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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