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The Duellists | Year: 1977 Classification: Drama Directed: - Ridley Scott Actors/Actresses: - Keith Carradine - Harvey Keitel A gorgeous movie! If you haven't seen this little gem, one of Ridley Scott's first films, you are in for a treat. The movie had a narrow, art house release in the late seventies, so the odds are you haven't seen it. The movie is set in the Napoleonic wars, and the military costumes are absolutely magnificent. In a commentary with Kevin Reynolds, Scott states that the uniforms cost 19,000 pounds--that is about $30,000.00 in 1977 dollars! The story revolves around a series of duels between two French army officers, D'hubert (Carradine) and Feraud (Keitel). Feraud is the heavy of the piece, having started the duels for no reason whatsoever. But D'hubert's own warped sense of honor won't allow him to refuse the challenges. Neither of the leads was Scott's first choice; the two actors he wanted were refused by the studio funding the project. If he wanted the money, he had to choose from a list of four actors the studio gave him. And he wanted the money. So literally every other actor in the film is better, and fits in the film better, than the two leads. Doesn't matter. This is a stunningly beautiful film. Every scene is so gorgeous it is like a painting. It is all about the scenery and the costumes. Every military history buff should own a copy of this DVD just for the costumes alone. The DVD itself is gorgeous, with vivid colors, and it is crammed with extras including a director's commentary with Ridley Scott. Get it. cinematography by Rembrandt? The DUELLISTS, the first film by GLADIATOR director Ridley Scott, is the story of two soldiers in Napoleon's army who pursue a point of honor to the point of absurdity, fighting duels over a period of several decades. People often comment on the beautiful visuals in Scott's films, and indeed there were several times I had to remind myself I wasn't looking at the wall of a museum, it's a gorgeous movie. <BR>But focusing just on the visuals is like talking about the atmosphere at a restaurant. There's a gaping hole in the movie and sadly it's name is Keith Carradine. Carradine, a star of Robert Altman films in the '70s, is much too modern and and laid back to play a leader of men in 19th century Europe, he'd rather be surfing. His opponent is played by Harvey Keitel in a ferocious performance, he looks like he could take over the continent by himself. The supporting cast is top drawer (Albert Finney, Tom Conti, Edward Fox) and the closing shootout is well staged. With a stronger actor in Carradine's part, this could have been great.<BR>This generous and inexpensive DVD includes commentaries, an interview with Scott, and a surprisingly Truffaut-like short film Scott made in the '60s. VISUAL FEAST - I enjoyed this film because the producers have captured the era magnificentley with respect to period detail as well as the language and of course the mood of the time. I was captured by the opening scene and wasn't released till the end,as the story appealed to my interest in history in general and the film certainly fulfilled this aspect as well. The question I asked myself after seeing this film was "...why can't they make films like this anymore?..." as I learnt of the paltry budget this film was produced from. Instead of overdone special effects and mindless violence which assaults us today more often than not, this genre/style of film is appealing and should be copied with more frequency. Superb Keitel and good solid performance by Carradine. Buy The Duellists at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Duellists Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Duellists This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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