It would appear you’re right. Pssh all those ancient warriors look alike to me. Good catch
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negative points for not using Douglas Fairbanks Sr. versions. (though they may not have the that move in them) but he pretty much invented the Swashbuckler/Action Adventure genre for cinema.
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I used “Errol Flyn” in my searches, because he is who I know did a lot of sword stuff.
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I’m going to take a guess at 1990 as the inflection point: after Princess Bride , before Prince of Thieves .
A wee bit earlier than that:
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Also (as someone who has been practicing Japanese Sword Martial arts for many years) this type of situation does exist in japanese sword fighting.
Now you wouldn’t likely hang around for long as both people have options to make a next move (for example if you let your hands get too high prepare to get up close and personal with the blunt end, if you let your hands get too low a blade is about to pivot into you) so he is a little bit partially right I guess? I’m not an expert in European sword fighting, but I think he needs to do a bit more research on documented historical fighting methods…
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Oh Basil!
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Hie thee to the video rental store.
Besides those two The Black Pirate and The Three Musketeers are must watch material for action movie cinephiles.
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As further evidence of hogwash, note the absence of such a maneuver in olympic sabre matches.
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I’m sure it’s similar in kenjutsu as it is in western sword arts: in the bind, there’s a moment where you’re feeling for the other person’s pressure, and then you seize on it. For instance, if they’re weak, you would tend to go strong, and vice versa. In European longsword, if you were at a super-close bind you might come around the blade to do a cut to the temple or something, or maybe (if you’re Fiore) go in for the grapple or hook their wrist with your pommel and put them into an arm lock – depending on the specifics of the geometry of course. It might be a bit different with a single-edged weapon, IDK.
Of course, if you’re close enough to the opponent to have an animated conversation face-to-face over crossed blades, something’s already gone horribly wrong.
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Of course, everything ELSE about sword fights in movies is strictly realistic and accurate.
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I am shocked, shocked I tell you, to discover that pretty much EVERY depiction of violence in movies is HIGHLY unrealistic!
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One of my favorite mostly-true historical stories is that Agincourt was (mostly) won by the English archers able to harm only horses from afar (because even longbows can’t get through good armor at range) and killing the bogged-down French by shooting point-blank range avancer rather than staying in formation. This was not dishonorable but surely not a chivalrous way to go about it, so it is typically depicted with the cloud of arrows giving away vaguely to an advance by English men at arms.
But now it is indisputably de rigeur for archers to be depicted using their weapons fleetly in the mêlée, so the next big agincourt movie will surely do that.
Note that the recent Timothee Chalamet movie just completely bungled Agincourt, showing nothing approaching a distinctive strategy of arms.
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Oh! So here it’s pretty clear what Robin’s best move is, even though he is in the perilous position of “got close enough for an intimate conversation”.
Since Robin’s got the center, and Basil’s blade is effectively trapped between his own body and Robin’s crossguard, Robin can safely bring the crossguard up Basil’s blade until it’s basically under Basil’s chin. At the same time, Robin should take his off-hand and place it on the weak of his own weapon. All Robin has to do is take a step and wrench his off-hand down, and Basil will be flat on the floor, possibly with a nasty neck wound.
I’m less clear on what Basil should do at this point, but the first thing I would try to do if I were him is step back and then left, to try to keep my blade between myself and Robin and maybe get to an overbind position.
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Its pretty much the same with a katana, so that’s one single edged sword. If you get stuck in a bind you arent just hanging out but actively feeling for the opening.
Upon reflection I think one of my main problems with the video is thay he seems to make the assumption that the other person isn’t doing the same thing as you. An aggressive move from the bind is all good in theory, but if you aren’t careful you just made an opening for the opponent…
In a truly neutral bind you might have time to say something, and I can envision situations where it might go a little longer than immediately responding. For example if you have armour, a light cut wont do much, so you would adjust your get out strategy accordingly. In modern sport duels you may see this when there is no obvious point target and a little rest or verbal “encouragement” is needed (think boxing “hugs”)
However, just as you said its never where you were intending to be so best move along…
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Basil’s move is a left hook. Knock that smirk right off his impudent peasant face.
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And The Court Jester…
(context to explain the start of the fight for the unfamiliar: Danny Kaye’s character is a coward who has no idea how to use a sword)
It’s pretty obvious that the makers of The Princess Bride were fans of this movie, IMO.
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Don’t bring a sword to a spear fight.
Medieval paintings of battles (actually painted in the period) invariably show the infantry bristling with long pole arms.
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Hiro doesn’t have any zanshin at all. He just wants this over with. The next time the businessman sets up his ear-splitting screech and shuffles toward Hiro, cutting and snapping his blade, Him parries the attack, turns around, and cuts both of his legs off just above the knees
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Right, but movies what them sexy swords!
That won’t work as well if there were actual force users, they would deflect with their light sabre. If they were locked, though, then they couldn’t deflect.
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