Director
Ridley Scott would go on to further acclaim with the classics: Alien (1979), and Blade Runner (1982), among many others.
The Duellists is his first movie, and it’s perfect.
What
a debut!
Before
The Duellists, Ridley Scott made TV
commercials.
One
of his most memorable was the 1984 Apple Macintosh computer advertisement,
aired on TV during the Super Bowl.
Inspired
by George Orwell's novel, Nineteen
Eighty-Four, the ad’ featured an Olympic runner hurling a large
sledgehammer through a giant screen.
The
skill and style he invested in his movies is evident in that short ad’.
Gerald
Vaughan-Hughes wrote the script for The
Duellists, based on Joseph Conrad’s The
Duel, published in 1907, inspired by the true story of two feuding French
officers, during the Napoleonic era:
François
Fournier-Sarlovèze (left) & Pierre Dupont de l'Étang (right).
For
the movie, François Fournier-Sarlovèze is depicted as Gabriel Feraud (Harvey
Keitel).
Pierre
Dupont de l'Étang is depicted as Armand D’Hubert (Keith Carradine):
Opening
with Feraud winning a duel, D’Hubert is sent by General Treillard (Robert
Stephens), to find Feraud and inform him he is under immediate house arrest.
D’Hubert:
I
have an order to convey to you from General Treillard. You are to report immediately
to your quarters and remain there under close arrest.
Feraud:
What
did you say?
D’Hubert:
I
am only a messenger. That must be obvious to you. I believe you heard my
message.
Feraud:
Yes,
damn you, I heard your message! Under arrest for what?
D’Hubert:
You
did fight a duel this morning?
Feraud:
Of
course.
D’Hubert:
You
make duelling sound like a pastime in the Garden of Eden. I think we have to
leave now; don’t you agree?
During
this exchange, Feraud is aghast.
“Of
course,” he confirmed, as if it was expected and accepted that he fights duels
when and where he pleases.
The
matter is not open for judgment, or question, and God help anyone who dared
try!
Feraud
takes it as an insult.
Driven
by petulance, spite, and rage, D’Hubert then becomes the target of his hate,
and he forces D’Hubert into their first duel.
D’Hubert
knocks Feraud unconscious and wins the duel, but Feraud won’t let it go at
that.
After
D’Hubert is wounded and unable to continue the second duel, Feraud shouts:
“Next time, D’Hubert!”
Feraud
won’t be satisfied until the duel is fought to the death, turning their
disagreement into a personal vendetta.
They
would meet for a series of duels over the following years, fighting in
different places, using swords, sabers, on horseback, and finally Flintlock
pistols.
In
the movie retelling, we see five duels over fifteen years.
In
real life, there were more than thirty over nineteen years.
We’ve
all encountered one like Gabriel Feraud … that individual who just seems to
thrive on conflict.
Easily
bored and not content unless they cause trouble wherever they go, or picking a
fight with whoever they’re with.
They
can’t stand being wrong.
If
they take a dislike to you, or you see through them and call them out on what
they do, they become your sworn enemy for life.
D’Hubert
seeks advice from Dr. Jacquin (Tom Conti):
Jacquin:
Feraud
intends to kill you.
D’Hubert:
Is
that what he says?
Jacquin:
No,
not to me, but rumor goes round.
D’Hubert:
Damn
him, anyway! He’s most unreasonable.
Jacquin:
The
enemies of reason have a certain blind look. He has that look; don’t you think?
D’Hubert:
What
can I do?
Jacquin:
I
have given it some thought. You cannot fight – one, if you are in different
places – physical impossibility. Two, if you are of different rank – it’s a
breach of discipline. And three, if the state is at war. Duels of nations take
absolute precedence. Therefore, keep away from him, keep ahead of him, put your
trust in Bonaparte.
D’Hubert
(laughs):
Thank
you.
There
is a crossroads incident during one campaign where they find themselves
regrouped into one regiment.
Separated
from the group, they face each other, holding pistols in both hands.
Suddenly,
they are surrounded by the enemy and the situation forces them to stand and
fight, side-by-side this time – not against each other.
D’Hubert
attempts to engage Feraud in conversation instead of conflict.
Discussion
instead of a duel.
He
offers Feraud a drink of Schnapps from his flask, in celebration of winning the
skirmish.
This
shows the contrasting characters: D’Hubert the contemplative peace-maker,
against Feraud the psychopathic trouble-maker.
Feraud
gives D’Hubert a cold look of contempt, and walks away without accepting the
offer of the drink, or uttering a word in response.
The
animosity remains.
Feraud’s
rejection of D’Hubert’s peace offering would lead to his eventual downfall.
D’Hubert
was offering an olive branch, an opening for them to shake hands and call an
end to the pointless feud.
As
soldiers, they were already on the same side, climbing the ranks in Bonaparte’s
army.
They
were more successful fighting the enemy than they were fighting each other.
A
friendship could have been made of this.
Or,
at least, a truce and alliance.
But
Feraud couldn’t let it go.
His
stubborn, pig-headed attitude would take him from a high-ranking General to a
prisoner in the provinces.
Forced
to live out his life, stripped of his rank and position, existing in quiet
exile, sharing a similar fate to Bonaparte.
Ridley
Scott has a talent for stunning visuals, and painting his scenes with light.
There
are many stills in this movie I would happily frame and hang on my wall.
The
configuration of the scenes, especially the interiors and establishing location
shots, are reminiscent of classic paintings.
The
final duel was filmed at the Château de Commarque, a castle ruin in southern
France.
Howard
Blake’s soundtrack is a haunting accompaniment to the stunning visuals.
The
drama and cinematography meld seamlessly.
The
flawless performances and script perfectly reflect the mannered customs and
speech of the characters and era.
Among
the supporting cast are:
Diane
Quick, as Laura, D’Hubert’s opportunistic and selfish mistress.
Cristina
Raines, as Adele, who marries D’Hubert, after Napoleon loses at the battle of
Waterloo and D’Hubert joins the army of Louis XVIII.
Albert
Finney, as Joseph Fouché, the Minister of Police, who contemptuously dismisses
Feraud, after D’Hubert secretly pleads Feraud’s case and saves him from
execution:
“General
Feraud, alive or dead, is not worth a moment’s gossip!”
Look
out for Pete Postlethwaite, in a silent, supporting role as Treillard’s valet.
Stacy
Keach provides voice-over narration throughout.
Author
and journalist, Gordon Williams, wrote the movie tie-in novel version.
He
was also the author of the 1969 novel: The
Siege of Trencher’s Farm, filmed by Sam Peckinpah in 1971 as Straw Dogs, starring Dustin Hoffman and
Susan George.
In
the genre of historical dramas, I also recommend: Waterloo (1970), and Barry
Lyndon (1975).
Like
the series of intense duels throughout, The
Duellists is a striking, compelling, and timeless movie.
“La!”
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