The Duellists (1977)

The Duellists is a 1977 British historical drama film and the feature directorial debut of Ridley Scott. It won the Best Debut Film award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The basis of the screenplay is the Joseph Conrad short story “The Duel” (titled “Point of Honor” in the United States) published in A Set of Six.

• Keith Carradine as Armand d’Hubert
• Harvey Keitel as Gabriel Feraud
• Albert Finney as Joseph Fouché, Minister of Police
• Edward Fox as Colonel Perteley, a Bonapartist agent
• Cristina Raines as Adele, later d’Hubert’s wife
• Robert Stephens as Brigadier-General Treillard
• Tom Conti as Dr Jacquin, an army surgeon and friend of d’Hubert
• John McEnery as Feraud’s tall second in the final duel
• Arthur Dignam as d’Hubert’s one-eyed second in the final duel

• Diana Quick as Laura, d’Hubert’s mistress
• Alun Armstrong as Lieutenant Lecourbe, a friend of d’Hubert
• Maurice Colbourne as Feraud’s second
• Gay Hamilton as Feraud’s mistress
• Meg Wynn Owen as Leonie, d’Hubert’s sister
• Jenny Runacre as Madame de Lionne, a lady in Strasbourg
• Alan Webb as the Chevalier du Rivarol, Adele’s uncle
• Matthew Guinness as the Mayor of Strasbourg’s nephew
• Dave Hill as Cuirassier

• William Hobbs as Swordsman
• W. Morgan Sheppard as the fencing master
• Liz Smith as the fortune teller
• Hugh Fraser as Officer
• Michael Irving as Officer
• Tony Matthews as Treillard’s aide-de-camp
• Pete Postlethwaite as Treillard’s orderly (this was his first feature film appearance)
• Stacy Keach as the Narrator (voice only)