Bob Anderson, Viggo Mortensen featured in sword documentary

RECLAIMING THE BLADE, a new documentary on the history of the sword featuring legendary fight choreographer Bob Anderson, as well as many other film professionals, historians and experts on the sword, has recently been released to iTunes and is coming to DVD on July 7th.

Narrated by acclaimed Welsh actor John Ryhs-Davies (LORD OF THE RINGS), RECLAIMING THE BLADE examines how the sword has been depicted in modern film and culture and compares that with what academia and sword masters reveal about the history of the sword. The documentary also showcases historical martial arts groups in Europe and the U.S. who are resurrecting forgotten techniques of swordsmanship from 15th and 16th century European masters.

Perhaps the coolest part about this documentary from an action film lover’s perspective is an exclusive interview with Bob Anderson, an Olympic fencer and British actor who began his film career as a stunt double for Errol Flynn in the 1950s and went on to become one of Hollywood’s top fight choreographers with recent credits that include the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.

Other film folk featured include actors Viggo Mortensen and Karl Urban, NARNIA and LOTR conceptual artist John Howe, and director/effects supervisor of film prop and special effects company Weta Workshop.

The documentary is produced by Galatia Films with the assistance of Peter Jackson, Weta Workshop, Skywalker Sound, and the Royal Armouries of Great Britain.

An original score by composer David James Nielsen is accompanied by rock hits from The Doves, The Dandy Warhols, Juliana Hatfield, and one of my favorite indie bands Yo La Tengo.

For more information visit the RECLAIMING THE BLADE official site.