“The Duellists” Everything about the genius Ridley Scott is here! Enjoy the beginning of a legend

Behind the world of visual beauty that resembles a painting is the influence of that master.

Let's move on to the visual beauty. Scott referenced Stanley Kubrick's ` `Barry Lyndon '' (1975) when filming this film. Each scene was captured in a painterly composition, which resonated with Scott, and he tried to emulate this. There were some indoor scenes that were filmed using only flames and candlelight, and while some scenes worked well, others didn't. In any case, Scott created storyboards for every scene and pursued the ideal visuals.

Scott is now in a position where he can invest huge sums of money to build sets, but when he was just starting out, the production budget given to him was small and he couldn't afford to build sets. As a result, this film was shot entirely on location. The main location was in the French countryside of Sarlat, and Scott even used the hotel where he was staying as a filming location.

"The Duellists" TM and (C) 1997 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.TM & Copyright (C) 2012 by Paramount Pictures.All Rights Reserved.

An unexpected fortune awaited the town of Sarlat. It is said that the town mayor read the script and complained, ``This happened in this town.'' When I researched the history of the town, I discovered that there was a historical fact that two men fought a duel over many years. The original author, Conrad, was inspired by the history of this town. This coincidence greatly encouraged Scott.

``The Duellists'' was officially screened at the Cannes Film Festival and won the New Director Award. Although it was not a commercial success, it was enough to make Scott's name known worldwide. Scott will use this as a springboard to film his next film, `` Alien .''

In Japan, after ``Alien'' was released, it was released before `` Blade Runner ,'' and the timing was perfect. Although the genre was different, movie fans in the early 1980s were able to witness Scott's dazzling visual magic one after another.

Text: Manabu Soma

After working as an information magazine editor, became a freelance writer. He writes articles and reviews for magazines such as ``SCREEN,'' ``DVD & Video Distribution,'' and ``Cinema Square,'' as well as theater pamphlets and the movie site ``Cinema Today.'' Currently appearing on Star Channel "GO! Theater". I host club events as a hobby.

Watch now

View work information

"The Duellists"

Special Collector's Edition

DVD: 1,429 yen + tax

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

*Information as of March 2021.

TM and (C) 1997 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.TM & Copyright (C) 2012 by Paramount Pictures.All Rights Reserved.

(c) Photofest / Getty Images