Reclaiming the Blade (2009)

Directed by

Daniel McNicoll

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

NR

Rating

5.9 of 10 from 12 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary looks at the history and use of swords in film and in real life. It features interviews with actors, sword masters, and bladesmiths who talk about sword combat both on screen and in historical reenactment.

informativeenthusiastichistorictechnicalreverenteducationalleisurely-paced

What happens

Reclaiming the Blade is a 2009 documentary written and directed by Daniel McNicoll and produced by Galatia Films on the topic of swords. Reclaiming the Blade was a number one movie rental on iTunes. The feature-length film was distributed by Starz and Anchor Bay Entertainment. Notable interviewees from the film industry include Viggo Mortensen, Karl Urban, Richard Taylor, and Hollywood sword master Bob Anderson (fencing instructor to Errol Flynn, Antonio Banderas, Mortensen, Urban and Johnny Depp among others). Interviewed as an expert on swordmaking was bladesmith Paul Champagne. Narration is by British actor John Rhys-Davies. The documentary was produced with the support of Peter Jackson, Weta Workshop, Skywalker Sound and the Royal Armouries. The soundtrack for the film, which included major label artists and an orchestral score from David James Nielsen, was released on Lakeshore Records. Commentary track from director Daniel McNicoll and John Rhys-Davies included details on the making of the film and Rhys-Davies experiences with swordplay on the London stage. Seven Western martial arts (WMA) groups located in five countries in Europe provide footage for Reclaiming the Blade: Arts of Mars (Germany), Boar's Tooth Fight School (UK), De Taille et d'Estoc (France), Ringschule Wrocław, ARMA-PL (Poland), Schola Gladiatoria (UK), Stockholm's Historical Fencing Society (Sweden), The School of Traditional Medieval Fencing (UK). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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