By the Sword (1991)

A mysterious man, Suba, gets himself a job at a fencing academy, and as he learns the way of the students, the school, and its maestro, they learn that there's more to him than meets the ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeremy Kagan (as Jeremy Paul Kagan)

Writers:

James Donadio, John McDonald

Stars:

F. Murray Abraham, Eric Roberts, Mia Sara

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
F. Murray Abraham	...	Suba
Eric Roberts	...	Villard
Mia Sara	...	Clavelli
Christopher Rydell	...	Trebor
Elaine Kagan	...	Rachel
Brett Cullen	...	Gallagher
Doug Wert	...	Hobbs
Sherry Hursey	...	Tanos
Stoney Jackson	...	Johnson
Caroline Barclay	...	Tatiana
Peter Cohl	...	Calder
Stephen Polk	...	Williams
Ennalls Berl	...	Dana
Dharvi Darrell	...	Landlady
Eve Kagan	...	Daughter

Storyline

A mysterious man, Suba, gets himself a job at a fencing academy, and as he learns the way of the students, the school, and its maestro, they learn that there's more to him than meets the eye. He gains (or regains?) his fencing skills and his philosophy of teaching clashes with the maestro's. As they are thrown into conflict, Suba and the maestro's past appear to be linked. And the resolution of their mysterious relationship may be a duel to the death.

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Plot Keywords:

duel to the death | teacher student relationship | competitive fencing | ex convict | murder | 

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Taglines:

They come from everywhere to challenge their fate...

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Quotes

Alexander Villard: There is no good. There is only best.

User Reviews

Great combination of mystery and skilled acting

This movie fascinated me from the very beginning. It revolves around the sport of fencing, but the plot has little to do with fencing and more to do with crime & punishment, retribution and forgiveness, and the meaning of success. Eric Roberts plays a skilled but haughty owner of a fencing school, just like his dear old (deceased) dad. F. Murray Abraham is the mystery man, who is apparently making a new start in a new town and who applies to be a fencing teacher at the school. Although Roberts quickly discerns that Abraham is not "up to snuff" for a teacher and hires him as a janitor, Roberts fails to recognize the inevitable result of years away from a sport that requires daily attention. Over the course of the film, Roberts & Abraham flesh out their characters nicely as the viewer discovers who Abraham really is while watching Roberts' character discover himself and finally learn a lesson that was stunted by tragedy in his boyhood. Like any movie about a sport, I'm sure there were fencing "flaws," but it was believable enough to me to make watching it intriguing (and sometimes tiring!). There's quite a lot of action for this movie that only has 3 sets, too! Get a bag of popcorn and settle in for a good flick.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

By the Sword

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,078, 26 September 1993

Gross USA:

$6,220

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,220

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Horizon, Foil Productions Inc., The Movie Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1