Strife without reason. A quarrel pursued for its own sake.
– Liz Smith, as the Fortune Teller.
I remember the first time I watched The Duellists.
It was on my black-and-white portable TV, in my bedroom, when I was 12-years-old … and that is no way to watch The Duellists … or any movie for that matter!
But even on that grainy, nine-inch monochrome screen, I appreciated the movie’s beauty.
It was several years before I got the opportunity for a second viewing, then on a full-size color TV.
It was before widescreen; the picture was cropped and reformatted to fit the TV screen, but seeing it in color made it better, and the experience of watching The Duellists the first time around has never left me.
The Duellists released in France, on August 31, 1977, won the award for Best Debut Film, at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, and has since been included on The New York Times list of best movies, along with being commended for its attention to period detail.
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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