The greatest movie sword fight: Tyrone Power VS. Basil Rathbone

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Wyatt Burp

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In my opinion, anyway. The Mark Of Zorro (1940). Antonio Banderas was a good Zorro. But the sword fights were too gymnastic and improbable. That's how they have to do it now. But look what happens when it's just two skillful swordsmen having a straight up sword fight with no gimmicks.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB8tiSMCwRE[/ame]
 
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Whew, I thought you were going to say "Skin Deep" with John Ritter. Some think that sword fight was the best in cinematic history. Gotta love the glow-in-the-dark sheaths. :-)
 
The best, in my opinion, is the fight between the Dread Pirate Roberts and Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride". They have a rousing and pretty skillful-looking battle left handed, then admit they're actually right handed and the fight gets even better.

Elwes and Patinkin had to train for months for that, I believe.
 
Sorry, guys ... IMHO ... The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938, sword fight between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone is "the" cinematic sword fight masterpiece to which all other should be compared.

Adding to the adventure and heightened viewer awareness of being completely drawn into the fight, Michael Curtiz's use of light and shadows is a testimony to cinema art at its finest.

Flynn and Rathbone the quintessential good vs. evil, the hero fighting for right, justice, and protecting the poor and innocent. This is the sword fight sequence, "par excellence", all the way from the beginning, the winding stone staircase, the disadvantage, losing the sword that the bad guy prevents the hero from retrieving while the hero very chivalrously allows the bad guy to retrieve his sword when dropped.

Then, of course, when the hero is nicked with the bad guy's blade we all know how it will end even though the bad guy is reaching for his dagger during close contact in what is supposed to be a "fair" fight.

Beside that ... NO stunt doubles or stand ins. Flynn and Rathbone really did the entire scene, albeit, was likely in several takes edited together.

Not even Douglas Fairbanks had done it better although much was borrowed form Faribanks personna for this scene.
 
That is a first rate.....

That is first rate classical fencing and looks like a LOT like the real thing. I love the one in 'The Princess Bride", too. But if you want a FIGHT, not the classical, clickety, click -swish of the old swashbucklers see Romeo and Juliet, Franco Zeffirelli, 1968 the fight between Romeo and Tybalt. These guys aren't into form. They want to kill hell out of each other.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kikLy1L-keE[/ame]

Romeo has done everything to avoid a fight but Tybalt has killed Mercutio and Romeo loses it.

"The Three Musketeers" 1974 (This time Michael York is D'Artagnan) has some great sword play all through it, but has a humorous bent in this production.
 
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Movie scenes like the above are fun to watch, but I can't imagine having to fight for real with any edged weapon.
 
Wyatt Burp said:
In my opinion, anyway. The Mark Of Zorro (1940).
Click to expand...

I love that movie! I first saw it on television as a kid, then in later years had it on VHS (remember VHS?!?), and now have it on DVD.

Tyrone Power is perfect in his masquerade as the foppish-sissified Don Diego.

The film is actually now in the National Film Registry, earmarking it as a significant film and one that will be preserved forever.
 
Pretty cool! I always thought of Basil as Best Sherlock Holms! Forgot about this film! Thanks for posting
 
Radco said:
Pretty cool! I always thought of Basil as Best Sherlock Holms! Forgot about this film! Thanks for posting
Click to expand...

Rathbone was the best Holmes, in my opinion, and remained so even though Universal Studios insisted on moving Holmes and Watson into the 20th Century to outwit Nazis in WWII.

1939's The Hound of the Baskervilles shows Rathbone and Bruce at their best as Holmes and Watson.
 
I watched the Errol Flynn/Rathbone sword fight and like the Tyrone Power one better. It was set in a tighter area, a simple room, and they used foils (yeah, I had to look that up) instead of swords like robin hood that had more chopping action. The Zorro fight seemed to have more precision and less theatrics. but Basil Rathbone died as good in both movies.
 
If you have not seen it, check out "Scaramouche" a 1952 movie with Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer. Eleanor Parker and Janet Leigh are the ladies. The fight is long and excellent. I do think the 1940 Zorro picture is very well done. Another good Flynn sword fighting picture is "Don Juan" though Flynn was aging somewhat by then.
 
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As I understand it, Rathbone was an accomplished fencer long before his movie career. Might only be urban legend but supposedly a young actor tried to outdo the "old man" and the "old man" warned him he could get hurt, really hurt playing with swords.

Flynn once hosted a fencing match and pointed out how much faster and how much quicker real fencing matches end compared to the rehearsed ones for movies. Demonstrations were given for the epee and the saber and both were quick and could be quite deadly if not done with blunted blades.

Had a friend who fenced for a while in college. He said that despite the chest protector, he was always black and blue and hurting from the fast, powerful thrusts/hits.
 
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