Posted on by Fritzi Kramer

The Swashathon (the Swashbuckler Blogathon) is Back!

I’m very excited! It’s time to bring back my favorite blogathon of all time, a celebration of clashing swords, wooden ships, iron men and women, etc. What am I talking about? The Swashathon!

When:

July 14-17, 2017

Where:

Right here!

The basics:

Swashbuckler:
1: a swaggering or daring soldier or adventurer
2: a novel or drama dealing with a swashbuckler

What’s a swashbuckler? Whatever you think a swashbuckler is!

The main ingredients are swaggering and fun. Great costumes and music help too, as does Basil Rathbone.

You can cover an individual film, television show, performer or you can write an article about an aspect of the genre or even create your personal best list (e.g. “Top 5 Best Sword Fights”)

No reprints and no exact duplicates, please! (If your film or star is claimed, you can attack from a different angle. For example, you might cover the swashbuckling career of Errol Flynn if Captain Blood is taken.)

I realize that life intervenes and we must always expect the unexpected. However, if you claim a popular film (The Court Jester, The Princess Bride, etc.) and find you cannot take part, please let me know as soon as you can so that I can mark your topic as free once again. Thanks so much!

Some Recommendations:

Swashbuckling happened on both television and the big screen, so feel free to choose from either. Possibilities include assorted versions of the King Arthur, Robin Hood, Zorro or the Three Musketeers stories. Adaptations of works by Rafael Sabatini, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would also be excellent.

Films starring classic swashbucklers like Douglas Fairbanks (junior or senior), Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power will be quite appropriate. Lady swashbucklers are particularly welcome and encouraged.

Unclaimed Titles to Oil the Old Grey Cells: The Princess Bride, individual Zorro films (any era), The Crimson Pirate, Captain Blood, The Black Swan, The Corsican Brothers, Start the Revolution Without Me, The Scarlet Pimpernel (any), Ivanhoe (any), Cutthroat Island (if you’re brave).

“I’ve never done a blogathon before. Help!”

It’s easy! Just tell me your film of choice and then place one of  banners in your blog sidebar to advertise the blogathon. On or before the days on the event, send me your link and I will post it for all to see. Blogathons are a great way to spread the word about your blog and increase traffic for everyone and so I recommend them to new bloggers looking to build their audience.

Please feel free to ask if you have any questions. If something is not clear to you, chances are there are others who feel the same way and will appreciate you asking.

“I have this movie that has a modern setting but I feel it has the swashbuckler spirit. Can I post about it?”

Yes! Douglas Fairbanks, the godfather of all swashbuckling pictures, actually started out in modern films and they contained plenty of bold adventure and the skillful stunts we expect in swashbuckling films. So in the spirit of celebrating Fairbanks, similar films will be allowed at the event. While I expect that most participants will choose something historical, you are welcome to bring the spirit of the swashbuckler into modern times.

“I want to post about a swashbuckler that has comedy or fantasy elements. Is that okay?”

Yes, comedies and fantasies that display the swashbuckler spirit are very welcome.

“The movie I want to cover is a foreign language release, is this event Hollywood only?”

No, it’s not Hollywood only. Please feel free to choose films and television shows made anywhere in the world.

“I want to cover the lives of the men and women who made swashbuckler films.”

Please do! Tell their whole life story or pick fascinating anecdotes. Whatever you like.

Roster

Movies Silently | The Black Pirate (1926)

Love Letters to Old Hollywood | The Court Jester (1955)

Karavansara | The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974)

Skalpell und Katzenklaue | Robin Hood (1922)

Once Upon a Screen | Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Reelweegiemidget | Yellowbeard (1983)

Big V Riot Squad | Zorro: From Douglas Fairbanks to Antonio Banderas

Moon in Gemini | Firefly as a Swashbuckler

lifesdailylessonsblog | Nate and Hayes (1983)

Caftan Woman | Adventures of Don Juan (1948)

Sugarbang | Swashbuckler (1976)

Christina Wehner | Against All Flags (1952)

Cinematic Scribblings | That Man from Rio (1964)

Critica Retro | The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

Totally Filmi | Dharam Veer (1977)

The Century Film Project | A Modern Musketeer (1917)

David Gill on Zekefilm | Monsieur Beaucaire (1924)

Prince of Hollywood | Gunga Din (1939)

Whimsically Classic | The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Scribblings | Alan Breck of Kidnapped in Film

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films | Anne of the Indies (1951)

Classics and Craziness | The Sea Hawk (1940) and Double Crossbones (1950)

Midnight Drive-In | History of Pirates in Film

Hamlette’s Soliloquy | The Three Musketeers (1993)

Falcon Lair | The Eagle (1925)

dbmoviesblog | The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

Taking Up Room | Treasure Island (1990) and Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)

Cinematic Catharsis | Captain Clegg (1962)

Silver Screenings | The Princess Bride (1987)

Charlene’s (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews | Captain Blood (1935)

The Movie Rat | The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950)

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society | The Pirate (1948)

Thoughts All Sorts | George and the Dragon (2004)

F for Films | The Mark of Zorro (1920)

The Filmatelist | The Two Mouseketeers (1951)

John V’s Eclectic Avenue | The Crimson Pirate (1952)

High Noon | Ivanhoe (1982)

The Lonely Critic | The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

The Web of the Big Damn Spider | Krull (1983)

Movies Meet Their Match | The Son of Monte Cristo (1940)

Not This Time, Nayland Smith | Blackie the Pirate (1971)

A Viewer’s Guide to Classic Films | The Buccaneer (1938)

Old School Evil | The Pirates of Dark Water (1991-1992)

INCspot | Don Juan (1926)

wolffian classic movie digest | Ivanhoe (1952)

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109 Replies to “The Swashathon (the Swashbuckler Blogathon) is Back!”

  2. Oooh, Fritzi! You’re making me reallyyyy wish I had a blog! 😉 I’ll have fun watching from the sidelines, though. Gotta love swash. 😀

    Reply

  4. I really wish you’d stop hosting these fabulous things so I could get some work done, Fritzi!!

    If it suits this the topic to your satisfaction (AND SINCE YOU MENTION NO YEAR CUT-OFF) I’ll take MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975). I haven’t seen it in years and am just in the mood for it. Let me know if that works or I’ll choose any from the long list of swashbucklers. 🙂

    Aurora
    Once Upon a Screen

    Reply

  5. I don’t have a blog but look forward to getting the links to read all those who submit. And I’d like to give a special shout-out to a very recent swashbuckler that had a brief 2 seasons on ABC: GALIVANT. This musical-comedy-swashbuckler was one of the funniest and most enjoyable TV experiences I’ve ever had – you could tell the entire cast was having the time of their lives while at the same time respecting the genre(s) they were performing in – plus I really got invested in the adventure storyline.

    Reply

  8. I believe there’s an argument to be made that the TV show Firefly is just as much a pirate/sci-fi mash-up as a Western/sci-fi mashup. May I write about it from a swash perspective?

    Reply

  9. Good morning,
    I have no idea what you mean by participating in a blog, but I will say this — when I was 16 I wrote a manuscript about the films of both Douglas Fairbankses and in so doing I got to know Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. He was very kind to this young fan/scholar and we met a number of times and corresponded a number of times over the years. Through him I met Raymond Rohauer and more importantly corresponded with Allan Dwan. I know a number of books have now come out about Senior; unfortunately Fairbanks Jr.’s career remains unfairly overlooked. So you are to be praised for including him in your tribute to swashbucklers.
    Regards,
    Richard H. Dollison

    Reply

  19. Ahrr matey. Pirates have always been an abiding interest of mine. I’m probably over-extending myself, but I’d like to do an overview of pirates on film, from the silent days all the way through Capt. Jack Sparrow, and include a little education for the reader on the true history of the pirate in general.

    Reply

      1. I’d also like to write about ‘Double Crossbones’ starring Donald O’Conner because I love it and I don’t think it’s well known. Could I do a mini-review of both movies?

  22. I’d love to do The Eagle with Valentino. That’s as close to a swashbuckler as he got. If you do not think that’s good enough, I will take Milton Sills in The Sea Hawk.

    Reply

  36. I think I’ll do the Terence Hill-Bud Spencer film Blackie the Pirate, assuming it’s swashbuckling enough. I’ll have to rewatch it to recall. 🙂

    Reply

  39. I’d like to take on Don Juan (1926), starring John Barrymore (one of my favorite silent films). I’d cover its role in ushering in the sound era as well as its redemption storyline.

    Reply
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