Later this year, Viggo Mortensen will impersonate Captain Alatriste in a movie that summarizes the 5 books from Arturo Perez-Reverte (the same guy from The Fencing Master and Club Dumas [The Ninth Gate]). The first two out of the five books have been translated to English.
El Capitan Alatriste - 1996 -> Captain Alatriste (May 2005) Limpieza de Sangre - 1997 - Purity of Blood (Jan. 5, 2006) El Sol de Breda - 1998 - El Oro del Rey - 2000 - El Caballero del Jubon Amarillo - 2003 -
The books, which I read in Spanish, are excellent. The style is very reminiscent of the three musketeers. There are multiple quotes from Quevedo, another swordsman and a renowned poet.
I love the novels by Perez-Riverte. I also really liked the film of The Fencing Master.
(Why did they only film 50% of Club Dumas?)
This is welcome news, indeed.
"A classical fencer is supposed to be one who observes a fine position, whose attacks are fully developed, whose hits are marvelously accurate, his parries firm and his ripostes executed with precision." - Louis Rondelle
Okay, guys, I polished off the Elizabeth Allende novel, Zorro on Sunday night, just before going to see the sneak preview of the Legend of Zorro Monday night. (I should add that Allende's novel is NOT a movie tie-in and completely unrelated).
Hoping to keep in swashbuckler mode I plan to dive into Captain Alatriste tonight after class. Those who have already read it, no spoilers, but PLEASE tell me it's as good as most of Perez-Reverte's other novels (Club Dumas, The Fencing Master, etc...)
Unfortunately, the movie "Alatriste" is the summary of the 5 books. There are several significant differences in the characters of the books as compared to what is known about the movie. For example, La Lejebrina and the Opera Singer are combined into a single character.
There are two planned and unpublished books (book VI and VII). Perhaps, they might get lump into another movie.
You can read more about the movie and the books at:
Schlager, I read it in Spanish. It reads quite easily and the prose is quite reminiscent to the style of Dumas. I personally liked Club Dumas more than Fencing Master, and both more than the series of Alatriste. Because it is written in the style of a weekly column, it's pace is steady but at times "cansado" (just like the captain).
I like Sol de Breda (book III) best out of the five, and that book is the core of the movie. So, actually, what you are reading will be developing the characters with probably the first 15 min of the movie. Few spoilers, and you probably will enjoy more the movie.
The best Valentine's gift I've ever had was a sword. An epee, to be specific, a descendant of the classic dueling weapon, the rapier.
Sadly, I had the epee only long enough to wrap and give it to my college boyfriend, for the benefit of his career as a Shakespearean actor. The career barely outlasted the romance. I should have made him give me back my sword.
Never mind that I can't wield anything heavier than a spoon and have all the derring-do of a possum.
Novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte won my heart with his thrilling international best-seller The Fencing Master. He also took up swords for a series that stars Capt. Diego Alatriste, swordsman for hire in 17th-century Spain.
The first of the novels, Captain Alatriste, was published in the United States last spring, after taking Europe by storm. It has been made into a movie starring Viggo Mortensen that might not make it to cineplexes: It's in Spanish.
Poor Alatriste, living in a corrupt and overripe Madrid caught between the failure of the Armada and the nightmare of the Inquisition. The gallant captain was wounded in the Thirty Years' War - I don't know what that was about, but never mind. He has no money to show for his courage and no trade except fighting, plus he drinks a lot and is generally melancholy in a heroic fashion.
Also, he has a lot of derring-do. Which he sorely needs in the series' second entry, Purity of Blood, after a friend gets him the job of breaking into a depraved convent and restoring a virtuous novice to her family.
Of course this doesn't go as planned, no thanks to Alatriste's teenage sidekick, Inigo. Let's see, how does it go? Keep your friends close, your enemies closer and your sidekicks at home where they belong.
Though thrilling in places, the Alatriste stories are not meant to be raced through. This is the culture that perfected the art of strolling. The men of Madrid saunter, they swagger, they pause to compose or recite a few lines of verse, then they resume strolling right up to the moment they draw their swords, forged of the finest Toledo steel, and slash away at each other.
Pérez-Reverte has obligingly already written the next three books, so all we have to do is persuade Putnam to release them as quickly as possible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This review appeared originally in the Detroit Free Press.
I read Captain Alatriste just before the holidays. Now I can pick up Purity of Blood this weekend!
Since the novels have already been written and we are expecting a film that melds several of them into one, why can't the translations be issued sooner?
I much prefer to have read the novel before I see the film.
The main reason the movie was postponed is that the producers wanted to use the cloud of the Venice festival to promote the movie. If they had continued their original plan, they couldn't take it to the 2005 Festival because another Spanish movie already was nominated. This is the most expensive Spanish movie to date... it doesn't mean the it will be good. The movie had over 1000 extras.
The five books were published in Spanish between 1996 and 2003.
Actually, now that I've read the first three novels in the series, I can better appreciate the material in the trailer on YouTube that JEC linked to...
minaesfanjani: please contact me by MINA_IEEE_E@YAHOO.COM
Jul 22, 2019 0:09:48 GMT -6
minaesfanjani: Hello, I am mina and I am 31 years old ,I am going to go Edinburg Texas until next Month, I was a member of national team of IRAN,please help me for finding a club because I have time there, i wana doing fencing
Jul 22, 2019 0:08:46 GMT -6
nietzsche: DARTS
Nov 10, 2018 23:07:36 GMT -6
davewisepeasants: My buddy and I built a new HEMA/Fencing related website. Check it out and let me know if you like it or not. www.wisepeasants.com
Nov 7, 2018 13:36:47 GMT -6
schlager7: Bryn Ralph teaches at the junior college/
Mar 10, 2018 10:19:42 GMT -6
Thomas: Does anyone know of any fencing in Tyler, Texas?
Jan 10, 2018 12:45:06 GMT -6
pditty: Hello! Looking for any information on instruction for a child in the Tyler, TX area? Thank you!
Oct 1, 2016 18:42:43 GMT -6
mmezest1997: Hello - moving soon to Texas. My kids participate in fechten here in Germany. They are interested in continuing when we move.
Apr 10, 2016 9:33:24 GMT -6
navyfencer: To finish post started about Art Olsen, He was the originator of the "Silverton Highlands International Fencing Tournament. He will be greatly missed.
May 13, 2015 7:20:54 GMT -6
navyfencer: A sad note to older fencers, Art Olsen of Durango CO passed away in Dec. 2014. He was a friend to all, a classical fencer extrorda
May 13, 2015 7:16:19 GMT -6
navyfencer: Does anyone know the whereabout's of Patrice Caux
May 13, 2015 7:09:57 GMT -6
navyfencer: Does anyone know the whereabout's of Patrice Caux? I fenced with him during our early years in Denver
May 13, 2015 7:07:42 GMT -6
greekfire: Gyroscope balls? Who carries them?
Mar 19, 2014 6:26:24 GMT -6
bobb121: Has anyone used one of those Gyroscope balls before
Mar 18, 2014 10:41:58 GMT -6
joevisconti: What are you asking, torque?
Feb 19, 2014 7:35:44 GMT -6
torque: hey i heard about this but i never got any mor einformation! is this still living!?
Feb 11, 2014 16:48:17 GMT -6
schlager7: A lot of clubs won't go younger than 10 or 12, but a few take students as young as 7. (I know because there are competitions for youth 8 & under at some tournaments).
Aug 22, 2013 8:52:30 GMT -6
clapous71: HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE
Aug 21, 2013 16:03:30 GMT -6