Cary Elwes' Sword Fighting Skills in The Princess Bride
Actor Cary Elwes underwent extensive training to prepare for his role in the classic film The Princess Bride. His dedication to learning swordplay was so effective that he became highly proficient, reportedly making his iconic duel with the character Inigo Montoya appear too short during initial takes. The sequence is now frequently studied and showcased in fencing academies as a prime example of cinematic sword fighting. Beyond this swashbuckling role, Elwes is also recognized for his performance as Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the horror film Saw, where his character famously attempts to escape a trap by cutting off his own foot.
In my stagecombat community we often hold that scene up as the greatest swordfight in cinema. There are contestants of course... "The duellist" comes really close, but just isn't as fun to show to beginners.
They had to film the scene three times because he kept winning the sword fight.
Severely underrated actor or just maybe he was never as big as others because he's not in the "club". I really hope he's one of the good ones the same way I think of Brendan Fraser
‘Yo can you learn how to sword fight?’ ‘As you wish’
Mandy Patinkin also trained for 10 months with Ewles. Both he and Elwes had to be extremely proficient with both hands. They were considered to be of equal proficiency, and Rob Reiner had to ask them to slow down because they were too quick. The whole Elwes was amazing myth came
My name is inigo Montoya you killed my father prepare to die
His scene in saw was a little slower.
Inigo: You are using Bonetti's defense against me? Man in Black: I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain. Inigo: Naturally, you must expect me to attack with Capo Ferro. Man in Black: Naturally. Man in Black: But I find that Thibault cancels out Capo Ferro. Don't you?
What's crazy is nobody knows he is an international art thief who works at Interpol.
Also, unlike some other Robin Hoods, he spoke with an English accent.