Many martial artists of a certain age have cinema moments
to thank for their initial interest in combat arts. Celluloid inspirations have
driven countless viewers from popcorn butter-stained theater seats to sweat-smelling
dojos and gyms.
Those coming up in the 1970s may have found initial inspiration
in Bruce Lee films, or the Shaw Brothers films that popped up on many a Black
Belt Theater television program.
[As a child of the 70s, my own cinema “heroes” were
the Charles Bronson of Hard Times and Tom Laughlin of the first three Billy
Jack films.]
The 1980s launched many a ninja, Chuck Norris, Van
Damme, and, dare I say it, Seagal enthusiasts.
One cannot forget Jackie Chan also looms large across the
late 70s on up into the early 2000s.
Of more recent vintage we see the Matrix and John
Wick franchises acting as modern-day recruiters for burgeoning martial artists.
But we must not forget that prior to the extended “shaky
cam” ultra-choreographed, wire-assisted, green-screen excesses we have come to
expect, the fight scene also loomed large in early cinema.
The differences being a few.
·
More abbreviated and less baroque
choreography.
·
Although less dynamic [not always] to
modern eyes the danger factor could be higher due to more barebones technical “assist.’
[No green-screen, no wire work, hell, the airbag for high falls was not developed
until the ‘60s. Until then people were falling onto mattresses, scattered hay,
spread sand, or in many a Western---just falling.]
And the primary two differences of historical
importance, to my eye at least…
·
The fights were reflective of reality—the reality
of rough n tumble and less smooth, polished dancer choreographed luster.
·
And….and this is a big And, many of the
stunt performers or choreographers were men from that lineage of actual real
world tough barroom brawlers, rough n tumblers.
Occasionally we will delve into a fight scene that I
consider of historical importance.
Today we turn our attention to the 1942 film Son of
Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake.
This is a South Seas adventure film [popular at the
time both on screen and in the pulps] starring Tyrone Power and George Sanders.
We will not delve into the plot; I’ll leave that unspoiled
for those who choose to view from title card to end credits.
Let’s turn our attention directly to the combat
within.
Let us begin with our two “combatants.”
There were stunt men involved but Power and Sanders
were both able to step up for much of what we see.
Our first violent interaction involves a lesson in “fighting
dirty.”
It is brief, requires no further remark but it
contains a fine lesson in minding range and distance.
We turn our attention to the “re-match” at the end of
the film that takes place in a stateroom.
The brawl is pure rough n tumble.
It is choppy, without elegance, a Hollywood take on
accuracy.
We must not forget the viewing public of 1942 was not sheltered
Millennials, Gen-Xers, or whatever other broods have sprung forth cognomens.
The viewers were grown men and women who have lived
through the Depression years, one World War and were in the midst of another.
This was an audience that had actually been in a
fistfight at least once in their lives and had witnessed one or two others and,
likely, things far worse.
Wirework, 8-beat long choreography, effortlessly
fighting multiple opponents would have been laughable to an audience that had actually
seen real world beat downs and the rough edges that are part and parcel of a
real fight.
In this stateroom fight we have fists thrown, cross-buttock
throws, headlocks snagged to pummel, the upright environment is used willy
nilly [Garrison Fighting], environmental weapons are used…
In short, this brief wild affair, perhaps “uncool” to
today’s videogame-style choreography that reflects the programmer’s dreams as
opposed to the programmer’s unlived reality is far more reflective of the real
world of both a fight and the experiences of the hard-lived viewers.
Fight Background
The fight was initially planned by director John Cromwell,
with the intent to film each punch separately and cut them together.
This ultimately was considered too time consuming, and
it was turned over to the stuntmen to brawl it up a little willy-nilly.
And willy-nilly it got, George Sanders stunt double,
Jack Stoney broke his hand in the fight.
It must be acknowledged that both Sanders and Power
look fine in their close-shots—both could handle athletics.
Sanders stood 6’3” and weighed in at 215. He had been
an interscholastic heavyweight boxing champ at Brighton College.
Bonus Scene in the film has Sanders in a bare-knuckle
match with actual pro-wrestler Louis Bacigalupi.
Power, a far smaller man, stood 6’ but weighed in at
170 pounds. He was a U.S. Marine Corps pilot who exercised his physique with fencing.
He shows these skills off in many a fine film, including two across from George
Sanders in 1942’s The Black Swan and 1959s Solomon and Sheba.
The film’s final fight may seem a wee pale compared to
today’s kinetic fare but viewed with the proper historical perspective and considering
an audience that had seen or experienced real flesh-and-blood in peril, well,
then we might see with fresh eyes just how significant this scene is.
[For more behind the scenes views of this film, I
direct you to Ted Gill’s article in the January 25, 1942 issue of The Sun
“There’s Art in Preserving the Hero’s Face in Film Fisticuffs.”]
For all things Rough n Tumble Fighting, including Garrison
Fighting and using the environment as weaponry I urge you to browse our store,
in particular our Garrison Fighting Black Box Volumes and our Street Defense series.
Resources for Livin’ the Warrior Life
The Rough ‘n’ Tumble Raconteur Podcast
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