Has anyone ever noticed
Posted by HedgehogPlenty3745@reddit | xena | View on Reddit | 15 comments
I’m on my 4th rewatch of Xena after watching it when it first aired, again in my 20s, then in my 30s and now in my 40s. Has anyone ever noticed that whenever Calliso sheaths her sword on her back scabbard, Hudson just threw it behind her and you can hear the clang when it lands? Its really obvious in some scenes (especially after her fight with Xena in the cave in Callisto Returns - before she runs off to the chariots). In that particular scene you can even see a glimpse of her sword lying on the ground after she ran off. Its hilarious. My guess is it was too difficult for Hudson to quickly sheath the sword with the way the scabbard was positioned, so she would just let it fall after pretending to sheath it.
wuzrface@reddit
I never noticed that. That’s funny!
pastajewelry@reddit
Hillarious!
FirebirdWriter@reddit
The back scabbard is a tv only thing and it doesn't work so yes I noticed but I also love the silliness of the solution. Maybe with EDS someone can (it's me I can!) but it's not natural, efficient, and it doesn't look cooler to me but I also got into actual swordsmanship because of Xena. I was very disappointed when I learned what actual Chakram are and how they are used
Ok-Jackfruit-6873@reddit
wait a chakram is real?? *rushes to Google* I thought it was just something they made up for the show!
HedgehogPlenty3745@reddit (OP)
I much prefer the back scabbard on her costume. The first couple of episodes where she had a waist scabbard looked so cumbersome and annoying.
Agent8699@reddit
Yes, everyone with a scabbard on their back would just throw it behind them, unless they needed to show it actually being sheathed which I think happens only a couple of times for Xena.
The main scabbard Lawless carried was “empty” with just the top of the sword glued in place at the top.
It was too difficult for them to actually do it. You kind of have to hold the bottom of the scabbard steady, etc.
However, you wouldn’t hear the resin prop clatter on the ground, unless it was deliberate. Just how we don’t hear all the cars, planes, etc.
Ljubljana_Laudanum@reddit
Haha, I'll be sure to pay attention! That said, back sheaths are really just for fancy purposes. They're not useful at all 😅
antealtares@reddit
In that scene i think she intentionally threw the sword. The sound you hear of it landing would not have been mic'd, so that's a sound effect added in post. Callisto says they're at a standstill with swords, that's why she challenges Xena to chariots.
HedgehogPlenty3745@reddit (OP)
Its in multiple scenes - i’lo find more examples
antealtares@reddit
But not losing the forest for the trees as I often do, swords on the back were really difficult. They often cut between two shots and would mostly insert Xena's sword into the scabbard then in the cut shot, she finishes putting it in so it looks like she did the whole thing. On full shots, Lucy physically held the scabbard with her left hand to sheathe it with her right.
HedgehogPlenty3745@reddit (OP)
I think you might be right about Return of Callisto. I do think she was just throwing the sword everytime though. Maybe this is something we could ask Hudson next time she does a Xena QnA or maybe if someone is attending the convention they could ask if she ever actually sheathed her sword or just let it fall
antealtares@reddit
I look forward to it! In this particular episode is clear she throws the sword. Xena doesn't have her sword or scabbard and Callisto's scabbard is the last thing that sinks below the quicksand. Perhaps they had her throw it so she wouldn't have a tool to help pull herself out like Xena did.
HedgehogPlenty3745@reddit (OP)
I’m at work right now but i’ll do a proper look later. I did find this vid tho: https://youtu.be/8zwHo2Ah2Fo?si=G7LrOprPK8KDzAXF. Number 4. The poster seems to have the same interpretation I did. It doesn’t look as though she’s throwing her sword at all - its the same motion she uses to sheath. But having said that you definitely have a point there. I remember hearing a clang in a different episode which would have been picked up on a boom mic. I’m determined to find it.
antealtares@reddit
There are some great examples there of her pretending to sheathe a sword but just tossing it. Return of Callisto might be the exception, but if they are going to toss a sword as part a scene instead of carefully resheathing it, they won't use a metal one, they'll use a foam one, so it wouldn't clang.
Musical_Xena@reddit
The clang sound might be if they used magnets so that the sword clamped to its spot on the scabbard (vs relying on actually sheathing them, which is really hard to do when the sheath is on the back like that). Not sure, just speculating.