20 Most Perfect Scenes In Cinema History

There are plenty of stunning sword fights in cinema, but for utter perfection you have to go to the clifftop duel in Rob Reiner’s evergreen fairytale The Princess Bride.

Pursuing a crew of killers, The Man In Black climbs the Cliffs Of Insanity only to face swordmaster Inigo Montoya, who - in a show of sportsmanship - helps him up the last hundred feet and allows him to rest before they begin, leading the two to bond.

The stylised duel that follows is as much ones-upmanship as it is fight to the death, each man so determined to outdo the other that both initially pretend to be left-handed to allow the other more of a chance.

No stuntmen were required, as Mandy Patinkin and Cary Elwes trained to fence with either hand for the film. The scene was choreographed by the legendary Bob Anderson: the man behind the fights in Highlander and Lord Of The Rings, who trained Errol Flynn, and who played Darth Vader in every lightsaber duel in Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.

There’s a palpable sense of relief when The Man In Black chooses not to kill Inigo at the end - because incredibly, amid the sparkling dialogue and flashing swordplay, the scene also serves to both introduce the film’s protagonist and transform a villain into a hero.