The Duellists [Blu-ray]

I can't believe it took me this long (by which I mean my entire life) to see Ridley Scott's first feature film, THE DUELLISTS. This is a terrific film: visually striking, psychologically revealing, alternating drama with action and black comedy while delivering a profound message about the human condition. Wow. It's terrific, and easily stands as one of his best works. It's easy to see why he was given the go ahead to direct ALIEN after shooting this visual and emotional feast.THE DUELLISTS begins, fittingly, with a duel. The time? The reign of Napoleon. The place? France. Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel) skewers the son of the local mayor in a duel fought over some minor point of honor. Irritated by the mayor's fury, Feraud's commanding officer orders Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert (Keith Carradine) to arrest Feraud and place him under house arrest. Feraud, a short-tempered, touchy, irrationally vindictive man whose defining characteristic is blood-thirst, cannot challenge his sharp-tongued superior because military discipline limits dueling to officers of equal rank only, so he takes out his umbrage on the unassuming messenger, d'Hubert, and forces him into, you guessed it, another duel. Though Feraud is rather the better swordsman, and certainly the aggressor, d'Hubert wins the exchange, but is prevented from killing Feraud by the intervention of Feraud's mistress. This begins an epic feud between the two men, carried out with rapiers, sabers and pistols, on foot and on horseback, which goes on for years, from France to Russia and back to France again, against a lavish backdrop of period costumes and the European countryside, which is alternately portrayed as being as beautiful, and as cruel, as the film's two subjects.If this seems like a very shallow recounting of the story, I can only say that the story itself is rather shallow, and I do not mean that as an insult. The attraction of THE DEULLISTS is not the plot per se, but its examination -- sometimes funny, sometimes horrifying -- of the concepts of honor and obsession. THE DUELLISTS effected me very much, in an oddly positive way. I completely identified with Keith Carradine's character of Armand d'Hubert. His entire life turns on the fact that a man “imprisoned by his own hatred” takes an irrational dislike of him and won't let go. Faced with this, D'Hubert does what any normal, rational man would do, and tries to avoid conflict, yet his pride and his sense of honor forces him to respond to every challenge even though he grasps their absurdity. In a sense, this is an analogy for parts of my own life, and speaking more broadly, for the attitude many have toward life, which is a persecuted attitude. Yet the attitude itself doesn't spring out of nowhere. It's rooted in personal experience, and I think this is why I was so affected by the movie. Feraud represents everyone who ever picked a fight with you on a playground or in a bar for no reason, or for a "reason" so trivial it could only be a pretext. He is every woman you ever dated casually for a month who still talks trash about you to all and sundry fifteen years later. He is that crazy neighbor who slashes your tires and sugars your gas tank because you accidentally bumped into his trash can while pulling out of your driveway. In other words, he is the antagonist you neither deserved nor wanted, a bully who does not back down even after you break his nose. Indeed, the very act of breaking his nose only fuels his need for vendetta. And that is another part of the movie's genius. It does not "explain" why Feraud is the way he is, because he is meant to be inexplicable. All we know is the inciting incident, a trivial one, snowballs into a lifelong obsession whose origins, I would bet, Feraud cannot even remember by the end of the movie. His need to hate is so powerful it must find an outlet -- period final. It is telling that even in the duel where he clearly defeats d'Hubert, he is unsatisifed, because d'Hubert is not dead, so he rejects the olive branch which is proferred and continues his vendetta. At the core of it is this awful truth: his hatred gives him no rest, so D'Hubert will have no rest, either.THE DUELLISTS is not all psychology and violence. There is considerable humor, too. Ridley Scott pokes rude fun at the idea of people hacking themselves into horrors of torn flesh and pouring blood over points of honor so minor you need a microscope to see them. He relishes too, the absurdity of two men in the same army spending every moment trying to kill each other instead of the enemy -- indeed, in the Russian sequence in 1812, the two foes have to interrupt their duel to fight some Cossack cavalrymen, and afterwards, Feraud looks utterly disgusted when he realizes their pistols are now empty and they can't finish the fight. Similarly, though the years pass and at least five duels are fought, often to the point of death, the two characters do not really change. D'Hubert remains comically upright and decent, Feraud comically single-minded and bloodthirsty. If either man learns anything much from their private war, they aren't at pains to show it.THE DUELLISTS has been accused with some justification of being shallow in its depictions, curious in its casting, and also of marginalizing its antagonist, but I think those criticisms, while valid, are also irrelevant. What we have here, in essence, is the story of two distinct parts of the human spirit. Feraud is "they" -- the enemy, the antagonist, the schoolyard bully. D'Hubert, on the other hand, is "us," just as Jamie Lee Curtis is "us" in HALLOWEEN or Toni Colette is "us" in CLOCKWATCHERS. He's there to show the audience not so much how we would react to this kind of bullying, but how we should react to it, without being preachy or unrealistic. D'Hubert may or may not lose his life, but he will not lose his identity.So, while some may find it curious to see Harvey Keitel -- the quintessential Brooklyn actor -- and Keith Carradine -- the quintessential cowboy actor -- playing 19th century French officers, all I can say about THE DUELLISTS is that you will take more away from it than you brought. And that is saying very much indeed.

When film fans think of director Ridley Scott, his sci-fi classics "Alien"(1979) and "Blade Runner"(1982) spring immediately to our minds. Yet Ridley Scott is nothing if not diverse in his choice of films to direct. His historical war films range from "Gladiator", the 2000 Oscar winner for Best Picture, set in imperial Rome, to "Kingdom of Heaven"(2005), a very contemporary take on the Crusades. Western forces conflict with Muslim ones again in his masterpiece, "Black Hawk Down" (2001), this time during the recent civil war in Somalia.Scott also directed the landmark feminist film "Thelma and Louise" (1991) and the cops and robbers saga "American Gangster" (2007). His latest is the extremely ambitious sci-fi behemoth "Prometheus" (2012).Such an illustrious film career had to begin somewhere. After a long and prosperous stint in television and advertising, Scott moved into feature film production, winning the Best First Feature Award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival for "The Duellists", based on Joseph Conrad's short story and set during the Napoleonic Wars."The Duellists" has been lovingly restored in high definition by Paramount Pictures and marketed by the Shout Factory. The sword play rings out loudly and clearly, the blacks are suitably inky and the colors vibrant, both in natural lighting and indoors by candlelight. Indeed, the look and texture of this disc, augmented by Howard Blake's haunting score, has only one rival in the category of period film made during the 1970's,Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon"(1975). "The Duellists" has the advantage of being based on a short story so, at 100 minutes, it is just long enough to create exquisite period detail in its production and costume design, and to present 2 alpha males engaged in mortal combat, a theme that would become a Ridley Scott obsession.The two leading characters/actors could not be more opposite in manner and philosophy of life. Keith Carradine, who attracted favorable notice as an ill-fated cowboy in Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971), and won an Oscar for Best Song for "Nashville"(1975),and Harvey Keitel, most famous for Martin Scorsese's studies of urban pathology, "Mean Streets"(1973) and "Taxi Driver" (1976), portray Napoleonic officers, upwardly mobile to the rank of general. D'Hubert.an aristocratic officer with a keen sense of irony and absurdity faces off against Feraud, a proletarian hothead fueled by class hatred and a self-serving sense of honor. After Feraud seriously wounds a relative of the mayor of Strausbourg, d'Hubert is sent to place him under house arrest.Thus begins a tragedy of errors and misunderstandings which will consume decades of both men's lives from 1800 through the French invasion of Russia in 1812 to the attempted restoration of Napoleon years later.Feraud becomes for d'Hubert the embodiment of the classical Furies, trying on foot and on horseback, using swords and pistols, to kill his self proclaimed enemy, whose sense of honor is genuine and requires him to accept every challenge from the increasingly irrational Feraud.Before the climactic scenes, amidst the ruins of a medieval fortress, d'Hubert tells Feraud's seconds, "We came here to kill each other. Any ground is suitable for that." (I'm tempted to find a filmmaker's commentary on the antiquated code of honor by virtue of the film's final bleak settings).Only after d'Hubert refuses to shoot Feraud when he has the chance can this film story resolve itself. "I shall declare you dead," says d'Hubert. The final image is an enormous close up of the solitary Feraud, his purpose in life having vanished.Although it takes a while to accustom oneself to the spectacle of Harvey Keitel in braids, Keith Carradine, with his long and lanky frame, wears both his moustache and his uniform with great panache, even when limping. The two very modern stars are surrounded by a gallery of well chosen character actors, including Albert Finney, Robert Stephens, Edward Fox and Alan Webb. Among the actresses, Diana Quick makes a strong impression as d'Hubert's mistress, a "lady of the garrison", worldly wise and worldly weary.Producer David Puttnam, who would later win the Oscar for Best Picture for "Chariots of Fire" (1981), helped bring in a masterpiece on quite a limited budget. Cinematographer Frank Tidy's ravishing images are faithfully rendered in high definition. All the artists and craftspeople invoved are honored by this transfer.

I can see where people say that Ridley Scott attempts to replicate the cinematography of Barry Lyndon. While Scott does a good job of doing that, Barry Lyndon is slightly superior to The Duelists in terms of using natural light. The locations and scenery used in The Duelists are also good. In terms of musical score, Barry Lyndon will always be superior to the score used in The Duelists despite the somewhat overused Franz Schubert piece. The plot of both of these movies take place in the late 1790s- early 1800s. Barry Lyndon focuses on one man who rises through the levels of society while The Duelists focuses on "retaining honor" through duels and pokes fun how ridiculous it can be. I love Barry Lyndon for the cinematic masterpiece for what it is but the plot for The Duelists is where it shines just a little bit more than Barry Lyndon. The Duelists has a little bit more of an exciting twist near the end compared to Barry Lyndon. Overall a good film.

The Duelists has been on my movie view list for some time and it has taken me until not to finally watch it. This tale of two men at odds spanning years is masterfully told with the backdrop of Napoleonic Era Europe. I enjoyed every minute of the back and forth not knowing how the tale of these men would end. Although I enjoyed it I sadly do not think that many of my generation or those younger than me would be able to appreciate this as much as perhaps older generations would. I would recommend this movie to those who would enjoy the storytelling and cat-and-mouse like feel compared to the more action packed thriller movies of our modern generation.

For such a marvellously constructed film, it's hard to believe this was Ridley Scott's very first feature length work! It's also quite surprising to realise that, for someone that was described as being uncomfortable around actors when "Alien" was in production, here Scott managed to get his whole cast to give more than capable performances and delivered his trademark dazzling visuals with overwhelming results. "The Duellists", based on Joseph Conrad's story 'The Duel', deals with man's obsession that turns into folly, namely Feraud's intolerant arrogance that turns him into a loose cannon, whose compulsions overpower his life and of those around him - he shares some similarities with Mr. Kurtz in Conrad's better known novella 'Heart of Darkness.' Yet ultimately it's the beautiful visuals that grabbed my attention - many said that the film was too beautiful at the time of its original release! Ridley Scott was heavily influenced by Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon" during filming, and admits that, like Kubrick had for "Lyndon", he also took the work of painters as references to create his superbly detailed images in the commentary track. Curiously, Kubrick's work was so influential to Scott that he went as far as to cast Gay Hamilton, who had played Nora Brady in "Barry Lyndon", in a small role as one of Feraud's mistresses. Keith Carradine as D'Hubert renders a quiet and understated performance, and Harvey Keitel is excellent as the intense and almost impossibly obsessive and maniacal Feraud. Funnily enough, their native accents never bothered me as I felt they weren't obtrusive in delivering their very well written dialogue, plus they didn't affect the incredible atmosphere set up by the director for the entire length of the story. Another amazing thing to realise is that this movie was made on a low budget of only 900.000 dollars, if you look at all the depth and richness Scott was able to convey - to such a degree that I'd describe it as an epic in miniature scale! "The Duellists" won the Special Jury Prize at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival (for Best Debut Film), however it was poorly distributed in the United States and remains the least seen of Ridley Scott's films. I hope this DVD corrects that handicap and the extras are actually quite good. The 'Duelling Directors' featurette is most interesting as it's interspersed with footage of actual location shooting in France, of Scott receiving the award and being interviewed alongside producer David Puttnam in Cannes. Scott's first short, 1965's 'Boy and a Bicycle', is a revelation in that it shows not only his early visual motifs, but also a path he could've taken and avoided in the future as Scott started working on shooting commercials. Indeed, everything in this short is reminiscent of the kitchen sink dramas that were prevalent in British cinema in the early 60s, noticeable in the films of Tony Richardson and Lindsay Anderson, emphasizing the realities of working classes in the poorer industrial areas in the North of England. Go for it as this is one of the best, and certainly most beautiful, period dramas I've ever seen.

What a beautiful film this is. Every frame reminds of old oil paintings, be it officers in elaborate dress uniforms, a wounded soldier or a simple meal laid out on a wooden table. The whole film is a visual masterpiece. Quite astonishing considering this is Ridley Scott's first feature film. Talk about hitting the ground running.The story of the two eternally duelling officers is based on a story by Joseph Conrad, so you know it's not going to be cheerful. The mood is sombre throughout (except for one short moment where a tender twosome is interrupted by a randy horse - gotta love the filmmakers for not leaving that moment of unintended levity on the cutting room floor). There isn't a whole lot of dialogue, and apart from the recurrent scenes of duelling there isn't even a lot of action. This is slow drama. And for me it worked a treat. I enjoyed the visual splendour, and the slow pace helps convey that this is a story that plays out over a lifetime. Really enjoyable film.The DVD I purchased (Paramount Home Entertainment - green cover background with orange "Widescreen Collection" top bar) is very nice. Good picture and sound. Subtitles are available. Also included are the following (very nice) extra features: ~~~ Commentary with Ridley Scott ~~~ Isolated Score with Howard Blake Commentary ~~~ Duelling Directors: Ridley Scott & Kevin Reynolds ~~~ Boy and Bicycle, Ridley Scott's first short film ~~~ Storyboards ~~~ Theatrical Trailer ~~~ Photo Galleries

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I saw this when it came out and vividly remembered it for over 30 years, though when I saw it I did not know that Ridley Scott directed it. To see it again was an extraordinary pleasure, the quality was so great that I was astounded. This is an absolutely first rate film, a genuine masterpiece.The plot of the film is about two men locked in a duel of mortal combat, the tail end of the aristocratic honor code as the modern age dawns with Napoleon. Though an aristocrat, one man (Carradine) is rather civilized, given the task of hauling the other, an incorrigible brute, into prison for the murder by sword of a politician's relative. After a silly insult, the result is an explosive hatred, with the macho aggressor (Keitel) imposing the fight and his own code on his adversary. Carradine would like to stop the madness, but carries on for the sake of his reputation. All of this is played out against a vivid historical backdrop, the Napoleonic Wars and the restoration, which are evoked with splendid intelligence and subtlety.The action scenes - the fights - are of a bloody realism that I have rarely seen in an action film, but then, this is a historical drama of wonderful accuracy. In a variety of contexts, you watch the men go at eachother with a blood lust, with a youthful energy that slips away before the viewer's eyes, with a growing sense of futility and emotional scars. It is an extraordinary transformation.The cinematography of the film is also second to none: from the odd angles of provincial French architecture to the flourishes of the most Baroque aristocratic homes, you witness the men as they pursue their careers. Truly a feast for the eyes, utterly mesmerizing, breathtaking. Iconic images are a Ridley Scott hallmark.Finally, the extras on the making of the film are very nice. You get context with the usual hollywood fluff treatment. Recommended with the greatest enthusiasm.

As a child I saw this remarkable movie on TV, and I remember thinking: WHAT am I witnessing? Like with all great art you simply can not believe what is being opened so generously before your eyes. This DVD Special Edition gives me a lot of answers to questions I never got the opportunity to ask. One thing is the lavish and extremely well-constructed film itself and the eternal questions it rises, another thing is to hear Sir Ridley Scotts wonderful commentary. Ranging from the locations chosen (and why), to useful experiences from the advertising business, to who made what and why on the set (a delayed thank-you to the original crew), to the inspiration from 19th century painters, and when to listen to your instinct in the process of filming. The Duellists, you find out, was blessed with unpredictable as well as totally planned beauty and meaning.It is also an intricate look into Scotts way of working to be able to compare the original storyboarding sketches with the actual shot from the film.Sir Ridley Scotts first short-film, Boy and Bicycle, from the sixties, is a wonderful freewheelin' bonus, as well. And The Boy in that film is acted by his brother, later-to-be director Tony Scott!What a cameo.All in all this Special Edition gives you the opportunity to get behind the scenes of the film, and actually feel quite close to the person and craftsman Sir Ridley Scott, looking back. He may have seemed to have become a somewhat blockbuster-fixed mastermind, but, remember, he is a visionary, a storyteller. And a highly focused artist of the finest quality. And as such: Always a head of his time.