ALL SCI-FI

[Gord Green]

When you talk about the difference in "style" about the acting of the past compared to the more realistic style of today you really touch upon a very key point. The style of the past was a bit separated from reality. In other words it replied more to the idealistic emotional feeling of the audience than to the strictly more realistic tedious reality of todays presentations. It responded more to intristic , internal feelings than just viewing the "reality" of the story.

For me...I'll take the film that affects more of my emotions than one that reflects my everyday reality!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

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Agreed.

Also there's the fact that in the 1930s and 1940s the actors delivered their lines and portrayed their character's emotions somewhat like "stage actors".

This practice slowly diminished through the late 1940s and early 1950s, and acting styles became less "theatrical" by the 1960s.

However, by the 1980s, older movie goers (like me) began to complain that actors seemed to mumble or whisper their lines — which I suppose was a deliberate attempt NOT to seem like stage actors, and thus to portray their characters more "realistically".

Unfortunately that attitude ignores the fact that good acting is a form of communication, and therefore the dialog needs to be well understood by the audience, and the characters' emotions need to be clearly portrayed, even when it requires a bit of exaggeration.

I guess a good example of this change in styles might be the difference between the way Sean Connery played James Bond and Daniel Craig plays him. Connery portrayed the character's range of emotions, depending on the scene; calm, whimsical, witty, troubled, angry, or disturb.

With Daniel Craig we get calm . . . and calmer.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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For decades, swashbucklers have presented epic sword fights.

And yet, the one in this fine comedy is arguably one of the very best.

It comes during a portion of The Great Race which skillfully parodies The Prisoner of Zenda, and director Blake Edwards succeeds in presenting a more exciting duel than either of the two versions of that story.

Watch the clip below and marvel at every aspect of this scene, right down to the ominous and low-key music by Henry Mancini, and the brief shot of the dueling shadows on the wall — a clear tribute to Michael Curtiz and his epic duel in The Sea Hawk — a clip of which I've included below for comparison.

____________ The Great Race swordfight scene


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___________ The Sea Hawk (1940) Sword Fight


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Another contender for Best Sword Fight would be the one below from The Mark of Zorro.

____ Zorro 1935 - Tyrone Power & Basil Rathbone


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However, my favorite sword fight in an Errol Flynn movie is the climax to the best Flynn swashbuckler of them all! The brutal and highly satisfying climax when Flynn slays the villain gives me chills every time I see it!

______________ Adventures of Don Juan(1948)


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However, the one sword fight which presents the most savage and riveting battle between two men — each determined to kill each other — is the climax to Prince Valiant. It's the complete polar opposite of the elegant and beautiful duel between Tony Curtis and Ross Martin.

The broad swords in this long and mesmerizing assault aren't being wielded with graceful skill and fluid movements. No, sir . . . they are simply steel clubs which each man is using to batter his opponent to death!

Notice the way both men's shields are quickly reduced to mangled metal during the battle!

Robert Wagner and James Mason are like WWII battleships which are firing explosive shells at each other, both grimly determined to blow the other ship out of the water!

Behold . . .

___________ Prince Valiant (1954) Sword Fight


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]