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Duellists, The [DVD] [1977] starring: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines

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Average rating -

Rating: - Directors Choice

In my top 10 films of all time. a classic film on a budget - shot so well its criminal.

Rating: - Exceptional movie

I have been a fan of Ridley Scott for many years. This was the first of his movies I saw. I revisit it frequently, now that I have the DVD, to admire the accuracy of the costumes and the stunning sets so marvellously lit. All very remarkable considering that the movie was made on such a slim budget. A wonderful interpretation of the classic work of Joseph Conrad.

Rating: - A visually spellbinding little gem!

For such a marvellously constructed film, it's hard to believe this was Ridley Scott's very first feature length work! Surprisingly, 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, namely the 'Duelling Directors' featurette - which is most interesting and is interspersed with footage of actual location shooting in France, and 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.

Rating: - Excellent period drama

Very glad to have found a copy , a great movie which seems to be so rarely shown on TV.

A good storyline , well developed characters well acted by Caradine and Keitel who are ably supported by a first rate supporting cast , Edward Fox , Alun Armstrong and Tom Conti to name a few.

The plot - An imagined insult leads to a duel which the "injured party" pursues with a relentless and illogical hatred.
This results in a series of inconclusive duels are fought with injury to both men over a period of years which charts the rise of two officers in Bonaparte's Grandee Army.
Feraud (Keitel) - a small minded aggressive individual obsessed with his honour , D'Hubert (Caradine) is the unwilling victim of circumstance.
The plot is simple , but it is not a boring or shallow film - streets ahead of some of the acclaimed movies of recent times.

This is an excellent film , 30 years old but still fresh and well worth seeing.

Rating: - The film that launche Ridley Scott's career

This is by far my favourite movie, yet it is surprisingly little known. Natural lighting, excellent locations, realistic duelling scenes combined with great attention to detail in the period manners and uniforms create a sense of considerable authenticity. The tense relationship between the two protagonists is brilliantly portrayed by Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine, one driven by ego and the other trapped by the conventions of the period. Over the years I have purchased several copies of the Duellists to give to friends and all have agreed that it is a truly beautifully movie - hardly surprising when it is directed by Ridley Scott and produced by a young David Puttnam.

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