A recurring duel lasting 15 years between two napoleonic hussars with American accent, serves Ridley Scott to film a bland picture. The production is, literally and appropriately, named "An Enigma" and Conrad's original story is transmuted into a series of pictorially sumptuous and vacuous portraits of the Napoleonic Wars.
Harvey Keitel (Feraud) and Keith Carradine (D'Hubert), with their tiny plaits and allegedly elegant uniforms, show us that ridicule is nothing to be scared of. Resentful though motiveless Feraud embarks himself on a consistently interrupted sword-fight against an even-tempered D'Hubert. In an age where honour is an appetite, Feraud is apparently the only one who suffers from an eccentric kind of hunger for satisfaction.
Even though echoes of Barry Lyndon run through the film, they are distant and lacking Kubrick's attention to utmost detail and his narrative structure. In fact, it is difficult to establish which aspect of the story Ridley Scott is interested in. There are no attempts at inventiveness in the plot, original mise-en-scène, characters properly drawn or understanding of this fascinating period.
However there are no ostensibly off putting elements and his craftsmanship, acquired as a set designer for the BBC and as director of thousand of TV commercials, becomes palpable. In spite of the fact that it is not an inspired debut, "The Duellist" is of an acceptable standard and probably above average for Scott's career, which unfortunately will not derive much benefit from evolution.
Harvey Keitel (Feraud) and Keith Carradine (D'Hubert), with their tiny plaits and allegedly elegant uniforms, show us that ridicule is nothing to be scared of. Resentful though motiveless Feraud embarks himself on a consistently interrupted sword-fight against an even-tempered D'Hubert. In an age where honour is an appetite, Feraud is apparently the only one who suffers from an eccentric kind of hunger for satisfaction.
Even though echoes of Barry Lyndon run through the film, they are distant and lacking Kubrick's attention to utmost detail and his narrative structure. In fact, it is difficult to establish which aspect of the story Ridley Scott is interested in. There are no attempts at inventiveness in the plot, original mise-en-scène, characters properly drawn or understanding of this fascinating period.
However there are no ostensibly off putting elements and his craftsmanship, acquired as a set designer for the BBC and as director of thousand of TV commercials, becomes palpable. In spite of the fact that it is not an inspired debut, "The Duellist" is of an acceptable standard and probably above average for Scott's career, which unfortunately will not derive much benefit from evolution.