Film “The Last Duel” in the cinema: “Me Too” anno 1386 – culture

An abuse charge caused such a stir in France in 1386 that it became a state affair. Marguerite de Carrouges accused one of her husband’s comrade-in-arms of rape. The accused denied the act, the husband carried the charge up to King Charles VI. He finally agreed to a public duel according to medieval custom, where in the end it is at least clear who is right: the survivor.

Which is why the two duelists faced each other on a cold winter morning shortly after Christmas in a large, frozen place behind a Paris monastery, in front of a grandstand with hundreds of spectators, to fight the argument the way men prefer to do it: with large penis dummies. In this case it was lances. It was the last state-approved duel in the history of France.

This true event is historically well documented, a detailed retelling comes from the American literary critic Eric Jager. In 2004 he wrote the book “The Last Duel”, which Ridley Scott now uses as the basis to tell this 600-year-old story in the guise of a large-scale production.

Back in the days, the Hollywood bedroom was where problems ended – not where they started

The Briton Ridley Scott is one of the last Hollywood directors who are still getting ample budgets for big films that have nothing to do with superheroes and robots and cartoon characters, but tell about real people. And the story of this duel is a good trick to turn film history a bit on its head. In the classic monumental cinema of Hollywood’s golden era, the bedchamber was always the end of all problems. The hero had completed his adventures and was allowed to marry as a reward. So why not make a modern monumental film in which the problems in the bedroom only begin and the woman does not languishly fall into the hero’s arms, but loudly stands up for her rights?

Ridley Scott has hired an exciting trio of writers for the script. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, both of whom are also playing, helped write it. It is their first script collaboration since they won an Oscar in 1998 for their script for “Good Will Hunting”. For “The Last Duel” they teamed up with the acclaimed American auteur filmmaker Nicole Holofcener. The three of them tell this story – in three acts, from three perspectives.

First from the point of view of the knight and husband Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon); then from the point of view of the accused rapist Jacques LeGris (Adam Driver); and finally from the point of view of Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer). The film-historical model for this structure, in which an event is told in completely different ways by different participants, is Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 classic “Rashomon”.

In the case of an expensive blockbuster (client: Disney) that can be described as a daring approach, and the film is also exciting to watch. Of course, the story doesn’t skimp on the usual fray of battle (which, by the way, hardly anyone can stage as perfectly clashing swords as the “gladiator” -steen Scott). Nevertheless, the focus is on the almost thriller-like approach to the allegation of rape, which looks a bit different from every perspective.

So it never gets boring over the two and a half hours. Even if you don’t want to be caught up in the story, then at least the impressive medieval look, for which Ridley Scott enthusiastically explores the medieval color palette between apocalypse brown and January depression gray. Or about the crazy medieval hairstyles of the male Hollywood stars, who approach the matter with full nasty hairdressing dedication in order to fit the year 1386 as grimly and authentically as possible. The Oscars are actually given to whoever is the most hideous.

You cannot get pregnant through rape, the chiefs of the church explain to the pregnant prosecutor

This is not only meant defeatistically. After all, Ridley Scott is one of the last in Hollywood to refuse the total irony loop and tell their stories with a grim seriousness that is hardly known from the American entertainment industry. That can almost be described as brave in a time when ironic refraction lurks around every corner. And Ridley Scott is a true dueling expert, if not a dueling fanatic. In his film debut “Die Duellisten” from 1978 alone there is so much dueling that one could almost speak of a duel fetish: The man knows how to film such a duel.

Nevertheless, after this recapitulation of a public scandal, staged with all the rules of classic Hollywood art, one remains a little perplexed. For what exactly do these events of 1386 tell us for 2021?

The film meticulously shows the male power structures and the misogyny of his plot time. Marguerite de Carrouges, heavily pregnant, has to hear the most insane things before the ecclesiastical court, which advises the case under the king’s presidency. That she will end up at the stake if her husband loses the duel; that rape does not make you pregnant.

The men are bad in this film, but all of the female characters drop Marguerite too. The mother-in-law says she shouldn’t act like that, she was raped as a young woman herself, but she didn’t make any fuss. Even her best friend testifies against Marguerite, accusing her of provoking the rape, if it took place at all.

It’s all very depressing and of course takes you on for the heroine. Just why the film portrays this misogyny like a surprising revelation isn’t entirely clear. If, for example, Harvey Weinstein (who once made Matt Damon and Ben Affleck stars with “Good Will Hunting”) was able to rape almost unhindered until 2017 – is it an astonishing finding that even in 1386 there was little interest in women’s rights? If Hollywood, of all people, wanted to take on the topic of sexual assault, it would be a bit more exciting a little after the 14th century.

The Last Duel, USA 2021 – Director: Ridley Scott. Book: Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon. Camera: Dariusz Wolski. Starring: Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck. Disney, 153 minutes. Theatrical release: October 14, 2021.