The Duellists (1977)
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Two rival officers engage in a series of duels spanning nearly twenty years during the political tumult of the Napoleonic Wars.
The story
Set in France during the Napoleonic Wars, the film follows the obsessive Bonapartist Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud and the royalist Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert. After Feraud nearly kills a mayor's nephew in a duel, d'Hubert is ordered to place him under house arrest. Feraud takes this as a personal insult and challenges d'Hubert to a duel. Despite d'Hubert's attempts to avoid the confrontation, he is forced into a fight that leaves the result inconclusive and d'Hubert's face scarred. The two men's rivalry continues to escalate as they navigate the shifting political landscape of early 19th-century France.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1800, Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud challenges Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert to a duel after d'Hubert is ordered to place Feraud under house arrest. The fight is inconclusive, leaving d'Hubert's face scarred. Six months later, Feraud seriously wounds d'Hubert in another duel. By 1806, the two are captains; d'Hubert manages to slash Feraud's forehead during a mounted duel, but Feraud is unable to continue. During the French Army's retreat from Moscow in 1812, the two colonels are forced to cooperate briefly against Russian Cossacks. Following Napoleon's exile, d'Hubert recovers in Tours and marries Adele, while Feraud, now a brigadier-general, declares d'Hubert a traitor. After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, d'Hubert joins the army of Louis XVIII and persuades the Minister of Police to spare Feraud from execution. In 1816, an incensed Feraud challenges d'Hubert to a final pistol duel. Feraud misses both shots, while d'Hubert plays dead to coax Feraud into firing his second shot, also missing. With d'Hubert at point-blank range with his final loaded pistol, he chooses not to fire. He declares Feraud 'dead' in all future matters, and Feraud retreats into solitary provincial imprisonment, his obsession finally broken.
- First release year
- 1977
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ridley Scott
- Writers
- Gerald Vaughan-Hughes · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Harvey Keitel · Gabriel Feraud; Keith Carradine · Armand d'Hubert; Albert Finney · Joseph Fouché, Minister of Police; Edward Fox · Colonel Perteley, A Bonapartist Agent; Cristina Raines · Adele, later D'Hubert's Wife; Robert Stephens · Brigadier-General Treillard; Tom Conti · Dr. Jacquin, An Army Surgeon and Friend of D'Hubert; Stacy Keach · the film narrator
- Genres
- historical drama
- Themes
- Rivalry; Obsession; Honor; Political Turmoil
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Stylized; Baroque; Historical
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical Drama; Rivalry; Duel; Napoleonic Wars
- Source material / true-story basis
- Joseph Conrad's 1908 short story 'The Duel'
- Reception
- The film received widespread acclaim for its visuals, historical authenticity, and fight choreography. Critics praised Ridley Scott's direction, though some noted the performances were somewhat surface-level. It is considered a successful directorial debut.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 75% · review count: 63; Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Best Debut Film · Cannes Film Festival · 1977 · Won; Palme d'Or · Cannes Film Festival · 1977 · Nominated; Best Cinematography · 32nd British Academy Film Awards · Nominated; Best Costume Design · 32nd British Academy Film Awards · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's visual style was influenced by Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.; The fight choreography was done by master swordsman William Hobbs.; Gregory Widen stated the film was the inspiration for him to write Highlander.; The leads insisted on using real, un-dulled 1798-pattern light cavalry saber swords.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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