Greatest Swordfight Ever!!! - The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Discussion

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] Dr_Miklos_Rozsa 19 years ago

In reality can someone really kick back a table like that?

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[–] BrokenRogue 19 years ago

Errol Flynn could.

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[–] pjwoodall1 19 years ago

Adventures of Robin Hood is one of stuntman Fred Graham's earliest jobs in films. According to the DVD commentary track when Graham doubles Rathbone and falls off the ledge, he broke his ankle. I think Mutiny on The Bounty was his first film credits, and he would become a fixture in serials, Wayne and Ford films, etc.

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[–] ArmandFancypants 18 years ago

True, even though done in 1938, This Sword duel is yet to be topped. It's just plain brilliant! Basil Rathbone was awesome, and Curtiz's use of shadows is great.

"You watched it, you can't un-watch it!"

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] nateba 18 years ago

Others: "The Sea Hawk" and the 1940 "Mark of Zorro".

cinefreak

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[–] seoulless 18 years ago

The fight between Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrer in Scaramouche might, just might be better.

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[–] Dr_Miklos_Rozsa 18 years ago

Great swordfight too, but for excitement purposes rather than for creativity, The Sea Hawk and The Adventures of Robin Hood do for me.

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[–] jpaulgagen 18 years ago

The Robin Hood/Guy fight scene is probably the greatest sword fight scene simply because it influenced how sword fights on screen have been carried on ever since.

What I love about it is that they use swords like swords, and don't devolve into a glorified pub brawl with metal clubs like most sword fights in recent memory.

For technical sword skills some of Douglas Fairbanks Sr movies, The Black Pirate, Robin Hood, The Three Musketeer, and The Theif of Bagdad all had some amazing sword fights. The filming of those fights isn't up to the standard of Michael Curtiz.

The final duel in Kurosawa's Sanjuro is excellent for precisely being everything that Robin Hood's climactic duel is not.

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[–] nateba 14 years ago

Great swordfight too, but for excitement purposes rather than for creativity, "The Sea Hawk ".

The funny thing is that evidently Henry Daniell couldn't fence his way out of a paper bag. Much cinematic trickery was employed to cover this fact up.

cinefreak

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[–] tintinrulz 14 years ago

I thought the fencing itself was very poor but the choreography of the other fights was very well-done.

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[–] laj45 18 years ago

I love the swordfight in this movie too. But I must say that the swordfight in "The Princess Bride" is the most fun to watch. Just my opinion.

For a different kind of swordfight, I also liked the climax of "Rob Roy."

Anybody else have their favorites?

Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam

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[–] timbasa77 18 years ago

The swordfight in "The Mark of Zorro" is very good, though it needs some music and comes too late in a very dull film. "The Sea Hawk" has a good one. The duel in "Captain Blood" is a little clumsy and out of the blue. Basil Rathbone is killed off 5 minutes after being introduced over a disagreement regarding a girl. Basil's best fight is definitely the one in "Robin Hood." But I agree with those who say he isn't evil enough. It almost felt cruel of Errol Flynn to kill him. There is an excellent swordfight in "Zorro" with Alain Delon, though the movie as a whole is a little idiotic. The fight in the middle of "Last Hurrah for Chivalry" is excellent. The final fight in "Blade" is very good. The swordfighting in "The Mask of Zorro" is very, very good.

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[–] Dr_Miklos_Rozsa 18 years ago

and I don't find the movie dull at all. I think the movie's nearly as good as The Adventures of Robin Hood--and I thought using no music during the duel was brilliant! It makes you focus on the movements rather than on the music--therefore, it's more intense and realistic.

I took fencing lessons for two years in high school some time ago, and absolutely adored it--yet whenever I said a fencing line from something like Scaramouche or The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) to my opponents, I immediately lost! [] Real duels are not thrilling to look at, actually, and you should never say a word while fencing--it ruins your concentration.

I got a final score of 98 in the class--the only reason why I lost points was because I wanted to make the duels long by doing more defensive moves than offensive moves. My instructor would often stop a duel, walk up to me, and say, "Peter, Peter...you've been watching too many El Zorro movies!" []

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[–] seoulless 18 years ago

Robert Heinlein was a good fencer in real life and in his novel Glory Road, he says that talking and fencing can be done simultaneously because they use different parts of the brain. So he was (gasp) making that up?

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[–] Dr_Miklos_Rozsa 18 years ago

Unfortunately, I'm a very right-side person [creativity and imagination]. I really suck at math, logic, and science! So, therefore, I'm an actor and writer in college.

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[–] Sdsinger2 18 years ago

I love the swordfight in this movie too. But I must say that the swordfight in "The Princess Bride" is the most fun to watch. Just my opinion.

I agree! Though it probably wasn't as technically difficult as the swordfight in this movie (which was incredible!), Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin did an awesome job.

"Where's the thump-thump???"
POTC: Dead Man's Chest

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[–] Godfrey2 9 years ago

I really like the Robin Hood/Sir Guy sword fight the most. But as you say, the duel in Princess Bride is a just great. When they each swap hands and fight with their other hands is just great. That and their little chit-chat during the fight is also fun. I almost expect them to ask each other home for dinner to meet the family or something. Both Robin Hood and Princess Bride are simply just great films.

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[–] bebop63-1 14 years ago

Yes, the sword fight in this movie was great. Michael Curtiz's style of directing clearly shows up here in the use of shadows as background while the characters engage in swordplay. This is reprised as well in another Errol Flynn movie "The Sea Hawk". Errol did all his own stunts as far as the swordplay was concerned, I believe.

Loved the Princess Bride one as well, especially when Inigo keeps saying to Rugen "My name is Inigo, you killed my father, prepare to die...." or something like that, trying to aggravate the latter into losing it.

For longest swordfight in cinematic history, I believe Scaramouche has the longest, if not exactly the most spectacular.

Also, mustn't forget the swordfights in the Zorro movies (the ones with Antonio Banderas) and 3 Musketeers - unfortunately, I can't recall exactly which movie with the latter.

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[–] kiltim 18 years ago

Yay

TANAKA SHOWDOWN
http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_9979.html

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[–] Diamond_Dan 17 years ago

I loved the sword fight and thought it was great, though i don't know that i'd personally call it the greatest sword fight ever. Two things kinda hinder it for me; firstly, the sound of the swords clashing doesn't totally sound realistic/life-like, and secondly, the way Robins sword is bent-up towards the end of the fight, which makes the blade seem cheap. I guess both can be attributed to the fact that the swords used in the movie were made of duralumin, which is a metal that swords aren't realistically made from.

Regardless though, the sword fight certainly was great, especially for when The Adventures of Robin Hood was released. Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone both did an excellent job, as well the person who came up with the fight choreography. It's easy to see why this sword fight is so legendary and why it influenced so many subsequent movie sword fights.

Da Bears

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[–] Dr_Miklos_Rozsa 17 years ago

Although the 1937 version of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA is one of my favorite films, the duel scene in that film had room for improvement. However, the duel scene was greatly improved in dull, soulless 1952 remake.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] ragusa11 13 years ago

I haven't seen a movie copy it since, but the sword fight of the shadows against the column was very cool.

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[–] nomis38 13 years ago

It is an iconic sword fight. Rathbone was said to be the real swordsman among the two. He said Flynn had a way of tipping the sword down,that made it look like he knew what he was doing.Many feel the fight at the end of THE SEA HAWK was better,and Henry Daniell didn't know what he was doing at all.He had a stand in for the long shots.

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[–] Errington_92 12 years ago

The action within these swordfights was engaging to watch, not only due to the performances through out the swordfights but in part due to the soundtrack. Certainly was a highlight of the film.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

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[–] jimprideaux2 12 years ago

The sword fight is a classic. However I found it hard to take it seriously. You don't fight with broadsword like you would with sabres. What we saw in the movie was essentially a sabre fight. Real broadswords would be too heavy. The movie props used were made of aluminum thus making the choreography possible. Nonetheless beautifully done.

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