Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Duellists Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 12, 2020

Ridley Scott's "The Duellists" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with actor Keith Carradine; audio commentary and isolated score by composer Howard Blake; audio commentary by Ridley Scott; and more. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

*The text below was initially used for our review of Shout Factory's North American release of the film.

Ridley Scott’s directorial debut The Duellists, which won Best First Work Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1977, is set during the Napoleonic Wars and tells the story of two French officers. The first, Feraud (Harvey Keitel, Death Watch), is a brash and argumentative man who consistently challenges those who disagree with him to duels. The second, D'Hubert (Keith Carradine, Southern Comfort), is a shrewd man who tends to speak only when it is absolutely necessary.

The two men meet for the first time in Mme. de Lionne’s (Jenny Runacre, The Passenger) lavish salon. D'Hubert delivers an important message to Feraud which inadvertently compromises his image in front of Mme. de Lionne’s guests. Seriously upset, Feraud challenges D’Hubert to a duel, which he is convinced will restore his honor. Aware of Feraud’s reputation, at first D’Hubert refuses to get involved with him, but when Feraud questions his honor he accepts the challenge.

The duel, however, fails to resolve the situation. A second duel is then arranged and this time around Feraud seriously wounds D’Hubert. As the code dictates, the duel is quickly abandoned, and Feraud and D’Hubert agree to meet again when the latter is ready to defend himself. In the coming months and years Feraud and D’Hubert, both obsessed with each other, repeatedly clash, while Napoleon slowly begins to redraw the map of Europe.

Based on a short story by Joseph Conrad, The Duellists offers a fascinating exploration of a classist society in which honor is routinely used as a pretext to justify murder. Much like patriotism, its meaning is never questioned by the powerful but constantly readjusted to serve their interests.

The important events in the film are seen through D’Hubert’s eyes; he is an intelligent man who understands the times he lives in and the often dangerous dilemmas they present to free-thinkers like him. As he repeatedly clashes with Feraud, he comes in touch with different people who represent or have connections with the country’s elite. The overwhelming majority of them are as fanatical as Feraud, manipulators and willing to be manipulated so long as their goals are accomplished.

Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon might have influenced Scott, but The Duellists certainly has an identity of its own. The film’s visual style clearly confirms the existence of a grand vision and ultimately a desire to impress without imitating someone else’s work. (The lensing by first-time cinematographer Frank Tidy, in particular, is unusually elegant).

The cast is very convincing. Keitel is spectacular as the obsessed with his opponent officer who can’t find peace throughout the years. The final scene where he quietly climbs the hill and looks over the valley is legendary. Carradine is equally impressive as D’Hubert. His facial expressions repeatedly reveal how difficult it is for him to control his emotions each time Feraud’s name is mentioned.

Peter J. Hamton’s (Shanghai Noon) production designs and especially Tom Rand’s (The French Lieutenant's Woman) costume designs deserve a special mention. The outstanding costumes seen throughout the film are a good enough reason to recommend seeing it twice.

The Duellists Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Duellists arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same master that Shout Factory utilized to produce the North America release of The Duellists in 2013. Obviously, this is an old master, and I think that it was prepared even earlier. However, even today I still think that it is quite nice. Here's why:

First, there are no traces of the type of digital adjustments that make many of the older masters that emerge from Universal's vaults unsuitable for Blu-ray. (This master was licensed from Paramount). So, even though it is rather easy to tell that the master isn't new there is nothing particularly distracting on it either. In fact, many close-ups boast very nice delineation and there are plenty of wider shots that have surprisingly good depth (see screencaptures #2 and 3). Furthermore, the color scheme is pretty good. I think that if a new 4K master is prepared under Ridley Scott's supervision this would be one of the key area where various meaningful improvements will be made, but I am quite certain that even if the film gets a proper contemporary makeover a lot of the current color values will be retained. Why? Because it is easy to see that there is period stylization that is integrated into the color scheme (the brownish and blueish hues are part of it). In other words, nuances will be expanded and some primaries rebalanced and the film will get a fresher appearance, but the period stylization and all of the temperature shits it produces will remain. (The rebalancing will expose finer details like the ones that are currently difficult to identify in the tree from screencapture #1). Fluidity can be improved, but on the current master this isn't a serious issue. A few white specks remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though the age of the current master shows, it delivers a good presentation of the film with an overall nice organic appearance. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).

The Duellists Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I prefer the 2.0 track and I don't think there is anything wrong with it -- it is healthy and produces nice dynamic nuances. However, I wonder if a future master would make the audio sound 'fuller'. It just feels like some segments, like the Russia segment where the strings and the wind are brought together, can sound even better. Perhaps I am wrong, but I just feel like the audio could get an upgrade. (Maybe a brand new Atmos mix will get the job done).

The Duellists Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Keith Carradine - in this video interview, Keith Carradine discusses the production history of The Duellists, its reception and success at the Cannes Film Festival, and its cult status. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080i).

• Dueling Directors: Ridley Scott and Kevin Reynolds - in this lengthy video interview, director Kevin Reynolds (The Count of Monte Cristo) and Ridley Scott discuss the unique qualities of The Duellists as well as the film's history. Also included are excerpts from an archival interview with writer Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, raw footage from the shooting of the film, as well as archival footage from the Cannes Film Festival. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080i).

• Commentary One - this is the same audio commentary with director Ridley Scott that was included on Paramount's R1 DVD release of The Duellists. In it the director discusses in great detail how the film came to exist.

• Commentary Two - audio commentary and isolated score by composer Howard Blake. Both were also included on the R1 DVD release of The Duellists.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Duellists. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Imprint Trailer - a promotional trailer for Via Vision Entertainment's new series.

The Duellists Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you missed Shout Factory's out of print release of The Duellists and you want to have a copy of the film in your collection, pick up Via Vision Entertainment's release. It is sourced from the same master that was used to produce the North American release, which is old but still quite good, and retains all supplemental features. It is Region-Free as well. My guess is that in the future this film will be redone in 4K, and almost certainly under Ridley Scott's supervision, but more than likely it will be a while before it happens. For the time being what is on the Blu-ray release is the best technical presentation of the film, which I like quite a lot. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.