"Best" doesn't have to be most realistic, but it can be if that's why you like it. Just name some that you've loved and why. YouTube links to the scenes are worth bonus points Thirteenth Warrior--Viking duel. It's not the swordplay I'm in love with, but the mental game being played. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp1mzx5O4ao"]YouTube- 13th Warrior - Viking Duel[/ame] Princess Bride--the chatty duel. This one needs no introduction. If you haven't seen it (and haven't seen this movie), you haven't really lived. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3gfFVmw0kA"]YouTube- The Chatty Duel---The Princess Bride[/ame]
For my money one of the best films showing an interesting variety of WMA would have to be: Capitan Alatriste [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAcrIr84OdQ&feature=related"]YouTube- Capitan Alatriste Trailer[/ame] some superb fight scenes and some great battle scenes! Though I have to say the trailer has one of the all time worst narrations ever. Ever. However looking up that trailer to post did bring me to this which, while not a film, looks pretty damn interesting! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLEvUr9hVU4&feature=related"]YouTube- Spanish counters to Italian fencing[/ame] And yes Princess Bride is comedy gold!
Alan Ladd as James Bowie in the Iron Mistress.. These duels were fought in the beer room of a New Orleans casino after one of Bowie's associates was killed in a previous duel.. The whole movie consisted of the knife fights/duels that bowie was involved with from the time he left the Mississippi river basin to his time prior to his demise at the Alamo.. All knife and fencing duels.. Nothing much better than this unless you can find a copy of the movie "Exposure" with Peter Coyote and focuses on the getting even on the attackers who raped his girlfriend and stabbed him.. The final fight scene shows what a knife fight is about with people who live the life of a Persev in Brazil.
Stewart Granger in Scaramouche The Duellists is also good. Capt Alatriste..I MUST try to get that..it was not released in the UK.
yeah man it's well worth watching on DVD or high quality, no interruptions and a good bit of snacks. One of my favorite films. Kept hoping they would do some sequels. I have most of the books that it's based on... which are also a good read!
The Duellists is a favourite of mine though I have to admit I also enjoyed the Eric Roberts salle duel in "By the Sword" Louie
The Princess Bride is probably the slickest fencing duel I've seen. Might be surprising, or might not be, but that duel is even more enjoyable in the book. Would Role Models count? I know it's only LARPing but the last scene is pretty badass with Seann William Scott laying some smack down There was an AWESOME account on youtube I used to be subscribed to called FoolishOsric, he uploaded hundreds of clips, scenes from films like Scaramouche and The Duellists, and a bunch of other stuff I'd never heard of, like Sinbad, El Cid, and old classic I would otherwise not have heard of. Tragically his account was closed due to copyright infringement, which while inevitable makes it no less crappy The finale of The Three Musketeers part 2 with Michael York as d'Artagnon against the man from Meung whose name I've forgotten, the fight set to the backdrop of I think the burning convent. That's probably my favourite fencing scene of all time, it was so intense and from what admittedly very little I know, the most accurate regarding traditional technique, using an arm wrapped in a coat, sword and dagger, etc. All in all a mindblowing scene. Another of my favourite movies for fencing is a French movie called Le Bossu, I think the original was made in the 70s and was quite good, but in my opinion the 1997 remake with Daniel something or other (Pardieu or something) has some absolutely stunning scenes. Mask of Zorro 1998 when Antonio Banderas goes to the villa to get the map and is faced with Captain Love and Stuart Wilson's character. Absolutely love it. And speaking of Zorro... the duel between Zorro and Esteban in the 1940 movie Mark of Zorro. It's been undercranked a bit but the skill involved almost gives me a headache
Speaking of F Murray Abraham, not exactly a swashbuckler, but does have a nice showdown at the end, there's always By the Sword. F Murray Abraham against Eric Roberts. The rest of the film suffers a bit for the sake of the showdown (the subplot of the students preparing for a fencing tournament is completely aborted, which is disappointing since it could have been wrapped up by having the actual tournament take place at Roberts' training place, then the showdown happen after that so both ideas are followed through, but I digress), very good film, with cool training montage
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the work of William Hobbs (Apart from the Duellists) the end duel in Polanski's Macbeth, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (ok, I'm a nerd!) The Three and Four Musketeers, Cyrano De Bergerac, Excalibur and one of my favourites, Le Bossu.
Le Bossu, the 97 remake in particular, is an excellent movie. The original was enjoyable but I found the remake a lot moreso, which is incredibly rare. I love the guys they cast though, Daniel something or other, and Vincent something or other, who I believe was in a remake of the Three Musketeers where they changed pretty much everything but the names lol. Elba, Vincent Elba, that's the one. Yes, much good. As for the Three and Four Musketeers, I think they don't even need to be mentioned, they're on the list by default, they speak for themselves
