Greatest Movie Sword Fights

[DuCoeur]

I Started this topic years ago (October 2003) when I first joined the forums.  It was the first topic I ever posted and became quite the place for spirited debate.

Well, I wanted to revive the topic for new and old members alike.  So give us your list.  please limit to five.  And they do not necessarily have to be period pieces (I recall Star wars {shudder} creeping in a few times).

Hope it brings back memories, and creates a new forum for friendly (Thats Friendly) Debate.

1. Michael York VS Christopher Lee (The Three Musketeers, 1979 directed by Richard Lester)
2. Stewart Granger VS Mel Ferrar (Scaramouche)
3. Russel Crowe VS Joaquin Pheonix(Gladiator)
4. Aragorn VS Urtz (LoTR: Fellowship of the Ring)
5. Baelin VS Lusignan (Kingdom of Heaven: Extended Edition)

Honourable mention:  Princess Bride, World is not Enough, Troy, 300, Hamlet (Mel Gibson), Count of Monte Christo,
                              Pirates of the Carribean(CoBP), Pirates of the Carribean(DMC, 3 way sword fight between Sparrow, Norrington, Turner).

#3 is in there right now because I just watched Gladiator again (10th time).  #5 was a deleted scene from the original cut, now restored to the extended version.  It is Orlando Bloom And I believe, the actor is Martin Csonkas.  Very Well choreographed sword work.

Ok so there it is.   We're BaAck...lol.

[Cobaltblu]

Highlander Movie Swordfights (partly because of the swordfighting and partly because of the cool Queen music and explosions and lightning).

Regards,

CB

[Ottheinrich]

4.) The Fellowship of the Ring - Aragorn vs. Lurtz

3.) The Princess Bride - Westley vs. Inigo Montoya

2.) Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - Yu Shu Lien vs. Jen Yu

1.) Rob Roy - Robert Roy MacGregor vs. Archibald Cunningham

[Welsh Wench]

1. Ladyhawke--the dueling in the Cathedral between Navarre and Marquette. Who can forget the Fresian trotting down the steps of the Cathedral? Sheer magic!

2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves--the sword fight between Robin and Nottingham at the very end. Marian with the candlewax was so touching fitting. Also the sword fight between Robin and Marian in her castle when they first met again.

3. Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in POTC. "You need to get yourself a girl!"

[maelstrom0370]

Dunno if it counts as a sword fight but...

Last of the Mohicans - Chingachgook vs. Magua  I'll watch that WHOLE movie for that scene!!! 

Troy - Achilles vs. Hector  I heard Brad Pitt knocked Eric Bana out twice while filming that scene

Rob Roy - Same as above, Robert Roy MacGregor vs. Archibald Cunningham Yes, a rapier may be lighter and faster but my GOD!!  With a claymore, all it takes is one!

LotR:TFotR - Boromir vs....well the entire Urak-Hai army!!  Although I love it more for Bormirs' redemption than anything else.

I'm sure there are TONS more that escape me now!!

[Zoë]

This is a relatively new one, but I just saw it the other day and it was pretty damn good.

Narnia, Prince Caspian: Peter Pevensie vs King Miraz...that scene was intense! 

[Hoowil]

Its been twenty years or so since I've seen it, but the final fight between Robin and the Sheriff in Robin and Mariane. If for no other reasons that its two older characters wailing away with broadswords, and having to constantly stop to catch their breath.

But yeah, the rest of them are deffinitely up there.

[Captain Kilian]

not to geek it up but Yoda vs. Dooku in SW: EP2. Light sabers are all that really redeemed episodes 1-3 (ok, light saber fights and natali portman...either way totally replying on eye candy).

[KeeperoftheBar]

For me
1.      Oliver Reed vs. anyone in "The Three Musketeers"  He fought hard, dirty and to win.  Which, I think, is the way to do it unless in a sanctioned duel.

[groomporter]

Not the best choreography/sword work, but a kinda fun one was with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask of Zorro 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9as3GwRpFk

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

The fight's between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone (Captain Blood. Robin Hood)
The 1st fight in Kingdom of Heaven where Liam Nesson gets the arrow in him.
The Musketter. Despite the cheesie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style it was fun.
Timeline with Gerrard Butler (God is Gerrard hot in this movie)
Robin and Marion with Sean Connery

[BLAKDUKE]

Cyrano DeBergerac  - 1950 Jose Ferrer:  "Then as I end the refrain... thrust home,   ye gods what a line"

Swordsman Of Sienna  Stewart Granger vs ??  The technique is superb.  The fight itself was a little to short and all the while I thought there would be another duel to end the film, there was not, that doth sucketh.  However there was a bit of sparring between Granger and Sylva Koscina, in which they each tried to play strip swordfighting.  Koscina lost but if the film had been made today she would have been naked.   

Any of the three duels in Master of Ballantrea, Flynn looked worse in this than in Adv. of Don Juan

The Adventures of Don Juan.
The climatic duel between Errol Flyn and Robert Douglas in the end was breathtaking for me as well as for Flynn, he was only 11 years from dead at the time of the film but he was already starting to look like death warmed over.

[Just Randall]

Tony Curtis and Ross Martin, 'The Great Race'. At one time, this was called "The greatest swordfight in cinematic history".


Danny Kaye and Basil Rathbone, 'The Court Jester'.

Actually, just about anything with Basil in it, he was widely acknowledged as the finest swordsman in the stage and screen community, and was usually the one that made Errol Flynn(who was mediocre at best) look good.

[escherblacksmith]

I dunno, I do think Basil was a good swordsman, but the choreography really stunk in some cases . . .

I don't disagree what what has been said, but, I will put in the climactic duel in Scaramouche with Mel Ferrer vs. Stewart Granger.

I think it held (or still holds) the record for longest duel on screen.  15 minutes or so.  But I haven't seen it in awhile.

I'd also add all of the duels from, the aptly named, the Duellists.  Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine.  Multiple times.

Quite good.

[Blackbead]

How about Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis at the end of "The Vikings"?  Not a particularly accurate movie but the images of them fighting on the top of a tower and the angles it was shot at are awe-inspiring.  I also liked Tyrone Power versus Basil Rathbone in "The Mark of Zorro," especially the ending.  And as for raw footage of swordplay, it's hard to beat "The Duelists."  But, as has been said many times before, there must be thousands of GREAT swordfights out there.

Blackbead