“Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight’s dance, hacking and hammering, no. This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.”
—Syrio Forel, A Game of Thrones
This weekend, Miltos Yerolemou, our very own Syrio Forel, tweeted that he’d recently been given fighting tips from the very respectable and lauded William Hobbs:
Bill Hobbs has been a legend! he surely is the ‘lord’ of the ‘dance’. i am indebited to him.
Miltos affixed this URL to his tweet, linking an old New York Times article about Mr. Hobbs.
Bill Hobbs has had a hand in many of the most memorable fencing duels set to stage and screen. His movie and television credits include The Count of Monte Cristo, The Mists of Avalon, Rob Roy, Ladyhawk, Robin Hood, Willow, The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, Shakespeare In Love … The list goes on.
Ralph Fiennes, who worked under Hobbs’ watchful eye training for his fight scenes in a Broadway production of Hamlet, said, “Bill gives you the sense of a real fencing competition; there’s a real danger.” Mr. Fiennes went on to win a Tony Award for his performance.
Fire And Blood: Mr. Hobbs is not officially affiliated with Game of Thrones, but his presence, even peripherally, can give us an idea where Syrio’s fighting style is headed; true to the books, it will probably not involve “hacking and hammering.” Just so.
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43 Comments
AWESOME (and first!)
LexQuote Reply
***SPOILER***
Can't wait to see him face off with the Lannister guardsmen and Ser Meryn :D
Hopefully it's not all super close up shaky cam with cuts every half second; I want to see some water dancing.
GaRQuote Reply
No interest in this story? I think it's cool, because I love sword fight choreography! I know Bob Anderson (Star Wars, etc.), but hadn't heard of Bill Hobbs before. According to his resume, though, this should turn out pretty cool!
LexQuote Reply
Hopefully someone can find out if he is involved with the show or if Miltos is just training with him to get ready for the show…
Looks like good news either way.
ChrisQuote Reply
It's Sunday ;) check back tomorrow.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
If this is just Miltos' own initiative, then Miltos just got that much cooler in my books!
LexQuote Reply
Man, this is so boring, when are we gonna get some REAL NEWS?!?
Hahaha, jk. What a week it's been!
LexQuote Reply
They are getting so indepth — language experts, fencing expert, et cetera — I'm so excited!
Following the production (especially recently) has been like the longest bit of foreplay ever.
<.<
miraQuote Reply
I'm wondering if Syrio's style, with Hobb's influence, will be a bit similar to Tim Roth's swordplay in Rob Roy. That was a terrific scene, which showed a 'hack 'n slash' style demonstrated by Liam Neeson, versus Roth's dance like combat with his rapier.
I always envisioned Syrio's style to be somewhat similar to this.
DannyQuote Reply
I'd rather it was something to do with the show, otherwise Maisie is going to miss out!
OzXaroQuote Reply
But in a good way, right?
I think the extended foreplay is great, as long as the series doesn't end too suddenly and leave us all frustrated.
OzXaroQuote Reply
I was thinking the same thing. That fight between Tim Roth and Liam Neeson in Rob Roy was one of the best choreographed fights I've ever seen on screen.
The Winter RoseQuote Reply
as seen on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVaslN1NiT0 btw
TPFKA Thoros of MyrQuote Reply
This is fantastic detail for a TV show. Then again I guess "It's not TV, it's HBO."
@VohdreQuote Reply
Tim Roth & Liam Neeson = Best. Swordfight. Scene. EVER. For everyone's viewing pleasure… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHCvV8uUr9U
When I pictured Syrio in the books, I pictured Tim Roth's confident, lightning-fast type of fencing. Jab – retreat – slice – backstep – dance – ahh… he makes it look so easy to bleed an opponent dry, a single, weakening cut at a time. (Though Rob Roy tells us that hack and slash works with the right attitude behind it, and man did Rob have motivation!)
Does anyone feel TIM ROTH would have made an excellent addition to the cast? Maybe still…
Franny BeeQuote Reply
He's been brought up before, but unfortunately he's busy with Lie to Me. Maybe if that show is cancelled, he might be available for a later role. Davos perhaps?
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Just watched the YouTube clip and its a fantastic sword fight. My favourie though is from the Princess Bride. Obviously done for laughs. Also not Bill Hobb but Bob Anderson of Star Wars as mentioned above.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3gfFVmw0kA
@JacMac30Quote Reply
Tim Roth is another "to-big-a-name for the roles that we've left" case.
Fantastic duel, indeed.
But if you want the best swordfight ever, check this out . Basil Rathbone was not only an actor, but a experienced fencer himself, and here he is at his prime.
CaedesQuote Reply
Is he too young for Davos? I always pictured a grandfatherly kinda guy, with deep lines on his face. Like the Dos Equis 'most interesting' man, or Hemingway's salty Santiago ("The Old Man and the Sea") I love that guy!
I am wholly too excited about this series. Need a life. :P
Franny BeeQuote Reply
I watched that video – i don't really picture Syrio's style at all. Water Dancing seems to be described much more like the lightsaber duels from the Star Wars prequels … a much more showy, flashy kind of fighting. Really the sort of swordfighting that only works in movies, and not in real life. That video of Rob Roy was a very "realistic" duel.
Brian SmithQuote Reply
*syrio's style LIKE THAT at all
Brian SmithQuote Reply
I trust I don't have to further explain myself re: what I meant by "realistic".
Please nobody be "that guy" and start lecturing me on the TRUE NATURE of realistic swordfighting. I get it. The Rob Roy scene isn't exactly historical either, but spare us that conversation thread.
Brian SmithQuote Reply
With the "water" metaphors and Arya's budding "ninja superpowers," I imagined Water Dancing as the Westeros equivalent of Kung-Fu.
paulgudeQuote Reply
What with the description of the test to become the First Dancer, I highly doubt that water dancing is about substanceless flash :
AoedeQuote Reply
Any ideas as to who will choreograph the fight scenes?
Isaac MoyerQuote Reply
Buster Reeves was fight arranger for the pilot. No idea if his services have been retained for the full season though.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Precisely!
I'm really grateful to everyone in charge for taking so much care to get everything as "right" as they can between translating from book to screen. The first time I read GoT, I was eleven, and have been with and rereading the series ever since. The first time I see panning shots of Westeros, I might tear up a little bit.
miraQuote Reply
Syrio will teach her ;)
LexQuote Reply
I'd imagined it like rapier or smallsword. The Braavosi blade certainly fits, and the emphasis on balance, perception, finesse and the thrust are some prominent similarities between this fictional style and real-world equivalents.
RogerQuote Reply
The Rob Roy scene isn't purely historical, but it's a damn sight better than most of the other drivel that Hollywood has come up with. The famous duel in The Princess Bride is excellent from a purely dramatic perspective, but as a martial artist I have to resist the urge to facepalm when I see their moves and actions. I'll give Kingdom of Heaven credit for trying, but it's still pretty bad.
As long as the combat in the TV series has the appearance of authenticity and doesn't have any blatantly stupid moves, I'll be more than happy. A good grappling match in the mud between two armoured knights with daggers would really drive home the fact that AGoT isn't your average fantasy world and has more of a focus on gritty realism.
RogerQuote Reply
Anyone with Netflix and an itch to see some on-screen swordplay, I recommend watching The Duelists and Reclaiming the Blade. Both are available for instant viewing. Reclaiming the Blade is basically a short history of the sword and shows a few clips from films with interviews from experts and famous actors. The Duelists is an oft-forgotten early work of Ridley Scott that has Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine basically trying to kill each other with swords through the whole thing. Give em a watch if you're bored, you won't regret it.
Nick V.Quote Reply
hello there,
just 'loitering' the posts and wanted to say that Bill Hobbs discussed the Rob Roy fight with me at length when we were working together. although he isn't officially the fight choreographer for GoT he is working very closely with me to create the water dance style and the lessons that i will teach Arya. the stunt coordinator and fight tutors for GoT however are all people Bill has worked closely with and he assures me they are the best in their field. to add to this i have just returned from Belfast after rehearsing and putting maisie through her paces (and i have to admit, vice versa!) and the guys are creating some awesome choreography.
anyway just wanted to say hi, and thanks for your amazing dedication and interest in this journey we are all going to begin. the books, the stories, the characters and your own hearts and minds are in very good hands…
*slips back into the shadows…quiet as a shadow…calm as still water….*
Miltos YerolemouQuote Reply
Buster is indeed working on the series…
Miltos YerolemouQuote Reply
Great! Thanks, and good luck with the shooting. Have a blast! :)
LexQuote Reply
Have been watching The Duelists alot! In fact im devouring as much as i can. plus practising alot of yoga and tai chi.
Miltos YerolemouQuote Reply
Um, my brain just exploded from awesome-overload. :) Thanks for the update, Miltos!
LexQuote Reply
O_o
CaedesQuote Reply
Miltos, you are the man. I can't wait to see you put Arya through her paces on screen. She is going to be great, I have no doubt. So nice of you to stop by. Break a leg!
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Miltos, you are the man. I can't wait to see you put Maisie through her paces on screen. She is going to be great, I have no doubt. So nice of you to stop by. Break a leg!
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Thank you for dropping by, we appreciate it a whole lot!
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Probably you're not around the forum now, but I have to try… Could you tell us if Maise is pulling her moves left-handed ?
And good luck with the shot. I'm sure you and the rest of the team are gonna do an amazing work.
DennaiQuote Reply
It's my favorite as well! With the introduction of the immortal "My name is…", pure magic.
MaryQuote Reply
I'm really grateful that you're so dedicated to this! Syrio is one of my favorite characters.
MattQuote Reply
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