The Duellists

This historical drama, directed by Ridely Scott, is set during the age of the Napoleonic Empire (1803–15). The Duellists is based on a story written by the Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad (1857–1927), which, according to the author, was itself based on a true story whose origins sprang from a ten-line paragraph in a small Southern France local newspaper. An officer in the French army insults another officer and sets off a life-long enmity. The two officers, D'Hubert and Feraud, cross swords time and time again in an attempt to achieve justice and preserve their honor.