Reclaiming the Blade (2009)

RECLAIMING THE BLADE is a high-concept and broad-ranging documentary that examines the evolving history, culture and application of the Western European sword by exploring scholarly research, historical reenactment, choreographed screen and stage fighting, sport fencing, and ultimately the emerging revival of previously extinct medieval and Renaissance-era martial arts techniques.

With a pleasing soundtrack that mixes LOTR-style, sweeping orchestral work with trendy indie rock, the film covers a lot of ground in its short, 78-minute running time, perhaps too much in that it fails to adequately explore each topic in a way that brings the collective research together into a cohesive and complimentary presentation. While initially only scratching the surface of sword history and its influence on popular culture, the film gradually shifts focus towards what is eluded to in the title, an enthusiastic proposition that the authentic and practical art of classical European sword fighting is experiencing a revival that may lead to a more sophisticated and accurate representation in feature film.

The documentary is the brainchild of its writer and director Daniel McNicoll, who originally began researching the history of the sword while writing a screenplay for a film called GLASTONBURY: ISLE OF LIGHT. The feature film, which is currently in pre-production with THE SANDLOT director David M. Evans attached, is a “sword and sandal” epic set in ancient Britain and centered on the legends of Joseph of Arimathea as he travels from Jerusalem to Britain where he aids a local warrior prince in attempting to defend the Celtic people and their native traditions from the Roman Empire.

This establishes McNicoll’s core approach to the subject of the sword, namely its representation in film. Cast members and crew from Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy act as representative pundits in the entertainment field to impart knowledge of how the sword appears in feature film. Nearly every angle is covered, from sword design by conceptual artist John Howe and fabrication by Weta Workshop staff to the screen choreography of legendary Hollywood sword master Bob Anderson and use of the sword by actors Viggo Mortensen and Karl Urban. Thespian John Rhys-Davies provides exceptional narration with a voice and accent that could melt butter. With his voice, Rhys-Davies could keep a listening audience spellbound while reading the contents of a Twinkie.

Respect is paid to Anderson for his uniquely skilled and prolific contribution to sword fighting in film including training swashbuckling star Errol Flynn, doubling for Darth Vader during lightsaber duels in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and choreographing memorable sword action for THE PRINCESS BRIDE, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, LOTR, and ALATRISTE. This segment is a little disappointing in its limited scope as it mainly consists of brief film clips interspersed with generalized comments from Anderson. While Anderson is understandably advanced in age, a demonstration from his assistants or more specific explanation of how he approaches screen fighting would have been more helpful in understanding how sword fighting is interpreted for film. There are repeated suggestions that sword fighting isn’t realistic in film and mention of several films, like ROY ROY, that do better, but there isn’t nearly enough specific explanation or study of sword fighting in film to satisfy students of action cinema like myself. In McNicoll’s defense, an entire 90-minute documentary could easily be filled on this topic alone and he obviously had something else in mind.

To compliment Anderson’s film choreography, focus is also put on the stage fight choreography of John Waller and his son Jonathan. John Waller is the Creative Director of Britain’s Royal Armouries Museum and an experienced film and stage choreographer. With the aid of an assistant, father and son put on a phenomenal display of rehearsed stage fighting while emphasizing the added difficulty of having to memorize long sets of movements unlike modern screen fighting. Bob Anderson chimes in to acknowledge the added challenge that goes into staging a live performance where performers do not have the luxury of a reshoot.

The historical information presented about swords is interesting but sporadic and vague. It’s acknowledged that there are sizable gaps in the history of the weapon, thus making any study a challenge. However, the film largely focuses on recently rediscovered training manuals from the 14th and 15th century, as well as some random artifacts without putting them into proper context. There is mention of how blades were crafted and the skills required being valued but not enough to understand or appreciate the technological evolution of the sword from antiquity or its place in the structure of European society. It turns out that McNicoll did research this to a greater extent but most of the information was left out and relegated to bonus material on the two-disc DVD release. This is only one of many examples to suggest that McNicoll tried to cover too much information within this relatively short film. This subject really deserves a Ken Burns-style epic series to examine everything in sufficient detail.

The film briefly covers the subculture of medieval reenactment but there is little substance presented in the example given to link it to a serious discussion of the sword. Although not stated openly, I suspect this footage was put in to draw an even stronger contrast between a romanticized and somewhat trivial example of medieval combat and the serious-minded medieval fight clubs that are now beginning to use original manuals to bring the art of systematic medieval swordsmanship back to life. This is where the film really shines as it reveals a style of combat many people will not be familiar with because few films have shown authentic Western swordplay, which according to these manuals is far more aggressive and complex than previously thought.

Some comparisons are drawn to Asian martial arts, mostly through the involvement of sword instructor Tom Urso who specializes in Kum Do, also known as Korean kendo. There is very little actual meaty discussion of Asian sword fighting and martial arts in comparison to Western techniques. Emphasis is put on the realization by many practitioners of both systems that most combat fighting systems share common traits bound by the shared strengths and weaknesses of the human body. Yet an opportunity to discuss in detail different regional blade types is missed, as is discussion of fighting techniques adapted from different cultures. The only exception is mention between a difference in choice of swords between Germans and Italians in the 16th century. For instance, there is no mention of traditional or contemporary Chinese swordsmanship and its relation to hidden or unconventional weaponry or internal concepts like qigong and qi energy. There is one very brief clip from CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and no substantive mention of how popular wuxia movies or modern wushu have distorted our perception of authentic Chinese or Western swordplay. Also missing from the topic of sword fighting worldwide is the significance of weapons specifically designed to counter swords such as the jutte, a variation of the sai primarily used by police in Japan to entrap swords. Urso does mention how Asian martial arts emphasize more reverence for weapons and originators of fighting systems.

Neglected topics pertaining to the variances in sword-fighting styles around the world, including India and the Middle East where they have their own traditions, is offset by the film’s eye-opening detailing of authentic Western European fighting techniques that incorporated grappling and other close-quarter moves to gain an advantage in a sword fight. Swordsmen were encouraged to use the sword’s pommel as a blunt weapon when deflecting an attack or to grip their own blade in a “half-sword” maneuver designed to add force to a thrusting attack or to help in blocking a swinging sword.

I can understand why the film places so much emphasis on the techniques being rediscovered in these old German, Italian and British sword manuals. They show a completely different style of sword fighting from what we are accustomed to seeing in film, in Asian martial arts or in fencing. The major point that RECLAIMING THE BLADE makes is that there is a once lost art that could redefine how swordplay is viewed even though it no longer has any practical value. I get the impression that McNicoll is really jazzed about this, a lot of the practitioners are equally excited and the director wants us to share the same excitement of this discovery. In that I will say the documentary does an exceptional job of generating hope that an almost universal fascination with the sword in the age of the gun can still evolve into something even more enriching and entertaining than previously thought. For years, Westerners have had to look East when considering a robust, classical martial art to study while Hollywood has had to borrow action film traditions from Hong Kong just to keep up with audience demands for more sophisticated screen fighting. If what Daniel McNicoll is suggesting in his documentary is correct then Western martial arts and screen fighting centered around sword fighting may be due for a major resurgence, the likes of which has not been seen since Erroll Flynn and Basil Rathbone wowed audiences in the 1930s with thrilling sword duels in CAPTAIN BLOOD and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. What the industry will need are successors to Bob Anderson, who can carry on his tradition of crafting high-grade sword fighting, coupled with mastery of this more authentic and rich sword-fighting style which audiences today are definitely ready for. At the same time, medieval combat enthusiasts and martial artists now have a new and exciting field of study to pursue that looks to advance our understanding and appreciation for the sword and its vital role in the history of Europe.

RECLAIMING THE BLADE [2-Disc Special Edition] (DVD – Galatia Films)

Galatia Films has issued two versions of this film on DVD but having watched all the bonus material on the “2-Disc Special Edition” release, I would suggest skipping the less expensive single-disc version and going for the complete package if the subject is of interest. The bonus material accounts for over two hours of additional interviews, documentary footage and fight training not available on the single-disc version. There is also a “Making Of” featurette containing interviews with director Daniel McNicoll and producer Erica Black. Additional material includes a segment detailing how a real sword is forged, a dry but informative explanation of Oakshott’s Classification of the Sword, and a curious look at a club of genre film fans in New York who are creating a real-life martial art out of the lightsaber handling and culture of Jedi knights and Sith Lords from the fictional STAR WARS universe.

Martial artists may find an hour’s worth of training videos of particular interest as they detail more of the training and philosophy that is taught by the various MA instructors and medieval fighting clubs featured in the documentary. Film fans will get a more detailed look at what goes on at Weta Workshop, the New Zealand-based design team behind the weapons and armor creation for the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

Finally, both the single and two-disc DVDs come with an audio commentary by director Daniel McNicoll and John Rhys-Davies. I don’t really understand the point of an audio commentary for a documentary unless there were some really entertaining stories about the production to tell. Ten minutes into the commentary reveals a consistently awkward exchange between McNicoll and Rhys-Davies where the director struggles to keep up a relevant conversation with little more than small talk. It may have improved but I couldn’t stomach more of it to find out.

Related Topics: Bob Anderson, DVD, Reclaiming the Blade (2009), swordplay