The duel… A merciless fight, the subject of many fantasies, and of many films! There is the medieval version with The Last Duel by Ridley Scott (2021), and his terrible “judgment of God”. And then there is the more “modern” version, or less distant in history at the very least. As The Duelists (1977), set during the Napoleonic period, by the same Ridley Scott, decidedly inspired by the subject when he is not going into science fiction with his saga Alien. In France too, we like speckled foil fights, like Fanfan the tulipa classic of French cinema from the 1950s with its performer Gérard Philippe, who gave of himself. Honor and swords are also on the programA matter of honor, historical drama scheduled this Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 9:10 p.m. on Canal +.
A matter of honor by Vincent Perez based on a true story?
Released in theaters in December 2023, A matter of honor is located in Paris, in 1887. Despite the ban on dueling in the penal code, Clément Lacaze, a brilliant fencer, introduces Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre, a woman with ideas ahead of her time, to her sport, so that she can assert her rights. In this effective feature film, the master is played by Roschdy Zem, who went through difficult times during his adolescence, while the student is played by Doria Tillier, actress starring in the series. Children are kings on Disney+. The story of Lacaze and his protégé is not, strictly speaking, real. But the film’s screenplay, directed by Vincent Perez, is based on a multitude of true elements. It’s on the set of J’accuse (2019) that Jean Dujardin suggested to the actor and director to make a film on the theme of combat. The latter then immersed himself in the research, and discovered the document online. The duel directory, 1880-1889which lists the greatest duels of this period. “The book is a mine of information on the duel, its technique, its weapons, its rules, its nobility and its protocol“, explains Vincent Perez in the press kit for the film. “I had great material to build a story with.“The director also carried out extensive work on the archives, and produced a 250-page document illustrated by 1,200 images that he had chosen (paintings, engravings, etc.).
What films were directed by Vincent Perez?
In just over twenty years, Vincent Perez has stepped behind the camera four times. And tackled very different genres. The tormented drama with Angel skin (2002), his first production, the fantastic with If I were you (2007), the historical drama in Alone in Berlin (2016) and therefore the costume film with A matter of honor. A complete artist, therefore.
