The Duellists (1977)

My Review

“The Duellists” is a drama film about a series of duels between two French Army officers in the early 1800’s. Director Ridley Scott, in his feature film debut, created an historically accurate piece with authentic costumes and dueling weapons, but really offers nothing more interesting than that. The screenplay by Gerald Vaughn-Hughes, adapted from 1908 stories by Joseph Conrad, is a gigantic bore. Beware of falling asleep in the 100 minute running time!

The cast includes Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Tom Conti, Edward Fox, Cristina Raines, Robert Stephens, Diana Quick, John McEnery, and Stacy Keach as the narrator. The unwatchable malarkey “The Duellists” was a flop at the box office for Enigma Productions, Scott Free Enterprises, National Film Finance Consortium, and Paramount Pictures.