Rating: 
Summary: Stunningly Beautiful Film
Review: Director Ridley Scott (Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Alien) made his directorial debut with this overlooked gem - THE DUELLISTS, based on a story by Joseph Conrad. Released in 1977, the movie didn't make much of an impact in the US, although it was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes and won Scott the coveted Best First Work at that festival.The movie chronicles the long-lasting feud between two French officers, the hot-headed Feraud (played by Harvey Keitel) and the more even-keeled D'Hubbert (played by Keith Carradine), during the Napoleonic wars. The feud has murky beginnings, but it lasts for decades due to the lead characters' desires to avoid losing their "honor." As they cross paths during various parts of their lives, they duel. The duel scenes are well-filmed and add a great deal of excitement to the plot. The main story is also interesting, as the men's duels forge an unlikely relationship between them. The lead actors do a passable job in their roles, although they seem out of place amongst the largely British supporting players; Keitel actually seems more at place in the film, despite his eastern accent. Finally, the cinematography is stunning, and it's one of the most beautiful looking films of its period; the look of the film is a bit like "Barry Lyndon," although the tone is warmer. Overall, this film is an intriguing part of the Ridley Scott canon; it stands among his best works and one of the most overlooked films of the 70s. DVD extras: director's commentary with Ridley Scott, and director Keith Reynolds also interviews Scott.
Rating:
Summary: Intense Study of Hatred and Honor
Review: In our modern times, it may be hard to understand the notions of honor and satisfaction. They seem so foreign, so antiquated compared to our somewhat softer emotional times. As Ridley Scott's excellent film shows, the grip that the preservation of ones honor held, especially concerning European men of note and stature, was unbelievably intense. To some, the thrill of the duel and the purpose behind it grew into an obsession of vengeance and self testing, in order to show ones superiority over another. In the days of Napoleon, when all of Europe seemed linked to martial culture, the officers of the military saw their own honor as the embodiment of their whole life. Some, like Harvey Keitel's horrifying character Feraud, let the concentration take over their lives, much to the chagrin of any targets his diseased mind identified. As soon as we are introduced to Lt. Feraud, we know he has some serious mental problems. Fresh off a brutal honor killing, he is to be put under house arrest. The arresting officer is Lt. D'Hubert, a more mild sort of character. Feraud, wrongly, identifies an insulting manner inside his fair haired colleague, and, of course, challenges him to a duel. The battle goes unresolved, which sets in motion the decades long blood feud. Both men rise through the ranks, and continue to command units in the widely stretched armies of Imperial France. Time and time again, the two meet up, all across the geography of Europe. Feraud is so consumed with hatred, and D'Hubert responds with a hatred of his own, an intense animus resulting from the irrational actions of Feraud. Repeatedly, however, each officers thirst for blood goes unquenched, and the struggle goes on. Finally, after the war, both men meet for the final time, in a clash as stunning in its conclusion as its message for Feraud and people like him. Ridley Scott is known as a very visual director, and you can see how this reputation developed early on. The Duellists is one of the richest films I've ever seen, with cinematography, lighting, costumes, and landscapes that boggle the mind. Some of the action scenes and battlefields are so realistic that one feels a historical transportation, into a romantic painting of said event. The story itself is fairly straight forward, although one of the movies few detriments lay with the love story that meanders on with D'Hubert, for a while. I found it wholly unsatisfying, as it tries to assume importance only to come up empty at the end. The movies meaning, however, is very deep and taken seriously, as the final landscape scene attests. The performances are wonderful, especially Keith Carradine as D'Hubert, the somewhat sheepish but morally stoic object of Ferauds odium. Feraud himself is portrayed fantastically by the unbalanced gruff pseudo-Prussian Harvey Keitel, who does a great job of transporting himself from more urban American roles to Napoleonic France. All in all, a great film.
Rating: 
Summary: The First Film of a Master
Review: This is Ridley Scott's first film as a director. Before this he was a set designer. As you can imagine all the settings in the film are so beautiful they seem fictionally fantastic at times. Harvey Keitel does and excellent job. This movie completely changed my view of him in his later movies. Keith Carradine does a one hit wonder performance. As a fencer I can honestly say that the movie does very well. The actors use a good majority of the stances and fighting styles that would be used at the time. It should also be mentioned that the book is also a great written by conrad.
Rating:
Summary: Notions of Honor.....
Review: This first film by Ridley Scott blew me away when I first saw it. With some of the finest cinematography, by Frank Tidy, I had ever seen and meticulous period detail, this story of two officers in Napolean's army that engage in a series of duels over the 16 years of Napolean's reign in between his various wars, was a gem of economic story-telling, and provided an interesting slant on duty and honor. Keith Carradine as Armond D'Hubert and Harvey Keitel as Gabriel Feraud may seem odd choices for the leads, and some may be unable to look past their accents, but the two actors bring the correct personalities and attitudes to their characters. Carradine's D'Hubert has reluctantly been drawn into these deadly contests in the name of honor by the unremitting, mulish obstinancy of Keitel's Feraud. Carradine's lanky correctness is countered by Keitel's ferocious intensity. D'Hubert is a thoughtful, dutiful man; Feraud is a mean little cuss and obstinancy personified. There are some memorable scenes in the film: an early morning duel with golden light bathing the stone walls of a manor; a wounded Carradine in a bathtub, terrifed to sneeze; a ferocious fight in a barn shot in diffused natural lighting; the ice and snow of Napolean's retreat from Russia, with the mute eloquence of the frozen dead; the final duel in the gardens of a ruined castle. Wonderful stuff. Carradine's character shows us the fear and frustration of facing the blind and unreasoning enmity of Keitel's character. As his mistress says to Keitel "you feed your spite on him". The various duels are great, thanks to the choreography of Bill Hobbs who shows dueling as FIGHTING(as he did in the Musketeers movies). It all culminates in an ending that is most satisfying. With terrific costumes and hairstyles that change over the period covered, and aided by cameo performances from Tom Conti, Robert Stephenson, Albert Finney, and Diana Quick and Christina Raines, this overlooked gem is well worth your while.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the finest photography yet seen in cinema.
Review: Worth seeing for the stunning camera work alone. Flawless and breath-taking. A small budget film steeped in visual perfection. A great DVD and essential purchase. I think it's probably Scott's best work along with Alien and Gladiator. DO NOT hesitate. Buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: Clothes make the movie
Review: The old saying that clothes make the man can be said for "The Duellists." This is one of the few period films I've ever watched where I've been very, very aware of the talents of the costumers. "Huh?," you may ask. Yes, this film has much to praise, but I perfer to praise the costumes because in no other film about the Napoleonic era have I ever seen the spendor of La Grande Armée so vividly portrayed. And yet, there are no massive battle scenes or shots of thousands of troops marching down the road. The granduer of Napoleon's troops are summarized in the accuracy and beauty of the uniforms worn by just a handful of actors and extras. Yet, the uniforms on screen speak volumes about the unseen Napoleon and his campaigns. Director Ridley Scott and costume designer Tom Rand make the Napoleonic period come alive in a way that no other filmmakers (with much larger budgets) have ever achieved.
Rating:
Summary: Finally On DVD
Review: This is easily William Hobbs' best work. One of the best films I've seen for realistic sword choreography. It's also, for my money, among Ridley Scott's best as well.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars film ! (very elusive nowadays)!!!
Review: After 42 reviews not much remains to be said, except there is a must for Napoleonic wargamers interested on the evolution of the uniform of Hussars. Same for reenactors and lovers of the period.
A part from that for my taste is a truly masterpiece of ambiance and truly a trip backwards in time, utterly believable "mise en scene". BRAVO!.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fencing Scenes in any Movie. (Period)
Review: I agree with all of the other positive comments, and would like to add that the fencing scenes are quite simply the most impressive and "realistic" I have ever seen. This is among my top five favorite films.
Rating:
Summary: The Duelists-Solid!
Review: A solid film! The story is very Conrad. A tight story line with very interesting psychological study of character motivations. The acting is sound as the story requires characters with depth and physcial ability for action. Ridley Scott's cinematography enhances the development of the characters and their world beautifuly. From begining to end a visual and aesthetic masterpiece of film which culminates in a classicly tragic tale about two men's obsession with dueling and its impact on their lives. Highly recommended quality film...
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