Bartitsu in "The Cape" TV show

**DdlR** · Posted On: 1/10/2011 11:12am

Bartitsu got another pop-culture shout-out in last night's premiere of the NBC superhero drama, "The Cape" (watch online at http://www.nbc.com/the-cape/video/pilot/1268624/ ). During the obligatory training montage, the title hero's mentor referred to "British Bartitsu" (along with, obscurely, Kodokan Judo and the "warrior monks of the T'ang Dynasty") in listing martial arts that used capes or robes as weapons.

The writers were presumably inspired by a technique shown in one of E.W. Barton-Wright's 1899 self defense articles, in which the defender swings his overcoat to snare a dagger-wielding attacker, following up with a right to the body, takedown and leg-lock. The first part of this technique was also used in the 2010 "Sherlock Holmes" movie.

Barton-Wright, in turn, may have been inspired by the use of cloaks as sidearms in historical rapier fencing. Alfred Hutton, one of the instructors at the Bartitsu Club, was among the first revivalists of Elizabethan swordplay and his public exhibitions often included rapier and cloak fighting.

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 1/10/2011 11:25am

I missed the premiere last night but hopefully I can order this up on-demand.

The guy from "Tru Blood" who plays Chess seems pretty creepy...good villain.

**DdlR** · Posted On: 1/10/2011 11:28am

It's available online at http://www.nbc.com/the-cape/video/pilot/1268624/ .

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 1/11/2011 2:36pm

Caught the pilot. Pretty decent for NBC!

Pluses:

- Illusions, hypnosis, and prestidigitation as superhero powers....awesome.
- Bartitsu!
- Pretty decent fight scenes/choreography
- Raoul, an ass kicking midget with a wrench.

Minus:

- Crappy, TV-budget CG
- I can tell they significantly edited some scenes out for time...some of the action seemed to zip around.
- Camp. For this show to survive it has to lose some of the camp.

**Rivington** · Posted On: 1/11/2011 2:40pm

It's cool that they put in some Bartitsu. Maybe next episode they can put in some plot!

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 1/11/2011 4:08pm

Originally Posted by Rivington

It's cool that they put in some Bartitsu. Maybe next episode they can put in some plot!

Yeah and the "omniscient" hacker thing has to go. It's an excessively overused deux ex machina. "24" did this with Chloe and I think we both know what I mean.

Summer Glau can be as hot as she wants to be, the first time she says something about firewalls breaking the gigabit encryption, I'm going to just turn off the tube, sulk, and wait for the next season of "The Walking Dead".