Funny you should pull this thread back up Spunjer because i was about to do it myself.
I will admit to knowing little to nothing about Chinese weapons so i cannot attest to the accuracy of what is depicted, but i just watched House of Flying Daggers from the same folks who brought us Hero and it is just fantastic. Beautiful, poetic and tragic with a whole lotta cold steel. :)

nechesh,

hero's a classic! haven't seen house of flying dagger yet, tho...

Hero was outstanding. A beautiful film. :)

Has anyone seen Asif Kapadia's The Warrior?

It was on telly in the UK last week,I videotaped it, but haven't got around to watching it yet. Was it any good?

More info about the film: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0295682/

Good film, questions for dha collectors, did it look like the blades were intentionally made over sized for screen effect? are they often found in matching pairs? ever try to test throw them like javelin, as seen in the movie?

on the dvd of the movie "kingdom of heaven" there is a version you can watch with historical references...
interesting info on muslim and crusader swordsmiths about thrusting the heated blade through flesh or animal skins and then cold water...

Hi Mabagani , is that in the new director's cut 4 disc set ?
I haven't finished exploring the whole thing yet .
At least with the uncut version the movie finally makes sense . :rolleyes:

I was watching The Man Who Would Be King last night ; what a fine movie that is !

that was in a 2 disc set, but probably in the directors cut...i'll have to watch the uncut version now too
i only caught the beginning with historical subtitles, nice extra feature

The Director's cut is a whole different movie ; about an hour of very important (to the story) material was left on the editing room floor .

This new version is how Scott wanted us to see the film .

I feel stupid saying this but I never really checked the second disc in the first DVD release . :o

i usually load all discs before watching, not sure if that helps catch all the extras on the menu, i think the multi disc thing is a gimic...sure they can cram everything in multi dimensionally on a single dvd? lolz

Well that's awesome news Rick, considering that i am a big fan of the original release i am sure i will love this. Glad i didn't run out and buy the first issue. It can be remarkable how much the studios can ruin a film by not permitting the director to follow his vision. My prime example, from a different genre, is the Abyss by Cameron. The original release made absolutely no sense. They cut the whole reason the aliens were even there to begin with. The director's cut is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made (except that there are no swords in it :D ). I look forward to see what Scott's true vision was for this film. Think i'll order it today. :)

You won't believe the extra plot lines ; they explain everything . ;)

Beautiful! I actually just ordered it on Amazon for only $20. I love Amazon, but don't tell my bookseller wife i said so. ;)

For Dah/Dahb guys... :D

http://www.kingnaresuanmovie.com/ (soon)

Its historical accuracy 's not as high as reference books, but they did the best. There 's some degree of producer 's interpretation, though. :p

I am far of dhafia :D , but I will see the movie for sure. It looks epic.

Cool! :cool: Looks epic. Any word of a subtitled release?

"The Road to Bali" has a few guys wearing Javanese keris.

Two of the character's names are amusing.

Ramayana --- actually the name for a Hindu epic. 500 to 100 BCE

Ken Arok --- a fascinating character in ealry Javanese history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Arok

The latter is a wonderful story about a famous Javanese keris and Mpu Gandring. Certainly read the part about the woman (Ken Dedes) Ken Arok went for and where she kept a shining light. :eek:

However these characters in the movie have absolutely nothing to do with their famous names. I just think it is very funny that someone decided to name two people in a Bob Hope / Bing Crosby / Dorothy Lamour movie. :confused:

The Curse of the Golden Flower
 

Just saw this movie today, and I do recommend it. There's quite a bit of flying around, as Chinese movies are famous for, but the story is quite good and it features a lot of fighting...The story is akin to some Shakespearean dramas, and does a good job of showing the wielding of true power.

There is a particular cycle knife/sword a lot like a large bank, or maybe like some versions of the falx. Of course it's used in very weird ways, thrown around and caught back like a boomerang, but nice anyway. I have many many misgivings about the types of warfare depicted but I'll put that down to artistic license :D
There's also some interesting pole-arm fights, but somehow I doubt these were ever used in close quarter combat. Magnificent demonstration of armour, but again, I somehow doubt these were 10th century styles.

Emanuel

Cemetery man; a light hearted zombie romp from France or Itally (I don't remember which). Most super-bad-ass shovels ever. They make the thing Tuco was considering eviscerating blondie with in The Good The Bad and The Ugly look like a garden trowel. :eek:

Haven't seen this one yet, but from the same director at House of Flying Daggers and Hero i believe. Both were brilliantly stylized martial arts films which elevate the genre to a high art...but i do not suppose they are meant to be historically accurate. Somehow i don't think the breast popping bodice fashions i saw in the trailer are exactly period either. :rolleyes: This is purely art for art's sake and beautifully done at that. Love the directors use of color! :)

haha yeah, they look more like French courtesans at the courts of Louis 14-16.

Not to detract from all things Middle Eastern and SE Asian, but what are some of the better films as far as the European Dark Ages? I was just watching "The 13th Warrior" again, which is one of those that makes me crazy. It's one of the best made as far as capturing Norse attitudes and beliefs ("Your sword is too heavy? Grow stronger!") which is why I love the film, but the arms and armor are a complete nightmare. The viking swords have been given a growth hormone, turning them into two-handed swords, and the armor is a blend of everything from a Roman Gladiator's helm to a 16th century back-and-breastplate, complete with Milanese engraving. Oh, and you have to love Antonio Banderas grinding one of those oversized, double-edged viking broadswords down into a passable single-edged scimitar (that is now sharp enough to cut through a three inch branch with one blow!)

So, examples of reasonably accurate films set in and around the Norman conquest of England or the earlier Viking raids of the same? The only one that jumps to mind for me is 'The Warlord' starring Charlton Heston.... :confused:

How about "Beowul and Grendel" with Gerard Butler? It's decent fun, but I don't know how accurate arms and armour are.
I think Danish, Swedish and Norwegian cinema has quite a lot of Norse epics that never see the light of day in the English-speaking world. Give IMDB a search and see what comes up.
I would love to see cinematic adaptations of some of the Icelandic Sagas. They make wicked story-telling.

Fenris, I fear you'll be dissappointed if you insist on weapon/armour accuracy in your movies. :(

For fun, check out the recent "King Arthur" with Kyra Knightly. A new movie is coming out soon about viking visitors to North America. Can't recall the name right now, but in the trailer it was taking the standard liberties.

It's called Pathfinder. You'll laugh...or cry...most likely both.

The new flick you are referring to Andrew is called Pathfinder. It is based on a graphic novel so you can bet that it will be visually beautiful and dreadfully inaccurate much as the terribly over-hyped 300 was. Hpoefully it will be better scripted and directed than that travesty and not insulting an entire ancient culture that was the foundation of modern civilization along the way. :rolleyes:
But a quick viewing through the films picture gallery doesn't leave much room for accuracy. Looks pretty though. :)
http://www.pathfinderthemovie.com/

Wampanoags
 

Looks like a great sword and shield movie; I saw the poster when I went to see 300.
Throw accuracy out the window and just enjoy the action. :D :D

The Wampanoag were just recently recognised by the US gov't; they are our local tribe here on Cabo Bacalau . :cool:

Pathfinder looks like the Norte Americano version of Tarzan. And the Vikings are straight out of Frank Frazetta.

Check out Alatriste with Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn from LOTR). Spanish sword and dagger stuff in there. Interesting pike fighting at the end. "Looks" realistic.

The book by Arturo Perez Reverte was good, and I heard the movie was all right.

I have only one word for you:
"300"