Inigo Montoya vs.The Man in Black

The most epic quote in all of history comes from a love story.  But not just any love story, an epic one! For those of you who don't already know, I am an avid fangirl of The Princess Bride. I am a firm believer that if you have grown up without uttering the words: “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!!!!” (The Princess Bride), you have seriously missed out.  Not only are there moments of adventure and romance, but mystery and politics. There is a plot device to satisfy almost every pallet.

The story itself is exceedingly complicated but I will try to summarize. In brief, it’s a about a man and a woman who fall in love and how they conquer every obstacle that comes their way, including several dramatic death scenes. (You read that right; the main male dies about 2 times through out the story!)



Additionally, it is important to note that The Princess Bride was originally a book that was later turned into an excellent movie.

What does this all mean and how is this relevant to the theme of my blog?

This movie depicts several iconic fight scenes that are arguably the epitome of good stage combat...nay, excellent stage combat.

There are several fight scenes to choose from within this story but my favorite is by far the one between the infamous “Man in Black” and Inigo Montoya.

As I stated earlier, the plot is complicated but I will attempt to abbreviate the events leading up to this fight to put things into perspective for you. Basically, Inigo is one of three men who stole the Princess of a kingdom. The "Man in Black" has been following these three men but it has yet to be revealed who this mysterious gentleman is.  On top of the fact that both of these individuals are incredible swordsmen, they also share integrity and sportsmanship as character traits. 

Now, let’s watch:

Of all the fights I have ever seen on stage or in film, this is by far my favorite.  But what makes it so incredible?

The first thing that really stood out to me is how quickly they are moving. You must understand, when you are first learning a fight, you go very slow and build up speed. That way, no one get’s hurt in the learning process. This fight is so fast, that even I have a hard time following what types of strikes and parries they are using. This demonstrates both great skill and practice.

On a similar note, their timing is flawless; every attack is met with a defense. Every movement is smooth and done with great speed, accuracy, and focus. 

I also like how both of the characters use each of their hands to fight. Typically, fight choreography is set up so that fighters only use their dominant hand (usually their right hand). But in this fight, they switch mid-scene! Brilliant!

From a more technical aspect, I really like how the camera angles only change sporadically. A lot of modern films that have combat in them make it so that camera is constantly changing. This makes it very difficult to really see what is going on with the fight and drives me absolutely crazy! But here, the camera angle only changes a few times. This allows the viewer to appreciate the fight more because they can see exactly what is going on.

There is nothing I would change about this fight. I think it is one of the only examples of a perfect fight. Then again, I may be biased.

Thanks for Reading!

Amy