tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post2058790914093196200..comments2024-03-27T10:27:59.266-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: En Garde: The Magic of the Fantasy Sword FightJohn Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-57501941838426781892010-08-04T19:02:10.679-04:002010-08-04T19:02:10.679-04:00J.D.: Oh crap, I did forget Captain Kronos. Well,...J.D.: Oh crap, I did forget Captain Kronos. Well, crud. But yes, that would have been a great addition to this post.<br /><br />I wish I could have embedded Raimi's skeleton fight from AOD too, just to show what a great homage it really is. (And he really made Bruce Campbell work hard to pull it off, too...).<br /><br />Best,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-64269933958869493822010-08-02T13:06:41.859-04:002010-08-02T13:06:41.859-04:00What a fantastic topic to write about! I love thos...What a fantastic topic to write about! I love those examples you sampled from Harryhausen's films. Those have to be some of the most memorable of all time - esp. the iconic fight with the animated skeletons which Sam Raimi paid homage to so lovingly (and hilariously) in ARMY OF DARKNESS. As someone else pointed out, the sword fights in the original HIGHLANDER film are stand-outs for me, esp. the two that bookend the film - the one in the parking garage and the finally over the Silvercup sign!<br /><br />Another one of my faves is CAPTAIN KRONOS - VAMPIRE HUNTER which has some pretty decent sword fights as well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-47902268891023448582010-07-31T13:04:24.647-04:002010-07-31T13:04:24.647-04:00Hi John:
Thank you my friend. And a HUGE Thank y...Hi John:<br /><br />Thank you my friend. And a HUGE Thank you for mentioning Bernard Hermann...that was definitely an oversight on my part (especially because I did mention John Williams).<br /><br />Herrmann's scores are amazing, and add significantly to the tension/reality of these sifht scenes. I can't imagine these fights without them.<br /><br />All my best,<br />JohnJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-44428634354249616042010-07-31T12:31:23.675-04:002010-07-31T12:31:23.675-04:00Great topic. Interesting that Harryahausen figures...Great topic. Interesting that Harryahausen figures so prominently in the subject matter and the clips. I would only add that Bernard Hermann's score helps accentuate the action on Jason and Seventh Voyage. It all comes together to make for a fantasy and action spectacle.John W. Moreheadhttp://www.theofantastique.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-1560666136930992462010-07-31T08:40:35.287-04:002010-07-31T08:40:35.287-04:00Le0pard13: I love the way you described this speci...Le0pard13: I love the way you described this special moment, an "engram." <br /><br />That's right (and cleverly put). It's like...forever imprinted on my brain. <br /><br />I've had so many of those "Engram" moments with my son and wife since Joel was born. I don't mean this lightly or flippantly, but I hope when my time comes...this is the sort of imagery that flashes before my eyes. Pure happiness and joy.<br /><br />It's also good to know that I'm not alone in my appreciation of Phantom Menace's climactic fight. I am going to check out those links, so I can find out more about it.<br /><br />Thank you!<br /><br />Trick or Treat Pete: Glad I tugged at your "sinewy heart" (I love that...) with this post. <br /><br />I remember seeing The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in the theater when I was five years old...and being absolutely obsessed with that Kali Statue that comes to life and battles Sinbad with six swords. We share a love for those Sinbad movies. I want to watch them all over again...<br /><br />I tried to post some Highlander sword fights here, but embedding was disabled on the best of 'em, so I'm glad that you brought them up so other readers can seek them out. Highlander seems to be the latest and most popular iteration of sword-fighting in the genre. <br /><br />Thanks for the comments!<br /><br />best,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-49851738198400288232010-07-30T23:11:39.748-04:002010-07-30T23:11:39.748-04:00Oh man, did you tug on this zombies sinewy heart w...Oh man, did you tug on this zombies sinewy heart when you brought up the Sinbad movies, especially that sword fight with kali! That was my favorite scene of all the films! I am such a nut for stop-motion animation..everything from Harryhausen to Rankin/Bass. <br />I would have to rank this as one of my top ten sword fights, along with the one from The Princess Bride, the two skeleton sword fights from the Sinbad films, the Darth Maul one from Episode 1, then I would add Obi-Wan vs Anakin in Episode 3, Conner MacLeod vs Duncan MacLeod in Highlander: Endgame, Robert Roy MacGregor vs Archibald Cunningham in 95's Rob Roy, Valeria vs Thulsa Dooms henchmen in Conan, and basically any fight between Blade and the Vampires. <br />Thanks for posting that vid of Sinbad vs Kali...haven't seen that in forever!<br />Dreaded Dreams<br />Petunia ScareumAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-59821518854478084912010-07-30T16:38:16.945-04:002010-07-30T16:38:16.945-04:00Wonderful post, John! That moment you shared with ...Wonderful post, John! That moment you shared with your son has to be one of those pivotal moments in fatherhood (I've gone through it with my son... and daughter). And I believe, as you stated, it's an <i>engram</i> kind of thing. [I know my wife will give me credit for passing it on to my kids ;-)]<br /><br />As well, that is a spectacular selection of sword fight sequences (mentioned and shown) -- those Ray Harryhausen ones really show off the genius of the man. Sword fighting in film really is its own art-form. One that involves dexterity, skill, and brains (in front and behind the camera). The best of those (you covered a good number of them, here) get that across to the audience with their coordination in sword choreographing, acting, and cinematography.<br /><br />I'm very happy you gave props to the <i>Duel of the Fates</i> sequence in PHANTOM MENACE, too. Yes, it's a problematic film by Lucas, but stunt coordinator Nick Gillard's sword fight sequence is definitely not (and is THE highlight of the film). If you're interested, an absorbing series of blog posts on film sword-fights was done in 2006, 2008. It was written by journalist/writer <a href="http://stevenhartsite.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">Steven Hart</a>. It's well worth reading (Part <a href="http://stevenhartsite.wordpress.com/2006/11/21/the-third-best-swordfight-movie-of-all-time/" rel="nofollow">1</a>, <a href="http://stevenhartsite.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/the-second-best-swordfight-movie-of-all-time/" rel="nofollow">2</a>, <a href="http://stevenhartsite.wordpress.com/2008/03/08/the-best-swordfight-movie-of-all-time/" rel="nofollow">3</a>).<br /><br />This was one special post, my friend. Thanks for this.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.com