A Montreal fencing club is a world immersed in the art of the centuries-old discipline

My first introduction to the art of fencing was through my sister Joanna, who at 44, began taking fencing lessons at the Escrime Mont-Royal fencing club.

Other than the Olympics, my knowledge of fencing was limited to films and I certainly didn't know it was practiced right there within my local community in Montreal. As Joanna's passion deepened, I became intrigued by this mysterious combat sport. 

On the third floor of the community centre in the city's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, the sound of swords clashing echoes in the hallway and grows louder until you reach a pair of doors leading to the fencing club. Inside, you become immersed in the world of fencing. Frames and fencing materials cover the walls.

There are Renaissance-era illustrations, photos, medals, sketches of techniques and strategies, old swords, foils, mirrors to improve your posture, poems and quotes: "Correct yourself until the mirror becomes friendly;" "The true decoration is worn inside the chest;" "Keep your distance, even if you love your opponent." 

High above everything else is a large portrait of a proud-looking man in fencing attire: Maître Stephen Vamos. A laywer, poet and a fencing master originally from Hungary, Vamos was also the founder of the Mont-Royal fencing club in the 1950s.

He received his Maître d'Armes certificate from the Académie d'Armes de France in 1949 before immigrating to Canada. Vamos remained active at the club, passing on his knowledge until he retired in the 1980s. He died in 2003 at the age of 96. 

John Harvie — a master in his own right and a member of the Quebec Fencing Hall of Fame — has been carrying on Vamos's legacy at the club since training as one of his students in the 1970s.

Harvie has devoted his life to guiding and mentoring aspiring fencers with his youthful energy, stoic nature and remarkable ability to adapt to each student's needs. Harvie has contributed to some iconic pieces of fencing literature, including the English adaptations of Fencing and the Master by László Szabó (1982) and Fencing by Istvan Lukovich (1986).

To Harvie, fencing is like playing a game of speed chess in Central Park. "You don't have time to think," he says. He describes his method as "quantum fencing," which he says involves applying quantum physics to fencing techniques. 

Fencing may have evolved over centuries from what were once bloody duels into a sophisticated discipline, but its core value remains the same: it is an affair of honour.

The Art of Fencing is a short documentary film I made featuring John Harvie, leading us into the world of fencing at the Escrime Mont-Royal fencing club.