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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2007 21:39:28 GMT
Hello all, especially saberites,
Did you notice that beautiful curved, blued sword or sabre the French ship commander had in that Russell Crowe movie "Master and Commander"? Remember when he finally defeated the French ship the real captain pretended he was the medic or surgeon and had some guy's body lying there that he said was the Captain. Remember he offered the sabre to Russell Crowe and said the Captain would want him to have it. And later Crowe had it hanging on his cabin bulkhead. Man was it a beautiful, nicely curved, and richly blued sabre! I must re-watch that movie and check it out.
Anyway, what sort of sabre was it? A regulation French sabre of some sort? I don't think it was a Napoleonic French Cavalry sabre. Was it some sort of a Naval commanders' weapon, or just some private thing the Captain had?
Thanks,
Freebooter
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2007 0:29:10 GMT
Do you have a screen shot?
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Post by hotspur on Nov 12, 2007 2:38:50 GMT
Is it maybe the ivory gripped sabre pictured in the picture on this page? www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/swords.htmlI've not seen the film in a good long time, which probably means it is due for cable re-runs again. Cheers Hotspur; blue and gilt blades were pretty common in that era |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2007 14:57:02 GMT
I have not seen the movie, however the top sword with the ivory looking grip in the link looks like an Austro-hungarian sabre, you can tell by the extreme depth of curve. I am still waiting for someone to make a good functional version of one.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2007 15:15:14 GMT
It looks like a British officer's hanger to me, but it is hard to discern details from the photo (thanks for the link, BTW). When I get home I will try to post some photos of French naval swords from the Napoleonic era.
Austria and some other German states did influence British sword design in the 18th century, especially the 1788 light cavalry saber and the 1796 heavy cavalry sword.
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Post by hotspur on Nov 12, 2007 16:30:10 GMT
Did someone say extreme curve? ;D  That's my favorite picture this season, so forgive an akward highjack attempt. Hi Jonathan, the text on the page describes the top one a bit. Apparently there was a lot of antique gathering before production. Aldrich pops up very occasionally on other boards but seems to have moved on from those years. It is an unlear shot of what are probably some quite nice pieces. Cheers Hotspur; I think you thrust with that one by holding it behind your back |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2007 16:57:56 GMT
I originally just looked at the photo. This guy was quite dedicated in hunting-down the swords from this film! The "gentleman's cutlass" is quite nice!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2007 0:56:07 GMT
Hey y'all,
After I posted this post I went and put the movie in and ff to that scene. Now I am not sure if it was blued or not or just a play of light on the blade. But it looked more like the second one in the pic. I looked closely at the handle when I went to that scene and it had a fat, black handle/grip with what appeared to be "fluting" or ridges running lengthwise along the grip. It is not one of my favorite designs (I still love my good ol' U.S. 1842 Hvy and 1860 Lt Cav sabres!), but it was a neat and beautiful sabre/sword.
Take care,
FB
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2007 1:49:50 GMT
Did someone say extreme curve? ;D Just the ticket for stabbing around corners, eh?  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2007 2:49:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2007 2:50:39 GMT
Hey y'all, After I posted this post I went and put the movie in and ff to that scene. Now I am not sure if it was blued or not or just a play of light on the blade. But it looked more like the second one in the pic. I looked closely at the handle when I went to that scene and it had a fat, black handle/grip with what appeared to be "fluting" or ridges running lengthwise along the grip. It is not one of my favorite designs (I still love my good ol' U.S. 1842 Hvy and 1860 Lt Cav sabres!), but it was a neat and beautiful sabre/sword. Take care, FB Do you mean this one? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2007 1:50:08 GMT
Hey Jon. Hopkins,
I saw this this afternoon, and saw the sword/s in your pic you posted. I come back tonight and instead of your pic just a small rectangle with a tiny red "x" in it and the word "image". Everyone else's pics are showing up just fine! I don't understand what would cause that.
Anyway, I went back and looked at the sword in the movie and it does indeed look like the one you posted, if I remember your pic correctly. What kind of sword is it?
Thanks,
FB
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2007 2:07:55 GMT
That is strange, maybe the server was having trouble so the photo didn't show up? I can see it right now. Anyhow, it is a British officer's hanger. Here is a link to the original which is online at the British National Maritime Museum: www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/explore/object.cfm?ID=WPN1306 |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2007 2:42:32 GMT
Jonathan, your pics showed up fine for me earlier, but it's gone now. Just leave the image up and see what happens. These things tend to come and go from time to time. That's a helluva good looking sword!  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2007 15:14:34 GMT
Hello all,
Jonothan Hopkins; Today it is showing up fine (the last sword you posted). The world of computers and things on-line never cease to amaze me..., and p--s me off! Anyway, now I am going to put my movie in and compare. One moment here...:
Now then. I am looking at the sword handle while in "Pause" mode. The blade and grip is almost identicle to the one in your pic, but the guard and pommel of the sword in the movie (I am speaking of the sword the French doctor gave Russel Crowe) is different. From what I can see it has an eagle's head pommel facing down toward the underside, and the guard is a single fat angular bar that curls outward above on top of sword and then straight across the blade, and makes a right angle turn towards the rear, is straight across the bottom, then a sharp curve upward to join at the Eagles neck right under the chin. There appears to be a small ring right at that juncture. Also, on the outer or right side of the guard there appears to be a sort of hand or knuckle guard that forms a sort of "V", with sort of design in it in the vicinity of the point of the "V".
Any idea what the one in the movie is and what kind of sword it is?
Thanks,
FB
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2007 16:39:57 GMT
I will probably have to rent the movie. Darn! ;D
It doesn't ring a bell, but French swords are not my thing. I can't find anything in any of my books that would be a match. If the French navy was anything like the Royal Navy at that time, officers used whatever sword they felt like using, especially pre-1805 in Britain. The French sword is probably based on something, but is could be based on an infantry model. I will try to rent the movie this weekend and I'll get back to you.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2007 1:19:59 GMT
Coincidentally, this was just posted on SFI (scroll down): forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?p=964554#post964554It is an officer's spadroon, and to me it looks like one that would have been made in Britain for the U.S. market. Glen "Hotspur" might be able to tell you more as eagle head pommels are his thing. It is not what I would think of as being French, but I am not sure what sword they used as inspiration, and they seem to have done their homework. |
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Post by hotspur on Nov 17, 2007 16:29:14 GMT
  Above are the two screen shots shared in the SFI thread that relate to the thread starter here. To be honest, from the angle of the shots, it would be hard o make more than general statements about it. It could well be an original that was gently used during the film's production. A couple of notes of general interest. The horn grips were steamed and then formed in a press, not carved. A remarkably innovative mass production technique that idicates what advances were being made during the industrial revolution. Another would be the fairly common practice of wide disbursment by artists controlling foundries producing the great variety of eagle pommels in Birmingham at the time. I'm certainly not a definitive expert on the eagles but have a pretty good grasp of the patterns and their origins. if nothing else, I have learned to make no assumptions without having a sword in hand, or a great many detailed photographs of specific features. Even then, an example with no maker or retailer markings could be from any of dozens of cutlers. It was neat that the SFI thread included a good many antiques and these screenshots. Also nice was a good picture of the Tony Swatton reproduction of a pretty typical ivory or bone handled cavalry sword, based on an original. I'd love to see quality reproductions of a great many of the eagle pommel stylings but am not getting my hopes up. the only pattern I am aware of being done on any type of production level are the two offerings (one white bronze, the other brass) over at G.G.Godwin. I wish he had better pictures up for those. i'm still tempted at times to just buy one of each but have pretty much focused on other specific finds and am in the process of making payments on my last sword in.  Cheers Hotspur; cleaner now than in that picture and still impressed, despite finding a few more flaws than the dealer pictures showed |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2008 4:12:20 GMT
  Hello all, It has been a while since I have been around. I hope all is well with all of you. Anyway, attached are the two pics from SF. I think it is a neat sword and I liked that sort of wide blade. I like a wide blade like that on a sabre or curved blade. Freebooter |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2008 4:13:25 GMT
Naturally the pics did not show up.
Freebooter
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