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Paris, 1887. Duels have been officially outlawed but are still regular practice. For many, they are the only way to defend their honor. Fencing master Clément Lacaze tries in vain to prevent his nephew from engaging in an uneven duel with the more experienced Colonel Berchère. Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre, a feminist fighting for women’s equality, tries to show that honor is not just a male affair. Actor and director Vincent Perez’s historical film makes excellent use of various forms of duels – with épées, pistols, and sabres on horseback. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
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A precision attack composed of precisely timed thrusts and elegant feminist passages that sends the genre of “guy flick about fighting” into the maelstrom of current discussions about empowerment and does so without needless violence. The laconic Lacaze, played by Roschdy Zem, is probably this year’s greatest hero-nice guy. Perez is a surprisingly skilled storyteller and the action scenes that give the film its rhythm can easily measure up to those in The Last Duel. The peculiar combination of topicality and old-fashionedness gave rise to a film that can make one feel simultaneously like an adult and a twelve-year-old without any conflict between the two. Touché!
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Photo © Gaumont
