Anton Chekhov's The Duel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Anton Chekhov's The Duel Blu-ray Movie Review

There's a Method to their sadness.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 24, 2011

Anton Chekhov's plays are notoriously difficult to stage, as they rely less upon action or even traditional dialogue than they do upon the interior worlds of their characters, worlds which reveal themselves in the pauses between the dialogue or at best in a halting word or two. The whole notion of subtext was something that came from the Chekhovian tradition, as espoused by the Moscow Art Theater and Stanislavski, and then adapted and put through the mass consumption mill by such troupes as the Group Theatre and proponents like Clifford Odets, Harold Clurman, Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. A whole generation of actors therefore grew up learning "The Method" sometimes without knowing or at least bothering to care much about its Chekhovian antecedents. (It's interesting to note that the Group itself never eschewed these Chekhovian traditions, and indeed even planned a 1939 staging of Three Sisters to star Frances Farmer, then arguably the Group's hottest property and at that time one of the biggest box office draws in film and theater. Her emotional instability and other logistical problems hobbled the production, and it never materialized. Farmer later did The Seagull as Artist in Residence at Purdue in the mid-1960's). Though the written word might seem to present fewer obstacles with regard to interior worlds than do plays, there's perhaps just as hard a road to traverse with Chekhov's short stories, which by their very narrative nature can allow the reader more than a mere glimpse into manifold characters' inner motivations and musings. But Chekhov is just as discursive in his short stories and novellas as he is in his plays, albeit in different ways. That very dichotomy between the outer and inner worlds is fully on display in the absolutely sumptuous Anton Chekhov's The Duel, a 2010 film by Israeli-born Georgian (as in Russia) filmmaker Dover Kasashvili. Managing to present a cogent account of its characters' often dissolute lives without a bunch of overt "indicating," as well as offering some of the most lush and luscious scenery in recent memory (courtesy of a Croatian location shoot), Anton Chekhov's The Duel is a slow, quiet slide into desperation by a trio of main characters who, as in the best Chekhovian tradition, are indolent, arrogant and spoiled.

The Duel is a typically Chekhovian piece with a small cast of characters, all of whom are entangled in various platonic and romantic relationships. At the apex of this convoluted pyramid is Nadya (Fiona Glascott), a spoiled and selfish married woman who has embarked on a tempestuous affair with a laconic civil servant named Laevsky (Andrew Scott), a man who would just as soon spend a day drinking and playing cards as he would do anything that even resembled work. In a gorgeous seaside town supposedly on the Caucusus, a small band of other characters waft in and out of the proceedings, including Samoylenko (Niall Buggy), a doctor and sort of confidante of Laevsky’s, Von Koren (Tobias Menzies), a zooligist with a penchant for discussing Darwin and evolution, Marya (Michelle Fairley), an older woman with barely disguised contempt for Nadya and her “sinning” ways, and a local policeman (Mislav Èavajda) who seems to have had some preexisting relationship with Nadya which he’s attempting to reignite.

As in most pieces by Chekhov, play or short story, time is at a near standstill throughout much of The Duel. The sweltering summer of the Caucusus has slowed everything, including Laevsky’s once red hot passion for Nadya. Now bored and more fearful than ever of having to make a commitment, Laevsky is terrified of telling Nadya that he’s been informed her husband has actually died, making her “available” for a quick marriage. Around this initial deceit, Chekhov weaves his typically erudite discussions that involve everything from survival of the fittest to the proper decorum a married woman should display in public.

Those coming to Anton Chekhov’s The Duel expecting plot pyrotechnics and a typical three act structure are most likely going to be confounded by the lugubrious pace and unresolved feeling that hovers around what little plot there is. This is a piece resolutely focused on characters, and it’s here that scenarist Mary Bing and director Kasashvili prove themselves more than adequate to the task. Aided by an absolutely pitch perfect cast, The Duel plays out in long, sometimes laborious takes that can unexpectedly erupt into madness and chaos. Everything is so tamped down with these people that it’s bound to erupt sooner or later, as in so many of Chekhov’s pieces.

Scott is both reprehensible and oddly affecting as Laevsky, and Glascott, whose alabaster skin has to be seen to be believed (and maybe not even then), is a touching yet defiant Nadya. These two are not exactly a match made in heaven, and their halting, on-again off-again passion is fascinating if slightly repellent to watch. The entire supporting cast is superb, with finely nuanced work that never strays from Chekhovian understatement. In fact this is a film of almost Zen like proclivities, and even its title battle is something of a dud. But don’t let that lead you to believe this film is boring, or that nothing happens in it. Quite the contrary. But this is a film of small moments, a miniature lovingly crafted out of bits and pieces.

Kasashvili and his cinematographer Paul Sarossy have made one of the most effortlessly sumptuous and gorgeous films in recent memory, easily equal to the best Merchant-Ivory films, films Anton Chekhov’s The Duel mirrors in both its literary ambitions as well as its general tone. The ravishing sea, the pebble strewn beach, Nadya’s insane choices in fashion, all play out in one glorious image after another. Even the setting of the duel itself is magical in its own way, a hidden cave that is reminiscent of that similarly secret cavern in Last of the Mohicans. Anton Chekhov’s The Duel may be slow to divulge its secrets, but it’s a film with a very plangent soul which reverberates out quietly at first but ultimately has a devastating effect. If you give yourself into this duel, chances are you’ll be more than willing to completely surrender.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Anton Chekhov's The Duel is presented with an AVC encode in 1080p and a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This is quite simply an incredibly ravishing film, full of gorgeous light and some absolutely sumptuous scenery, and the Blu-ray offers it all in stunning detail. Colors are absolutely stunning throughout this film, with rich, beautifully textured yellows capturing the fading light of a Russian aristocracy. Gorgeous orange skies and pink parasols fill the frame in a sometimes giddy carnival of colors. The shadow detail, so important in some of the cavernous rooms in which The Duel takes place, is for the most part exceptional. Grain is very natural, adding a perfectly filmic texture to the proceedings. A very few softer midrange shots creep into view from time to time, but overall this is simply incredible looking stuff and should amaze most picky videophiles.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Anton Chekhov's The Duel is granted a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that may not be a sonic tour de force, but which, like the film itself, establishes itself slowly and quietly, and then suddenly erupts with a restless fury that will surprise and perhaps even shock some viewers. The bulk of this film plays out in smaller dialogue scenes, which are nonetheless granted some good discrete channelization effects. Ambient sounds are very impressive from the very first sequence featuring an errant fly. The underscore, a gently pulsating, quasi-minimalist approach, is invitingly mixed and never overwhelms the action. But there are a couple of really impressive LFE moments that will probably make a lot of listeners startle, both delivered with appropriate gusto and great dynamic range. This is a very artful track, meant not to overpower the listener but to gently seduce, and in that context, it does so most convincingly.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anton Chekhov's The Duel is reminiscent of the best Merchant Ivory productions, glossy, sumptuous but full of incredibly fine performances and unforgettable characters. If there's less traditional plot here than, say, a standard E.M. Forster outing, there's no less drama or impact. Led by two absolutely convincing performances by Scott and Glascott, and supported by a remarkably fine turn by a coterie of excellent character actors and actresses, this film is like a picture postcard that slowly reveals unexpected depth and tragedy within its sumptuously beautiful confines. It's slow, yes, but it's the slowness of deliberate thought and nuance, not boredom. This is a rich and fulfilling film experience for those with the patience to let it work its magic. Highly recommended.