The Duellists (1977)
Country: GB
Technical: col 101m
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, Diana Quick, Robert Stephens, Jon McEnery, Tom Conti, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
Synopsis:
During the Napoleonic wars, two officers in the Imperial Army fight repeated duels over a perceived slight of trivial importance.
Review:
One of few outstanding British films of the period, Ridley Scott's first feature is a Puttnam production of a story by Joseph Conrad. Its episodic dramatic structure is based around a series of duels, but there is a strong sense of a code of honour guiding the men's lives, a code which, while one abides by it grudgingly, the other makes the focus of his existence. Keitel is superb as the impassive, implacable Feraud; Carradine's American accent at times obtrudes, and he perhaps lacks the necessary carriage for a high-ranking officer, yet he nevertheless delivers his witty retorts with panache. The film is most often remembered for its cinematography and, give or take the odd zoom which clashes with the period feel (a sign of the times), it does look a treat, with some wonderful early morning duels set near disused rustic buildings, and a fine sense of composition. Further, the attention to period detail in props and costumes, and a shrewd eye for settings, eschewing studio interiors for genuine French ones, together with Howard Blake's despondent score for solo flute, oboe and bassoon, contributes much to the picture's indelible impression. The penultimate shot, as Feraud overlooks a partly flooded Dordogne (?) valley, has one of those fortuitous accidents of light of which directors can but dream. 'The story could be seen as a metaphor for the Napoleonic bloodlust, with decent, honest Europe constantly beset by unsolicited aggression.' (J.A.Thompson)
Country: GB
Technical: col 101m
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, Diana Quick, Robert Stephens, Jon McEnery, Tom Conti, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
Synopsis:
During the Napoleonic wars, two officers in the Imperial Army fight repeated duels over a perceived slight of trivial importance.
Review:
One of few outstanding British films of the period, Ridley Scott's first feature is a Puttnam production of a story by Joseph Conrad. Its episodic dramatic structure is based around a series of duels, but there is a strong sense of a code of honour guiding the men's lives, a code which, while one abides by it grudgingly, the other makes the focus of his existence. Keitel is superb as the impassive, implacable Feraud; Carradine's American accent at times obtrudes, and he perhaps lacks the necessary carriage for a high-ranking officer, yet he nevertheless delivers his witty retorts with panache. The film is most often remembered for its cinematography and, give or take the odd zoom which clashes with the period feel (a sign of the times), it does look a treat, with some wonderful early morning duels set near disused rustic buildings, and a fine sense of composition. Further, the attention to period detail in props and costumes, and a shrewd eye for settings, eschewing studio interiors for genuine French ones, together with Howard Blake's despondent score for solo flute, oboe and bassoon, contributes much to the picture's indelible impression. The penultimate shot, as Feraud overlooks a partly flooded Dordogne (?) valley, has one of those fortuitous accidents of light of which directors can but dream. 'The story could be seen as a metaphor for the Napoleonic bloodlust, with decent, honest Europe constantly beset by unsolicited aggression.' (J.A.Thompson)
Country: GB
Technical: col 101m
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine, Diana Quick, Robert Stephens, Jon McEnery, Tom Conti, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
Synopsis:
During the Napoleonic wars, two officers in the Imperial Army fight repeated duels over a perceived slight of trivial importance.
Review:
One of few outstanding British films of the period, Ridley Scott's first feature is a Puttnam production of a story by Joseph Conrad. Its episodic dramatic structure is based around a series of duels, but there is a strong sense of a code of honour guiding the men's lives, a code which, while one abides by it grudgingly, the other makes the focus of his existence. Keitel is superb as the impassive, implacable Feraud; Carradine's American accent at times obtrudes, and he perhaps lacks the necessary carriage for a high-ranking officer, yet he nevertheless delivers his witty retorts with panache. The film is most often remembered for its cinematography and, give or take the odd zoom which clashes with the period feel (a sign of the times), it does look a treat, with some wonderful early morning duels set near disused rustic buildings, and a fine sense of composition. Further, the attention to period detail in props and costumes, and a shrewd eye for settings, eschewing studio interiors for genuine French ones, together with Howard Blake's despondent score for solo flute, oboe and bassoon, contributes much to the picture's indelible impression. The penultimate shot, as Feraud overlooks a partly flooded Dordogne (?) valley, has one of those fortuitous accidents of light of which directors can but dream. 'The story could be seen as a metaphor for the Napoleonic bloodlust, with decent, honest Europe constantly beset by unsolicited aggression.' (J.A.Thompson)