The Duellists

The Duellists is a 1977 movie directed by Ridley Scott.

The Duellists tells the story of two French soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars who engage in a series of duels. The duels span fifteen years and become a vital part of each man’s life.

You can usually tell when you’re watching a first-time director. There’s an energy and inventiveness that has been bottled up – and typically embellished with exuberant overindulgences.

Yet The Duellists is an incredibly restrained first offering. Ridley Scott delivers a movie that is strangely timeless – it’s a low budget production that is occasionally grand but brilliant in its grittiness. The focus is rightly squared on its two lead actors, Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel – and ignores getting swept up in the grandiose map of Napoleonic conquests.

At its heart, The Duellists is a character study: this is an actor’s movie. Carradine and Keitel essentially play opposites. Carradine’s Armand is an even-tempered, good humored soldier who exhibits a soft, loving exterior. Keitel’s Feraud is intense and hot-headed – he’s prone to quick violence.

The movie opens with Feraud dominating a duel – he almost looks bored as his opponent is overmatched. As his sword sticks into his opponent, Feraud walks away disgusted. Later, Armand is dispatched with orders to bring in Feraud – he is to be placed under house arrest as his dueling victim is revealed to be the nephew of Strasbourg’s mayor.

It is here that Feraud receives his insult from Armand. Armand retrieves Feraud at a salon – in front of assembled socialites. It’s never clear what the actual slight is, but the mercurial Feraud is livid and demands instant satisfaction in the form of a duel.

The contrast between actors is intriguing. Scott presents a simple clash of personalities and energies. Keitel is manic at times – his Feraud is brash, direct and feels persecuted throughout the movie. Carradine’s Armand is the more rational and measured of the two. He attempts to analyze the situation while Feraud leaps toward immediate conflict.

Keitel channels his character’s rage – he’s trying to lure Armand into physical battle: “What reason would you like?! Would you have me spit in your face?! Cut a chunk of your flesh!?” It’s evident that Feraud has deeper issues than the perceived insult – he’s lacking in some quality that only dueling can satisfy.

There’s a literal Napoleonic complex occurring with Keitel’s Feraud. He’s shorter in stature and his military career hasn’t advanced like Armand’s. As time passes, Armand becomes a General and settles into married life. Feraud reads about his achievements and seeks him out for a final duel.

The ending of the movie is wildly symbolic. Feraud is adorned in the Napoleonic fashion of a long jacket and bicorne. He gazes over a vast stretch of land, almost as if surveying a battlefield. He has lost the final duel – but the social context is greater: Napoleon has long been defeated and France has returned to royal rule. Feraud simply doesn’t fit anymore.

Carradine’s Armand is a challenging character. He spends the majority of the movie responding to Feraud’s provocations. He attempts to rationalize how to avoid Feraud – which over time, proves futile. Carradine gives Armand a sensitive, introspective demeanor – qualities that initially portray his character as weak.

However, as the story evolves, Armand becomes skilled at adapting to the changes in his environment. He rises in military rank and transitions to the Royal Army once Napoleon is defeated. At his wedding reception, he artfully dodges questions of his past loyalties. He is a graceful survivor with a child on the way – which adds a permanence to the final duel.

There is an abursdity to the series of duels. The original insult is long forgotten and its context changes as the years pass. In order to continue the feud, Feraud eventually charges Armand as an enemy to Napoleon. Years later, Armand uses his connections to spare Feraud – a Napoleon loyalist – from a planned execution.

The feud devolves to the barren, cold tundra of Russia as troops freeze to death during the Napoleonic Wars. Armand and Feraud silently recognize each other amidst the hunger and death surrounding them. They venture off to continue their feud – this time a pistol duel – before they band together to fight off a group of Cossacks.

The duels themselves are spectacular. They are displayed in realist tones – you can feel the weight of the sabres and the flesh wounds are raw and savage. The third duel sees each combatant brutally scarred and ripped apart. They fight until exhaustion – gasping for breath and clutching each other. The results are brutal – one duel occurs on horseback and Feraud “has taken a slight wound across the forehead” – he’s dazed and gushing blood.

Nothing about the duels is sensationalized. The Duellists is far from an action movie – although each actor looks competent in their movements. The choreography is never exact, which adds to the realism of the battles. The characters’ aggression overtakes strategy and in the third duel, Armand has a case of the sneezes. We see his hands trembling before the horseback encounter.

This realism extends to Scott’s choices regarding the movie’s settings. There are no designed sets – the duels occur in nature, with the exception of the underground battle. Yet, the places Scott chooses offer a lush companion to the brutality of the duels. There is a beauty in this simplicity – an effortless regality is captured that enhances 18th century France.

The BEST – Honor

Both Feraud and Armand cling to honor as their feud lingers. Feraud is clearly the instigator and the more vocal combatant. However, the more methodical Armand refuses to incriminate his opponent, telling his superior: “Sir, I cannot fight the man three times and then tell tales on him.” Despite living in constant uncertainty, Armand cannot allow himself to gain what would be a tainted victory.

The BEST Part 2 – Laura the HypeMan

Laura is a dynamic character trying to navigate the best path for her life. She’s received a marriage offer from a wounded veteran but would rather be with Armand. Yet, when she realizes the weight of the feud, she abandons Armand – only to return again later. However, her best moment comes when she confronts Feraud in front of a group of his friends. She verbally assaults him: “You feed your spite on him with no more sense than a bloodsucking louse.”

The BEST Part 3 – The Frenchman from Brooklyn

If Keitel were a lesser actor, Feraud would be a silly character. He’s a short Italian with a Brooklyn accent playing a fiery French officer. When his temper flares – which is often – the accent creeps out.

The WORST – The Frenchman From Brooklyn

If you overthink this, the movie gets ruined.

FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4.25/5

This is an extraordinary debut for a director. In the hands of lesser talent, The Duellists could have easily turned into an empty period piece – or even a heavy-handed morality tale. Yet, Scott presents a gritty tale of honor and obsession that is vastly underrated.