What type and manufacturer of sword did River use in the movie Serenity?

March 7, 2006 12:44 PM

Serenity filter: What type and manufacturer of sword did River use in the movie Serenity?
posted by dabradfo to media & arts (14 comments total)

River used a sword? Or the agent of the Parliament - the guy hunting her?
posted by TeamBilly at 12:49 PM on March 7, 2006

I would guess that the sword in question is the one used toward the end

***SPOILER***

You know, the one with which she kills all the reavers (she also uses some kind of ax).
posted by teece at 1:07 PM on March 7, 2006

I'm giving the community at Whedonesque.com a chance to answer this.
posted by prolific at 1:12 PM on March 7, 2006

I thought she used an axe.
posted by jdroth at 1:45 PM on March 7, 2006

She used two weapons in the final battle, one axe-like and one sword-like I say "like" because most of the Reaver weapons were custom designs or bastardized real-world designs.
posted by theonetruebix at 2:04 PM on March 7, 2006

Here's the actual sword for sale. Don't know if that helps or not...(sorry if this isn't the right one...haven't seen the film yet.)
posted by richmondparker at 2:04 PM on March 7, 2006

Are you sure that sword at Prop Store is the one she used? You'd think the Prop Store would mention she used it, since they are very good at specifying when a prop was used by one of the main characters. I think that's just a random Reaver sword.
posted by theonetruebix at 2:05 PM on March 7, 2006

The picture from richmondparker's link reminds me of a machete or a falchion. The tip is a little too blunt to be a kopesh, but it could also be based on that.

Heavy cleaving/hacking weapons have been common in many cultures.

The image is really low-rez but the markings on the blade remind of damascene or wootz metal.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 2:37 PM on March 7, 2006

richmondparker: Nice find, but it doesn't match the sword in the poster
posted by krisjohn at 2:37 PM on March 7, 2006

Ok, the one in the poster seems to be modeled after the khopesh. The axe thing looks like a stylized fantasy piece.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 2:41 PM on March 7, 2006

better question: Where can I find a "Vera" of my very own?
posted by CCK at 4:14 PM on March 7, 2006

Sometimes a sword is just a sword.

This is one of those times when it'd be nice if JossBot himselvis stepped in to give The Definitive Answer. I'm not a betting man, but if'n I were, I'd say he's gonna be predictably silent. I'd enjoy being wrong on this one, but it's a real burden being right so often.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:07 PM on March 7, 2006

Almost always, items such as this are custom-made items designed by the Production Designer to fit the piece. It's unlikely that River's sword will have a "type" or "manufacturer" that you can track down...
posted by benzo8 at 4:10 AM on March 8, 2006

I recently got back from Spain, where I visited the town of Toledo (famous for swordmaking). I couldn't find the link right away, but one company, in particular, is proud of the fact that it produces many of the swords seen in Hollywood movies. Their site (in Spanish) is HERE. Nothing from Serenity, but it might be a little early for them to have released it. Just a thought...
posted by richmondparker at 1:22 PM on March 8, 2006