Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, based on the short story "The Duel" by Joseph Conrad
Starring: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Rains, Tom Conti
Running Time: 100 minutes
Genre: Historical drama
Strasbourg, 1800: French soldiers Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud (Keitel) and Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert (Carradine) become embroiled in a quarrel, when Feraud feels insulted after d'Hubert interrupts his visit to a prominent local woman (Jenny Runacre) with an unpleasant message from their superiors. A keen duellist, Feraud challenges d'Hubert to a duel, which leads to a succession of conflicts fought over years.
This was the feature debut from director Ridley Scott, who would go on to become one of the world's foremost filmmakers. This is a visually striking film, full of breathtaking images, with characters often posed in stately tableaux which make it look like a nineteenth century painting come to life. It takes place over a period of fifteen years in a number of different countries and is set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. The focus is always on the drama between these two men: d'Hubert is a charming, gallant hero who just wants to settle the thing and stop Feraud haunting him all the time. Feraud, on the other hand, is presented as a boorish, obsessive, violent pig who wants to kill d'Hubert really over nothing. With it's elegantly composed images, the film does at times feel too stately. The biggest problem in the movie, however, are Keith Carradine, and particularly Harvey Keitel, who just do not convince as nineteenth century French soldiers. Carradine looks the part, but every time he and, especially, Keitel open their mouths, the carefully constructed illusion of the 1800s is shattered. That being said, this is a good film. The story is interesting, if never particularly affecting, it's stunning to look at and it does have a real epic sweep to it.
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