Savate | |
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Directed by | Isaac Florentine |
Written by | Isaac Florentine Julian Stone |
Starring | Olivier Gruner James Brolin R. Lee Ermey (uncredited) Ashley Laurence Marc Singer Ian Ziering |
Music by | Kevin Kiner |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Savate (also known as The Fighter) is a 1995 martial arts Western film directed by Isaac Florentine and starring Olivier Gruner, promoted as the allegedly true story of the world's first kickboxer.
The year is 1865. Joseph Charlegrand is a former French soldier whose best friend and comrade was murdered by an officer of the French Foreign Legion in Mexico. Looking for the murderer, Charlegrand is heading for a martial arts tournament in the United States because the murderer takes his pride in being a skilled fighter.
On his way from Mexico to Texas some American rogues take him for a Yankee and ambush him. He can fight them off but loses his horse. On foot he runs out of water and eventually breaks down. Two young farmers (Ashley Laurence and Ian Ziering as Mary and Cain Parker) save his life.
When the farmers go to town for purchases they are molested and eventually seriously attacked by the roustabouts of a local business man who wants their land very badly. The film's protagonist returns the farmer's favour by applying his savate. Yet it is obvious they need further support.
Consequently, he stays with them and even instructs Cain how to fight, so that he might win the martial arts tournament and hereby earn the money they need to pay the new taxes. But during one night masked riders burn their barn and one of them loses a precision dice. Cain recognises this object, follows the culprit into town and confronts him. After Cain has been shot dead, all farmers are ready to sell out.
The hero decides he must not let that happen, hence he takes the dead farmer's place in the tournament and tells the farmers to bet all their money on him. In order to prevent him from being successful, his friend's murderer, the German-speaking von Trotta (Marc Singer) is hired.
But the bad guys leave nothing to chance and also take Mary Parker as hostage. Charlegrand manages to cause enough confusion to disappear between two fights, so that he can free Mary and force Colonel Jones (James Brolin) to spill the beans. The alleged new taxes turn out to be a hoax but the farmer's savings are on Charlegrand and so they still need him to win the tournament. Therefore, his final battle with von Trotta mustn't be postponed, even though Charlegrand has been shot in the course of action.
The French Foreign Legion had been founded in 1831, one year after the Garde Écossaise had been officially dissolved. Right from the beginning many German-speaking men joined the forces, often hiding behind false names. In 1861 Napoleon III used the Legion for the French intervention in Mexico. It lasted until 1867. At that time Charles Lecour had already created and established French boxing as a blend of savate and English boxing. Hitherto savateurs had used their hands mainly to block kicks or to fence with sticks (canne de combat) at the same time. One of Lecour's students was former army instructor Joseph Charlemont. Against this background it is imaginable a savateur like Joseph Charlegrand could have served in Mexico and that he might have met a German-speaking legionnaire during this time, though the slow speed of communications and travel in 1865 as well as the lack of cross-over in combat sports of the time make the idea of an international martial arts contest in the wilds of the American West highly unlikely.
J.R. Taylor of Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade C+. [1] TheActionElite.com rated the film 3.5 out of 5 praising action directed by Isaac Florentine. [2]
Kickboxing is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or for competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.
Savate, also known as French Boxing or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of western boxing with a wide variety of kicking techniques. Unlike kickboxing styles such as Muay Thai, which allow knee and/or shin strikes in competitive bouts, savate involves striking exclusively with one's feet but practicioners can nonetheless target any part of the body. The sport is also notable for requiring footwear to be worn by the competitors, as would be expected from individuals fighting in the streets. A male practitioner of savate is called a "tireur" while a female one is a "tireuse".
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
Historical European martial arts (HEMA) are martial arts of European origin, particularly using arts formerly practised, but having since died out or evolved into very different forms.
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Bartitsu is an eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England in 1898–1902, combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane-fighting, and French kickboxing (savate). Dormant throughout most of the 20th century, Bartitsu has experienced a revival since 2002.
Radetzky March is a 1932 family saga novel by Joseph Roth chronicling the decline and fall of Austria-Hungary via the story of the Trotta family. Radetzkymarsch is an early example of a story that features the recurring participation of a historical figure, in this case the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (1830–1916). Roth continues his account of the Trotta family to the time of the Anschluss in his The Emperor's Tomb. The novel has been published in English translations by Geoffrey Dunlop in 1933, Joachim Neugroschel in 1995 and Michael Hofmann in 2003.
Lionheart is a 1990 American martial arts film directed by Sheldon Lettich, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Rennard, Harrison Page, Lisa Pelikan and Brian Thompson. It also features the acting debut of Ashley Johnson. Van Damme plays a French Foreign Legionnaire stationed in Africa, who must desert to the United States and enter the underground fighting circuit to raise money for his murdered brother's family.
Olivier Gruner is a French actor, filmmaker, martial artist and former kickboxer. Born in Paris, he moved back to France in 1988 after serving in the French military and competing as a professional kickboxer, during which time he won a silver medal at the W.A.K.O. World Championships. He has appeared in over 40 films and 4 television series and is best known for martial arts and action films.
Gerard Gordeau is a Dutch former Savateur, Karateka, Kickboxer, and mixed martial artist. He is the 1991 World Champion Savate and holder of the Dutch Champion Karate title for eight consecutive years, but foremost known internationally for his fight against Teila Tuli in the first televised Ultimate Fighting Championship bout on 12 November 1993.
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Isaac Florentine is an Israeli film director. He is best known for his martial arts and action genre films, namely Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006), Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), Ninja (2009), Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013) and Close Range (2015) and for launching the career of British actor Scott Adkins. Florentine completed his degree in Film & Television from Tel Aviv University.
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Charles Lecour was a French boxer. He began his studies of Savate at an early age and was a student of Michel Casseux, who merged Savate and English boxing to a fighting style he eventually called French Boxing.
Joseph Charlemont was a French savate and Canne de combat teacher. His son Charles Charlemont was also a noted savateur.
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