FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Duellists, The [DVD] [1977]

Duellists, The [DVD] [1977]
enlarge	Director: Ridley Scott Actors: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £3.97 as of 23/11/2009 23:55 GMT details You Save: £12.02 (75%) New (10) Used (2) from £3.86 Seller: selectcheaper Rating: 22 reviews Sales Rank: 5929 Format: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Original Language), Russian (Original Language) Rating: Parental Guidance Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 96 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5014437828439 ASIN: B000085RNP Theatrical Release Date: May 19, 1978 Release Date: March 24, 2003 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review One of the great directorial debuts, Ridley Scott's IThe Duellists/I is an extraordinary achievement which weaves an epic-in-miniature set around the edges of the Napoleonic Wars. Based on a story by Joseph Conrad, in turn inspired by real events and filmed in part where those events took place, this is the tale of a 15-year conflict between two French army officers: the level-headed Armand D'Hubert (Keith Carradine) and the obsessive Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel). Each time they meet they duel, until the original purpose of the conflict is all but lost. Beyond the two American stars, who fill their roles with rare commitment--accents not withstanding--Scott assembled a stellar cast: Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Pete Postlethwaite, Diana Quick, Cristina Raines, Robert Stephens, Tom Conti, John McEnery, Maurice Colbourne and Jenny Runacre. p The production values are astonishing and the film revels in the exquisite painterly visuals which have become a Scott trademark. Howard Blake's elegiac theme adds immeasurably to the impact of a film influenced by Stanley Kubrick's IBarry Lyndon/I (1974), and anticipating Scott's own Best Picture Oscar-winning IGladiator/I (2000). A haunting work of spectral beauty, it is also a worthy companion to Scott's shamefully neglected I1492: Conquest of Paradise/I (1992). p BOn the DVD:/B IThe Duellists/I is transferred at 1.77:1 with full sound atmospherically remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1. A new 29-minute documentary finds Scott discussing IThe Duellists/I with Kevin (IRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves/I) Reynolds, which is particularly enlightening given the relative merits of the two swashbucklers. Scott's absorbing commentary track provides an in-depth look into the film-making process. Equally, film music aficionados will be delighted to find not just an isolated music track, but an informative commentary by composer Howard Blake, though he does sometimes talk over the beginning or end of cues. Most unusual but very welcome is the inclusion of Scott's first short film, IBoy and Bicycle/I (1965), a 25-minute b/w mood piece starring Tony Scott, with music by John Barry. Other extras are a storyboard-to-screen comparison, the American trailer and four galleries of posters, stills and production photos. --IGary S Dalkin/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 1 2 3 4 5 Next » Without doubt, a five star flick... July 27, 2003 John Dynan (Elwood, Vic Australia) 28 out of 28 found this review helpful Based on Joseph Conrad's book "The Duel", the true story of a 30-year feud between two Napoleonic cavalry officers, "The Duellists" was Ridley Scott's first major film. Starring Keith Carradine as the pompous D'Hubert and a particularly menacing Harvey Keitel as Feraud, the film climbs inside the minds of two men for whom honor is more important than life itself.pThe two antagonists begin their series of bloody encounters when D'Hubert is ordered by his commanding general to arrest Feraud for wounding the local mayor's nephew in a duel. Feraud, in a hopelessly irrational state, challenges D'Hubert to a duel, which is carried out more or less on the spot. D'Hubert comes off slightly better in the initial encounter, which only serves to fuel Feraud's rage, and the course of the film is set.pThe cinematography of this film, shot by Frank Tidy, is almost beyond comparison. The previous versions on VHS simply looked muddy and rather washed out. The colors lacked any real saturation, rendering Feraud's bottle-green dolman black and it almost looked like a poor quality black and white in some scenes, especially those set in Napoleon's abortive Russian campaign.pThe DVD transfer, by contrast, is staggeringly beautiful and releases colors, which I did not realize existed in the original. I am, by coincidence, a professional cameraman and I rate this as the best shot film I have ever seen. The only criticism I have is a somewhat inconsistent use of graduated filters, which, whilst they were probably quite innovative for their day, don't always work well. Grads are always a problem and any film made since will tend to suffer the same way. A very minor point.pThe costumes and settings; mostly in The Dordogne, make the film not only totally authentic but defy the viewer to believe that it was made on a shoestring budget. The visual splendour challenges any modern filmaker to create the same effect without spending a vault full of money to achieve it. That is only part of the appeal of the film.pThe acting performances, particularly by Keitel, want for nothing. The scene with Feraud standing on a cliff overlooking the river valley, taken in context, makes you realise that his life and pretensions to honor have been for nothing. His mania for revenge has cost him everything. Melded to the other performances with superlative skill by Ridley Scott, this film is a masterpiece and has now gone from a film I liked a lot to one which is now firmly wedged in my top ten. Like as not, it will stay there for a long time. Ridley Scott's Neglected Masterpiece April 5, 2002 20 out of 21 found this review helpful With a cast which reads like a "Who's Who?" of British theatre this film should be good. It isn't, it's fantastic.brAfter umpteen viewings of this beautifully photographed work I still devour each scene. Although the costumes and accompanying paraphenalia give an air of the finest BBC costume drama, the atmosphere created is one of frill-free realism.brThe two main protagonists, both men of honour and professional soldiers, are studies of reason and unjustified hatred. They are brought together by pure chance yet their destinies seem to be interlinked over a period exceeding two decades. Throughout the entire film, I desperately wanted to shake Keitel's character and make him realise how wrong he is to pursue Carradine so relentlessly. They should really be able to have a beer and forget their differences, but then again, I suppose that would have made a pretty poor film.brThe action scenes are graphic without being gory, each duel a miniature peak in an enthralling landscape of characters.brI won't spoil the story by giving away the ending, but I don't think that I've ever seen a better denouement in a British film. Let's just say that by the time the titles come up, both characters have had an experience of justice and that any spectator must sympathise and empathise with both men. Given the extremely diverse nature of their two characters, this is perhaps the main triumph of the film.brWatch it. The Duellists January 8, 2003 13 out of 14 found this review helpful Perhaps one of Mr Scott's lesser known films, but in my view maybe one of his best. The style, the colours, the action all say this is a Scott film. Set during the Napoleonic wars, and based on a misunderstanding, it takes on a vivid portrayal of duels, honour, war and the impact these have on the protagonists. Harvey Keitel is as usual brilliant, and Keith Carridine plays one of his finest roles. Maybe a cult film, but a film that deserves much more recognition than it ever recieved. The enemies of Reason have a certain blind look ... February 2, 2003 MarmiteMan (Norwich, England) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful After shooting artsy advertisements, Ridley Scott turned his considerable talents to actual motion pictures. His first attempt is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novella 'The Point Of Honour' - a tale of fixation-cum-obsession. Fencing in this film - crude and seemingly ungentlemanly - reflects a more realistic portrayal, rather than the quasi-romantic stylistic, balletic and 'clean' approach favoured by just about all previous films (the Musketeer films, Cartouche, Scaramouche, Don Juan, etc.); some of this fencing was also done with heavy cavalry sabres - not really 'fencing' weapons!pThe American accents of Keith Carradine (Armand d'Hubert, 3ème Régiment de Hussards, reluctant duellist and realist-rather-than-Royalist) and Harvey Keitel (Gabriel Ferraud, 7ème Régiment de Hussards, and manic man of honour, fixated on fighting duels), along with Stacey Keach's third-person narration, perhaps reflecting the wider conflict and mankind's apparent need to struggle, might not be to everybody's liking. Nevertheless, Scott's attention to even the tiniest peripheral or background detail adds a visually-arresting still-life quality to the quite stunning scenery and locations. All Scott's trademarks are there, such as the moody tableaux of early-morning mists, along with condensation breath. With each viewing comes the joyous discovery of yet more period and cinematic detail.pBesides, those Hussar uniforms are pretty cool, huh ...?!! Superior filmmaking February 27, 2007 SoWasRed (North UK) 6 out of 7 found this review helpful I watched this many years ago on BBC2 and found it a fleeting curiosity (being quite young and believing there would be more battles etc. I expected more). However, I've just watched it again (on a very big screen) and reappraised what a gem this actually is. Scott's direction is assured and each frame drips with shadow and washed out colours, like a faded painting of the era. The characters are little clichéd in places, but their motivations are interesting and their constant collisions resulting in duels are suspenseful and exciting. I watched this not long after Barry Lyndon, and must say The Duellists is a superior film. br /Picture: 5 of 5 br /Sound: 4 of 5 br /Extras: 2 of 5 br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 1 2 3 4 5 Next »

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