its a sabre duel by cavalry fellas by the looks. with an agreement not to grapple. Wrestling was actually pretty common in sword fightrs, check talhoffers knights manual, or renaissance rapier instructions, also the samurai stuff. 1/3 of the books are usually devoted to grappling techniques, they read like a highschool wrestling manual. Also reading some of the old duels and fights of the day you'll read " Sir XYZ favored himself more as a grappler"
Reason being in real fighting not everyone observes distance like a neat movie duel, the two guys often collide, bind( swords lock together) or command( grab the opponents blade) and if you favor your grappling better than the other guy you just dont let go again. Into the colonial era duels tended to take the grappling out by agreement as it was seen as less gentlemanly. Obviously into the movie era you will sell a lot more tickets showing a neat standing duel, then two fellas wrestling in the mud. I dont think Errol Flynn liked getting dirty
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison? And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools, Being native burghers of this desert city, Should in their own confines with forked heads Have their round haunches gored."
Too busy to look it up right now, but one of the guys who was one of the actors for the Royal Armories before they mostly got schitcanned for budget cuts, and thus one of the foremost experts in the world on European martial arts, rated that saber duel as the best and most realistic sword fight in the movies.
You’ll notice that the guy who wins hardly moves. He tells the other guy that he swings his sword “like a flail” and that is obviously an insult while his movements are economical and precise. He is very much toying with the man to the point the guy finally asks him to get it over with so that he is not further humiliated.
