Fight Clip Club: The Duellists

Who you calling small-sword?

Ridley Scott’s debut movie is an understated, sweeping, dramatic showcase of period fighting, and it’s interesting to see how this director who’d been doing TV commercials before then broke into the big leagues with this. It’s funny to look back at The Duellists, too, now that we can look back down a phenomenal list of classics, especially in sci-fi. Also: dude, this was Scott’s first feature film, and guess which one he released only two years later? Alien!! Like, wow.

When it comes to stage combat, The Duellists is a classic. When I was first learning the ropes (and swords) back in the ‘90s as a fighter n00b, this movie was one that was held up by my teachers as an exemplar of what good (realistic) theatrical fighting can look like. But don’t take my word for it – let’s watch the first fight from this film and talk about it. I’ll see you after the paywall.

Fight Clip Club is the only series on Zuko’s Musings that is paywalled. To join the club, upgrade to paid, or drop me a line and ask for a comp. And thank you for supporting this, my continuation of my professional artistic expertise.