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I recently watched the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for the umteenth time and realised that the producers payed very little attention to the accuracy of the swordplay, and that combatants just either swung like crazy or did some flashy move or menuever. Now, I'll let this slide since it is a fantasy. However, many movies that are of so-called historic basis use the same style of sloppy swordplay.

Is it so hard to get trainers that know a thing or two about swordplay? Kung-fu action movies pour alot of money into trainers for making sure all the moves were realistic, why not historic movies hire some guys who know a thing or two about swordplay?

Things I have never seen used in a medieval action movie:

*Half-swording
*controlled and accurate swings
*footwork
*actual aknowledgement of armor
*realistic parrys
*no edge on edge blocks
*grappling
*hilt-strikes

Why can't hollywood make just one realistic fight scene!

Another problem I have is with gunplay in movies. Why can't people just realise that BULLETS GO THROUGH THINGS!

I hate every movie where the hero can dive behind a piece of drywall and be completly safe from gunfire. Another thing is all those movies where people don't aim their guns! You can't fire accuratly from your hip! Also, what is with guns having no recoil? Is it so hard to simulate recoil? Finally, reloading. I've seen so many movies where a 9mm berreta will fire up to 30-40 rounds without reloading. Last time I checked they only hold 15 rounds, plus one.

Another thing, 50 caliber desert eagles WERE NEVER DESIGNED FOR COMBAT, and they do not hold more than 7 rounds! plus one up the pipe.

Primarily because such things would be, boring. If the masses wished to know such things then we would have millions and millions training in legitimate schools.

*Half-swording

I'm sure I have seen half swording before. If not, I too am suprised why such a thing would not be used. Also, please be aware that very few of us on Gaia are fully trained swordsman as such, when using such terms be sure to explain them.

Half swording is the practice of placing ones free hand upon the blade a short distance from the hilt, enabling a strong block or strike.

*controlled and accurate swings

As far as movies go, I've only ever really seen swings used as killing blows or parries. Even so, people would much rather see frenzied heros cutting down the legions of hell themselves with...his sword. On another note as Mirko has said, war was never a tidy affair and it would be rare enough for sword versus sword combat as it is.

*footwork

I'll change that too economical footwork as moving your body constitutes as footwork. Again, actors don't have time to endlessly train in fighting arts and are limited to whatever drills they practice for the pre-arranged battle. Also, think what looks good as opposed to what works.

*actual aknowledgement of armor

Because the ladies love a badass.

*realistic parrys

Parry's? I've never even seen a worthy dodge or an intercept, let alone a useful parry, as I've mentioned, it doesn't look cool.

*no edge on edge blocks

There are an endless amount of these, though if we're speaking functional this would be a last resort as such blocks would cause the edges of weapons to become blunt worn and notched.

*grappling

Thats a good point, close quarters grappling (with the intent of gaining positional dominance in accordance to striking) is a fundamental part of swordplay, however most little kiddies just aren't interested.

*hilt-strikes

You tend to see alot of these. Usually the bad guys using them though, perhaps because people tend to see them as crude and brutal, and as such, they seem more suitable for the anything goes baddie.

If movies were more historically accurate quite simply they would be less sword play and more focus upon pole arms and ranged weaponary. The point of a movie (in the main) isn't to educate but rather to entertain.

Seen it in quite few movies... as jass said its usually a baddy move...

Heh... isn't Orlando Bloom in Kingdom of Heaven?

Anyway... I haven't seen that movie, and would like to. It's not just brutality that I am looking for, I am looking for real techniques and moves. I think it would be awsome to see a knight halfsword in close combat, or use a simple stopthrust when his opponent delivers a wide swing. I'd love to see a guy abandon his sword in an armored fight so that he could deliver some fast jabs with an armor peircing dagger... things like that are cool, and realistic.

I'm reasonably certain that in an age where the ability to swing a twenty kilo lump of iron around was a very important skill to have, primarily for extending your predicted life span, the ability to do it well was probably a given.. xp
Obviously in the thick of a melee there wasn't an awful lot of time for finesse but evolution probably meant that there were people who tended to come out of it with most of their bits attached, and those people probably had some skill with the long sword.
Lots of things about that film bothered me..

Royce Gracie would pwn Ra's Al Ghul.

That's interesting, I was always led to believe that recreations were lighter. I knew that plate-clad knights were always underrated (usually in katana vs. longsword threads where the 15 year old Tarantino fans are convinced all Samurai carried Masamune katanas that could slice European steel in half) but I put their talent down to humans generally being less pussified by technological convenienced that didn't exist two hundred years ago as we are today, along with a lifetime of training in a suit of metal that had to stay on for days/weeks at a time.

Nope, basic longswords wieghed a pound or two. Even the largest german two-handers meant for combat never broke 6-8lbs.

Those heavy as sin weapons you see at ren fairs and the like were never meant for combat. Armor was the same thing, anyone who has tried on REAL combat armor knows what I'm talking about. It distributes the wieght well and a trained knight could do handstands in his armor. All that bullshit about knights being usless when knocked off their horses is just that... bullshido. Why would the most technologiclly advanced nation in the world fight with soldiers who couldn't pick themselves back up? Or with weapons that are too heavy to wield effectivly?

That's what makes me mad about those Knight vs Samurai arguments, the match up is so unbalanced it's not even funny... a knight could probably take on multiple samurais without a scratch. It just comes down to better equipment.

A movie I'd like to point out here is The Last Samurai. I'd overlook the completly unrealistic swordplay and even the OMGZ NINJAS! attack, (because you have to admit that scene was cool) but the fact that a trained and experienced soldier in a saber stance couldn't take on some dude swinging a stick like a baseball bat is complete bull... in the real world that guy would have kicked the jap's a**, then went back to his mission and pwned the samurais like planned. Remember that any self-respecting gentleman of that day knew how to fence, and a veteran calvalryman would know how to kick a samurai's a**.

By the way, anyone seen the new Zorro movie? Is the swordplay complete bullshido or might I be pleasently suprised?