The Wind Journeys by Ciro Guerra (2009)

[cranefly]

No sword fights, but there are fist fights, cock fights, knife fights and machete fights.

A master mourning the death of his wife decides to return his weapon to his teacher (who made it). But it is a long journey through Colombia to where his teacher lives, and he is ever hounded by a teenager who wants to learn the weapon.

Along the way he must reluctantly engage in battles with other masters, and the teenager, though naïve, proves resourceful. (To my knowledge, no stunt doubles are used.)

This is a masterfully crafted film in every respect, showcasing the beauty of Colombia and its colorful ethnic groups, and full of subtleties and plot twists that are both gripping and emotional. Director/screenwriter Ciro Guerra is a major talent.

I recently called The Whore and the Whale the second best accordion movie I’ve ever seen. I must now bump that one down to third. Because this is clearly the second best accordion movie I’ve ever seen.

Though not a DOOM candidate, I give it my highest recommendation.

[Drunk Monk]

And machetes totally count as swords.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I had that same thought about the machetes.

Still not going to see it. I guess there is a caveat to the swordfight rule.

[Drunk Monk]

but i'm glad cf checked it out for us.

is there a poster? after reading cf's review and seeing the poster, i will have felt like i saw it.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

CF has really let us down on the poster reviews.

He could be out reviewing the 3-D poster for the Avengers movie right now. The poster is in 3-D!

[Drunk Monk]

nice poster. intriguing. accordionogasmic.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Are we going to get the top ten accordion films of all time list soon?

[cranefly]

The weapon was an accordion. And yes, there were accordion duels -- mostly musical, but at times leading to violence.
The master's accordion sported bull horns.
I. Want. That. Accordion.

I've given a lot of thought to renting a bunch of accordions to surprise Sifu at class one Sunday morning.
Sun style tai chi is all about "open" and "close" done with the hands. It is soooo accordion-friendly.
Sifu would start the set in front of us, and we'd all pull out our accordions and fall in. It would be a moving (if off-key) tribute to sifu.

As for the movie, it was all about the rich diversity of ethnic music in Colombia, with the accordion standing tall, front and center.

--cranefly

P.S. My favorite song in the movie was, "As My Accordion Gently Stabs."

[Drunk Monk]

I now have a strange desire to see this.