Early Bears - What's Missing from the Top 20 Duels?

I would love to see a Court Jester video. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and I still love it today. Every year or so I rewatch it. I was astounded when I got old enough to really start to notice women because, well, I'd seen the movie for years, but I suddenly noticed that the hot blonde was Angela Lansbury and she'd been that old lady in everything for as long as I could remember. It was a struggle to wrap my little teenage head around the fact that she had once been so attractive.

Patrick Scherer

Just remember that the vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison, the chalice with the palace has the brew that is true!

Sean Novack

I have been meaning to re-watch The Court Jester.

Damien Tonkin

No Inigo v Wesley: Dawn of Awesome is criminal. My guess is the writer just didn't want two fights from the same movie since they wanted to save room for the lesser-known movies (including multiple Shaw Bros-era Hong Kong stuff, so neat. And yes, Court Jester is one of the most solid, best-holding-up studio-era Hollywood films. Still funny, very impressive choreography, and a beautiful young Jessica Fletcher to really confuse kids of the 80s.

Sarah Montgomery

Holy crap, someone else who loves the marvel that is The Court Jester!

Sirly1

I saw the Court Jester years ago, so I might be due a rewatch. I'd had the understanding that Basil Rathbone, master fencer, spent the fight basically thinking "seriously, I have to lose?" I hadn't heard about the fitness discrepancy, so that was an interesting tidbit.

I have never heard of The Court Jester but it does sound like a lot of fun!

Helen Ellison

OK, but a fuller breakdown of that Court Jester fight would not go amiss, you know what I mean? It sounds like it's right in your wheelhouse of "let's show how the action and story and characterization feed into one another." (Also, clearly I need to watch that movie. Thank you!)

Karel P Kerezman

Have you seen the Xander/Harmony battle from Buffy? Not swords, but still funny.

Anders

That is an excellent inclusion to the list. Seriously, anything with Basil Rathbone (I love that name) as the bad guy swordsman is worth the watch. I love all duels mentioned in the article, the 1940s Zorro is among the top of my list.

Jerry