Behind The Scenes And on The Set With Anthony De Longis

This year I've felt more like a gypsy than ever. It all began in Los Angeles staging the duel in Faust. I've choreographed the action and violence for the Los Angeles Opera since its inception in 1986. I get to hear some of the most beautiful music and voices in the world, and since the body count in opera is notorious, there's hardly a season goes by that I'm not in demand.

In January, I met and choreographed a young actress by the name of Tessie Santiago to shoot a trailer in Los Angeles for NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executives) to promote a new series project entitled The Queen of Swords. This proved to be time well spent, and I trained Tessie with sword, rapier and dagger and bullwhip during February and March.

At left - Anthony and Mary saddled up in Marlin Park, Queensland, ready to ride up into the rainforest.

April found my partner and I in Australia and I got to mount up and ride the rainforests in the Land of Wonder before appearing and performing at the Highlander Down Under Convention #3. We had two days back in Los Angeles before we packed our gitano gear and our dog, and headed out to sunny Spain for four months. I think that, in the course of 5 days, we flew through almost every time zone on the planet. For six episodes, I was Sword Master and Stunt Co-coordinator for the Queen of Swords and I can't remember when I've worked so hard or had so much fun.

Aah, but my travels and adventures were far from over. I hadn't reckoned on the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. After a quick trip to Vancouver in September for the "Weekend at Joe's" book signing and a successful hunt for a new agent, my guardian gyspy-angel had more travel plans in store.

I last worked with my old friend Danny Virtue when I guest starred on "Hawkeye" with Lee Horsley and Linda Carter. Danny is a very reknown coordinator and also produced the award-winning Canadian series "Neon Rider." His newest project was initially entitled "The Lost Kingdom." It's a classic battle of good vs. evil with swords and a princess and a teacher/mentor role that looked right up my alley. Danny called me at home and offered me the role of "Tarak," the warrior/priest entrusted with the training of the princess and the magical secrets of the kingdom. There was also the opportunity for some good sword action. But we only had fifteen days to shoot a feature length picture that would double as a pilot for the television series. I offered to come in early to help in any way I could. Danny's question, could I pack my bag and leave for Prague in five days?

At right - Welcome to Prague! This is just one of the beautiful, cobblestone streets that make up this fascinating city, a combination of Old World charm and New World technology.

I left Thursday afternoon and after another brutal twenty-five hour flight -this time, from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, then on to Prague - I found myself in a car speeding towards the hotel Smaragd. Can I buy a vowel? The hotel is located just outside of the largest film studio in the Czech Republic, Barrandov Studios. I checked in and popped over to the rehearsal going on inside the studio grounds. Here I met with our star, Rena Mero, for the first time. She was working with the local sword master, Milan Slepicka and his team of sword doubles, under the supervision of Danny and Czech Stunt Coordinator Petr Drozda. Petr was the European bronze medalist in wrestling and fourth in the world at the 1976 Olympics. When we shook hands hello, my own fingers seemed to disappear into his grip. I resolved to remain on good terms with Petr.

At left - (kneeling) Anthony on the set with Milan Slepicka; (standing) two of the stunt team members, Petr Drozda, and Danny Virtue.

Milan was showing Rena the choreography for her fight with her costar Daniella, filming the following Monday. Bear with me. I'm writing this journal while on location in Vancouver and I don't have my script or my call sheets so I don't have everyone's last name at my fingertips. Milan's ideas were excellent but both Milan and Petr had nearly no English. Now my Czech is non-existent, but the moment I crossed swords with Milan, we were talking like we'd known each other all our lives. The language of the blades is international and it was easy to appreciate Milan's choreography and ideas - they were excellent. Milan appreciated my expertise and I was invited by Danny Virtue and Milan to help Rena with her sword technique.

At right: Anthony works with Rena on the basics of theatrical swordplay in the Czech countryside.

I've had the opportunity to work with some very strong and talented actresses including training and performing with Michelle Pfeiffer, Ellen Barkin and Anjelica Huston. I expect great things from Rena Mero. Her work ethic is tremendous and it was a pleasure to perform our acting scenes together. Now I'd trained Tessie Santiago for two months prior to her tackling the swordplay challenges of "The Queen of Swords." Rena had only a minimal instruction with the blade before arriving in Prague, but her extraordinary athleticism, her experience and her determination to be the best she could made my contribution easy. All I had to do was translate fight moves into story elements and Rena was able to perform the choreography with commitment and determination. For a better idea of Rena's accomplishments as her alter ego, Sable, I invite you to visit her website at www.renamero.com.

At left - the ornate clock in the main square of Prague glows at twilight.

That evening we were to meet producer/director Lloyd Simandl in downtown Prague near the main square. Lloyd is an amazing talent: he created and developed the concept for the film and the series, co-wrote the film script, and developed the series' bible. Without him, this project would not exist. As a director, he knows what he wants, knows how to get it and does it all with quiet assurance and confidence. I've worked on lots of sets, on both sides of the camera, where the director had few or none of these abilities, so I soon became very aware how rare an artist Lloyd is.

Line producer Michael Rogers told us the Italian restaurant we were meeting at was near the church. We soon discovered that the number of churches in Prague, especially around the main square was a close second to Venice which has a church about every ten feet. We eventually rendez-voused and had a lovely dinner before strolling the old city and ending up back in the main square to view the famous animated medieval clock. Every hour until 10 pm, it chimes the time and puts on a real show with its intricate figurines popping out and disappearing. Lloyd says that the tourists gather and applaud, even after ten when the carved figures on the clock no longer emerge. It's a cool clock, no matter what the time.

Just around the corner are 27 crosses on the ground to mark the spot where, on June 21, 1621, twenty-seven Czech nobles were executed for leading the Estates against the Hapsburgs. After losing the battle at White Mountain, the Czech noble leaders were executed, and it is said that each year on the anniversary of their death, their ghosts appear in Old Town Square haunting the spot where they lost their heads. Mydlar, the executioner, was very much respected for his ability with a sword - one perfect swift chop to lessen the ordeal. It is said he used 4 swords that day, and being a patriot himself, wore black robes (the color of mourning) instead of his traditional red, which further endeared him to the Czech people.

You just can't beat old world charm.

We walked Rena and her husband Marc back to their hotel in the center of town and strolled across the bridge next to the house where Kafka wrote and lived his entire life. Prague is very cool.

At right - Anthony and Rena astride the beautiful horses chosen for them to ride in Ariana's Quest.

The next day we rose early and reported to the stable area of Barrandov Studios to choose horses for both Rena and myself. Barrandov is quite the facility with extensive production facilities and extensive grounds. They've been making movies here for a long time and the studio still enjoys an active shooting calandar. Even Adolf Hitler utilized Barrandov for a number of his propaganda films. The horse wrangler selected a beautiful black for Rena and I got to try out a very spirited chestnut. Danny Virtue took the opportunity to test a falling horse. He dropped it on a dime and had nine cents change to spare. There's nothing like watching experience at work.

At left - The garden at the Hotel Starosedlsky Haradak

Rena, Daniella, Milan and I worked through the sword routine for a couple of hours and then it was time to move to our new hotel closer to the Lloyd Simandl's North American Pictures Studio, the second largest in the Czech Republic. More on the studio later, but first let me try to describe the Hotel Starosedlsky Haradak. It was a combination spa, health club and hunting lodge in the style of a castle. It had its own private lake stocked with fish and a Japanese garden with fountain which only slightly clashed with the overall European castle-style motif. Downstairs were wet and dry saunas and ice plunge pools and an exercise room with a view of the lake and surrounding hills. I got to avail myself of the facilities. The rest of the time I was on the set every day and for the night shoots and was just to tired. There was a small cannon with a stack of cannon balls at the entrance and a suit of armour and arrangements of rapiers in the lobby. The interior hotel decor, some of which I liked and some of which gave me pause, was nothing short of amazing.

At right - The dining room of the hotel was decorated with armour and weaponry, if you have a mind to complain about your meal.

The dining room was decorated like a medieval castle. Lining the walls above the tables were broadswords and shields and great helms, not so great helms and other period helmets, flails, bills and halberds arranged in docorous combinations around heraldic shields and the skins of wild boars complete with tusks and hooves. Outside of the armoury at the Tower of London, or the Invalides Museum in Paris, I've never seen anything like it. Just the kind of place I've always wanted - sort of. Moving on to the adjoining bar were hanging saddles, pitchforks, bullwhips, stuffed partridge and ducks and tall stools covered in animal hides.

At left - the hallway leading to the hotel's rooms were lined with horns and stuffed game. Note the settee and chandelier in the left of the photo. Both are made from antlers.

Upstairs a taxidermist's dream lined the halls. Heads of boars, bison, elk, deer surrounded by arrangements of tusks and antlers and stuffed game birds with their wings spread covered the walls and hung over the doors to the various private bedrooms. Just outside of my door was a tooled leather love seat with moose antlers for the back and elk antler arms and legs. The owner of the place said he'd redecorated in the "new Russian" style. "They really love it."

The first couple of days we pretty much had the hotel to ourselves. There were times it felt a little like "The Shining." I would have a leisurely breakfast at the dining room cold buffet and head out to set after the actors had finished makeup and wardrobe. Usually Danny would join me for coffee and we'd ride to location together. Most nights Danny would return from the set and conduct producer business on the phone until the wee hours due to the nine hour time difference. He was very hands-on with the project, with Lloyd directing the acting scenes and Danny bringing his years of experience to getting the most out of the action sequences.