Ridley Scott’s 1977 debut film “The Duellists” about a feud between two lieutenants

Ridley Scott's first film, The Duellists (1977), won the prize for best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival. This tense picture, set against a historical backdrop, is devoted to the unexpected combat of two lieutenants. A confirmed duellist and quite simply a thoroughly disagreeable fellow is ready to poison the life of an officer, full of dignity and a sense of duty, who has happened to cross his path. Against the background of the Napoleonic wars there unfolds the personal drama of two men: a volatile braggart, who professionally dispatches people to the next world in order to soothe a sick vanity and a damaged psyche, and his opponent, simply an honest man, who once did his duty and thereby failed to please a hot-tempered madman. The duel, of which the whole army speaks, a confrontation that has become legend, perplexes the witnesses: what started this feud, and how soon will it end in somebody's death? A deep and gripping film, it makes one reconsider old conflicts and may help you make peace with those who have wronged you. Unreservedly recommended.