ARCHERY IN ART AND FILM

I have developed a fear of becoming one of those archers who grumbles about how inaccurate and unrealistic archery is in films. I did not need to take up archery to know how stupid some fantasy archery is, and I do believe that even fantasy is not completely off the hook when it comes to captivating an audience by making the fantasy somehow believable. Yet there are inaccuracies I never even thought of until I took up archery myself and learned more about it. I must admit, I have been corrupted by knowledge. I am now slightly irritated by creaking noises when a bow is pulled, archers holding heavy war bows at full draw for ages without even getting the shakes, and hearing the term "fire!" as a command to archers to loose their arrows.

Notwithstanding my conversion to archery geekery, I do find some complaints about archery in film a little ridiculous. We do not watch film because we think it is just like real life, but because there is aesthetic beauty, drama and fantasy involved. That is the appeal. Similarly, I do not admire a painting or even a photograph because it exactly mirrors what I see in real life, but because it expresses something beautiful or meaningful by exaggerating what is there and bringing out something usually unseen in our mundane day-to-day existence. 

Likewise, I do not expect in a film that will be recorded for posterity and distributed throughout the world for all to see something that is not notable for anything more than its loyalty to banal reality. There must be exaggeration, a consideration for aesthetics, and for practicability when it comes to camera work and so forth. Complaining that the archery techniques in films are incorrect is taking things too far and out of context. 

Seeing physical actions which are physically impossible in film somehow makes fantasy fiction unbelievable even in a fantasy context. But expecting to see realism without beauty or elegance, however untrue to real life it may be, is just a little bit ridiculous.

By all means, take your archery seriously, and by all means take film, fantasy, art, history and literature seriously, but please consider that if you want grim, dull realism in everything you see, maybe visual arts are not for you.

POWERFUL BOWS, WEAK ARCHERS

Is it just me, or do fantasy literature and "historical" film give the impression that the bow is the ideal weapon for women, delicate elves and effete men? Think of a battle-axe, war-hammer or broadsword, and you probably imagine them in the hands of some big, burly male warrior; think of a bow and, apart from Robin Hood, you probably think of elves and heroines from fantasy films. But in reality it is the exact reverse. A war bow required incredible strength to pull. These were not recreational toys. If they were to cause any real damage from a distance and pierce armour, they needed to pull more than 75 ibs. This was not a weapon suited to effete, delicate creatures. Wielding a blade effectively required less strength than pulling such a bow. So, it does irk me somewhat that the bow is thought of as the weapon for slender pretty boys, not least because I am not one.

That being said, there is today the other extreme. Tell people about the kind of poundage war bows had, and suddenly the attitude (at least amongst men) is that the higher the poundage the better. I find this irritating because there is really no need for war bows anymore. If you are bow hunting, then you need a bow that pulls at least 40 ibs (and arrows suited to such a pursuit). That aside, unless you are taking part in flight archery competitions, I see little point in having a bow that exceeds 50 ibs. 

What's more, I have noticed archers who are proud to have a bow that pulls 50 ibs or more, yet they never manage to pull it to full draw. In other words, they are not actually pulling the draw weight of their bow, as the draw weight is measured according to the draw length (usually 28 inches). So what is the point of bragging about having a 50 ib bow when you are only pulling 40?

If you want to shoot far or penetrate anything of value, it is not a powerful bow you should be concerned with, but acquiring the strength to pull it.