Sword neglect and abuse in Movies and TV - for example, Kingdom of Heaven, Highlander etc

[@mortman200]

Just remember that Aslan told Peter to always clean his sword after fighting. Fricking Jesus-Lion knows more about proper weapon maintenance than historical films.

[@joaquinplacides2]

Yep I bet C. S. Lewis was a sword collector

[@wlewisiii]

No, but he was a veteran of WWI, arriving in the trenches on his 19th birthday.

[@BigBadassR]

What bugs me a lot more is how a guy with a longsword can just cut through armor like it doesn't even exist. If armor was as useless in reality as it is in movies, nobody would have wore it. Movie swords can cut an armored leg right off no problem.

[@joetheschmoe1066]

I have often been annoyed by that as well that and when u see characters with really outrageous armor that would be just completely impractical

[@blacklight4720]

Medieval steel is not that strong as steel today and not even good as renaissance,it was actually kinda bad quality steel in most parts.Now object in motion of same quality does give impact in addition to how sharp it is(so its gonna slice as well) once Long sword lands its gonna deal lots of damage and armor of course mitigate some of it.Its like comparing modern helmets.Helmet in most cases wont save you from bullet to head but it might stop shrapnel and in certain angles it even might recoshete. Now why i mention it?because you wearing armor not to become invincible but increase your chances to survive.

[@BigBadassR]

Slava Mericer Usually even with no armor you wont cut a persons legs clean off with one swipe of a long sword. It wont cut through the bone that easily.

[@blacklight4720]

yes i agree but i meant cutting trough armor to flesh(not cutting entire leg).

[@joetheschmoe1066]

He's saying cutting through armor would be one thing but to often you see them cut and hack limbs off like they're fighting play dough

[@napornik]

I hate when I see people in chain mail get *cut* to death by a single draw-cut.

[@TheSamuraiGoomba]

+Kancho Hah, the film Excalibur did this with men in full plate.

[@christopherknorr2895]

+Kancho That is literally what chain mail is designed to prevent.

[@napornik]

Christopher Knorr ikr!

[@TheSamuraiGoomba]

***** Yeah. That made me laugh.

[@worsethanjoerogan8061]

+Christopher Knorr I was under the impression that chain mail armor was more for stopping arrows rather than strikes from a sword. Could be wrong tho

[@Arkantos117]

Dragging the sword along the wall shows that you're such a bad ass you don't even need a functional sword to win.

[@wanadeena]

***** If the sword sparks then it gets super sharp!

[@sparrowhawk81]

Also, you have to remember that it is a super badass magical katana.

[@WardancerHB]

Sparrowhawk A kind of magic

[@Wright805]

There's nothing "bad ass" about being an idiot or treating what should be a valued companion like dirt. A real "bad ass" swordsman is one who treats their sword with respect. Personally I don't mind some dramatic license but the kind of abuse/neglect he describes in this video (scraping the sword across a wall etc) really bugs me.

[@wanadeena]

Wright805 Being sarcastic there. A real swordsman would know what he's doing and not drag a sword around like a fool.

[@CarrowMind]

One thing that's always annoyed me in films and TV (Spartacus remake show is a good example) is that people are seen fighting with old manky, rusty, chipped swords. Even if you're part of a rag tag band of rebels and you can't get good bronze/iron/steel, you'll still at least take care of the blades you do have by sharpening and polishing them!

[@scholagladiatoria]

***** Upcoming video on this ;-)

[@MariusThePaladin]

scholagladiatoria Gangster, or thug-ish kind of people in my country do believe that rusted knife or bades are better than properly maintained one, simply because they can caused tentanus. But honestly, I'm not convinced. I told a guy once that if rusted blade gave better advantages, why military forces do polished and maintained their bayonett and other blades. He just ghettoly answered that it's because they are military. They love to keeps things clean and tidy. -_- Can you please do a video to on this topic also ? Thank you very much!

[@swaghauler2893]

MariusThePaladin I was taught knife fighting in the Army by a very experienced Former (NOT EX) Marine who served 3 tours of duty in Vietnam doing long range patrol before joining my Artillery Battery to finish his "Twenty." He told us that your knife should be sharp and unserrated for knife fighting (serrated edges were for cutting barbed wire). This is because a clean wound at least 4" deep will bleed profusely and cause "hydraulic failure." A ragged wound (from a dull or serrated blade) would allow the blood to "cling" to the edges of the wound. This would slow blood loss enough for clotting of the wound to occur. If he said something about killing or combat, I was inclined to believe him. I was our unit's retention NCO, and I saw his medals and his military citations.

[@danielroker9621]

SWAGHAULER I don't know your friend and I'm not in the army, so I can't judge what they've been taught, but I think he was mistaken in this...there's a reason why serrated blades exist (id est, the kris, in a less severe form), which is because the blade fluctuation as it penetrates damages the tissue more, in addition to the fact that the individual 'waves' of serrated blades have more ability to grip tissue, and are therefore going to cut much deeper than a 'clean' blade. Also, the part about using a knife to cut barbed wire is pure bullshit. I live on a 15 acre rural property fenced with barbed wire, and even a full machete swing barely scratches that stuff, let alone trying to saw with a knife at it (I suspect it's so difficult because there's no support beneath the wire, so it can freely flex and thus dissipate the impact, but even if there was support, a knife still wouldn't work). If you're going to cut wire, you need a) a heavy weapon such as an axe and something to rest the wire on so it doesn't flex, or b) wirecutters.

[@swaghauler2893]

Daniel Roker Believe what you want. Another viewer who saw my post suggested a video by Doug Marcaida. He says the exact same thing and he's a world class knife fighting trainer. I HAVE cut barbed wire with a knife. You'll get DEAD doing it your way in a fight (because of the noise you'll generate). You place the knife UNDER the barbed wire with it in the leading notch of the serrate (the one closest to the handle). You then push down on the wire with your weak hand (hopefully gloved) and PULL UP AND BACK on the knife while holding downward tension on the wire. Make sure you hold the wire so it makes no noise when cut. Or if your lucky; you might have an M9 bayonet and can make a pair of wire cutters by mounting the bayonet on the scabbard (as it's designed to do)

[@PingOnThis]

To be fair, in Kingdom of Heaven, Orlando Bloom's character knew how to sword-fight already, as he had served as an siege engineer previously to meeting Liam Neeson's character. Liam was just teaching him a new guard ontop of his existing knowledge.

[@brian177]

Probably already mentioned somewhere below, but the historical Balian who Orlando Bloom's character is based on, had actually participated in a previous crusade--which explains his otherwise inexplicable turn from blacksmith to trained knight after a few minutes' training.

[@brian177]

In the Director's Cut, I'm assuming? Unfortunately I've only seen that version once or twice as I own the theatrical release. Even a quick mention of those things, though, has gotta make the story way more coherent, no?

[@brian177]

I think, since I don't know it from the Director's Cut, that it was explained more extensively in the historical footnotes included in the special features.

[@MrReded69]

But of course, the real historical Balian was a middle aged veteran mercenary not a young and sexy man. So if they were trying to be historical accurate, Liam Neeson would have been playing Balian.

[@brian177]

Not to worry, I'm not arguing that it is historically accurate. I was just pointing out that Ridley Scott, who I admire much as a director, at least had some small justification for Bloom Balian being capable of besting trained veterans. I'm sure his training from Lord of the Rings helped, too.

[@MrReded69]

***** I always wondered, against who? The drunks at the tavern, British officers who didn't feel it was beneath them to do so? A post in the back of his smithy? Never mind! Effing Hollywood!

[@JCIce007]

Regarding Orlando Bloom's character in Kingdom of Heaven: he only got once lesson from his father, but the Director's Cut does establish that had battle experience prior to ever meeting him.

[@garethworthy2818]

JCIce007 I was actually just going through the comments to see if some one had already said this. What I got from the director's cut was that he already was an experienced war veteran, but they were teaching him another style. The director's cut actually made me mad at the regular version, because the director's cut made so much more sense. Oh, he was a siege engineer in a war? That is why he was fascinated by the model siege equipment, and why he knew how to use it in the final battle. That is about all that I can defend though. Everything else if free game.

[@Hardistul]

Gareth Worthy It's still pretty much rubbish since two-handed swords weren't used until around the 14th-15th century. Swords in those days had around 3 feet of blade. Also, fencing without the aid of a buckler was just unheard of in the early middle ages. And even though he was a war veteran, the fact that he schools the King of Jerusalem in fortification building is outrageous. The Crusaders in general and the Templars in particular were responsible for building the most advanced fortifications of that era, their designs would later shape castle building throughout Europe. The whole movie is so annoying because of historical inaccuracies and misportrayals of both Crusaders and Muslims, that I feel like punching Ridley Scott in the face.

[@garethworthy2818]

Ha, you sound like my friends and me when we get going about the movie "The Hurt Locker." The problem I find with movies is not the inaccuracies themselves, but people's belief of their accuracy. Comments like "so is it really like 'The Hurt Locker' over there?" Then there is my all time favorite, "I know what happened with the English and the Scottish, I watched the movie Braveheart." I would like to say "what ever, it is just a movie," but having seen how much of people's understanding of history and the world is based on these prevents me from having that attitude anymore. (Oh, one more example, people understanding the Saxon invasion from the movie King Arthur). Well, after thinking about all of these, I now need a beer.

[@crwydryny]

Gareth Worthy braveheart isn't accurate??? you mean that william wallace didn't suddenly change his accent half way through and moon the english. reminds me of one guy I know who thinks he can use any weapon because he's played cod, or that because something happens due to hollywood physics or hollywood history then that's how it happens in real life lol.

[@JCIce007]

Nope. But he did, in fact, consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse.

[@WardancerHB]

What I hate in movies: When they use swords as crowbars, hack on chains or locks.

[@danielmuonio7043]

I was totally going to make that same comment. Why do people think you can or should cut clean through a chain with a sword? In The Wolverine they did that 3-4 times. Completely ridiculous.

[@KnightoftheLord1]

You have no life.

[@WardancerHB]

KnightoftheLord1 If that'd be true I wouldn't be able to reply to you. Unless I'm a very smart zombie - which I'm not.

[@KnightoftheLord1]

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!, lololololololol! XD

[@KnightoftheLord1]

***** Aren't they just?

[@iwantyourcookiesnow]

I too, get pissed every time I see an actor shove the tip of his sword into the dirt/pebbles

[@TheEndKing]

Hollywood does this all the time, with all kinds of weapons. No cowboy ever cleans his guns, people in zombie movies never clean the gunk off of their makeshift fire axes, it really is annoying.

[@FLUFFK]

Yes this is true

[@quincy2142]

TheEndKing Though on the point of never cleaning guns and not cleaning weapons properly I can understand, it just takes so long if you want to properly clean your weapons that they're "wasting" valuable screentime. Not to say it doesn't irk me, just that I understand why they don't.

[@TheEndKing]

차퀸시 Yeah, but they could easily imply or show that they've been cleaning their weapons off-screen, between dramatic moments.

[@quincy2142]

TheEndKing Agreed. Most movies don't oil their blades either which is the weirdest thing, you'll see them whipe down the sword but not oil and sharpen it to keep the edge.

[@Loosehead]

And then stuff swords and knives back into the scabbard. That scabbard will be caked in blood and grit inside for ever.

[@loahnuh]

A note about media getting something about swords right. In the Last Battle, the seventh book of the Narnia series (chapter seven), Eustace does re-sheath his sword after running through a Calorman without cleaning it. This earns an aside shortly after about Prince Tirian scolding the boy and making him clean and polish the blade, the next morning. Point to C. S. Lewis for promoting proper sword care and handling.

[@EmpiricalPragmatist]

In Clash of the Titans (the original one starring Laurence Olivier as Zeus), when Perseus is handed the sword he gets as a gift from his father, the first thing he does with it is to smash it into a marble railing. :)

[@scholagladiatoria]

Perfectly normal behaviour! lol

[@EmpiricalPragmatist]

scholagladiatoria Well he simply had to test its mystical magical cutting power, you see. Of course, being a gift from the Gods, it was magical, and it cut through the marble as if it were polystyrene. Funny that...

[@ohauss]

Well, if they had used real marble and a real ancient Greek sword, he'd probably been left with the hilt....

[@EmpiricalPragmatist]

Well to be fair, this sword was supposed to be direct from Zeus, but on the other hand, the prop looked like tinfoil.

[@EmpiricalPragmatist]

Yes, but even then it was incredibly irresponsible of Perseus in the first place. He was just testing it out, and for all he knew could easily have ruined it.

[@22steve5150]

One thing about the "quick learner" aspect in Kingdom of Heaven Bloom's character already knew how to use a sword though, he had served in previous European battles as a foot soldier and a siege engineer (Director's cut). His father was showing him how to use a high guard, which he considered superior to the lower guard that his son already knew. By that time though, he already had basic weapons training and was considered a master siege engineer (which he obviously put to good use in the defense of the city).

[@SkinwalkrDisrespectr]

Not to mention he was a blacksmith and accustomed to crafting swords and most likely testing them? He was around weapons constantly.

[@nathanmoore8875]

I really liked your thoughts on this subject, especially about placing a bloody sword back into a scabbard. I compare it to going to bed covered in mud. One note about the movie Kingdom of Heaven (I have to defend it a little since I believe it is a phenomenal movie and is actually fairly accurate), you mentioned that Balian gets a three minute sword lesson from his father so he must be a fast learner. Many people commented on this when the movie came out, however, this was explained in the Director's Cut. When asked by one of Godfrey's men at arms if he had even been to war, Balian replies, "On horse, and as an engineer also." This tells you that as a mounted fighting man he would have had extensive if not advanced training in the use of the sword as well as other weapons, such as the lance and the mace. Therefore when he trains with his father he is simply learning new techniques, ex. the guard of the hawk. Godfrey actually hints at this when he sayd, "You fight well. We must work on your skills." If you watch the director's commentary, Ridley Scott mentions that he wanted to show Balian as an intelligent and quick learner, as shown when he uses a technique in battle that his father had demonstrated only minutes before. I know that was long but I wanted to point that out for anyone who cares. That is why I only watch the Director's Cut because so many things make more sense.

[@BryGuy418]

I thoroughly enjoyed the venting and ranting from a real professional. It's done with such passion and that implied desire to slap some sense into people. I also love the use of the word "utterly" to convey the aforementioned. Keep up the great videos!

[@alaskajohn907]

I too hit myself every time I see innacurate sword handling in Kingdom of Heaven. But I do love the film, and the Director's cut (which is amazing) makes the regular version seem pitiful. Great upload, I enjoy your channel a lot :)

[@alaskajohn907]

Also, Orlando Bloom's character was in the military before becoming a blacksmith, so he was already an accomplished swordsman and tactician. All he had to do was adjust his fighting style based on his father's direction.

[@LeeNTien]

Haha, on the same note - before, I never thought about bows when watched movies with all those archers wearing their bows on their back, hit people with them, and never ever strung them. But as I've started doing traditional archery myself, I've started noticing all this. And oh boy, does that equipment need constant care.

[@nicktownsend582]

I highly recommend watching Matt's videos with the automatic captions turned on. Worth a giggle :D

[@Motoruven]

One thing though about Kingdom of Heaven director's cut: Among the things explained in the director's cut is that Balian, (Orlando's character) is a former engineer soldier who's been to war before. Hence his knowledge of siege tactics and weapons. And if he's been to war before it's entirely plausible that he has at least some experience of close quarter fighting. When Godfrey, (Neeson's character) first start swinging at him, he does indeed deflect his attacks, albeit a bit clumsily. Godfrey then says: "you fight well, let's work on your skills" Another things is that once in the holy land, the movie spans at least a few months, so someone like Balian who seems obsessed to become better at everything would spend at least some of his time training and refining his skills.

[@joemutt359]

I don't have to worry about any of this stuff, I carry a lightsaber, ya know...

[@Xandros999]

+Joe Mutt Once, I stuck my lightsaber into the ground. I never saw it again.

[@mixmastermind]

Joe Mutt Do you regularly clean out the projector and polish the crystal?

[@cedriclamit9776]

Joe Mutt you mean the very hot glow stick? i have no of those but i have a scythe that is also a sniper and a shotgun

[@JanPospisilArt]

IIRC Orlando Bloom's character has been fighting in wars for quite some time (he even says in the director's cut "as an engineer and on horse") before he took that one lesson from his dad. So it was more about "working on his skills". (as Liam Neeson puts it)

[@JanPospisilArt]

ZarlanTheGreen That's why I mentioned the DC. It's spoken about a couple of times actually, he's his lord's prized blacksmith and warmachine engineer (and a fine silversmith, as his priest-brother boasts), it specifically says he fought in wars between local lords. Not sure how that's "subtle". Even in the theatrical version, Liam Neeson says "You fight well, let's work on your skill. Never keep a low guard..." Which to me by itself implies he's fought with a sword before, because being able to defend himself against a knight just like that is far too unlikely.

[@rjfaber1991]

ZarlanTheGreen It's just one of the things that makes Kingdom of Heaven such a peculiar film. The regular cut is awful, the director's cut is one of the best history action films ever made... Apparently the editors liked the many action sequences so much that they'd rather keep all of them in and cut out some absolutely essential conversations instead...

[@HaNsWiDjAjA]

Robert Faber Agreed. The DC makes what is essentially a shallow action packed ripoff into a deeply meaningful historical drama touching especially the deeply important issue of religious conflict in the Holy land. It's another case of Hollywood butchering what could have been an awesome film just because they believe people wouldn't watch a movie that's more than two hours long. Ergh, as if the Lord of the Rings trilogy hasn't proved them wrong already.

[@GeoffBarnesHyperion]

ZarlanTheGreen The directors cut actually SPECIFICALLY says he fought in campaigns of one lord against another and that he had done so on horse and as an engineer. So no, the directors cut is QUITE clear that he has extensive military experience.

[@GeoffBarnesHyperion]

ZarlanTheGreen Whoops... you already knew that. Haha, I'm late to the party and need to read more comments. ;)

[@NickPride]

you missed greatest abuse of swords in many movies - using sword as a lever, to move huge stone slabs or sarcophagus lid, pry of something really heavy and so on

[@AlexLong1000]

+Clanfear Assassin's Creed Black Flag made me cringe every time Edward used his sword to lift a small rock in the fucking SAND.

[@Parker8752]

When it comes to cleaning your sword, Peter got a bollocking for that off Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, if memory serves. But then, CS Lewis reputedly knew his stuff...

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yeah, some films are better than others for details like that. Thanks, usually, either to the writers or the director. Unfortunately fight directors rarely get a say in details like this.

[@wanadeena]

scholagladiatoria How good are the Narnia films when it comes to fighting? I saw Prince Caspian a while back and I thought their armor looked very functional, something that while stylised, looked very grounded in reality.

[@EmpiricalPragmatist]

Aslan's warning to Peter never to forget to clean his sword was one of the things I remembered particularly well from the books (it happens right after he kills two wolves that jump them). I was disappointed not to see it in the movie.

[@bryndavies4429]

One of my favorites is the use of a sword as a spit, to roast your dinner on. Who needs a correctly tempered blade anyway?

[@jonathanfrances]

You probably won't be holding a blade in a fire hot enough to get that kind of result on. There's a reason people use gloves and tongs.

[@bryndavies4429]

You'd grab a hot metal spit without gloves? Tempering carbon steel needs temps of around 500-600 C , and a log fire can reach double that as far as I know. Sounds like a bad move to me.

[@jonathanfrances]

bryn davies Yep it sure is a dumb way to use a sword. I guess if you worked at having a really hot fire and left the steel in there for a lengthy period of time you could screw with the temper, it just seems like that is a little further down the list of why using the sword to make shishkabob is a poor idea - like not being able to access the weapon during the entire period of time from prep to consumption.

[@Dr.Giangy]

About orlando bloom's instant learning skills, somewhere in the movie it's said (the director's cut that is) that he was a siege engineer at some point so possibly he learned then how to handle a sword

[@schubbel]

yeah and at horseback as well. we r never told for how long either. I could be a seasoned veteran for all we know. just not as good with a sword as a crusader.

[@kirkey99]

What an awesome channel! I never even cared much about medieval weapons, but this historic commentary is so interesting, I can't stop watching the vids!

[@GetitUnderCool]

considering the average shape of medieval swords and longswords when you stick it in the ground you get a cross, i saw paintings of knights doing it and prayng on their sword/cross, it's a pretty strong symbolism, so that's natural that hollywood often use it just for looking cool.

[@rjfaber1991]

There's a difference between gently resting a sword on the ground and forcing it into the ground, though...

[@IONATVS]

Yeah, the only reason an actual knight would FORCE a sword into the ground and leave it there would be to quickly mark a grave--and they'd do it with the dead man's sword, not their own.

[@GetitUnderCool]

IONATVS the most badass way to be buried,wearing the armor you died in, in the ground of the battlefield you died on, and with the sword you held in your hand when you died to mark the grave!|

[@Matrinique]

I would love for there to be a parody on all this! For example, a movie scene in which the prince stabs the ground as a symbolic thing, then his master scolds him for doing it.

[@jtsiomb]

I really liked an instance in Game of Thrones, where the character was in grief after learning his father just died. He went into the woods and manically hit a tree stump multiple times with his sword, at which point his mother came in and told him: "you ruined your sword". And I thought, at last one tv/film instance acknoledging that it's a stupid idea to cut wood or hit stumps with a sword, instead of treating them as indestructable light-sabers of some sort.

[@VRichardsn]

5:55 You missed the most important reason: it smells pretty bad after a while.

[@AlaskanUndead]

My favorite is when a sword is shoved into a fire to use it as a caturizing iron.

[@vadersjester]

To be fair to Highlander, the immortals swords are meant to be tied to the magic that keeps them alive so it's likely that they're supernaturally hard and running them on surfaces wouldn't make any difference to the weapon and is just for show. I mean, real swords don't constantly explode with sparks on contact with each other either.

[@genericpersonx333]

Indeed, A very serious problem how movies mess with our understanding of these remarkable pieces of technology. I was surprised when one novelist I read actually remembered that if you use a sword for many years, that sword eventually grows thin as you sharpen it. Character carried it for sentimental reasons, but was smart enough to have purchases a newer blade with its metal not worn down by hundreds of whettings. Cheers for this, Schola!

[@crwydryny]

Eustace Stritchers funny thing is this is how a lot of shoe maker's tools were developed, originally they only had one type of knife, then due to continually sharpening the blade they changed the profile which allowed them to use it for different applications. I remember once seeing a collection of shoe maker knives, all were originally the same knife but due to being sharpened in different ways their blades had changed shape considerably.

[@genericpersonx333]

Nice observation! The importance of the artisan is easily overlooked by many people when first studying weapons or any technology really. Stuff doesn't get made unless an artisan is willing to make it.

[@crwydryny]

Eustace Stritchers or there's a need for it. war hammers for example were originally black smith's hammers used by conscripted pesants because edged tools were useless against plate armour, it was then adopted by archers as the maul used to drive in stakes and as a last dich weapon against mounted knights, then later refined to make it a more elegant weapon for close combat and used by knights and men at arms to crush armour or deliver concussive blows (something a sword or axe had trouble doing against plate armour) many weapons were developed to counter technology and techniques developed to counter the previous level of technology, late medieval swords for example became more specialiesed for stabbing so they could get through the cracks of armour which was developed to protect from slashing blows.

[@crwydryny]

***** a lot of weapons used in the medieval developed from tools that pesants grabbed when conscripted into war, tridents/military forks evolved from farming implements, warhammers from common tools, and so on. imagine you're living in a early medieval village and the local lord comes around requiring that you go join him on campaign, being a pessant you don't own a sword, if you're lucky the lord may give your village time to knock out a few spears other wise you're going to grab the first thing at hand that can do some damage be it the fork you use for tending your garden, the axe you use to cut firewood or the hammer you happen to use in your job as a blacksmith. this was common practice the world over, take japan for instance, nunchucks are rice flails, kama are scythes used for harvesting rice. in the philipines their primary weapons were types of machette (parang, and bolo) which were (and still are) agricultural tools, the krambit is a knife used for cutting crops. the military flail can be traced back to the agricultual flail who's first recorded used was by pessant farmers conscripted by jan zizka during the hussite wars. war hammers can be directly linked to the earlier mauls, large mallets used in every day construction and often carried on the battlefield by archers for driving stakes into the ground, and were recorded as being used as improvised weapons against knights as well as blacksmiths hammers carried by conscripted smiths then you have polearms like the bill (english bill/ billhook) which can be directly traced back to the billhook an agricultural tool. the use of tools as improvised weapons has been common throughout history and those that prove to be successful are improved on and adopted into the military. for example the flail was first iron shod then replaced with an iron ball, then had the handle shortened to be more effective in close combat. the billhook gained a thinner blade better for cutting flesh and had a spike added for stabbing, before evolving further. with hammers the heads became smaller and light, the handles longer and later they gained a spike on the back for punching through armour

[@strategossable1366]

Video games tend to have a decent track record in this regard - a few examples being: 1) Assassin's creed II; while you do not need to repair your weapons, your armour does need repair every now and again. 2) Oblivion and Morrowind: all of your equipment gets worse with use, and you need to repair or replace everything and anything after a while. 3) Skyrim: While your weapons and armour do not need repairing, there is one NPC you meet who hit a wall with his sword while fencing (this rich person can afford to practise with good swords), and so has had to send it down to the blacksmith for repairing.

[@strategossable1366]

***** Even though your comment was hating mine, your comment actually made me smile :). I agree completely, I am not a die hard "I must press buttons to sharpen my sword for immersion" person, I was just saying some video games that were like that, and actually, if it is not overdone, doing some "dull" activities in RPGs like sharpening swords (or god forbid, eating food) can help to give a nice change of pace to the constant action and provide some (I hate to say it) immersion.

[@israeltovar3513]

Bonus: Blizzard's Diablo series. Your weapons, armour, magic items, and even gloves and boots deteriorate in time and use(more combat, more damage to your weapons, armour and shield; more running, more damage to your boots). Of course, it's not all realistic(it's repaired instantly), but at least it is something you have to consider and budget when planning and playing(how damaged is my gear? do I need to repair before going back to the battle? This is cool, but it's all damaged... would it be worthy to keep and repair? Or is my gear all around better right now? This is amazing, but the durability suck... etc...

[@CosmicDuck494]

There's a lovely scene in Robin Hood, when Russell Crowe uses the pommel of his sword to loosen a heavy stone slab and then pries it up with the blade :)

[@scholagladiatoria]

Aaaaaagggghhhhhhhgggggg! I know! Mindbleach please.

[@DravenWolfe]

I never considered stuff like this, till I randomly stumbled on your Video. Very informative, thanks for posting, it will be helpful in my own writings. :)

[@WilliamSriker]

Could you possibly make a follow up video, dealing with what films you have seen that do show proper sword use, both in the treatment of the weapon and in actual combat use?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yeah, that's a good idea! Thanks.

[@trefod]

Now imagine you were a firearms nut instead of a sword nut. Oh the horror!

[@entropy11]

understatement of the year.

[@CrysResan]

You mean because hollywood is even more stupid about them than close quarter weapons?(they really need to think of a better word for them than "melee" which I am pretty sure is french for a battle clusterfuck) Like the "shoot to wound" nonsense?

[@entropy11]

like every single thing. handling, noise, reloads, incapacitation, damage.. everything.

[@CrysResan]

Point. Though the noise is a funny thing, it's both LESS loud than they make it and much more, but you can't really get people to appreciate the sonic boom/shock wave without really shooting right next to them. Well save suppressors fuck that shit. Oddly pulp fiction showed handling the best, or more precisely what happens when you handle guns like hollywood jerk offs- you accidentally shoot your buddy in the face.

[@Sergei_Ivanovich_Mosin]

I am a gun nut, needless to say it is near impossible to watch a movie involving guns where I don't cringe several times.

[@Agorante]

The funniest part of 'Kingdom of Heaven' for me was casting skinny little Orlando Bloom as a blacksmith. This was I believe his was his second role as a blacksmith. He was a blacksmith in The 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. He appears to be in danger of being type cast like Boris Karloff. But what made it really funny was that another character in his father's band was Jouko Ahola - the two time 'World's Strongest Man'. He looks like the popular conception of a blacksmith.

[@Raz.C]

Also, re - drawing one's sword from a sheath: I have it on good authority that frost sometimes makes the blade stick...

[@yerk3]

I remember watching "6 String Samurai" and feeling bad for both Buddy's sword and his guitar, both of which face surprising amounts of abuse from someone who considers them his livelihood.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

one thing about Orlando Bloom's character in Kingdom Of Heaven, in the directors cut if you paid attention to the Directors Cut it establishes that Balian already had extensive combat experience as he has fought at separate times as a Cavalryman and as a seige engineer, thus Godfrey was only improving upon his technique by teaching him ' the guard of the hawk'. On a further note, thank you for making this video, i'm trying to get into sword collecting a fencing and this video was extremely informative.

[@nathangiles3357]

In regards to Kingdom of Heaven, my understanding is that in the Director's Cut it mentions how Balian (Orlando Bloom's character) has served as a soldier and a siege engineer before, which is mentioned at the start in the forge before he speaks to his father. He's unlikely to know how to use a longsword because of his class I suppose, but surely it's not unfair to assume he has experience handling weapons in combat?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Nathan Giles He's unlikely to know how to handle a longsword mostly because longswords were basically unheard of at that date! :-)

[@nathangiles3357]

scholagladiatoria Thanks for the info. But my point was mainly that, although they make little effort to show it when his father is teaching him, there's a good chance that he was supposed to have originally had experience with Arming sword or pole weapons, and as such isn't a complete stranger to the martial arts, isn't there? I assumed the instruction scene, at least in the DC version where the character's past is brought up once or twice more with greater detail, was at least intended to resemble a very experienced swordsman giving pointers to a slightly less-so fighter rather than a complete novice. Though it's not as clear as it could be; particularly not in the regular version.

[@Wolfenkuni]

i would think, he is Orlando Bloom and he just needed to be the man who killed most people on screen.

[@joysmith4696]

You know? I'd like to see ANY historical movie done well. Haven't seen one yet. Just character wise, they all have modern sensibilities. As an amateur historian, the thing I spend the most time talking with people about is how very different our ancestors were from us. They make movies showing characters as being like us but low tech. How many Americans now would stand in line muzzle to muzzle with British regulars like in the 18th century? It would be nice if movies did show honestly where we came from. Alsoooo. Being a teacher of Japanese sword, I can say THE LAST SAMURAI was fairly accurate up until the part where they didn't kill Tom Cruz in the first battle in the woods! Good photography tho. About the swordsmanship. I was disappointed at first. I said "my god, this is just Yagyu Shinkage ryu bokkenjutsu!" After a few moments of thought, I remembered that bokkenjutsu was just about all they were taught in the Meiji period. So, they may have accidentally gotten something right. ps. Due to historical problems I won't elaborate on, many Japanese sword schools today are actually teaching bokkenjutsu as kenjutsu. Some know it, and some claim their bokkenjutsu IS kenjutsu. They are not the same thing.

[@VRichardsn]

+Joy Smith Have you seen Waterloo (1970)? That one seems to be well researched. Granted, it is not medieval, but it could be the example of historical movie done right you are looking for.

[@Kamfrenchie]

+Joy Smith the last samurai is based on the history of a frenchofficer, but they made him american in the film because murica's great and France is bad for holywood i guess ?

[@VRichardsn]

Kamfrenchie Because producers think audiences are somewhat dumb and wouldn´t watch a film with a character they couldn´t relate to (which might be true)

[@SlightlyNotorious]

Waterloo is really well done. As is Zulu.

[@Loosehead]

Same reason you never, or hardly never, see a hero going to the toilet.

[@phantomapprentice6749]

Yeah I always think its stupid when someone plants his sword in the ground or even lean on it, which is very common with great-swords in film. And actually I've seem some HEMA guys on youtube do that stuff, and even when its not an Estoc it still bothers me.

[@brandy1999]

I might be remembering things wrong but isnt it said at some point in Kingdom of Heaven that Bloom's character in fact has a lot of warfare experience and that sparring in the forest was just getting some tips rather than learning how to use a sword?

[@JanPospisilArt]

Yep.

[@GeoffBarnesHyperion]

Awesome video! Haha. The only thing I will say, is if you remember the Directors Cut of Kingdom of Heaven, there is a later scene in which Balian (Orlando Bloom) says to the King of Jerusalem that he has fought in "campaigns of one lord against another on horse, on foot and as a siege engineer." So he clearly has EXPERIENCE with sword handling, he's just not a formally trained knight. :)

[@sirbutthurt2937]

I've been starting to watch your widoes to educate myself for my fantasy novel, which I'm writing in swedish, since it's my native language. I'm also very interested in history and medieval history, and even train some swordfighting myself. Thankyou for your excellent videos!

[@raindog951]

Another bit in Highlander, that irritates, is when the hero (a genius on the subject of swords) sharpens his ancient and priceless Katana using a method that only a 10 year old would try. The 'bloody sword in the scabbard' thing has always bugged me, too. I do see the odd film where the hero wipes the blade clean, but even then it's a cursory action, with no proper inspection to see if he's got all the gore off......

[@raindog951]

Maybe, yes. But for me it just makes me Tut loudly in the Cinema, and mutter under my breath :-)

[@AmisTheos]

I saw something in the first season of Game Of Thrones that might cheer you up haha. One of the characters heard of the death of a dear character so they were hitting a tree repeatedly, when someone saw them doing this they stopped them and told them that they were ruining the swords edge. Tried my best to describe it without spoilers.

[@alexandre0319]

I love your videos man, I've been learning a lot from you. Thanks for sharing the knowledge and keep up the great work.

[@kailightfoot9058]

i'm surprised that no one said anything about how in countless movies and tv shows people slash right through chain mail and other types of armor that you would normally have to pierce with the tip of the sword

[@ReneChiquete]

On the subject of Orlando Bloom character learning very fast, it is make known to the viewer on the extended version that he fought in a war before the events of the movie. thats why Liams character remarks that he fights well.

[@sandorsbox]

Immediately preceding the "fencing lesson", Balian was telling Godfrey about his experience in campaigns. He told him that he had been an artillarist and served in horse formations. Thus, Balian already had combat experience and that one "lesson" wasn't all that gave him the capacity to fight.

[@0Fidel0]

You are so great! I love watching you. Make me laugh alot. Keep going! Thumbs up for the face Palm ;)

[@Happilywanderin]

I like how he points to the camera several times and tells us "dont do this" Like we should all keep good care of our sharp swords we all have for the purpose of killing and defending. made me chuckle

[@Na_Picta_Irskr]

If I recall correctly, Orlando Bloom's character in kingdom of heaven talks about that he was on campaign, while he is working as a blacksmith, maybe it was just as a smith, but I can't imagine he didn't have some fight training before his lesson with his father.

[@manfallsoffchair]

I think you could make an entire series on Michonne from The Walking Dead and all the silly things she does with her sword.

[@jobe5514]

Take my like!

[@EVENINGWOLF666]

One thing that has always annoyed me about the usage of swords in movies and TV shows is that you will see a weapon go through some long, protracted fight (usually stylistically inaccurate to the weapon, like using a long sword or a broad sword like it was a two handed rapier), and then when the fight is over there is not a single nick, or blemish on the blade at all and it is as pristine as the day it was forged. OR, even if they do show the swords being damaged the swords somehow remain razor sharp and can still cut through rope, wood and other substances like a hot knife through warm butter.

[@benamini5701]

In the director cut when they are in the local castle, Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom) tells them how he fought for feudal as a feudal knight. That lesson wasn't a beginner lesson, it was a advanced lesson. It was my question and many other questions before I saw the director cut. Thank you for your videos.

[@DUIRduje]

other side-effect of putting your bloodied sword in scabbard is very bad smell and if blood and bowel content don't dry out quickly enough, possible future rot of scabbard

[@Beithyr]

The worst example I have ever seen is in the first hunger games film where Cato puts his sword in the fire until its red hot ( and lost any temper it had) and then spits on the blade (rusting it as well.) (Yet the sword is somehow shiny the next morning ?

[@scholagladiatoria]

I haven't read the books or seen the films, but I intend to.

[@Beithyr]

illyounotme No cato is a carier meaning he is from a rich family and had trained his whole life to in the games. He has no excuse for poor balde care

[@Cretaal]

Beithyr I would argue that he was taught how to wield. But the finer points of blade chemistry were never mentioned to him. Most students start working against their teachers advice outside of the classroom. How many of us still drive with our hands in the appropriate spots on the steering wheel, or turn the wheel hand over hand? I know in none of my training did they ever mention what heat does to a blade, I learned that information second-hand. A luxury that the spoiled jock never got :p

[@CowboyxWayne]

Accuracy aside, it IS amazing how much better the Kingdom of Heaven director's cut is compared to the theatrical cut.

[@sven416]

On a related note (sword care) I have a few swords that I keep tucked away in their scabbards and generally don't have to worry too much about rust and corrosion but i'm a few weeks away from taking receipt of an Albion kern which I know doesn't come with one (they're super expensive!) I would usually cover my blades in a light film of renaissance wax and was curious to know if you could give me any advice on if this alone would be suitable for my Albion? It's unlikley to be handled very often but I see other sword collectors mention regular oiling (I suppose they're using their swords on a more regular basis) I'm in the UK so you know what climate i'm dealing with here - no high humidity or anything like that! - Cheers Matt!

[@arboriao2090]

In the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven Orlando Bloom's character mentions that he was employed in the past by Frankish lords as both an engineer due to his trade skills & relatively high education level, and as some kind of man-at-arms on horseback presumably due to his higher than average wealth & access to arms from being a smith. So he was blooded to some extent before the ambush in the forest.

[@kenbrovost9653]

It makes me angry when channels like yours don't have over a million Subs. It's a well-educated person taking the time to educate other people about actual things they should know about or at least be somewhat familiar with

[@csievers8740]

The movie/TV sword abuse that gets me is that apparently they ALL add a piece of metal to their scabbard for the sword to grind against when drawing/sheathing. This drives me absolutely bonkers every time.

[@shaneschannel9289]

Hey thanks! This may float your boat, but you are the best I have found. Keep doing what you do. Would consider it an honor to live chat with you sometime. Don't sweat you're detractors. All great people have them.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thanks :-)

[@wakaka2waka]

scholagladiatoria Well, movies are not real. They're quite unrealistic. You'll frequently see stupid things like swords slicing and cutting and piercing through mail or plate armor or even shields like butter. Or that after a severe wound to the abdomen, the guy is still running around OR the reverse, the guy just falls comically to the ground the second they are struck. We know that's absolutely ludicrous, but science is thrown out the window in movies.

[@schuriken]

Thanx for all the videos m8, I'm really fascinated with all kinds of swords but my favourite are the Japanese Katana and the rapier. I also love the movie's ninja straight sword with the square suba. I know it's not a real sword but I just like it because it's very straight all around. My choice would be the square fake ninja sword to go against all others it just looks very cool very inspiring and very bad ass. Cheers.

[@cuhuruniceni4224]

During the Dacian wars, was it not Trajan who banned many of his legionaries from carrying their Gladius (Gladii - plural ?), due to the troops 'abusive' treatment of the weapons, allowing them to rust and using them for cutting firewood etc ? I seem to recall reading that, by way of punishment, for a period of some months the offending legionaries were issued with blunted iron bars instead, including being forced to use the bars in full combat !

[@dash4800]

FYI, Orlando Blooms character in Kingdom of Heaven had been a soldier before. So he already knew how to fight. And since he wasn't dead, we can probably assume he was pretty good at it.

[@silver-spoon-fed]

Like someone else mentioned. Even in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (a children's book mind you) Aslan told Peter to clean and whipe his sword after it was red with blood... You don't have to be an expert on subjects like this but If you're going to take the effort to write or create media it's best to have a simple understanding of how things work and why. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy some of these movies etc. I just overlook the times they get it wrong at this point but praise the times they get it right. Good Video.

[@zoukatron]

I was intrigued by Liam Neeson's character in Kingdom of Heaven saying "Never use a low guard!" Though I suspect the point he was trying to make was: "Don't stick your hands forward in posta longa / langort! You stupid numpty!"

[@scholagladiatoria]

Oh I'll have things to say about that in a separate video! :-D

[@DigGil3]

In the film Ultraviolet there is a scene where the protagonist is in a dark room and because her blade was soaked in flammable oil from a previous event, she drags her sword against the floor during combat to create sparks and ignite the oil. In this case I don't know if this was too stupid or too clever, but it was awesome nonetheless.

[@rexxarwatch9057]

About learning in Kingdom of Heaven. At the beginning when crusaders visit Balian (Oralndo Bloom)'s blasksmith he tells one of them (the German guy), that he has been at war "on horse and as an engineer also".

[@UnbeltedSundew]

Another thing about sticking a sword into the ground is that it will cause it to rust, nothing quite rusts steel as quickly as clods of dirt and blood stuck to the side.

[@scottleft3672]

best example....look at an old brick trowel thats sat around retired and neglected.........see the pitting on the pointed end where the most abuse gets ignored. and often left stuck in a garden once replaced...(the edges along the sides are always being scraped and tend to hold up)

[@SingingSteel]

One reason to put your sword point into the ground before a fight would be to make further attacks more likely to cause infection. Archers on the battlefield used to do this with their arrows not only to make them more easily accessible, but for this very reason.

[@edwardealdseaxe5253]

I can't tell you how often I've seen characters in film in some scenic shot, walk up with their sword. Only to then plunge it into the ground, I've hardly ever cringed so hard as that!

[@MrMcstrong]

5:44 "... sticky substance into your sword, with your blade" lol

[@AnoNYmous-xy8gq]

Rochefort(3 Musketeers 2011) showed the best way on preserving a sword's edge by...shooting d'Artagnan instead of fighting him with his sword. :)

[@TheBigDanois]

I'd also like to point out the many long hours it would take sharpening and polishing a blunt sword using historical methods.

[@QuinnWilliamWilson]

I know there's lot's of rubbish to get worked up about (in good fun), but personally I would like to see a video of movies that do things right. It would put a nice optimistic twist on things!

[@scholagladiatoria]

I shall do it :-)

[@wanadeena]

I recall Bronn in GoT, when the barbarians were fended off, that he sheathed his sword when there was still blood on it. Then again, maybe he was in a hurry what with being in the mountains and all.

[@tread71]

Once I've seen a movie, in which a character jammed the sword into the ground and then... started to sharpen it. The six inches of the blade closest to the hilt, to be exact. Facepalm with a foot.

[@whreREtjk4ko]

Hahaha I love how much this stuff enrages you. Subscribed.

[@israeltovar3513]

I remember that, at the end of "The Fellowship of the Ring", Aragorn, after killing the big bad ork, is seen cleaning his sword thoroughly and then putting in the scabbard. He's never shown sheathing his weapon without cleaning it. I hardly ever remember such a thing in other movies. Although they do showed Boromir practicing fencing with the hobbits using their sharp weapons instead of sticks...

[@LostBeetle]

Watched the first hunger games movie last night, and the main antagonist stuck his sword in the fire until it was glowing. That is about as bad as it can get there.

[@SMChurchill]

I've seen a small number of reenactors stab their swords into the ground, and in all such cases they have been taken to task for such abuse - I have also seen a few western martial artists who specialise in the use of sharps do the same when talking to the public :-(

[@gothicsoldier]

Kingdom of Heaven is such a wonderful guilty pleasure for a historian. It's not a great movie, but simultaneously it's just bloody amazing.

[@Superabound2]

Most of the well-preserved swords you see in museums were mostly ceremonial symbols of station or status and never used or even intended to be used in actual combat.

[@ElZilchoYo]

In Defence of Kingdom of Heaven, Orlando Blooms character said he's fought in previous feudal conflicts before the film begins.

[@Scruit]

Your cactus looks like Homer Simpson.

[@MegaSweeney123]

Hey, just had to verbally admire your longsword :o Very pretty, although I prefer a black grip, myself (if not using a bronze pommel and quillions) May I ask where you got yourself such a beauty?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Lachlan Hamacek Albion swords (the European branch in this case).

[@MegaSweeney123]

scholagladiatoria Thank you muchly, I shall keep that in mind for when I'm ready for steel :)

[@WelshIron]

+SerAlgernop BlitzKrieger I just went in search of Albion Swords Europe and it appears they ceased in 2015!

[@TheUnmaker28977]

+RowanTree Yes, Albion Europe has closed down. Their main branch "Albion Swords" is still going strong, but you might have to pay extra shipping costs depending on where you order from.

[@casedistorted]

I want you to talk about all the fights in kingdom of heaven like you do in game of thrones!

[@GabrielMatusevich]

in Kingdom of heaven, Bailian (Orlando Bloom) states that he fought in wars so he may have had previous experience at swordfighting

[@smgjerald]

Not arguing your point at all, just a thought: The battle cry desperta ferro=awaken iron, is said to have been combined with striking rocks etc with weaponry to create sparks. Its pretty much a given they knew their weaponry would be damaged from it, so I assume it was a choice they made to bolster own morale and intimidate the enemy, despite that. I think alot of things have been done in the past, that while fundamentally daft (like ex cutting yourself), was a deliberate choice because of the psychological warfare aspect (own troops and enemy) despite being..counterproductive.

[@gloweye]

Biggest offender I saw in Kingdom of Heaven was the fact that the old guy teaches to attack with both hands, from as far above your head as you can, which gives an opening over your entire body for somewhere around a second - if you're lucky.

[@MarioDoiron]

My favorite sword abuse pet peeve... cutting a chain with a sword. I cringe every time I see that in a movie.