tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post2547990856601810470..comments2024-03-27T01:28:28.346-07:00Comments on False Machine: A Theory of Filmed Violencepjamesstuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13288777018721199748noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-45229293448541029842016-10-24T01:36:24.990-07:002016-10-24T01:36:24.990-07:00I was reading about 1400s longbowmen, who use pole...I was reading about 1400s longbowmen, who use polehammers for melee, because they didn't expect to wield them in long-term engagements, and were ripped as fuck, what with all the drawing HUMAN SIZED BOWS.<br />Only reasons crossbows were popular is because they're powderlesss guns. Just give a dude a crossbow, and bam you have a deadlyish weapon.<br />'course, then you'd have vast swarms of crossbow mercenaries wandering around who would then keep running away because no training means NO TRAINING and no discipline.<br />I think it was at Crecy that the French had some italian crossbow mercs and turned round to cut down their OWN fleeing mercenaries who were being outgunned by longbowmen.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16963836386003853294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-22157135636141891752015-09-14T17:49:55.843-07:002015-09-14T17:49:55.843-07:00Everything here parallels professional wrestling- ...Everything here parallels professional wrestling- from the long hair to big moves to finish a match. They have to get out to the cheap seats. It's a kinetic storytelling medium and blue collar theatre.Aaron Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08760432935440346327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-78436006005519317502015-09-07T07:45:28.580-07:002015-09-07T07:45:28.580-07:00I'd recommend the youtube channel 'Scholag...I'd recommend the youtube channel 'Scholagladitoria.' It's almost exclusively a channel dedicated to historic European martial arts (a.k.a HEMA). <br /><br />There is lots of discussion about swords and weapons, critiques of movie shenanigans and (relevant to the first point) there is also plenty of sparring between people using methods reconstructed from 14th and 15th treatises. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-87090370502361615882015-09-06T16:05:56.131-07:002015-09-06T16:05:56.131-07:00Two things that always strikes me in filmed mediev...Two things that always strikes me in filmed medieval violence are 1) the way it ignores the long training times to make a good swordsman or archer and 2) How ineffective armor is. <br /><br />Farmboys and disgruntled princesses in disguise are always picking up swords and holding their own against guards, barbarians and whatnot. Sword use is exhausting, working a wide variety of strange muscles and also involves a lot of skill and practice, being buff isn't enough. The danger of warrior castes or classes in ancient society might come partially from their better equipment, but mostly it's the lifetime devoted to the craft of smacking people with sharp metal things. Anyone doubting this should think about what happens when primative firearms are introduced. Sure a matchlock isn't nearly as dangerous as a longbow, but it doesn't take a lifetime of bone distorting training to use one, and a matchlock is mostly as good. Conscription becomes functional - not possible, the ancients knew about it, they just figured it was a bad idea.<br /><br />Likewise armor works well. Chain armor works, plate armor works - there's a reason that the heroes in sagas cleave through helmets and it's because that's a really rare thing (or maybe even impossible), so saying someone does that makes them pretty superhuman. Gus Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14872819206286105195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-86013458097633057482015-09-06T06:24:54.757-07:002015-09-06T06:24:54.757-07:00sword fighting: I finally got arround to watchig t...sword fighting: I finally got arround to watchig the last jackson hobbit movie and while its visually wonderful and the fight scenes are frenetic virtually none of the main characters is ever botherig to actually defend themselves.JDsivrajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10674833512849495283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-61956902840800686892015-09-06T06:24:53.033-07:002015-09-06T06:24:53.033-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.JDsivrajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10674833512849495283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-77819976899918300332015-09-06T06:13:21.136-07:002015-09-06T06:13:21.136-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.JDsivrajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10674833512849495283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-40687067647224633722015-09-05T19:50:42.462-07:002015-09-05T19:50:42.462-07:00The Rope-a-Dope could only be executed by the Grea...The Rope-a-Dope could only be executed by the Greatest of All Time. If you haven't seen it, the documentary When We Were Kings, about the Ali-Foreman fight, is utterly worth your time, even if you're not into boxing.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01186796509228058065noreply@blogger.com