Follow Up: The Time I Decided to Quit World of Warcraft

I was working on another post that is turning out to be a lot more difficult then I had anticipated, so I thought Id take a break to do something a little easier.  A big part of my post on world of Warcraft is the movie revolver, and in it I mention that it really isn't a well made film.  It lacks subtlety in how it deliver's its message, and while I still agree that is exactly what I needed at the time, its still the major flaw of that film.  Well then is there a film in my opinion that portrays this message with better execution?  Yes, probably several, but one in particular stands out and that is The Duellists, and here's the trailer.

The Duellists was the fist feature film of director Ridley Scott, who is more famously known for his films Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, all of which I also enjoy.  It takes place in Napoleonic France, and tells the historic story of two officers in the french Grande Armee.  One of the officers, Feraud played by Harvey Keitel, takes offense at a perceived slight from another officer, d'Hubert played by Keith Carradine, and decides the only way to get justice is to challenge him to a duel to the death.  The pair are evenly matched and it ends indecisively and is then followed up with several more contests as they cross paths through out their lives.

This is the trap of the ego, it creates unnecessary conflict.  Feraud is only able to see the situation from his perspective, that Hubert has insulted him and refuses to admit responsibility.  However if he were able to see things from Hubert's perspective he would realize that Hubert, who doesn't even know who Feraud is, has no reason to insult him and that it's clearly an accident.  Hubert isn't completely absolved of guilt in this situation either, as he is bound by honor to accept the duels.  The idea of honor is a tricky one, in that ideally its used to uphold the reputable treatment of others, both friend and foe.  However in this case it seems to cause more harm then good, from its misapplication by both Feraud and Hubert.

Im going to talk about the ending next, so if you don't want it spoiled skip this section.  The climax of the film is a final duel between the two, this time with pistols.  It's not how I'd imagine a traditional pistol duel, you know back to back take ten paces turn and fire.  It's more a dangerous game as Feraud stalks Hubert through a wooded area around a destroyed castle.  Feraud discharges both of his pistols and misses, from which Hubert takes the opportunity to catch Feraud unarmed at point blank range.  Hubert could easily kill Feraud, thus permanently ending their rivalry, however he decides to spare Feraud's life under the condition that they have no further contact, including no further duels.  This is a risk by Hubert, as its possible Feraud could go back on his word and attempt to duel Hubert again, which could result in Hubert's death.  Why?  Hubert never actually wanted to kill Feraud, he was bound by his own code of honor to respond to the duels.  Killing Hubert would actually be a failure of his own personal beliefs, and ironically enough a victory for Feraud, as he was the one that wanted the duels to be to the death.  The final scene of the film involves Feraud gazing out across a landscape as the sun rises in the distance.  The camera slowly zooms out to give the effect of an expanding horizon, to symbolize the metaphorical expansion of Feraud's horizons as he is no longer trapped in his misguided quest for revenge.

I think it's only fair since I started this post by pointing out the flaws in revolver that I should point out the flaws in this film as well.  It's been awhile since I've seen it, so there's probably more I just cant remember, but certainly it's Harvey Keitel.  He's not a bad actor, and gives a good performance in this film, but his accent is just not meant for period piece roles.  Don't get me wrong, its not Kevin Costner as Robin Hood bad, but its certainly distracting.  I ended my revolver discussion unsure if I should recommend it or not, and I guess now it's time to decide the same for this.  Both of these movies have had an important positive impact on my life, and on that grounds I have to recommend them.  However if you aren't really in a place where you're ready for some introspection fuel, and thus these movies would be purely judged on their entertainment value, then I wouldn't recommend them.  I personally enjoyed the duelists because I find history interesting, but I'm not sure the story can carry itself outside of the setting its told in.  Ultimately the decision is yours, if anyone ever does read this Id be interested to hear if any other films had a similar impact on you.