Right after I claim my prize for the Longest Title in Blog history!
I’ll get to posting  !

Eagles / Hotel California

OK!!! back a ways I posted Essential Swashbuckling : Candle Slashing.
(I’m sure you remember *Coff*)

We now move to another Swashbuckling Essential :

The Clinch !!!

I’m not sure you’ve noticed (pay attention!), but in most any Classic Cinematic Climactic Sword Fight
the combatants at some point come together in what we call
The Clinch !
(Indeed!)

The Clinch: a Definition:

When two fighters grapple or come together at close quarters.
Whereby, in film, the combatants often exchange pithy taunts, insults or threats!

In The Mark of Zorro (1940 ) we see Zorro (Tyrone Power)
and antagonist Capt. Esteban Pasquale (Basil Rathbone) engage in 2 Clinches:

Clinch #One

(In a Gentleman’s Duel the opponents often start off in a courteous exchange):

But shortly things will likely degrade to Insults, Taunts, Threats, Spitting, Biting, Pinching, Kicking, etc …

Shameful .. but often effective.
Always entertaining.

Clinch #Two

Let’s watch that Classic Sword Fight again:

Keeping Score?:

3 Candle Slashes
2 Clinches
8 Threats
6 Taunts
5 Insults

Conclusion:

One dead badguy 
Zorro’s Rapier from the Mask of Zorro
(Sweet)A Swiss Sabre
(Lethal)

“En Garde!”

Next: 

The Clinch: Part 2