Tyrone Power-Basil Rathbone in “Zorro”: Best sword fight ever!

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Wyatt Burp

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In my opinion, anyway. Others will come up with other great movie sword fights. From “The Mark Of Zorro (1940)”, this shows skill with no over the top gymnastics like in the modern Antonio Banderas version (which I thought was pretty good). Movies now feel they have to go to the extreme to keep people’s attention. I think Rathbone was already a good fencer, don’t know about Tyrone Power who is excellent here.

Zorro 1935 - Tyrone Power & Basil Rathbone [final duel] - YouTube
 
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I haven't seen the movie so I can't comment on it as a whole, but this clip popped up in my YouTube feed some time ago and I thought it was really well done.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOBTFfHJjV8[/ame]
 
Of that era, Basil Rathbone and Errol Flynn were probably the best swordsman, both trained in classic theater exercises. Basil was most often the bad guy and Errol the good guy. Any swashbuckler movie with Errol Flynn from Robin Hood to Captain Blood is going to have a spectacular sword fight.
 
I checked if Tyrone Power ever fenced before this film and it said he did have training in it back in his theater days. Basil Rathbone said of him in Zorro, “Power was the most agile man I’ve ever faced before the camera.”. This guy addresses those who said a stand in for Power was used in most of the Zorro fight.

The Power Defense by matthew c. hoffman | Crossed Swords
 
Basil Rathbone was a serious competitive fencer and Tyrone Power had fencing experience of his own, so their collective experience went beyond mere theatrical swordplay. Back in the bronze age, I was an Olympic hopeful with the sabre and a fight choreographer in the theatre, so I always appreciated this Zorro scene.

Rathbone hated working with Errol Flynn on The Adventures of Robin Hood. Flynn never showed up for rehearsal on time and hardly ever showed up for fight practice at all. When he did he was usually drunk. Flynn relied solely on his athletic ability to carry him through the scene and Rathbone wasn't at all impressed.

Other good ones are Richard Lesters Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers from the 70's. William Hobbs was the leading fight director of the era and those are some of his best work. Hobbs also choreographed The Duelists, mentioned upthread, an excellent movie.
 
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armadillo said:
I read that Basil Rathbone was the fencing champion of the British Army during WWI. I think he was the greatest movie villain ever.
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He was great as Sherlock Holmes.

Working as a lonely motel night auditor during college (back when everything was paper and TV was what you could get on your antenna), he & Nigel Bruce kept me company as I posted charges at 1:00 AM.
 
I love Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. To me, they are Holmes and Watson. I know some purists are not happy with Watson being a bit of a bumbler in this version, but he is unquestionably brave and very loyal to Holmes.

As for swordfights, I agree the Power/Rathbone is the best ever filmed.

I do enjoy this one from Rob Roy. Tim Roth's character is a nasty little fop and rapist, but he can swing that sword. I also like how they are both breathing like race horses at the end.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVaslN1NiT0[/ame]
 
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Wyatt Burp said:
In my opinion, anyway. Others will come up with other great movie sword fights. From “The Mark Of Zorro (1940)”, this shows skill with no over the top gymnastics like in the modern Antonio Banderas version (which I thought was pretty good). Movies now feel they have to go to the extreme to keep people’s attention. I think Rathbone was already a good fencer, don’t know about Tyrone Power who is excellent here.

Zorro 1935 - Tyrone Power & Basil Rathbone [final duel] - YouTube
Click to expand...
Was not this movie released in 1940?

Okay, to rebuttal. If we are discussing motion picture sword duels as complex dances, perhaps the sword duel between André Moreau and the Marquis de Maynes in 1952's "Scaramouche" was superior.

If we are discussing a sword fight not a sword duel, the nastiest, most vicious fight, complete with Foley sound of steel on steel rather than less realistic sound of duralumin that does not ring on impacts, occurs near the beginning of 1990's "Treasure Island." (This is far and away the movie version closest to the novel.) Billy Bones and Black Dog fight in the Admiral Benbow Inn. I find it difficult to accept that no one was injured.
 
Growing up, we had to watch this movie anytime it was on. My mom was a big Tyrone Power fan. That candle cutting scene was always a favorite.
We got the New York stations where I grew up. 2 channels, WPIX and WNEW played alot of old movies. My mom was reliving her childhood, and we grew up watching the great old black and white classics from the 30's and 40's.
 
Basil Rathbone supposedly said that Tyrone Power could fence Erroll Flynn into a shoe box.

As for Indiana Jones, shows the result of bringing a knife to a gun fight.
 
Telecaster said:
Indiana Jones - Arab Swordsman Scene - YouTube
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The actor paying the Arab swordsman was Terry Richards, who died in 2014. According to the Wikipedia article:
Director Steven Spielberg shot the production's Cairo, Egypt-located fight scenes in the town of Kairouan, Tunisia. Richards had practised for weeks with his heavy Arabian sword to create the scripted fight scene, choreographing a fight between the swordsman and Jones's whip. However, after filming the initial shots of the scene and with Ford suffering from dysentery, after lunch Ford and Spielberg agreed to cut the scene down to a single gunshot, giving Jones a humorously unfair advantage.
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Richards' BBC obit and article here.
From that article:

Ford said it was his idea not to duel with Richards, but to shoot him instead, as the Indiana Jones actor had fallen ill during the shoot.

"I was no longer capable of staying out of my trailer for more than it took to expose a role of film, which was 10 minutes, and then I would have to flee back there for sanitary facilities," said Ford.

He added that Richards, who had "trained and trained" for the role, was disappointed to lose the chance to show off his newly acquired sword skills.

The Cairo Swordsman did get its own action figure and has even appeared in Lego form.

Reflecting on the role and his career in an interview with Red Carpet TV in 2012, Richards said the stunt industry had changed a lot.

"Now it's all CGI. After a day's stunting when I was doing it, you really knew you did a day's work, you were covered in bruises.

"I was doing a jousting thing and I broke my wrist, I've broken ribs, sternum, cheek bone.

"Now they've got all this body armour that they can wear, it's a different ball game altogether," he added.
Click to expand...
 
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