While the quest that ensues follows a well-worn good-versus-darkness script, I enjoyed its world creation. Meanwhile, the undead ghouls and spirits that plague that region have been acting up, for reasons that Sabriel doesn't understand, having been away from home for so long. The story begins with its heroine, who is completing a clandestine education in magic, learning that her often-absent father, who spends most of his time in the Old Kingdom, has gone missing. However, Sabriel has spent most of her life in Ancelstierre, a non-magical country that resembles Britain of the early 1900s, but shares a strange border region with the Old Kingdom. The heroine of the title is a girl of mysterious origins who was born in the magical 'Old Kingdom' and possesses a rare natural gift for necromancy. But it'd be cool, right? Imagine those sword moves taking on the undead.If you're in the mood for a somber, gorgeously visual novel that's part Philip Pullman, part Tolkien, and part a world out of one those artful fantasy illustrations that seemed to have had a heyday in the 1970s, Sabriel might fit the bill. Most productions are blind to the existence of this. It's a bit of a pipe dream to hope it shows up on film in such completeness, though. It also has none of the excesses you'll find in modern films. It's quite photogenic, with all the grace of the original Star Wars lightsaber duels, but none of the technical flaws. Here's a somewhat slow example of how the German fighting style plays out: It's perfect for someone who doesn't have a shield and needs to travel with a single versatile weapon, which is exactly what Sabriel does. This is the kind of sword that has the most material dedicated to it, so it'd be fantastic if the filmmakers took the terminology at historical face value and decided to give her one of those light two-handed swords. In historical manuals, however, the term is used to refer to a lightweight two-handed sword that can be used in one hand if desired - what most term a 'bastard sword'. The book uses the term 'longsword', which is taken to mean 'a long-bladed single-handed sword' in most people's understanding. By implication of the book, I'm guessing she didn't learn sport fencing at school - it's by no means compatible with the medieval sword she comes to use - but instead learned a sporting equivalent of a medieval or early Renaissance style.

There's a wealth of material out there concerning medieval combat styles, and the greater portion of that material is dedicated to the sword.

Tim curry sabriel