Those are cavalry sabres, which are indeed quite heavy swords. They are not meant for dueling, but for swinging from horseback in wide arcs. So they are going to be pretty damned tired.
@schizoidboy, it wasn't Bob Anderson, it was the great William Hobbs who choreographed the fight scenes in this movie. As others have said, it's pretty obvious that when the scene begins the duel has been going on for some time and that both men have been wounded and are verging on exhaustion.
One should remember that other things go into a duel along with skill, skill may be necessary to win but when all the rules are thrown out and people just go at it with whatever they have then the fight especially to the death is going to get brutal. This at least shows the fighters as humans who get exhausted and worn down and at a certain point are just going to be slashing at each other. Incidentally I think Bob Anderson worked this movie and set up this scene.
When I was 18 my father, off his head on drink and drugs tried to kill me with a sabre, if I had not taken another off the wall I would have been chopped up in fine style. yes he was berserk but very dangerous; ''they don't all fight like fine gentlemen''
UM . . . in the "Related Videos" why is there just a video that says "Jennifer Aniston"? I just don't understand anyway she can be connected to this. At all.
The strike at 1:50 could have been fatal if the duelist would have wanted to really hit his opponent. Well, maybe he is supposed to be too exhausted to have any will left. That'd even make sense.
I dont understand the choice of weapons given the era. I mean these guys were losing their balance on a lot of their attacks before they even got winded
Find the first duel from this movie; it does indeed look like one of the texts from the time that you mention--very stylized and formal--and short, as Ferraud measures his opponent and sees his weakness and then quickly dispatches him.
The second one is that way too, except that the two men are an even match in skill and nerve. That's why they end up hacking away at each other through the succeeding duels without success, until D'Hubert finds a way out of the box.
Those sabres were actually around 2 lbs, you simply can not get tired that much in such a short time. Second, wide swings with brute strength were never used or taught by european fencing masters of that time - this duel is a typical movie exaggeration which is meant to look cool and dramatic. Historically, It was more like that:
In my first sparrings with heavy replica of a XVII century cavalry sabre, after a couple of minutes I believe i was looking very similarly to those gentlemen :-).
Of course it's exaggerated. But still I wouldn't agree that fencing with a 1000grams plus cavalry sabre would resemble fighting with a 700 grams duelling weapon. Just check movies in my profile.
@Protherium ahahahhaha, if you believe historically it was "more like that youtube video with two guys gently waving sabres", I can only pity you. In duels to the death nobody cared about performing a beautiful coupe droit, believe me. It was raw and brutal. Ridley understood this.
Brutal, sure, but now "raw". It is a common myth that european fighting always relied on "brute strength" and not skill, which is bullshit, to be honest. Survived fighting manuals from 14th to 18th centuries actually tell us pretty clearly how men fought in the past - it was brutal but also efficient and quick. Thomas Page in his fencing manual published in 1746 gives us a very clear idea how to use broadswords and sabres, a highly elaborated combat system without "raw strength".
@Protherium its true im 6 feet and weigh 250 and almost none of the sparring or training i have done have required great strength its all grappling, deflection, and evasion
@Protherium - in its original context, this scene begins mid-way through the duel - they're both *already* bleeding, drenched in sweat, desperate and exhausted. It's left to the audience to imagine the way the combat started, which might well have been much more skilled and formal.
@snuttgurkan I used to do fencing (for 4 years), although I'm more acquainted with the foil I did use sabre from time to time. Fencing is all about swiftness and deception, you do not rely on brute force to win a fight as it shows in this scene.
@snuttgurkan Sabre is ALWAYS a one handed weapon! And for the record, the sabres these guys are using MUST over-weighted to be THAT hard to swing. Real blades (and most replicas) are fairly light. This fight is total crap.
@snuttgurkan You're correct. The director is having them portrayed at the end of their physical and emotional endurance. The end of this fight isn't technical in the least, the characters are spent and brawling. This fight scene is so brilliant because it captures that flavor for the story.
@IKEEMBLEM the looks of the great BARY LYNDON is inmatchable...Scott want to do this because of barry lyndon....that film came out 3 years before this one!!
Those are cavalry sabres, which are indeed quite heavy swords. They are not meant for dueling, but for swinging from horseback in wide arcs. So they are going to be pretty damned tired.
pkart7 5 days ago
looks like sparrow
CableThe 1 week ago
Underrated movie..
Boxingbear 3 weeks ago
Officers with high respect for each other.
As the Dalei Lama might say: "Let their grudge die..."
pickledtochus 3 weeks ago
It could be more effective, and less tiresome if they would use the saber as a saber... :)
szmesz 1 month ago
Why is Scott doing shit now? I want to see more films like The Duelist
SuperHeroMania 1 month ago
@schizoidboy, it wasn't Bob Anderson, it was the great William Hobbs who choreographed the fight scenes in this movie. As others have said, it's pretty obvious that when the scene begins the duel has been going on for some time and that both men have been wounded and are verging on exhaustion.
ParacleteOfCaborca 1 month ago
One should remember that other things go into a duel along with skill, skill may be necessary to win but when all the rules are thrown out and people just go at it with whatever they have then the fight especially to the death is going to get brutal. This at least shows the fighters as humans who get exhausted and worn down and at a certain point are just going to be slashing at each other. Incidentally I think Bob Anderson worked this movie and set up this scene.
schizoidboy 1 month ago
When I was 18 my father, off his head on drink and drugs tried to kill me with a sabre, if I had not taken another off the wall I would have been chopped up in fine style. yes he was berserk but very dangerous; ''they don't all fight like fine gentlemen''
scroogesong1 2 months ago
UM . . . in the "Related Videos" why is there just a video that says "Jennifer Aniston"? I just don't understand anyway she can be connected to this. At all.
theaterhobo 2 months ago
The strike at 1:50 could have been fatal if the duelist would have wanted to really hit his opponent. Well, maybe he is supposed to be too exhausted to have any will left. That'd even make sense.
RudeBoyRocket 2 months ago
i wonder why that guy with grey pants is wearing a russian hussar uniform when hes french :(
janeknr2 2 months ago
They are swinging those sabres like sticks. No skill at all.
Owieczkin 3 months ago
I dont understand the choice of weapons given the era. I mean these guys were losing their balance on a lot of their attacks before they even got winded
EdMcStinko 3 months ago
Find the first duel from this movie; it does indeed look like one of the texts from the time that you mention--very stylized and formal--and short, as Ferraud measures his opponent and sees his weakness and then quickly dispatches him.
The second one is that way too, except that the two men are an even match in skill and nerve. That's why they end up hacking away at each other through the succeeding duels without success, until D'Hubert finds a way out of the box.
tomcervo 4 months ago
Ces bourrins ne tiendraient pas cinq secondes devant un katana !!
Pascale6666 5 months ago
Just to be clear; sabre is normally a one handed weapon, right? And the only reason they're using both hands is because they're tired. Or am I wrong?
snuttgurkan 6 months ago 13
@snuttgurkan
You're right.
Miauriceful 5 months ago
@snuttgurkan
Right <.<
Nabouwablee 5 months ago
@snuttgurkan
Those sabres were actually around 2 lbs, you simply can not get tired that much in such a short time. Second, wide swings with brute strength were never used or taught by european fencing masters of that time - this duel is a typical movie exaggeration which is meant to look cool and dramatic. Historically, It was more like that:
-- watch?v=mkij2_qYqX0
Protherium 4 months ago
@Protherium
In my first sparrings with heavy replica of a XVII century cavalry sabre, after a couple of minutes I believe i was looking very similarly to those gentlemen :-).
Of course it's exaggerated. But still I wouldn't agree that fencing with a 1000grams plus cavalry sabre would resemble fighting with a 700 grams duelling weapon. Just check movies in my profile.
BrodatyOlo 4 months ago
@Protherium ahahahhaha, if you believe historically it was "more like that youtube video with two guys gently waving sabres", I can only pity you. In duels to the death nobody cared about performing a beautiful coupe droit, believe me. It was raw and brutal. Ridley understood this.
SmokiSounds 4 months ago
@SmokiSounds
Brutal, sure, but now "raw". It is a common myth that european fighting always relied on "brute strength" and not skill, which is bullshit, to be honest. Survived fighting manuals from 14th to 18th centuries actually tell us pretty clearly how men fought in the past - it was brutal but also efficient and quick. Thomas Page in his fencing manual published in 1746 gives us a very clear idea how to use broadswords and sabres, a highly elaborated combat system without "raw strength".
Protherium 4 months ago 22
@Protherium its true im 6 feet and weigh 250 and almost none of the sparring or training i have done have required great strength its all grappling, deflection, and evasion
zsmith2100 2 months ago
@Protherium - in its original context, this scene begins mid-way through the duel - they're both *already* bleeding, drenched in sweat, desperate and exhausted. It's left to the audience to imagine the way the combat started, which might well have been much more skilled and formal.
BartitsuSociety 3 months ago
@snuttgurkan I used to do fencing (for 4 years), although I'm more acquainted with the foil I did use sabre from time to time. Fencing is all about swiftness and deception, you do not rely on brute force to win a fight as it shows in this scene.
Frostfeera 4 months ago
@snuttgurkan Sabre is ALWAYS a one handed weapon! And for the record, the sabres these guys are using MUST over-weighted to be THAT hard to swing. Real blades (and most replicas) are fairly light. This fight is total crap.
jacobbenmichael 2 months ago
@snuttgurkan You're correct. The director is having them portrayed at the end of their physical and emotional endurance. The end of this fight isn't technical in the least, the characters are spent and brawling. This fight scene is so brilliant because it captures that flavor for the story.
MrCralexander 2 months ago
@snuttgurkan You are quite obviously correct, except in that they are not only very clearly exhausted to the point of collapse, but wounded as well.
TOMHYLE88 2 months ago
@snuttgurkan They just dont know how to use these weapons ... The fight shows that they dont know how to fight with saber.
ZiemowitARKONA 5 days ago
@Gaston088able Have you ever seen the Duellists? If not you really should. Which came first is not important.
fartonmeee 6 months ago
Brilliant been looking for this for ages. Why isn't there more hits. Best duel ever!
fredo1070 7 months ago
for a movie that came out in 1977, it looks great.
IKEEMBLEM 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@IKEEMBLEM much metter than most of the movies!
cerkuenik 7 months ago
@IKEEMBLEM the looks of the great BARY LYNDON is inmatchable...Scott want to do this because of barry lyndon....that film came out 3 years before this one!!
Gaston088able 6 months ago