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UCFC Movie Reviews The Fencing Master Year: 1992 Director: Pedro Olea Maestro de Esgrima: Francesce Frestes Starring: Assumpta Serna, Omero Antonutti, Joachim de Almeida Review by V. Bjerreskov (00 07 10) The Fencing Master was based on the book by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, and perhaps seeing the movie before reading the book would have let me enjoy it more. As it was, I found the film disappointing. As adaptations go, it was actually well done. The screenplay stayed fairly true to the original text, with mostly minor but occasionally major setting and timeframe changes. As a general rule, these changes did not affect the story too much. However, moving the fencing lessons from Don Jaime's salle to Sra de Otero's home may not have been one of the right changes to make. While it increases romantic tension, it was not as effective a setting for their intimate discussion as Don Jaime's home would have been. The sense of emotional trespassing in their discussion that was conveyed in the book was not present in the film, due to the change in setting. As well, the manner of Sra de Otero's introduction to the Marquis left me with mixed feelings. While the lecture was fascinating and an excellent addition to the film, I would have liked to see more of Sra de Otero's insistence on meeting the Marquis, as that is a significant clue in the mystery. A great deal of the political discussion in the novel has been cut out of the film, to the film's benefit. What has been left serves as a setting framework, and as a way to enhance character development. As with the book, for a mystery there was very little mystery present. All major events in the story were heavily foreshadowed. There's only so much beating on the head you can take with foreshadowing, and this film passed that limit. I will say, however, that I would have enjoyed the movie much more if they had left the final scene alone. The end of the film in no way coincides with Don Jaime's character as developed throughout the film or the book. What the screenwriter was thinking, I have no idea. I was thoroughly disturbed and disappointed in the end of the film. As for the fencing, it had its good points. The salutes of the students were impressive, and their lessons were also well done. Don Jaime's practices with Sra de Otero, on the other hand, were strange. To the unpracticed eye, they looked good, but five or six circular parries before riposting is excessive and unnecessary, and she constantly attacked with cuts to five while using a foil. On the whole, these instances of fencing were visually appealing and technically correct, but for the wrong weapon. Despite the attractiveness of the film, I can't say I would watch it again. Back to Movie Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us