The Last Duel movie is based on the 2004 book by Eric Jager which is the last official ‘trial by combat’ registered unto the pages of history. What makes it one of a kind is the events leading to the duel, which form a most eloquent and voiceful drama insinuating winds of change back in the year 1386.
What Ridley Scott does with the tale is absolutely mind-boggling. He does a fabulous job by breaking down the story into three chapters that come straight from the three affected parties. When you are witnessing each one of the three perspectives being presented to you, you can’t help but wonder how a person always remains the hero of one’s own story, of how subtle changes inadvertently make their way towards one’s demeanor presenting things in a different light. How we always slightly glorify our tales by riddling it with our own just version. It is like a human curse, the way we are built, our brain is geared to count our versions even more righteous than warranted.
In that leaflet of history, a heinous crime was committed. The fact that a woman living in such times raised her voice against it, instead of letting it slide like many others back then did, goes on to show how powerful women have always been, that it forever remains a matter of rising. Despite having second thoughts and a society trying to shut her down, she does not hold herself back from asking for justice. In her bid to do the right thing, there is a lot at stake. That forms the cardinal base of the story.
Even though The Last Duel is a story of a woman’s uprising, her absolution in a world led by men, it is also a satire on how a woman continues to remain abused by blind men. It is a stark reflection of a patriarchal society that still finds its roots lodged deep inside today’s world.
One thing that should be however noted is that The Last Duel movie seems quite biased towards the Carrouges since it is based on Eric Jager’s version. If we turn the leaflets of history and try to understand the whole case, it seems quite plausible that the accused could have been innocent if we were to believe his claims.
But then if you look at it, everything boils down to the voice of one woman. It is quite a vocal statement that the contemporary world makes with Ridley choosing to believe in her version of the story when many still continue to have their doubts.
Trial by Combat
If you have watched Game of Thrones, you might have already come across the term ‘trial by combat’ – a quite debatable way of proving a man’s crime with the help of a duel to the end. It was one of those ancient ways whose final record was as exciting as its setup.
The grudge and hatred Jean de Carrouges carried for his old friend Jacques le Gris was gradually building up inside the former’s head. It goes to a point where it finally blows out with the latter’s inexcusable deed. In a time, when many women chose to keep quiet about men raping them, Marguerite de Carrouges, the real exemplar of the story, chooses to raise her voice.
Trial by Combat mannerism of deliverance of justice was long banned but it managed to find its way into the world owing to Carrouges’ old school style preferences. The movie takes you on a winding path after having shown the arrangements of the duel at the very beginning in a prologue, showing you everything that leads to the final battle, and how a fight between the two men had become unavoidable. All the perspectives inch you further towards reality, as you get to know more and more as to what had taken place exactly during that historical time.
The wrath and the loathing that had built up in Carrouges for so long ends up finding a voice in his demand for a battle to the death. He is blinded by his detestation for Jacques le Gris so much that he overlooks the fact that his decision could prove fatal to Marguerite as well. In his eagerness to get revenge, he loses the original vision of why he was fighting Jacques in the first place, and what was at stake.
The Direction of The Last Duel
What we cannot ignore is the storytelling skills of Ridley Scott and the many contributions of the writers of the movie namely Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Ridley deliberately chooses to keep things under wraps for effect. The outlooks of the characters are very different from each other. The ones that match the most are that of Jacques and Marguerite.
One thing that doesn’t go unnoticed is how The Last Duel movie gradually builds it to the deeds of both men. At one point you are thinking maybe Jacques le Gris wasn’t a bad man owing to the limited vision through the windows of these chapters, but then as the stories unfold piece by piece, you realize what kind of a monster he is. That everything Carrouges had against him was justifiable in his head.
However, The Last Duel movie is a perfect satire when looked at from the perspective of Marguerite. It is, as Ridley Scott, chooses to linger on the screen, the truth that is depicted through Marguerite’s eyes. For her, it is not just one man who is guilty. It is more like who is less of a monster than the other. When you see the version where Carrouges takes Marguerite out of sheer spite and to build on his pride makes you feel extremely sorry for the poor thing.
There are so many injustices done to Marguerite by the men in the movie. Carrouges’ happened on a daily basis. With Marguerite’s version, it is easy to witness how badly she was treated.
Building on Speculations
There is a reason why the duel was a defining moment in history. It was almost like something supernatural had overseen it to find the right course to deliver poetic justice. Because when things boil down to a death fight, it could only have two outputs.
At one point you are thinking, what if the duel had gone in the favor of Jacques? Not only would it have been lethal for Marguerite, but we wouldn’t be talking about such an event either. There wouldn’t be any mention of her truthfulness in the pages of history.
Goes without saying that it was a rash and reckless decision on Carrouges’ part to have not consulted his decision with Marguerite. It was a world where men barely did. It was a world ruled by men. It was always about them, what they wanted. To think that any consultation was done beforehand would be daft.
The penalty for bearing false witness is that you are to be burned alive.
That leads to speculations, what if Jean de Carrouges had confided in Marguerite about the proceedings if he were to lose the duel, that she would publicly be shamed and slaughtered, would she have still done it?
There is a moment in the movie where this exact conversation is shown where Marguerite says she would have chosen to stay silent like her mother-in-law. But to what extent would that be true is something one could only imagine.
A Man’s World
That feeling of helplessness from Marguerite’s point of view should not go ignored. Even when Jean de Carrouges does his victory walk, Marguerite ends up feeling ignored. All the praise that is showered eventually falls on Jean. How it was her fight, and how it became Jean’s. Her life was equally at stake, but nobody cared about that. Jean ended up being the hero as if it was all about him.
There have been countless moments like such in the truth. Even if you try to recreate the same era, you cannot ignore all these elements. It was a man-dominated world after all. A woman getting raped was a question of a man’s pride and not a crime against a woman. Marguerite was raped of her choices every day in a house where her voice did not matter, her opinions were considered daft. In a fleeting moment of Jean’s absence do we really see, how free and lively Marguerite actually becomes. Says a lot without saying.
If you think about it everything boils down to ‘trust’. It is all about believing. When you don’t have a voice in a room full of voices, you have to shout. The only reason Marguerite’s case remained so strong was because of her constant yen for justice. You cannot deny the fact that history is written by the strong. Had she not been after it, nothing would have happened.
The Final Verdict of The Last Duel
If you were to believe the output of the justice served, it makes you think a lot of things. What if Jacques was really innocent, but what if he had done a lot of crimes and got punished for something else. Looking at Jean de Carrouges’ success and Marguerite’s long life after, somewhere you think maybe the hands of fate struck right.
There had been a hundred versions of this account and there would be a thousand more in the years to come. Some would believe the defendant’s story, others would believe the plaintiff’s, just like people supporting their favorites in a duel.
What we need to understand is our take on this crucial event in history. What has happened, has happened. The dead won’t come back. The justice was delivered back then with the duel by fate. My takeaway is a woman’s voice. It is a sight to behold when a woman raises her voice in a world reigned by patriarchy. Having that self-respect is a crucial element and Marguerite set an example of how important it is to have one. That come what may, truth needs to be spoken even when the whole world is against you.
The duel remains more of a battle of ego. Even when Jean de Carrouges had asked for the duel, Jacques had a choice of not accepting it. But for the latter, it had become an egotistic battleground where he wished to earn his respect.
Liked this analysis? Wait till you check out the one I had written for Paterson movie.
The Last Duel
Pros
- Great Depiction of the popular account
- Great Performances
Cons
- Sides with one story
