Crossbow - William Tell   The fansite

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	Great news: the autobiography of    Conrad Phillips is out now!    Click here to read more!

Welcome to the unofficial "Adventures of "William Tell" aka "Crossbow" fanpage. This page will focus on the television series of "Crossbow": The Adventures of William Tell from 1985 to 1989. From the peaceful village blacksmith to the avenging freedom fighter, the show follows the daring exploits of this legendary hero as he battles to save his son and his country from the evil Governor Hermann Gessler.

There were made 3 seasons with each  24 episodes. Why Crossbow? It's not too complicated. We both watched the series in the 80s when we were kids and later, in the 90s, it still had a strong hold over us as it does today! The show has meant so much to us that we felt we needed a page to pay tribute to this excellent and much neglected series. It's also a good way for other fans of the show to find out more about it. We would like to hear from you fans out there so don't be afraid to email us with your thoughts. The acting talent contained in this little series is amazing. Will Lyman as William Tell and Jeremy Clyde as Governor Hermann Gessler being, of course, our favourite performers. They were both perfect for their roles. Lyman gives the character just the right balance of intelligence and pacifism blended with the anger of a man driven to fight injustices against his family and against all those who cannot protect themselves from Gessler. He is forced to go against his moral opposition to violence in order to do what he believes to be right. Lyman displays the perfect angst for this paradoxical character.

 

 

Filmed at several beautiful locations in France, for many other photos and information take a look at the location galleries.

 

           

 

         

 

      

 

 

Gessler put a price on Tell's head and this men, all mercenaries, are trying to hunt down Tell. In the middle Dantes.

Clyde as Gessler is deliciously maniacal. The energy he throws into his performances creates a complexity for what could have been a very one dimensional character. While being the charismatically evil villian you see his inward insecurity and cowardice. The way he relishes his ability to cause pain and fear and the complete patheticness he reveals, when the tables are turned on him, is always hilarious and fascinating to watch.   The music, composed by Stanislas Syrewicz is beautiful and quite unique and innovative. The locations are well-chosen in lovely areas of France. Quaint old villages, castles, ruines and beautiful nature scenes. There are some terrific stunts and including Mario Luraschi's horse stunts, see below. This show is ideal for children as it provides heaps of action and adventure with minimal violence and it's also very historically educational. That aside adults can find a lot to enjoy in the show. It has heaps of intelligent and entertaining dialogue. Heck, we just love the whole thing.

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

Mario Luraschi and his stunt horses, It looks spectacular but he always makes sure his horses can't get insured or harmed. Most of them are Andalusian horses. Tell's main horse was a beautiful Lipizzan gelding named Napolitano. In the first 10 episodes, season 1 he rode a tall brown horse named Guitano and during the third season a short part on a little Arabic horse. Horst rides a Frisian Horse and all the other blackknights black Andalusian horses. Crossbow is a treat for everyone that loves these stunning horses!

 

       

 

 

           

 

   

Music of the series is composed by Stanislas Syrewicz.

 

Welcome to the unofficial "Adventures of "William Tell" aka "Crossbow" fanpage. This page will focus on the television series of "Crossbow": The Adventures of William Tell from 1985 to 1989. From the peaceful village blacksmith to the avenging freedom fighter, the show follows the daring exploits of this legendary hero as he battles to save his son and his country from the evil Governor Hermann Gessler.

 

 

This fanpage is a non-profit page. All the images and material are copyrighted. C, 1986 / 1989 Crossbow Films and Robert Halmi Jr. Its all just meant for fun. All the images are just for show, but if anyone has any problem with any of the material we have put up here, please let us know and we will remove it.

 

        

Take a look in the guestbook! We've got lots of messages written by fans, actors and Crossbow related persons. Enjoy.

The videotape is currently out of print. Keep an eye on the TV guide. We like to hear if they do broadcast it in your country. The series is hard to find, but sometimes it shows up on TV. The video is sometimes sold on ebay. The DVD "Crossbow the  movie" came out in 2006. Regrettably there is still no DVD of the series in English. Last year a French dubbed DVD came out in France (first and second season). We'll  keep on hoping on an English release in the future! Some episodes are posted by Jurgen on Youtube.