword fight in and amongst drying cloth.
Well Iberia during the middle ages was unique and different from the rest of Europe in weapons, warfare, organization and dress. So yes, Iberian Christian warriors did resemble generally the Norman knight ♞ at the time but there was differences as well; the Iberian knight wasn't a carbon copy of the Norman one.
Hello, mat. So interesting to return to sword fight reviews, I've watched some of your old videos and I would certainly like to watch more of them. Now, just a small comment about the fight. We must take into consideration that in the 1960s the cinema industry and the choreographers didn't know too much about proper sword fights, because the historic research was not so widespread and effective as it is today. We didn't know that much back then, thus the choreographers had only their imagination and the actors only their talent. That's why some scenes are very weird in the eye of today's watcher. Second point is that this era in cinema settled a lot of misconceptions that still exist today (like the Roman leather wrist that infuriates Metatron, and for a good reason), so a lot of scenes that we see in those movies still exist today and are reproduced from then on, reaching the caricatures of modern era. I look forward for more scenes of whichever movie you wish, historic events, fantasy and everything. Have a nice time.
It would be nice to see a video on the sword of St Stephen in the Treasury of the cathedral of Prague and how it may or may not actually have belonged to the first king of Hungary. And as it is quite worn, does the wear come from actually handling the sword or from friction with the clothes.
El Cid’s sword was called “Tizona” which translates from Spanish as “Firebrand”. Tizona still exists and is in a collection. IMO-The hilt looks a bit like a flames of a fire. This is a famous sword in the Spanish speaking world. Trivia: A copy of Tizona appears in the 1983 movie “Deathstalker” which was filmed in South America. Tizona is the magic sword that Deathstalker ends up with.
Excellent breakdown of one of my favorites. Try looking for another Chuck Heston vehicle, The War Lord. For a movie made in 1965 it's a pretty fair example of 11th century norman life.
I love this movie! I agree with the critique and there are much better sword fight scenes. However, for the time I always thought this was one of the better swordfights of that era. I also loved the jousting scene. Nearly every other swordfight I've scene in movies from the '60s or older were much cheesier and I don't recall starting to see better ones until the '80s. Still great analysis though and love the channel.
Well, the soundtrack was composed by Miklos Rosza, who was one of the all-time greatest film composers, and El Cid might be one of his best works. So, it is no wonder that the music provided what the action might have been lacking 😉 I think the fight for Calahorra from the same movie might be a good idea for another video. Somebody here mentioned The Warlord from 1965 also starring Charlton Heston. I don't know how accurate it is, but I think it might be worth to take a look at. It is quite small in scale when compared to other epics of the time like El Cid, but that's also one of the reasons that make it interesting. I have a soft spot for it.
I saw this movie in the cinema, and the noise of the swords is a tremendous feature of the scene. It was deafening, and it really got a sympathetic nervous system response out of me.
A fight scene I would love you to critique is the fight scene from Vikings with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis and also the use of axes used by Kirk Douglas to climb up the drawbridge...would be great to get you're views on this..!
I love pretty much every Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis movie, and this was one of my favorites as a kid. If nothing else, the viking swords are correct. I also found one called The Black Shield of Falworth staring again Tony Curtis and Jannet Leigh Cook, and loved it. Jannet was my crush growing up, everyone else could keep their Audrey Hepburn or Sophia Lauren or Raquel Welch.
I'm gonna reiterate what has been said in here already. If you want to get an idea of what sort of character Rodrigo de Bivar (El Cid) was, think of any Norman noble who was ambitious and fairly high up the chain of the sturcture of the nobility. That sort of person at that time would be all about themselves and would take all kinds of chances and break the odd agreement or two in order to further themselves and the station of their family. Endlessly energetic and ambitious and always looking for advantage. That was the kind of person El Cid was, and to a point it would have been expected of him. He fought for whoever hired him or he owed allegiance to, be it Christian or Moor. He was a man of his time. I still really like and enjoy this movie though.
So, not knowing the full context of this particular movie scene, i don't think it would be at all normal for a swordsman to be carrying or deploying their shields indoors. There are plenty of accounts from the Icelandic Sagas for example where people get into sudden fights with only their sword and not their shield. However, if Cid Heston is straight up invading this guy's castle, then yes, he should have brought his shield.
So I have reproductions of the swords of El Cid. One is the standard battle sword with the minimalist cross guard. The other has the more involved hand protection with the knuckle bow and a finger ring for when you finger the guard. I found it interesting that the hilt on the more involved guard is really too small for the hand unless you finger the guard. I thought this was done as the sword was starting to become something a knight would wear to court or walking around town to signal he was a knight, and therefore wanted a sword that was intended to be used with a shield.
One of my favorite classics as well, and same as yourself, it was one of my dad's favorites. Overexaggerated movement is from stage combat. In theatre, movements have to be exaggerated to make it easier for the audience sitting in the back rows and balconies to follow. And a bit of context (LOL) the movie is from 1961, dedication to historical accuracy was not anywhere near what it is now. Also this is pre Bob Anderson (RIP).
Hey Matt, would love to see your take on the final battle between Macbeth and Macduff from Polanki's 1971 Macbeth. Another would be the final duel between Robin (Sen Connery) and the Sherrif (Robert Shaw) in Robin and Marian.
Not a swordsman but to me it looked like guys that were epee/foil trained trying to figure out longsword. Likely relatively new students at that. Kinda reminded me of my early martial arts training. Great vid! Thanks!
Remember: Longsword training was in HRE common until early 17th century, the in 1618 starting Thirty Years War ended this. In late 17th century some longsword moves had still survived in some treatises, but: In 1709 the rich and pompeous Elector August of Saxony ended cutfencing at his court Festival Events. In 1740s a german traveller noted, He had seen a fencing Show with oldfashioned large swords. So in some rural HRE regions, in late 18th century last german longsword fencers trained, knowledge dissapeared in Napoleonic era. So to be fair, who in time before HEMA movement started, had knowledge of longsword? Some say, until 1930s some old german fencing Trainers, Specialized in Training actors, Had relicts of old knowledge.
A small historical note: El Cid fought for both Christian and Muslim lords, against both Christians and Muslims, commanding both Christians and Muslims at various points in his career. Characterizing him as a proto-crusader whose goal was to expel the Moors from Spain is a bit of a simplification/distortion of his career.
Well... a man's gotta make a living
Yep
@@amang1001 Exactly. The Poema de Mio Cid is the saga of a workaday knight just using his career skill set and doing his job. In one engagement outside his castle he got his wife to take their children to a battlement overlooking the action so they could watch what daddy did for a living.
@@Tripledot Thanks for pointing that out, I was thinking the same thing. Tbf Matt did qualify that remark by prefacing it "Some people would say..."
I was going to post the exact same thing. Also, his weapons and equipment may have been of the kind we typically associate with the Normans, but may also have been North African, or a mix of the two. A sword said to be his still exists, although it's highly disputed and even if it contains genuine parts has probably been remounted and repaired at various points. One examination did suggest the blade was Moorish and from the 11th century.
Dude! Richard Lester's Three Musketeers/ Four Musketeers fron '73 & '74! Loaded with great fights, even with humor injected! William Hobbs' choreography is supurb, and bloody SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE!
Seconded! With enthusiasm!
Wasnt thinking about that, more like john wick or rogue one. But your right, almost forgot about those (note: put on the rewatch list!).
The BEST Three Musketeers ever! And the closest to the book (my favorite book). The fights look so unpolished you are left wondering if they are only supposed to be funny or if they are also characteristic of how fights play out between people who don't know what is coming next. Warning to those who go watch it expecting the greatest movie ever, it is a rollicking adventure, not meant to be taken too seriously, but meant to be fun.
The final duel is the best though, two handed, driven to exhaustion, desperate measures like grabbing the blade and slicing your hand open, another broken blade, and then that epic finishing blow!
From the opening credits training sequence before D'Artangnan leaves home, to his first encounter with the Cardinal's Gaurds, to the night fight with lanterns, to the duel on thin ice, there are so many memorable, astounding, and hilarious fights! "Only Porthos would invent a new way to disarm himself." Hahahahahaha.
The only duel I like better is Princess Bride's.
Great choice! Lots of great fights in that movie! I've seen interviews with Sir Christopher Lee where he has a lot to say about this movie.
Non naked walls without a greyblue filter are such a nice sight in a medieval movie
How will people know it's medieval if you don't use a filter to show them how drab and dreary everything was?
And they use colours and patterns on their costumes...what sorcery is this??? Medieval people only used brown and grey ...and black, if you were a bad guy!
Many thanks for your detailed analysis of this fight scene. Indeed the film El Cid was filled with historical inaccuracies. But to a boy of 11 watching it in the theater when it came out in 1961. I was mesmerized. 😳
Skall already did a review of the polish movie Potop, where Kimicic fights Wołodyjowski, but it would be interesting to see your take on it. A bit of context: Wołodyjowski, at this point is a truly accomplished soldier, while Kmicic is a rash young nobleman. I think it is interesting how the movie manages to depict the difference in skill between the fighers and the growing frustration of Kmicic. At the end, Kmicic, realising he is absurdly outmatched, asks Wołodyjowski to stop playing around and end the fight, to which Wołodyjowski obliges.
There's also the "prequel" movie Ogniem i Mieczem (With Fire and Sword), where there's an interesting fight of Wołodyjowski vs Bohun. It is a more modern movie, and more emphasis is put on making the fight spectacular, so it is not as good as the one from Potop, but still, I think it's an interesting fight. I specially want your take to know the feasability of the thrown change of hand technique that Bohun uses, as at the start of the movie he manages to use it successfully to surprise an opponent, but here, against a more skilled opponent he fails and the results are fight-ending.
Review suggestion: Inigo Montoya vs. Man in Black in Princess Bride. 😃
You're telling me, this guy's been doing movie fight reviews for 11 years already...
And that one wasn't the VERY FIRST ONE ON THE PLAYLIST?
The hell is wrong with you people.
😜
inconceivable!
As a proposal, movie "Alatriste"...XVIIth century.
Thank you for your work.
That! Please!
If you've never done it before, The "three shield" fight in The 13th warrior would be a good one.
He did a whole 13th warrior with Tod IIRC.
Here's another request for Lester's 3 & 4 Musketeers! We haven't forgotten that you've picked up rapier.
Interestingly a lot of the fight scenes in Ladyhawke have some half decent brawling and unorthodox weapon use including things like throwing a hand full of horseshoes into someone's face the hero pulling a crossbow bolt out of his own leg to stab someone else in the gut with, using a crossbow like a pickaxe to beat someone with - let's just not mention the two incidents of throwing a two handed sword or the use of a very short sword with both hands as if it was much larger.
It's possibly some of the most realistic fantasy film violence between Conan the Barbarian and the Lord of the Rings trilogy as most fantasy films during the intervening period resorted to out of reach weapon bashing and the vast majority of killing blows being thrusts to the heart (because no other wound was allowed to kill anyone).
Great video! El Cid is one of my favorite movies. It should be noted that at the beginning of the fight scene Rodrigo didn't want to kill the count, after he cuts the count's arm he steps back and says "I'm satisfied" and then the count attacks in anger. So when the fight starts, Rodrigo is trying to just wound the count, to draw blood, and the count is not taking it seriously. His status as the King's Champion has inflated his ego and Rodrigo is a young, untested knight compared to the count. I like that for the first half of the fight scene there's no music, and its only when the count rejects Rodrigo's desire to stop the at first blood that the music kicks in and the tension rises. Rodrigo, while avenging his father for being shamed in court, is fighting the father of the woman he loves, the count has his status as King's Champion to uphold, being defeated in combat, especially by a knight as green as Rodrigo is, would have been humiliating. So after the cut the tempo of the fight changes, the count is attacking in anger and Rodrigo is more hard pressed to defend himself. The fight moving under the stairs actually makes sense, as we don't see what the final position is that leads to the count's death, nor do we get a good look at Rodrigo's face as he stands there under the stairs and Chemayne kneels at her father's side. In a couple scenes later, Rodrigo steps forward to champion for the king in the fight for Calahorra, and he states that he stands accused of treason, looks at Chemayne, and says, "and other things." And by Prince Alfonso's comment on how Rodrigo defeated the count "how do we know it wasn't from behind and in the dark?" Even as we, the audience, might side with Prince Sancho and say, "That is not the Cid's way" there remains the question, how did it happen?
I have always very much liked the almost laid back physicality of the way the actor has the Count fight at first.
@@simonmoody8400 Yup, the way he smirks when he answers "no" to Rodrigo's question about can a man live without honor. He does act like he thinks the fight will be over quickly in his favor.
@@shamrockdragon7634 Yeah, but it's just the almost lazy way he holds himself and his sword, just his physical stance and movement oozes exactly what you just said, it's a lovely bit of acting with your body.
I appreciate your passion for the nuance in this film.
The two don't often look at each other at all. They are focused almost exclusively on the other's sword - this is two swords fighting rather than two people fighting using swords. Fun and informative review. Keep on comrades:)
Please do the El Cid sword video. Also would love to see a review of the duel in Potop (1974).
15:40 most of the tension is coming from the music, rather than the fight
The soundtracks for periodic dramas were superb back then!
Loved the film because because I fell in love with Sophia Loren.I was 12.
The History of El Cid is brilliant.
Switching sides from one to the other. Bit like Sir John Hawkwood
In this scene it makes sense they're not using shields, considering they are at court and not expecting a fight
Please do the fight for Calahorra in El Cid! They ise a variety of weapons in it.
El Cid's sword in this scene is based on a most likely fictional sword that El Cid used for some time called Colada. A sword by the same name, complete with 16th century hilt, is preserved at the Royal Palace of Madrid and is often considered to be the same blade used by Rodrigo de Vivar.
I’d love to see you do the trial by combat from El Cid, I think that’s the best fight in the movie
The move El Cid is like a 13th or 14th century retelling of the 11th century tale. I am fine with that since it is just such a feast for the eyes. The fight scenes are of course Hollywood schlock and designed to to hurt the actors.
El Cid is one of my favorite movies.
I have two suggestions for Swordfights I'd love your opinion and insight on:
-The 2-on-2 lightsaber duel in the Star Wars: The Old Republic cinematic trailer "Return".
-The Wilkinson Sword commercial "Swordplay".
Both could be worth a look.
Cheers, and keep up the context.
Review ANY fight scene from the 1970s version of The Three Musketeers, with Michael York and Oliver Reed! Please!
seconding this
Especially their final fight in the church please 🙂
There was no choreography and the late Sir Christopher Lee even said that it was exhausting in the full historical outfits they were wearing 🙂
@@valandil7454 I have never heard it wasn't choreographed. But I agree, that is the best duel in the movie. And the last. Most of the others seem like just overgrown kids having fun, but less serious in general, but here at the end, with multiple lives on the line, it is terrifying and wonderful! Great final fight after 4 hours of film.
I'm kinda surprised you haven't done this with the Jack VS Will fight from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
El Cid is one of my all time favourite movies. I tend to give movies of this vintage a bit of a pass when it comes to fight scenes and historical accuracy, and just enjoy those movies for what they are.
and Rosza's soundtrack is so incredible, it overwhelmed me at the first seeing, so perfect music, rarely a sountrack has been so matching with a movie.
It would be great to see an examination of the rapier duel in the first scene of the Jose Ferrer film of _Cyrano de Bergerac._ Actually I can see options for three videos here: one for the opening duel, one for the "fifty men" fight (both are within the first 30 minutes of the film -- check it out here on TH-cam, the whole film's up for viewing), and then one for the very different version of the duel in the 1990 _Cyrano de Bergerac_ starring Gerard Depardieu. Of course, I'm biased here, as one of my ways of getting out of nearly any foul mood is to watch the first 30 minutes of the Ferrer version -- it's that much fun!
3:02 Glad to hear it! These are some of my favorite types content from you. I like almost everything you do, but seeing how cinematic versus realistic different scenes and movies are is very interesting! Any possibility of examining Ladyhawke's big final fight?
(If you haven't done it) I'd be super interested to get your views on the end fight in "Ladyhawk" - a fairly decent/ok movie ruined by an awful soundtrack - but one of the first movies I ever saw where the actors make it look like their swords have real weight. (Not to mention fighting with swords on horseback inside a church)
thank you for covering this show. One of the best .
They don't make them like this any more.
Charlton Heston is outstanding in these films😊
I am reminded of General Scarlett using his sword against the Russian cavalry during the charge of the heavy brigade when seeing this scene😂
Please do the final fight in the '70s Three Musketeers.
The "Die Another Day" James Bond swordfight scene was epic for me as a teenager. Many types of swords used. Would be a good one to look at.
Pretty sure Matt has already done it. Check the Playlist.
If you haven't done a review of the duel between Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in The Mark of Zorro, I'd love to see one. It's probably not very authentic, I think a non-existent sword was even created just for that fight, but of all the movie swordfights I've seen in my 75+ years it's my favorite and I'm not averse to learning what the specific differences are between the film fight and real life.
Funnily enough, it seems that Matt has done one on that fight - Black and white, very polite dialogue before the action?
@@JoramTriesGaming Yes, that sounds like the one. The movie clip is at
th-cam.com/video/Beu_X8lklG8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=hIF0CnmdPPIbbGNx
Do you have the link to Matt's video on it?
You're partially right.
They didn't invent the "swords" they use in that fight, but they're using Olympic fencing sabres. Olympic sabre fencing has its *roots* in military/dueling sabre systems, but as fencing started becoming a sport, they made the sabres much lighter than real sabres. This was done both for safety, and to make matches faster and more exciting to watch.
Given Basil Rathbone's fencing background, I suspect they might have used sport sabres for convenience's sake (or for the aforementioned reason of making the fight look flashier.)
@@NDOhioan Thanks for that clarification. I've always noticed that the weapons in that scene looked like fencing sabers (not like foils or épées) but believed they'd been modified for the duel.
My FIRST Medieval movie and my first jousting dueling scene. My parents took us to see it in the drive in movie!
Do the joust scene!!
How about analyzing the joust fight also in el Cid?
Movie suggestion:
Robin Hood (1938) with Errol Flynn, the final fight.
Also, Corridor’s lightsaber video: “To the Death”.
Yeah, movie reviews! :)
Suggestion: Banovic Strahinja movie from 1981. There's a fight scene (at about 1 hour 13 minutes) that starts on a horse back with maces, then transitions yo a seord fight on foot and finishes with wrestling :)
Glad to see the return of this series.
Fight review request. Any of the fights in the Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers from the 1970s.
YES! But especially the last one. There are more than a dozen duels or brawls in the movie, and they get progressively better over the four hours.
4:35 Yes please! 🙂
Great review, Matt! Could you do a review of the combats and costumes of The Warlord, also starring Charlton Heston? As for El Cid, it was one of the films that got me hooked on the military history of the Middle Ages as a kid...
Great idea. I have a soft spot for The Warlord.
El Cid 2020 TV Series as it is Spanish made & pretty good.
That would be worth reviewing after this Matt.
I agree. Matt should definitely take a look
@@markcole5108 It isn't perfect but at least the show is more time accurate; some what.
Makes Hollywood look inept by comparison to this show.
One of my favorite movies and introduced to me by my father as well. “What you do is against Gods law. I would not be outnumbered were you 13 times 13!”
Another fight is more interesting, the one of the turnament, a little bit far in the movie, in which the swords seem so heavy and difficult to manipulate, very interesting.
The latest El Cid on Amazon Prime (US) is much more to period. I wish they would finish it!
Yes, I'd love to see more fight reviews. How about some of the gladiatorial fights in Spartacus (both the series and the movie)?
I love anyone who can unironically use "fisticuffs" in a sentence in everyday speaking.
The first fight in the movie Cyrano de Bergerac (1950) with José Ferrer as Cyrano.
The historical Cyrano de Bergerac served in a guards regiment from 1638 to 1640 and was known as a duellist, among other things.
The first fight, shortly after the film begins, seems remarkable to me. He seems quite improvised in a few places as if the choreography was only very rough. Not sophisticated, elegant fencing art is shown here, but powerful attacks and parades in quick succession.
Not a duel, but the charge of the Lighthorsemen in the battle of Beersheeba, from the movie 'The Lighthorsemen' was interesting. Maybe that one?
Yeah this wasn't a well done fight. I've done stage fighting and see a lot of the stuff I learned back then on display, including cutting into the blade and blows that are clearly being pulled long before they'd make contact.
You're also 100% right about the thrusts being done that way for safety. The vast majority of actors aren't sword fighters, they don't wear any safety equipment, and you need the sword to look like a sword so while they're blunt they still have a relatively significant point on them. I've seen an improper thrust draw blood on a set before, while it thankfully wasn't serious, it absolutely could have been.
Might I suggest an analysis of the saber fencing scene from the 1950's file with Stewart Granger and James Mason - The Prisoner of Zenda?
Should do some Sword & Sorcery movies. I remember thinking that The Warrior and The Sorceress had some good, believable fight scenes, but I don't know if I would think so now. Deathstalker and its sequels have some outright comical fight scenes.
Edit: Also, Sword of the Valiant 1984 was a take on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, starring Sean Connery as the Green Knight and Miles O'Keeffe (Tarzan) as Gawain. I derrided this movie because Tarzan straight up turns his sword around and clubs his enemy with the hilt at one point. Nowadays I know that this is a real maneuver, but from what I remember, I don't think this was an intelligent time to Mordhau somebody.
honestly, a review of the final duel between Oxford and the Shepherd in the King's Man film would be great. We don't get too many sword fights set in that period (not to mention it's nice to see the pattern 1897 in action).
I've made it a tradition to contribute hounding Matt every movie review to do the 70s musketeer movies. The ones starring Michael York, Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain, and Frank Finlay as our heroes with Christopher Lee delivering a superb performance as the main heavy. Raquel Welch and Faye Dunnaway are also unforgettable in these films. Come on Matt, do us all a favor! You know you like these as much as the rest of us. Give them the recognition they deserve already! You'll have a great time revisiting them, so win win.
Las espadas que se conservan de El Cid (supuestamente) son las hojas. Las empuñaduras son posteriormente, de tiempos de los Reyes Católicos, etcétera. Así recuerdo una en el Museo del Ejército de Madrid. Las escenas de lucha las practicó Charlton Heston con Enzo Musemuci Greco, deportista olímpico y maestro de actores que tuvieran que “fingir” que luchan. Así lo cuenta Heston. Entrenaban en el estadio del Real Madrid. En efecto, el vestuario que hubiera llevado El Cid estaría más cerca del que vistió Heston en ‘The War Lord’, pero, con todo, la producción de la película de Anthony Mann es maravillosa. La escena del Torneo para decidir quién se queda con Calahorra es una de las mejores en su género. Es excelente su documentación habitualmente, pero en la Reconquista, no se “cristianizó” España. La población de la península cuando invadieron los musulmanes era ya cristiana y mayoritariamente hispanorromana. Los musulmanes fueron muy pocos en comparación a la población cristiana que permaneció bajo su dominio durante setecientos años. Los cristianos, desde el norte de España, fueron recuperando palmo a palmo el terreno hasta acabar con el último reino “moro” en 1492, en Granada. Esta gente de frontera, extraordinariamente sacrificada y dura, fue la que llevó esa inercia de lucha a América. Le felicito por su canal, es de lo mejor. Saludos
- Don Rodrigo: ¿A QUIÉN PERTENECE CALAHORRA?
- Rey Ramiro de Aragón: CALAHORRA PERTENECE… A FERNANDO Y A CASTILLA.
The War Lord was a strange movie, but I saw it a long time ago and was very young. In reading the Conquest of New Spain, I was surprised to find muslims in Cortez army. It shouldn't have, but it did.
@@charlesfinnigan3904 No habían musulmanes en el ejército de Cortés
very true! the attention in this fight is focused on the swords, the feeling is that each one wants to make the sword of the other one collapse rather than hit the opponent itself. I appreciate the mention of the music which is essential in the tension of the scene. Go right now to hear entirely this soundtrack, one of the greatest sountracks of all time to my mind, Rosza maybe made better than on Ben Hur, so powerfull!
If you havent done it, Princess Bride please!
Would be interested in that discussion of "El Cid's sword".
2:41 I love the detail in the artwork where they included the horses penis and balls. They knew the important information to convey
People lived in a real world back then. Not only were animals much less commonly neutered, animals you raised were typically butchered, by you, and prepped and eaten, by you. No one needed a sex ed class, they were surrounded by the circle of life. In some ways, they lived while we no longer do.
Suggestions? As always, Alatriste :)
I've always wanted to see a review like this especially the trial by combat scene
Colossus of Rodes 1961 filmed in Ladero...using locals as battle' actors helped to set old scores and created new ones!edited: Laredo...
I would love to see videos on swords associated with El Cid. I remember seeing this scene and thinking his sword was off by hundreds of years and wanting to do some research.
Please make a video on el Cid's swords, the tizona and colada
"The Dacians" (1962) follows Suetonius very closely
Could you do a fight review of The Three Musketeers (1973)?
Maybe you could compare different Three Musketeers films on how accurate the fencing is? Which is the most historical accurate?
And the second half, The Four Musketeers, 1974. These are the closest of all Musketeer movies to the actual book.
The scene from The Three Musketeers (Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston) where they get caught by the Cardinal's guards. They each use different techniques (secondary weapons) how accurate is this scene?
Lots of stuff just for fun, like spinning around a close line to kick someone. BUt other stuff, like using rocks, sticks, hats, and trickery to win is very realistic in that you will do anything to win, especially outnumbered 2-1.
The sword in this movie scene looks like "Colada"- the other of the two "ElCid Swords" which you can see in Spain today, called "Tizona", looks more like 11th century.
it would be wonderful if you were to review the fight of Wołodyjowski vs Kmicic from Sienkiewicz's "Potop"
14:44 This was the most funny part to me, that little extra dab / double tab. 🤭
I don't think I've ever seen a review of the final fight in The Shanghai Knights if you have time for it please Matt? 🙂
Thank you for the movie breakdown ⚔️
Alatriste! Some fun solo rapier as well as rapier and dagger fights. Also, the (cut from the theatrical) end fight of kingdom of heaven between Balian and Guy. Longsword fight in and amongst drying cloth.
Well Iberia during the middle ages was unique and different from the rest of Europe in weapons, warfare, organization and dress. So yes, Iberian Christian warriors did resemble generally the Norman knight ♞ at the time but there was differences as well; the Iberian knight wasn't a carbon copy of the Norman one.
Hello, mat. So interesting to return to sword fight reviews, I've watched some of your old videos and I would certainly like to watch more of them. Now, just a small comment about the fight. We must take into consideration that in the 1960s the cinema industry and the choreographers didn't know too much about proper sword fights, because the historic research was not so widespread and effective as it is today. We didn't know that much back then, thus the choreographers had only their imagination and the actors only their talent. That's why some scenes are very weird in the eye of today's watcher. Second point is that this era in cinema settled a lot of misconceptions that still exist today (like the Roman leather wrist that infuriates Metatron, and for a good reason), so a lot of scenes that we see in those movies still exist today and are reproduced from then on, reaching the caricatures of modern era. I look forward for more scenes of whichever movie you wish, historic events, fantasy and everything. Have a nice time.
Interesting video! Thanks!
It would be nice to see a video on the sword of St Stephen in the Treasury of the cathedral of Prague and how it may or may not actually have belonged to the first king of Hungary. And as it is quite worn, does the wear come from actually handling the sword or from friction with the clothes.
Charlton Heston is good in El Cid, but Sophia Loren is just marvellous.
El Cid’s sword was called “Tizona” which translates from Spanish as “Firebrand”. Tizona still exists and is in a collection. IMO-The hilt looks a bit like a flames of a fire. This is a famous sword in the Spanish speaking world.
Trivia: A copy of Tizona appears in the 1983 movie “Deathstalker” which was filmed in South America. Tizona is the magic sword that Deathstalker ends up with.
Excellent breakdown of one of my favorites. Try looking for another Chuck Heston vehicle, The War Lord. For a movie made in 1965 it's a pretty fair example of 11th century norman life.
One of my favourite movies is Disney's Three Musketeers. So much swordplay but I would not expect much from the sword fights themselves.
The fight scenes from the movie Robin Hood - Men In Tights
Particularly the quarterstaff/stick/twig fight.
I love this movie! I agree with the critique and there are much better sword fight scenes. However, for the time I always thought this was one of the better swordfights of that era. I also loved the jousting scene. Nearly every other swordfight I've scene in movies from the '60s or older were much cheesier and I don't recall starting to see better ones until the '80s. Still great analysis though and love the channel.
Well, the soundtrack was composed by Miklos Rosza, who was one of the all-time greatest film composers, and El Cid might be one of his best works. So, it is no wonder that the music provided what the action might have been lacking 😉
I think the fight for Calahorra from the same movie might be a good idea for another video.
Somebody here mentioned The Warlord from 1965 also starring Charlton Heston. I don't know how accurate it is, but I think it might be worth to take a look at. It is quite small in scale when compared to other epics of the time like El Cid, but that's also one of the reasons that make it interesting. I have a soft spot for it.
I saw this movie in the cinema, and the noise of the swords is a tremendous feature of the scene. It was deafening, and it really got a sympathetic nervous system response out of me.
15:45 That clinch was close enough to bite the opponent or spit in their eye.
Love this film!
You need a round room like the one in Highlander. You have a great collection!!!
A fight scene I would love you to critique is the fight scene from Vikings with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis and also the use of axes used by Kirk Douglas to climb up the drawbridge...would be great to get you're views on this..!
I love pretty much every Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis movie, and this was one of my favorites as a kid. If nothing else, the viking swords are correct. I also found one called The Black Shield of Falworth staring again Tony Curtis and Jannet Leigh Cook, and loved it. Jannet was my crush growing up, everyone else could keep their Audrey Hepburn or Sophia Lauren or Raquel Welch.
I'm gonna reiterate what has been said in here already. If you want to get an idea of what sort of character Rodrigo de Bivar (El Cid) was, think of any Norman noble who was ambitious and fairly high up the chain of the sturcture of the nobility. That sort of person at that time would be all about themselves and would take all kinds of chances and break the odd agreement or two in order to further themselves and the station of their family. Endlessly energetic and ambitious and always looking for advantage.
That was the kind of person El Cid was, and to a point it would have been expected of him. He fought for whoever hired him or he owed allegiance to, be it Christian or Moor.
He was a man of his time.
I still really like and enjoy this movie though.
So, not knowing the full context of this particular movie scene, i don't think it would be at all normal for a swordsman to be carrying or deploying their shields indoors. There are plenty of accounts from the Icelandic Sagas for example where people get into sudden fights with only their sword and not their shield. However, if Cid Heston is straight up invading this guy's castle, then yes, he should have brought his shield.
So I have reproductions of the swords of El Cid. One is the standard battle sword with the minimalist cross guard. The other has the more involved hand protection with the knuckle bow and a finger ring for when you finger the guard.
I found it interesting that the hilt on the more involved guard is really too small for the hand unless you finger the guard.
I thought this was done as the sword was starting to become something a knight would wear to court or walking around town to signal he was a knight, and therefore wanted a sword that was intended to be used with a shield.
The two tournament fights in the 1950s version of Ivanoe with George Sanders
One of my favorite classics as well, and same as yourself, it was one of my dad's favorites. Overexaggerated movement is from stage combat. In theatre, movements have to be exaggerated to make it easier for the audience sitting in the back rows and balconies to follow. And a bit of context (LOL) the movie is from 1961, dedication to historical accuracy was not anywhere near what it is now. Also this is pre Bob Anderson (RIP).
Hey Matt, would love to see your take on the final battle between Macbeth and Macduff from Polanki's 1971 Macbeth. Another would be the final duel between Robin (Sen Connery) and the Sherrif (Robert Shaw) in Robin and Marian.
Not a swordsman but to me it looked like guys that were epee/foil trained trying to figure out longsword. Likely relatively new students at that. Kinda reminded me of my early martial arts training.
Great vid! Thanks!
Remember: Longsword training was in HRE common until early 17th century, the in 1618 starting Thirty Years War ended this. In late 17th century some longsword moves had still survived in some treatises, but: In 1709 the rich and pompeous Elector August of Saxony ended cutfencing at his court Festival Events. In 1740s a german traveller noted, He had seen a fencing Show with oldfashioned large swords. So in some rural HRE regions, in late 18th century last german longsword fencers trained, knowledge dissapeared in Napoleonic era. So to be fair, who in time before HEMA movement started, had knowledge of longsword? Some say, until 1930s some old german fencing Trainers, Specialized in Training actors, Had relicts of old knowledge.
hotd sword fight review next?
The duel in Robin and Marion would be a fun review
I like the video's you make about this subject. I always watch the movie fights and have found movies I had not see. Thanks!
That's a golden oldie alright...