Reclaiming the Blade

When men were to

take up arms,

the predominant object

was the sword.

'Cause when I have done

sword fights in movies,

I've always thought about:

What are they for?

Often these things were

right at the point of history.

They're such a part

of our cultural heritage.

The Medieval

and Renaissance blade,

a profound

and beautiful object

handcrafted by

master artisans of old.

It is designed to kill.

The truth of the sword

has been shrouded in antiquity

and the Renaissance martial arts

that brought it into being

are long forgotten.

The ancient practitioners

lent us all that they knew

through their manuscripts.

As gunslingers

of the Renaissance

they were the western heroes

with swords.

They lived and died by them.

Yet today, their history

remains cloaked

under a shadow of legend.

Before the invention

of gunpowder,

the sword was

the weapon of the time.

The sword probably has not

been a relevant weapon

for at least 200 years.

To think that a pummel,

a handgrip, a crossbar, a blade,

a very simple object

could hold such sway

over thousands of years

of human evolution.

These objects have really

controlled our history

and where we are today.

Swords have been used

throughout history

to defend people and land,

to build nations

and to protect kingdoms

from tyranny.

From 1st century wars

against Rome

to the Viking

and Norman conquests,

sword and steel have

changed the fate of kingdoms,

the map of Europe and ultimately

the timeline of world history.

Their essential role

in preserving freedom and honor

goes back far into

the dim mists of history.

The connection between

sword and freedom

may perhaps find its

origin within the customs

of the Germanic

and Celtic tribes.

Here, being armed with a sword

was not only a right

but also a duty

of all free men.

In fact, the ceremony

for giving freedom to a slave

required that

the former slave

be presented with

the armament of a free man.

Many British kings chose to

trust their subjects with arms

and to supplement the militia

in times of need

rather than abolish it.

The idea of a free militia

versus a financed army

presents an interesting concept

that is reflected

in many of our modern films.

The sword is as relevant today

as a symbol

as it was in ages past,

being found within statues,

civic emblems, and insignia

both ancient and modern.

It has been an ancient symbol

for words spoken in truth,

for purity, justice

and the spirit of God.

The iconic power of the sword

is everywhere within our culture

from literature to

popular entertainment and

nowhere is it more celebrated

than in the modern cinema.

There's a definite symbolism

that's part and parcel

of every story

containing a sword.

The sword combines

power, authority,

and the threat of impending

violence all in a prop,

which might be hanging

off somebody's side

until the moment

they draw it.

I think there's something

more intimate about

2 guys going at it

with swords.

To fight someone with a sword

as opposed to shooting someone

with a gun, I think

it takes more courage.

It's conflict at its most raw

where you've got 2 characters

looking at each other eye to eye

engaging at that level.

And the stakes are higher

it could go either way.

You are right there in the end

and the sword, in many ways,

is an extension

of that character's arm

so it's really

a sharpened fist.

It suddenly is a realm

of myth, of legend,

of heroes, of adventures.

That would explain to a large

degree the popularity of swords.

They're, you know,

an integral part of it.

Our technology has progressed

far beyond needing the sword

as an object of personal

defense, and while

it's still irrelevant, don't

you think it's interesting

the extent to which

we seem to still have

the image of the sword,

the concept of the sword,

the symbolic importance

of the sword.

I mean, it's hard to

turn on the television

or go to the cinema,

it seems,

without still being

surrounded by swords.

Our stories and movies contain

the kind of morality and justice

that we only wish we could

find in the real world.

I've had the honor really--

I have to say it like that--

of working with Bob Anderson

as my swordmaster.

In all of the fights that

I did on film as a coach,

and indeed as a modern fencer,

has undoubtedly been

my life, swordplay.

Others who have worked

with him feel like I do,

that you always want to give

100% to live up to

the choreography

that he comes up with.

Even his presence,

just him walking on the set,

suddenly you have to pick

up your game a bit, you know.

The first time I met

Bob Anderson was actually

on the set of

"Lord of the Rings."

He turns around and

introduces himself and says,

"Well, I'm going to show you

a few things that might

save your life today, mate."

And so he proceeded to show

me some basic blocking

and thrusting and

cutting moves with the sword.

And the guy who came after him

to show me some more says,

"Oh, do you realize

who that was?"

And I was like,

"No, I don't."

"Well, that's

Bob Anderson.

"He, you know, he used

to train Errol Flynn

and you know, has worked for

years in the industry."

And I said, "Oh really,

is that so?"

Why don't you give up?

You can see

I'm a better swordsman

Errol Flynn was a very

talented, athletic actor

who could do anything

if he set his mind to it.

And that's why he became

a swordsman, I think,

is because the parts that

were getting the publicity

in those days--

sword fighting and stuff--

fighting at the end,

and you know,

Douglas Fairbanks stuff

as it was called in those days.

Then he said,

"Oh, and he was Darth Vader."

He was actually in

Darth Vader's costume

actually doing all

the light saber work.

And I was like...

that sort of struck

a resonance with me, you know.

Oh, Darth Vader, yes.

It's just a cloak and a helmet

that I was underneath it all.

I did choreograph the fights.

I did 3 of those.

It was good work for me.

It became the weapon of choice

in that series of films.

Indeed even, it seems

when somebody's making

a science-fiction movie

and off in space

they can't seem to escape

from the sword.

I wonder why that is?

What is it?

It's your father's

light saber.

This is a weapon

of a Jedi knight.

Not as clumsy or random

as a blaster.

An elegant weapon

for a more civilized age.

To go into the future and

then think about laser swords,

that's brilliant.

Suddenly "Star Wars"

is not just a sci-fi movie,

it's also a modern version

of a hero legend.

"The Princess Bride"

was one of the best fights

and everybody tells me

it was one of the best fights

I've choreographed.

You seem like

a decent fellow.

I hate to kill you.

You seem like

a decent fellow.

I hate to die.

They learned to fight

with left and right hands.

Then why are you smiling?

Because I know something

you don't know.

And what is that?

I am not left-handed.

And then they do it again

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