By the Sword (film)
Encyclopedia
By the Sword is a 1991 film
starring F. Murray Abraham
and Eric Roberts
as world-class fencers. Directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan,
this is the first feature film
about fencing
. Although some reviews of its 1993 U.S. theatrical release noted favorably
the lead acting and action sequences, the screenplay was considered "terrible".
"a freak who thinks he's living in the fourteenth century".
Abraham plays Max Suba, an ex-convict who introduces himself as a fencing instructor.
Villard initially gives him a job as a janitor. With time, Suba recovers his lost form and shows that he can fence.
Villard has Suba spar with an ambitious student to demonstrate a point.
Villard is "arrogant but not unkind", and eventually gives Suba a chance to teach, assigning him the beginning students.
While Villard takes a ruthless approach, encouraging a student to injure an opponent to win, Suba takes a more subtle approach, encouraging students to turn their own weaknesses into strength. Following this advice, one of Suba's beginning level students scores against Villard's prize fencer during an in-school competition. Flashbacks further develop the conflict by revealing how Suba had killed Villard's father in a fencing duel. The film climaxes in a dramatic duel between Villard and Suba.
Abraham had won an Oscar for his
work in Amadeus
in 1984, and Roberts had been nominated for
Best Supporting Actor
in 1985. The film also credits Mia Sara as Erin Clavelli and
Christopher Rydell as Jim Trebor, both students at the fencing
school. Mia Sara is best known for her role as Ferris Bueller's
girlfriend in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
.
Elaine Kagan plays Rachel, Suba's romantic interest. Brett Cullen
,
who has appeared in Lost
and The West Wing
,
plays fencing instructor Danny Gallagher. Other students are
played by Doug Wert and Stephen Polk
. In her second film
appearance, Eve Kagan plays Gallagher's daughter. (Her first
appearance had been in 1989, in a film also directed by Kagan.)
Bill Conti
composed the score. Conti had won an 1983
Oscar for the score
to The Right Stuff, and is famous for the themes for
the movie Rocky
and For Your Eyes Only
.
The score was performed and recorded by classical Guitarist Angel Romero
.
Jeremy Kagan was a prolific television director. For his work
with the Chicago Hope
episode Leave of Absence, he won an
Emmy Award
for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
in 1996.
in October 1991. It subsequently appeared at the American Film Market
in Santa Monica in late October of the same year, and at the Palm Springs International Film Festival
in January 1992. It was released in France under the title "Par l'épée" on October 7, 1992.
In the US, the film opened in Chicago on May 14, 1993; in Los Angeles on September 24, 1993; and in New York City on October 22, 1993. According to Box Office Mojo
, in its September run the film was shown in nine theaters and grossed $6,220.
The film's cinematic poster was created by John Alvin
, who was known for his work on the posters for Blazing Saddles
and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
, among others.
The film was released on VHS in 1994 as a Columbia Tristar home video.
says "the movie
adds some supporting characters in order to show us things about fencing
that we didn't know", but another reviewer finds the
minor characters "unnecessary" and "thinly drawn", so "the film suffers
whenever the plot focuses on them".
Although Chicago Reader critic Jonathan Rosenbaum
says the
film "suffers from overdone, mannerist performances by the two
leads", another reviewer says "the key to
this film resides in the performances by Eric Roberts and
F. Murray Abraham". The film
develops Suba's character in particular, revealing a
past that "he seems unable to completely let go of."
Ebert says of the lead actors: "they create characters much
more interesting and dimensional than this thin screenplay
really requires."
The most consistent point noted in review is poor screenplay
and directing. New York Times critic Vincent Canby
calls
the screenplay "nonsense", saying bluntly: "the screenplay
is terrible, full of unfinished subplots and lines that appear
to announce its essential aimlessness." Regarding one of the more
important subplots, a critic wrote: "Sadly, Kagan a routine
television and film director adds nothing to the intriguing
notion of a man who's spent half his life in prison returning
to the scene of his crime."
Although one critic calls the many flashbacks "a further
directorial flourish", they are still at best an "interesting idea
that isn't really successfully pulled off."
While the action sequences are "well handled",
Canby says "the drama is fraught with anticlimax."
Overall, the plot is full of "sports clichés",
could "as well have been about croquet",
and is "a little too neat and obvious to really carry the material."
One review says: "Right down to the painful fencing-to-disco-music routine,
this is embarrassingly fab."
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
starring F. Murray Abraham
F. Murray Abraham
Fahrid Murray Abraham is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus. He has appeared in many roles, both leading and supporting, in films such as All the President's Men and Scarface...
and Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
as world-class fencers. Directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan,
this is the first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
about fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. Although some reviews of its 1993 U.S. theatrical release noted favorably
the lead acting and action sequences, the screenplay was considered "terrible".
Plot
Roberts plays Alexander Villard, a former fencing champion who runs a highly competitive fencing school. One of his students describes him as"a freak who thinks he's living in the fourteenth century".
Abraham plays Max Suba, an ex-convict who introduces himself as a fencing instructor.
Villard initially gives him a job as a janitor. With time, Suba recovers his lost form and shows that he can fence.
Villard has Suba spar with an ambitious student to demonstrate a point.
Villard is "arrogant but not unkind", and eventually gives Suba a chance to teach, assigning him the beginning students.
While Villard takes a ruthless approach, encouraging a student to injure an opponent to win, Suba takes a more subtle approach, encouraging students to turn their own weaknesses into strength. Following this advice, one of Suba's beginning level students scores against Villard's prize fencer during an in-school competition. Flashbacks further develop the conflict by revealing how Suba had killed Villard's father in a fencing duel. The film climaxes in a dramatic duel between Villard and Suba.
Cast and crew
The film's featured stars are Abraham and Roberts as Suba and Villard respectively.Abraham had won an Oscar for his
work in Amadeus
Amadeus (film)
Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the...
in 1984, and Roberts had been nominated for
Best Supporting Actor
in 1985. The film also credits Mia Sara as Erin Clavelli and
Christopher Rydell as Jim Trebor, both students at the fencing
school. Mia Sara is best known for her role as Ferris Bueller's
girlfriend in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...
.
Elaine Kagan plays Rachel, Suba's romantic interest. Brett Cullen
Brett Cullen
Peter Brett Cullen is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs. Early in 2007, he was cast as the role of an estranged father to one of the American football players, Tim Riggins , in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights.Cullen was born in Houston,...
,
who has appeared in Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
and The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
,
plays fencing instructor Danny Gallagher. Other students are
played by Doug Wert and Stephen Polk
Stephen Polk
Stephen Boyd Polk is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. He is the founder of Providence Productions LLC, an independent film development, production, and finance company.- Biography :...
. In her second film
appearance, Eve Kagan plays Gallagher's daughter. (Her first
appearance had been in 1989, in a film also directed by Kagan.)
Bill Conti
Bill Conti
William "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:...
composed the score. Conti had won an 1983
Oscar for the score
to The Right Stuff, and is famous for the themes for
the movie Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
and For Your Eyes Only
For Your Eyes Only (film)
For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It marked the directorial debut of John Glen, who had worked as editor and second unit director in three other Bond films. The screenplay by Richard Maibaum...
.
The score was performed and recorded by classical Guitarist Angel Romero
Ángel Romero
Ángel Romero is a Spanish classical guitarist, conductor and former member of the guitar quartet Los Romeros. He is the youngest son of Celedonio Romero, who in 1957 left Franco's Spain for the United States with his family....
.
Jeremy Kagan was a prolific television director. For his work
with the Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
episode Leave of Absence, he won an
Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television drama series.-Best Direction of a Single Program of a Drama Series:*1959: Jack Smight – Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre ...
in 1996.
Release
By the Sword was shown at the Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
in October 1991. It subsequently appeared at the American Film Market
American Film Market
The American Film Market is a film industry event held each year at the beginning of November in Santa Monica, California. About 8,000 people attend the eight day event to network and to sell and acquire films...
in Santa Monica in late October of the same year, and at the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
in January 1992. It was released in France under the title "Par l'épée" on October 7, 1992.
In the US, the film opened in Chicago on May 14, 1993; in Los Angeles on September 24, 1993; and in New York City on October 22, 1993. According to Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
, in its September run the film was shown in nine theaters and grossed $6,220.
The film's cinematic poster was created by John Alvin
John Alvin
John Henry Alvin was an American cinematic artist and painter who illustrated some of the world's most recognizable movie posters. Alvin created movie posters, which are also known as key art, for over 135 films over the course of his career, beginning with the poster for Mel Brooks' Blazing...
, who was known for his work on the posters for Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
, among others.
The film was released on VHS in 1994 as a Columbia Tristar home video.
Reception
The film has received nearly opposite reviews. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
says "the movie
adds some supporting characters in order to show us things about fencing
that we didn't know", but another reviewer finds the
minor characters "unnecessary" and "thinly drawn", so "the film suffers
whenever the plot focuses on them".
Although Chicago Reader critic Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum is an American film critic. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for the Chicago Reader from 1987 until 2008, when he retired at the age of 65...
says the
film "suffers from overdone, mannerist performances by the two
leads", another reviewer says "the key to
this film resides in the performances by Eric Roberts and
F. Murray Abraham". The film
develops Suba's character in particular, revealing a
past that "he seems unable to completely let go of."
Ebert says of the lead actors: "they create characters much
more interesting and dimensional than this thin screenplay
really requires."
The most consistent point noted in review is poor screenplay
and directing. New York Times critic Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
calls
the screenplay "nonsense", saying bluntly: "the screenplay
is terrible, full of unfinished subplots and lines that appear
to announce its essential aimlessness." Regarding one of the more
important subplots, a critic wrote: "Sadly, Kagan a routine
television and film director adds nothing to the intriguing
notion of a man who's spent half his life in prison returning
to the scene of his crime."
Although one critic calls the many flashbacks "a further
directorial flourish", they are still at best an "interesting idea
that isn't really successfully pulled off."
While the action sequences are "well handled",
Canby says "the drama is fraught with anticlimax."
Overall, the plot is full of "sports clichés",
could "as well have been about croquet",
and is "a little too neat and obvious to really carry the material."
One review says: "Right down to the painful fencing-to-disco-music routine,
this is embarrassingly fab."