seen" and called the story "refreshingly different from standard film content." Michael Webb of The Washington Post wrote, "The film has the pictorial beauty and rich period sense of Barry Lyndon (1975), but adds the narrative drive and passion that Kubrick's film lacked." David Ansen of Newsweek wrote, "The best you can say about the film – the directing debut of Ridley Scott – is that it provides an unusually civilized experience in these days of movie barbarism… The worst that can be said is that Keitel and Carradine are so perversely cast as French hussars that, whenever they speak, the splendid illusion of nineteenth-century Europe is shattered." The film is lauded for its historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct, as well as its generally accurate early-19th-century fencing techniques as recreated by fight choreographer William Hobbs. The film is included in the second edition of The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, published in 2004. Home media On 29 January 2013, Shout! Factory released the film on Blu-ray. The release coincided with the publication of an essay on the film in a collection of scholarly essays on Ridley Scott. References External links "The Duel" – Full text of the short story by Joseph Conrad on which the film is based. Keith Carradine Discusses 'The Duellists' at Virginia Film Festival, November 3, 2012 1970s historical drama films 1977 films British historical drama films Fictional rivalries Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Joseph Conrad Films about duels Films directed by Ridley Scott Films produced by David Puttnam Films scored by Howard Blake Films set in France Films set in Germany Films set in Russia Films set in 1800 Films set in 1801 Films set in 1806 Films set in 1812 Films set in 1814 Films set in 1816 Napoleonic Wars films Films shot in France 1977 directorial debut films 1977 drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films