Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”) is one of the last directors still responsible for visually stunning Hollywood epics. ‘Napoleon’ proves this once again, in which Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix, as the emperor of the same name, is not only busy conquering the world, but is also in the middle of a quite toxic relationship with his Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).
Previously, Ridley Scott managed to create great emotions and even greater images with, for example, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ or ‘Robin Hood’. But did you know that Napoleon already played an important role in Scott’s first film from 1977? The Napoleonic Wars formed the historical framework in “The Duelists”.
You can rent Ridley Scott’s historical epic for a fee on Amazon Prime Video or buy it digitally:
That’s what ‘The Duelists’ is about
In ‘The Duelists’ Harvey Keitel plays the role of Gabriel Feraud, a lieutenant in the French army. With his hot-headed character, he not only risked his life in the battles during the Napoleonic Wars. Even away from the front, he is quick with his mouth and his gun when dealing with other nobles. Only through a duel does he believe he can maintain his honor.
Constantly looking for an adrenaline rush and new “victims”, he eventually encounters the vain Armand D’Hubert (Keith Carradine). Although Feraud manages to defeat and injure his competitor this time, he does not let the defeat pass so easily – the beginning of an enmity that will last until the blood. The two squabbles meet again and again in the months and years that follow, and a final confrontation seems inevitable.
Wrongly forgotten
Napoleon as a character is not really important to ‘The Duelists’, but his unique work hangs over the events like a sword of Damocles. There is only one scene in which we see the Emperor – and that is his rear view:
Furthermore, ‘The Duellists’ is a film that you should definitely give a chance, because the historical epic has been unfairly forgotten. Ridley Scott’s feature-length debut is particularly impressive in terms of staging – and impresses with fantastic images inspired by contemporary painters and often reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Barry Lyndon’.