19 March 2024

The Mark of Zorro (1940) Marked Elsewhere

Jill Bearup has a YouTube video on the subject of the fight choreography in The Mark of Zorro (1940), which may be of interest to readers of Theoretical Swashbuckling. (I certainly found it interesting.) Watch it here.

13 March 2024

Swashbuckling Thought of the Day 2024-03-13

This is more of a status report on upcoming television reviews than a swashbuckling thought, but "Status Report" seemed a bit too ostentatious to put in the title. So, here's the status report.

I have watched about two-thirds of the second season of Disney's Zorro from the 1950s, and after a few episodes of Cesar Romero chaos, it seems to have regained its composure. I've reduced the frequency of my viewing to about one episode per week, though, so I probably won't post a review until early summer.

I have watched half of the first season of the new Zorro in Spanish, which I had eagerly anticipated, but its execution has left me less enthusiastic. I am rarely in a mood to watch it now. It feels more like a chore. I have no idea when I will feel motivated to finish it and review it.

All but one of my old swashbuckling reviews from Cuparius.com have now been posted in Theoretical Swashbuckling. The exception is my review of the 2001 British made-for-television movie, Princess of Thieves (starring Keira Knightley). Honestly, I don't think it qualifies as an actual review, and I have decided not to post a review until I have watched it again. It may have disappointed me at the time, but I wish to be fair in my assessment of it. First, however, I need to find a way to re-watch it.

Other than that, I shall continue to post new reviews of swashbuckling movies and television shows (new and old) as Fortune permits.

24 February 2024

Fudging Blades

"Fudging Blades: Swashbuckling Combat for Fudge!" (from SpiritMusketeer's Blog) is a simple swashbuckling combat system for Fudge by Thijs Krijger and Jay Shaffstall with help from François Letarte. It lacks the detail of simulationist fencing rules, but it appears to be relatively fast-paced. It looks promising.

[This article has been cross-posted here in Creative Reckoning.]

03 February 2024

The Black Swan (1942) Reviewed

Movie poster for The Black Swan (1942).

One of the most entertaining courtships in the history of swashbuckling films is that of Tyrone Power as buccaneer Jamie Waring and Maureen O'Hara as Lady Margaret Denby in 1942's The Black Swan. Although opposites attract (and socially they could scarcely be in greater opposition), they are far more similar in temperament, which leads to an amusing tug of war amongst the backdrop of warring pirates and privateers in the Caribbean during the reign of William III in England and Captain Henry Morgan in Jamaica. The fencing is excellent, as can be expected with Tyrone Power in the lead, although it suffers in at least one scene from the film having been unnecessarily sped up, which is certainly dismaying for those who appreciate Power's swordsmanship. Beautifully filmed and scored, The Black Swan ranks as one of the genre's enduring classics.

Writing: Good
Directing: Good
Acting: Great
Cinematography: Great
Stunts: Great
Swordplay: Great
Panache: Great

Overall Rating: Great
Swashbuckling Rank: Great


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 29 July 2009.]


Addendum

Written by: Ben Hecht and Seton I. Miller
Based on: The Black Swan by Rafael Sabatini
Directed by: Henry King
Performed by: Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar, Thomas Mitchell, George Sanders, Anthony Quinn, George Zucco, et al.

15 January 2024

Prince Valiant (1954) Reviewed

Movie poster for Prince Valiant (1954).

Prince Valiant (1954) is a fairly faithful adaptation of the venerable comic strip by Hal Foster, Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur. As in the comic strip, historical verisimilitude is strained by a plethora of anachronisms (the coexistence of 5th century Britons and 9th-11th century Vikings being one example), but if one can excuse the liberties taken with reality (as any fan of the comic strip surely can), then one is free to enjoy the rollicking adventure that is the film.

The titular protagonist (played by Robert Wagner) is the heir to the throne of a fictional Christian kingdom in Scandinavia. The throne, however, has been usurped, and the royal family, having been granted the protection of King Arthur, now resides in a secret location in Britain. Much of the plot involves Valiant's passage to knighthood, his efforts to restore his father to the throne, and the awakening of his love for the Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh).

On the whole, it is moderately well acted for a moderately well written screenplay, with the exception of James Mason, who gives a creditable performance as the villain, and Sterling Hayden, who gives an explosively bad performance as Valiant's mentor, Sir Gawain. The prevalence of American accents in a tale set in mythical Britain may be a mild, but not insurmountable, distraction. Hayden's interpretation of Sir Gawain as a U.S. Marshall in the Old West, however, is howlingly atrocious to the point of hilarity. Was Hayden even trying to act, or was the resultant comedy deliberate? Did the director, Henry Hathaway, realize that Hayden had been miscast and just told him to do his best, or did he say, "Pretend you're a cowboy. It will be hilarious!"

Hayden's colossal ineptitude in the role does not, thankfully, destroy the entire picture. The production values and cinematography are well above average, the pacing is good, and the stunts are plentiful. The jousting scenes are very well executed, the castle siege is an amazing feat of large scale fight choreography depicting many of the aspects of siege warfare, and the climactic trial by combat with swords and shields is truly the highpoint of the film.

If one can forgive the clichés and Hayden's infractions against the acting profession, one will find Prince Valiant to be a vigorous and entertaining action movie.

Writing: Fair
Directing: Fair
Acting: Mediocre (Sterling Hayden: Terrible; James Mason: Good)
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Great
Swordplay: Great
Panache: Fair

Overall Rating: Good
Swashbuckling Rank: Good


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 27 January 2012.]


Addendum

Written by: Dudley Nichols
Based on: Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur by Hal Foster
Directed by: Henry Hathaway
Performed by: James Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner, Debra Paget, Sterling Hayden, et al.

04 January 2024

Swinging from Chandeliers into 2024

1. Post more gaming content.

2. Finish watching the second season of Zorro, the Disney television show.

3. Start watching Zorro, the new Prime television show in Spanish.

4. Continue reading the original Zorro stories by Johnston McCulley.

5. Play more swashbuckling board games, war games, and role-playing games.

6. Rewatch and review Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974).

28 December 2023

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) Reviewed

Movie poster for The Prisoner of Zenda (1937).

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) is a superlative example of the cinematic swashbuckler removed from the traditional period setting, for it takes place neither in the golden age of swashbuckling (the 15th through 18th centuries) nor even in an actual place. Based on the popular 1894 novel by Anthony Hope, it is situated firmly in the mid to late 19th century in the fictional European country of Ruritania. It is a tale of royal intrigue, adventure, and love, with the central theme of a protagonist who is forced to assume the identity of another. Ronald Colman has the dual role of Rudolf Rassendyll, an Englishman, and his identical cousin, the future king of Ruritania. In both roles, Coleman shines without overpowering his scenes. Rarely, in fact, does one see so well-balanced a job of casting. C. Aubrey Smith and David Niven are exceptional as the king's friends and advisors; Raymond Massey is excellent as Black Michael, the king's brother and nemesis; Mary Astor is equally suitable as Antoinette de Mauban, Black Michael's inamorata; and Madeleine Carroll gives a performance of sublime yet understated beauty as Princess Flavia, the Prisoner of Zenda's betrothed. It is Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., however, who gives perhaps the most stunning performance as a quintessential swashbuckler who is a villain. As Rupert of Hentzau, Fairbanks crackles with energy and ensures that no encounter will be dull. In all ways, he provides a perfect clash of personality and arms with the less flamboyant—but no less decisive—English gentleman. Nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Art Direction and Best Music, Score), it honestly deserved greater recognition in other categories as well. The Prisoner of Zenda, as an adventure, as a romance, and as a drama (with a healthy amount of humor), stands as one of the greatest swashbuckling movies of its time or any other era.

Writing: Good
Directing: Great
Acting: Great
Cinematography: Good
Stunts: Good
Swordplay: Good
Panache: Superb

Overall Rating: Great
Swashbuckling Rank: Great


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 27 May 2011.]


Addendum

Written by: John L. Balderston, Edward E. Rose, Wells Root, et al.
Based on: The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
Directed by: John Cromwell and W.S. Van Dyke
Performed by: Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Mary Astor, C. Aubrey Smith, David Niven, Raymond Massey, et al.

12 November 2023

The Musketeer (2001) Reviewed

Movie poster for The Musketeer (2001).

What would happen if you combined a film adaptation of the greatest swashbuckling epic of all time, Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, with a Chinese kung fu flick? Apparently the makers of The Musketeer (2001) asked such a question, and the answer is nothing good.

The stunts, which are likely the reason (or excuse) for the film being made at all, are intended to awe and amuse the audience, but merely bore with their ridiculousness. There are two basic schools of martial arts films. One emphasizes the true physical mastery of the martial artist (such as Bruce Lee or Tony Jaa); the other emphasizes the martial artist as a fantasy hero, with wires to enable the characters to perform superhuman feats and various techniques to convey superhuman speed and agility. The greatest swashbuckling movies, for the most part, can count themselves as kin to the first type of martial arts movie, going all the way back to the derring-do of Douglas Fairbanks, with stunts that were all the more shocking for their audacity because they were real. In much the same way that one is astounded by the skill and courage of trapeze artists, the best of the classic swashbuckling films had actors who did all their own fencing, climbing, leaping, diving, chandelier-swinging, and precipice-balancing. Replace all that with wires, stunt doubles, and very careful editing, and you rip the soul out of swashbuckling. And you get The Musketeer.

The inappropriate stylings of stunt choreographer Xin Xin Xiong aside, The Musketeer manages to reduce its greatest strength, its source material, to a bland and predictable tale of revenge, halfheartedly and wearily performed by its better actors (Catherine Deneuve) and woodenly performed by its lesser actors (the rest of the cast). Characters who had a richness of complexity are impoverished by the writers to a state of two-dimensionality that could have been just as easily fulfilled by cardboard standees. Whether assessed as an adaptation or revision of The Three Musketeers, The Musketeer is a uniform failure.

Writing: Terrible
Directing: Mediocre
Acting: Poor
Cinematography: Fair
Stunts: Poor
Swordplay: Mediocre
Panache: Terrible

Overall Rating: Poor
Swashbuckling Rank: Poor


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 28 February 2010.]


Addendum

Written by: Gene Quintano
Directed by: Peter Hyams
Performed by: Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Tim Roth, Justin Chambers, et al.

20 September 2023

Double Crossbones (1951) Reviewed

Movie poster for Double Crossbones (1951).

Double Crossbones (1951) is a moderately amusing musical comedy that lampoons the swashbuckling pirate movie of its day as well as its staple plot: the double cross, especially the kind that involves upstanding fellows who are mistaken for pirates. The upstanding fellow in pirate's clothing in this case is Davey Crandall (played by Donald O'Connor), a mere shopkeeper's assistant, who, through a series of misadventures, becomes a prince among buccaneers. I am giving away nothing in mentioning this, as his status is clearly stated by the narrator at the beginning of the film (which is, incidentally, by far the most humorous part of the film). Donald O'Connor is most famous for his part in Singin' in the Rain and his recurring role in the Francis the Talking Mule series of movies. As Davey, O'Connor unleashes his skills as a dancer, singer, and comic, but a weak script and weak performances by most of the cast prevent this film from being more than somewhat memorable. It is light entertainment with only one outstanding feature: O'Connor's incredible agility.

Writing: Mediocre
Directing: Mediocre
Acting: Mediocre
Cinematography: Fair
Stunts: Great
Swordplay: Fair
Panache: Fair

Overall Rating: Fair
Swashbuckling Rank: Good


[Originally posted in Cuparius.com on 6 July 2013.]


Addendum

Written by: Oscar Brodney and John Grant
Directed by: Charles Barton
Performed by: Donald O'Connor, Helena Carter, et al.

26 August 2023

Swashbuckling Thought of the Day 2023-08-26

Having recently finished the first season of Zorro (the Disney television show from the 1950s), I intended to write a review of it and update it after watching the second season, but I decided to wait until I've finished the entire series (minus the later television movies, which are currently unavailable). I watched the first episode of Season 2 yesterday, and it appears the quality did not suffer. The seasons are long, though, and I'm not sure when I'll reach the end. Patience, my friends.

Z

George J. Lewis as Don Alejandro de la Vega and Guy Williams as Don Diego de la Vega in Zorro.