"The Most Realistic Sword Duel in Movie History (The Deluge)" Topic

Acordnig to Skallagrim.
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I'd rank the one in Rob Roy up there. It's the only movie sword fight I've seen where the two combatants are exhausted near the end.

The Duellists has some good ones, especially the one in the barn where both end up exhausted and flailing about at the end.

Der Alte, one of the fights in the Deulists ends with them so exhausted they can't lift their swords anymore.

IMO the Duelists tops them all, although Rob Roy is also
outstanding.

All those times one guy is killed in the first stroke are the most realistic.

Take everything Skallagrim says with a grain of salt. He's better than he used to be, but some of the "nits" he picks with this duel are more than nits for me. I'd pick the first smallsword duel in The Duelists.

I particularly like the first duel in 'The Duellists'; in the opening sequence, nice and quick as I suspect most were.

Realistic. <chortle> Probably the wrong word to use.

The most "realistic" duel in Rob Roy was probably the one where Rob Roy skewers Will in two moves, or maybe Tom Sibbald in one, but the final duel between Rob and Archie definitely ranks among the best staged duels ever filmed. I loved that movie.

I agree that the duel in The Deluge was really well done. I'm really fond of the fights in The Duelists too. That movie gave me a private desire to walk around in a hussar uniform that I still harbor to this day.

Nobody mentioned the final duel between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin and Marian. They made the fight look exhausting, painful, and bloody, like it should be. Not quite to the same standard as other fights listed here, but still beats Game of Thrones on realism.

I like the work done by the Adorea team to emphasize historically appropriate fighting styles with the panoplies depicted, which can be really fun to watch when paired with decent actors and camera work like in this one. I wish all movies paid this much attention to detail.

- Ix

There's "sword fights", and then there is choreography.
The Princess Bride is certainly entertaining.

Conan The Barbarian
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cyrano de bergerac is my favorite

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The Princess Bride is certainly entertaining.

Yes, it is. The swords fights are, to me, memorable.

"My name is Inigo Montoya! You keeled my father, prepare to die!"

Jim

The duel in the Seven Samurai when they fight first with sticks and then with swords, one stroke. Like rob roy and the duelists also.

Although they would be considered rather amurtish compared to the later sword fight scenes mentioned above, I always enjoyed the ones from the 1968 Romeo and Juliet film.

Scaramouche.

Alatriste (2006) has some great mid-17th century European swordfighting as well as small unit actions that looked pretty plausible to me.

Some of the fights in some of the original Zatoichi films are very real, like the one where five fishermen with swords who may in their youth have been ashigaru or some kind of militia face off against a ronin, who kills them in five easy sword strokes, starting with an almost unseen iaijutsu draw. I think it's in Zatoichi in Desperation (1972).

Not all swordsmen are skilled. Whatever that means.
Game of Thrones is very good showing this. See Jon Snow training the rookies of the Nights Watch.
I read some notes on the new season. Sam Tarly was doing very well, until the director took him aside and told him that Sam shouldn't be that skilled. They reshot the scene with Sam (John Bradley) being a lot more clumsy.

Another scene that shows the absolute necessity of good choreography is with Arya and Brienne "training".

If you like sword twirling and 5 on 2 odds, check out Gerrold Hightower and Arthur Dayne vs Ned Stark and his Merry Men. Nothing takes down a skilled swordsman better than a dagger in the back.

I think The Mountain is shown as very strong and brutal, but not very skilled. When you're as big as him, skill wasn't necessary. Too bad Inigo Martell was more interested in talking smack.

Finally, heresy, I know. I don't think Jaime Lannister was all that good before he lost his hand.

But if the OP allows tv miniseries, I nominate Game of Thrones.

Game of thrones generally have very bad sword fights from a realism standpoint.

Arya vs Brianne being one of the better(except arya keeps cutting with a sword that has no edge)

Indiana Jones

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That's how I'd do it.

I like the way they did them in the musketeers from the 70s.
I like how each character had a style that matched their personality.

Can't believe no one is promoting the fight in the rafters in "the Musketeer" (2001). ;-)

Did have a good line though:
Where did you learn to fight like that?
Here and there.
There maybe, but not here.

Indiana Jones

If we are bringing memorable into it then the sword fight in "Big Trouble in Little China" deserves a nod.

The gold standard for choreographic sword fighting has got to be Basil Rathbone v Errol Flynn in Robin Hood. Absolutely no reality in it at all, but the artistry, the banter, the tights…

For realistic, I'm caught between two noted above. Rob Roy or The Duelists. It's a coin toss.

Danny Kaye v Basil Rathbone

The Duelists.

Then Potop.

Although he hadn't watched the Polish Trilogy at the time I discussed realism in movie combat with my friend (former Olympic back up epee fencer and edged weapon aficionado).

I was told by someone that taught Korean Kenjutsu that if a swordfight isn't over in three moves-it's not a sword fight.

Basil Rathbone was the best IMHO, so many excellent duels, all of which he had to lose, but I must admit to liking Stewart Granger as Scaramouche, gradually improving his skills as he battles Mel Ferrer.

The French film "Le Bossu" is another favourite.

Very nearly the best – Errol Flynn v. Basil Rathbone in The Sea Hawk.

The best – Douglas Fairbanks Sr. v. Robert McKim in The Mark of Zorro.

I have never looked for realism in a movie sword fight.
Is the dance between the Sharks and the Jets in West Side Story "realistic"? Heck no. But I love it nonetheless.
Do I consider the sword fight between Inigo Montoya and the Dread Pirate Roberts realistic? No. See above.

They're skilled choreography and I appreciate skill.

Very nearly the best – Errol Flynn v. Basil Rathbone in The Sea Hawk.

My bad should have been:
Very nearly the best – Errol Flynn v. Basil Rathbone in Captain Blood.

Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone fought each other in Captain Blood and Robin Hood. Basil is not in The Sea Hawk. My choice is all of the sword fights in the Three Musketeers with Michael York. The fights show sword play, fatigue and the use of anything available ala Jackie Chan. Also Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in The Mark of Zorro

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Errol Flynn v. Basil Rathbone period any movie

have heard that a "real fight " between them would gone Basil's way