So, to start with, we have Ridley Scott’s first feature with The Duellists. Based on the short story “The Duel” by Joseph Conrad, whom also notably wrote Heart of Darkness and which became loosely adapted by Francis Ford Coppola with Apocalypse Now. Released in 1977, I think the best way to describe the film in one way is that it works as a solid template project for Ridley Scott. This debut feature contains elements that would become synonymous with future films we’ve that we’ve come to associate him with and respect him for over the years. Whether it’s the overall look of the film or the performances, there are parts of the film that resonate strongly with much of his other work. The story itself about two French soldiers under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte (played by Keith Carradine & Harvey Keitel), both locked in a sword duel that consumes a good chunk of their lives are often surrounded by striking visual features. The scenery of the film is downbeat and surrounded by fog, with interior scenes that are shot with light reflections that mirror similarly to Kubrick’s shooting of candlelight in his film Barry Lyndon – which can be compared to this film too style wise. The two leads are especially good, with Harvey Keitel effectively playing the hot-headed and obsessive soldier Gabriel Feraud who follows Carradine’s soldier Armand d’Hubert to the ends of the earth to take him down in an elongated fight which began over a command dispute. Keith Carradine successfully portrays d’Hubert as proud, stubborn and bound by honour to continue the fight, even when he has a family and a position in high society at risk, showcasing Ridley Scott’s knack for writing strong but personally flawed characters. The style of the film and portrayal of flawed but strong characters would be heavily evoked in his other work like Blade Runner for one example, but as a first film goes it’s a really good film to stand on its own. The sword choreography is especially well put together, brilliantly heightening the tension, especially when Scott cuts between flashes of confrontation between the characters from other scenes, with one scene that has the two soldiers charging at each other on horseback. The film can have a slow pace when the characters aren’t engaging in sword play, it takes its time to establish other characters and their relationship with the main characters such as with d’Hubert’s newly married, aristocratic wife and the Brigadier-General (played by Robert Stephens), who keeps a stern on eye on d’Hubert and his dispute with Feraud. But this does not make the film drag and instead allows us to experience the inner turmoil and disconnection from everyone else that both d’Hubert and Feraud created over a duel that consumes them over a long period of time. Especially good is a performance from the recently passed Albert Finney playing the Minster of Police, really leaving a lasting impression and reminding us what a talented actor he was. This film is a very good starting point for Ridley Scott and from there would only lead to a long-lasting directing career ahead of him.
4/5
Filmlife 