Cult 101: The Duellists (1977)
Director: Ridley Scott Run Time: 100 min. Rating: PG Release Year: 1977
Starring: Albert Finney, Cristina Raines, Edward Fox, Harvey Keitel, Keith Carradine
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English, Russian with English subtitles
Presented as part of the 2023 edition of Cult 101.
About the film:
Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel star in this dramatic film about two officers in Napoleon’s army who violently confront each other in a series of duels. The duels begin as a reaction to a minor incident and escalate into a consuming passion that rules the lives of both men for a period of 30 years.
Based on Joseph Conrad’s story, The Duellists (1977) explores the themes of obsession, honor and violence. This visually breathtaking film weaves a compelling story through to an unexpected outcome. It was awarded Best Debut Film at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.
About the filmmaker:
Ridley Scott is a celebrated English film director and producer known for his atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. He began his career in television as a designer and director before moving into advertising, where he honed his filmmaking skills by making inventive mini-films for television commercials. His made his feature directorial debut with The Duellists (1977). His other work includes the science fiction films Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982) and The Martian (2015), the road crime film Thelma & Louise (1991), the historical drama film Gladiator (2000), the war film Black Hawk Down (2001), and many others. Celebrating his exceptional career, Venice Film Festival awarded him the Glory to the Filmmaker Award in 2021.
See our upcoming films