The Duellists
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Movie Reviews of The Duellists
Movie Review: An overlooked masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Ridley Scott's film The Duellists is due out on Region 1 DVD soon. I have been waiting for a DVD release for this film since I first got my player. It's due out on December 3rd from Paramount. It has a widescreen anamorphic transfer and looks set to have loads of extras.
This was the first film from director Ridley Scott.
The story is about two Napoleonic officers played by Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel. One offends the other and so they duel. But there is never a conclusion to the duellists bouts and one of the soldiers demands satisfaction and will not let the matter drop. He dogs the other over the course of twenty years. The final sequence in the woods is played out to perfection and I think Harvey Keitel captures the soldiers feelings brilliantly.
The cinematography and score are amazing, performances are strong despite the two leads strained accents. This film is one of the most breathtaking to look at, it's shot on a beautiful landscape and I really liked the story. To offend someone then and for them not to take up the duel was the markings of a coward and not one of honour. I think The Duellists is an overlooked masterpiece.
Movie Review: Clothes make the movie
Summary: 5 Stars
The old saying that clothes make the man can be said for "The Duellists." This is one of the few period films I've ever watched where I've been very, very aware of the talents of the costumers. "Huh?," you may ask. Yes, this film has much to praise, but I perfer to praise the costumes because in no other film about the Napoleonic era have I ever seen the spendor of La Grande Armée so vividly portrayed. And yet, there are no massive battle scenes or shots of thousands of troops marching down the road. The granduer of Napoleon's troops are summarized in the accuracy and beauty of the uniforms worn by just a handful of actors and extras. Yet, the uniforms on screen speak volumes about the unseen Napoleon and his campaigns. Director Ridley Scott and costume designer Tom Rand make the Napoleonic period come alive in a way that no other filmmakers (with much larger budgets) have ever achieved.Movie Review: A gorgeous authenticity
Summary: 5 Stars
It is mind-boggling to discover that this film was made on a budget of 900K. It carries a strong sense of authenticity (the times and the places). And the filming is genius,.... haunting and beautiful. It's primarily about two very different men. One full of ego and hatred, feeling he has a lot to prove. The other,... resigned to his fate as an army officer, but with no desire to prove anything. But neither will he relinquish his dignity or honor. And the latter is plagued by the former for many years, and places, and wars. At this time in Europe it is all very believable, and it is not overdone or sensationalized. The ending is not what anyone will be expecting, and some may not like it. But it rang true to me. The performances where quite adequate, but this is really a director's film. All things considered, I thought this was a hell of a piece of film-making.
Movie Review: Metaphor
Summary: 5 Stars
A great work of cinematography, stunning blacks. Scott operated the camera himself.
The duel is a metaphor for war itself. The stabbing, the penetration of the body, is a symbol of coitus.
War, in which an army or a bomb penetrates the territory of the enemy, is also a symbol of coitus.
Keitel's obsession with lithe, feminine Keith Carradine, suggests a homosexual obsession.
Whether Scott thought this consciously, or his scenarist, is not known.
In the special features Scott remarks that he interviewed the people who lived in the location, and was told there were two officers who fought 26 duels during the Napoleonic era.
Scott must have tired of not making enough money, for he went on to make ALIEN, which surely solved all financial difficulties.
Movie Review: A Beautiful Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my four favorite movies of all time (in company with Lawrence of Arabia, Henry V and the Jackson Ring Trilogy--which counts as 1 in my book). I adore this film! The visuals are gorgeous and it is a beautiful little jewel crafted with love. I loved Keitel and Carradine--come on folks, get over those American accents--they were terrific in their respective roles. The costumes, notably the uniforms of the Hussars were exquisite and from all I can discover, quite accurate in almost every detail--that alone is a rarity in period films on the military. It has a wonderful ensemble cast as well. The DVD has lots of extra 'goodies' too, especially the commentary by Ridley Scott and the photo gallery of great stills from the movie. This is a movie that should be in the collection of every die-hard Romantic!