X
- 1978
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 40 m
- 1978
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 40 m
Summary A small feud between two Napoleonic officers evolves into a decades-long series of duels.
Directed By: Ridley Scott
Written By: Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, Joseph Conrad
- 1978
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 40 m
- 1978
- PG
- Paramount Pictures
- 1 h 40 m
The Duellists
70
7.7
Where to Watch
Summary A small feud between two Napoleonic officers evolves into a decades-long series of duels.
Directed By: Ridley Scott
Written By: Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, Joseph Conrad
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
70
62% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
38% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 13 Critic Reviews
70
62% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
38% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A forgotten masterpiece.
Ridley Scott has made a triumphant directing debut by creating a film that looks beautiful but never loses sight of the capacity for animosity and conflict lurking in the human psyche. [08 Mar 1978, p.D1]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 User Ratings
7.7
83% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
11% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 18 User Ratings
7.7
83% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
11% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
This is by far the best Ridley Scott's movie. Simply visually beautiful, simply as entertaining as a movie gets, simply greatly screenplayed, simply Scott at this best.
Report
In spite of the material's thinness, and even though Carradine and Keitel look ridiculous sporting fancy duds while speaking bodice-ripper dialogue in flat American accents, The Duellists endures as a diverting action potboiler.
Scott gets strong performances from his supporting cast and is able to salvage the movie through the alchemy of the striking visuals. [13 Feb 1992, p.13]
The period details are dryly elegant and painstakingly authentic. Yet the film feels underfed - there's not enough meat on the bones of the plot to warrant such opulence. [30 Jan 1978, p.55]
The film's outstanding beauty is not enough to compensate its slim story, which remains preoccupied with the duellists' insane obsession with military codes of conduct and personal honor.
Scott, a name in TV commercials making his first feature, brings little overall thrust, working instead in short bursts.
Apart from a few slightly under-lit scenes, this is visually stunning and at times on a par visually with Kubrick's Barrie Lyndon. The plot is a simple and enjoyable yarn. There is some great subtlety in some of Keith Carradine's acting, especially where D'Hubert's loyalties to Bonaparte or to the King are questioned. Harvey Keitel is well cast and brings his trademark intensity,
Report
Production Company
Paramount Pictures,
Enigma Productions,
Scott Free Enterprises,
National Film Finance Consortium,
National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC)
Release Date Jan 13, 1978
Duration 1 h 40 m
Rating PG
Tagline Fencing is a science. Loving is a passion. Duelling is an obsession.
Awards
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 2 Nominations
David di Donatello Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
