The Duellists (1977) Review Tom and Gage discuss Ridley Scott's The Duellists from 1977. The Duellists (1977), Ridley Scott’s debut feature, is a restrained, elegant historical drama adapted from Joseph Conrad’s short story The Duel. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it explores obsession, honor, and the corrosive pull of pride through a decades-long personal feud. Plot SummaryThe film follows two French army officers, Armand d’Hubert (Keith Carradine) and Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel), whose lives become entangled by a seemingly trivial insult. D’Hubert is tasked with delivering a reprimand to Feraud, a hot-tempered and fiercely proud officer. Feraud interprets this as a personal slight and challenges d’Hubert to a duel. What begins as a minor dispute spirals into a lifelong obsession. Over the course of nearly 20 years—across shifting fronts of the Napoleonic Wars, changes in rank, political upheaval, and personal fortunes—the two men repeatedly seek each other out to duel: with swords, pistols, and under varying conditions. Each duel is inconclusive, never resolving the feud. While Feraud clings fanatically to the idea that his honor has been stained and must be redeemed through combat, d’Hubert increasingly views the conflict as irrational and destructive, even as he feels bound by the rigid codes of military honor. The feud costs both men dearly, but especially Feraud, whose inability to move on ultimately leaves him isolated and diminished. The film culminates in a final confrontation after Napoleon’s fall, where d’Hubert gains the upper hand and—rather than killing Feraud—forces him to confront the emptiness of his obsession. Major Themes1. Obsession and FutilityAt its core, The Duellists is about how obsession can hollow out a life. Feraud defines himself almost entirely through the duel; without it, he has no identity. The original cause of the conflict becomes irrelevant—what matters is the continuation of the feud itself. The film quietly argues that obsession thrives not on meaning, but on repetition. 2. Honor as a TrapHonor is presented not as a noble ideal but as a socially enforced prison. Both men are constrained by an unwritten code that demands they keep fighting, even when it no longer makes sense. D’Hubert, the more reflective of the two, recognizes the absurdity but lacks the freedom to escape it—until the very end. 3. Reason vs. PassionThe duelists embody opposing temperaments: D’Hubert represents reason, restraint, and adaptability.Feraud represents passion, pride, and rigidity.Their conflict mirrors Enlightenment rationality clashing with raw emotion. Importantly, the film does not portray reason as heroic in a conventional sense—d’Hubert survives not because he is braver, but because he evolves. 4. The Absurdity of ViolenceSet against the backdrop of massive historical violence—the Napoleonic Wars—the personal feud seems small, almost ridiculous. Yet it is deadly serious to the men involved. Scott underscores the irony that while empires rise and fall, these two men are locked in a private, meaningless war of their own. 5. Time, Change, and StagnationTime moves forward inexorably in the film: regimes change, careers rise and fall, and d’Hubert matures emotionally and socially. Feraud, by contrast, remains frozen—still fighting the same battle for the same wounded pride. The film suggests that survival, both personal and political, depends on the ability to adapt. 6. Masculinity and IdentityThe duels are not just about honor; they are about how men define themselves. Feraud equates masculinity with dominance and violence. D’Hubert gradually learns that self-worth can exist outside constant confrontation. The final mercy he shows Feraud is a rejection of the narrow, destructive version of masculinity they were both taught. In ShortThe Duellists is less a swashbuckling adventure than a quiet, philosophical meditation on pride and persistence. With painterly visuals and a deliberately measured pace, it treats violence not as spectacle but as ritual—one that becomes emptier and sadder each time it is repeated. It’s a film about how letting go can be harder, and braver, than fighting.
