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THE DUEL

 Films with Sequences of Duelling or Swordsmanship

There are many films with excellent duelling/swordsmanship sequences. The following handful are good examples:

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, Olivia de Havilland. Both Flynn and Rathbone were excellent swordsmen in real life; their film meetings were legendary.

Barry Lyndon (1975). Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson. Several superlative pistol duel sequences, notably at the start and at the end.

Captain Blood (1935). Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone, Olivia de Havilland. British surgeon Dr. Peter Blood turns pirate after wrongful conviction and subsequent escape from slavery; teams, then duels at seaside in an exceptional sequence, with rival pirate Basil Rathbone.

Dangerous Liaisons (1988). John Malkovich, Glenn Close. Dramatic sword duel caps this stylish tale of sexual intrigue in 18th century pre-Revolutionary France.

The Duellists (1978). Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel. Visually splendid film based on Joseph Conrad’s story The Duel (1908) about two soldiers in Napoleon’s army whose vendetta leads them to fight duel after duel over the course of many years.

Documentary: Deadly Duels (1996). Running 150 minutes, Deadly Duels originally aired on the Discovery Channel and is narrated by Stacy Keach. It provides an overview of duelling from the judicial duel through the duel of honor, including interviews with well-chosen experts on duelling and combat.