3 Short Paragraphs (Or Not): The Last Duel

2021, Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down) -- Disney

Kent's post. 

Rashomon this, Rashomon that. A story about a rape, from three people, three perspectives, three "truths" but are we supposed to decide on which truth we will accept, which one is true? No, we are not. There is some truth in every tale, even the lies.

France, the Middle Ages. The first perspective is from Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon, Dogma), a squire and a minor nobleman's son, is a soldier at the Siege of Limoges where he baited by the English into giving up the bridge, which leads to the fall of Limoges. But in that battle he saves the life of handsome Jacques le Gris (Adam Driver, Girls), and the two become fast friends.

Carrouges is a lug, all mullet and scars. He is a widower and childless, encouraged to (re)marry Marguerite (Jodie Comer, Free Guy), the daughter of a disgraced nobleman in exchange for a hefty dowry, for he is almost broke. He's shit with money. But a valuable tract of land is given by their liege lord Count Pierre d'Alençon (Ben Affleck, Dogma) to le Gris, cuz the two decadent men are friends. Carrouges is furious and thinks it best to go over Pierre's head to the King. It is not best and Carrouges is disgraced. When Carrouges' father passes away, and he should take ownership of his castle and captaincy, the slighted Pierre gives it to le Gris instead.

And age later a much diminished Carrouges buries the hatchet at a social event, in which le Gris becomes obsessed with Marguerite, and even later, while Carrouges is off fighting another war for his King, the only manner he seems able to make money, le Gris visits his estate and... well, rapes Marguerite. When her husband returns, she accuses le Gris and her husband believes her, and he pursues what he believes is his only recourse, a duel to the death. If he wins, and kills le Gris, then his wife is deemed believable. If he dies at the hands of le Gris, she will also perish by fire, as a liar.

Jean de Carrouges wins the duel. But given the perspectives, its not really the point of the movie.

Surprisingly, none of the recountings discredit the others. They all tell the exact same story, albeit with different focuses. Jean sees himself as a slighted hero, only trying to do right in the face of many, many injustices, the rape of his wife being the latest. Le Gris eye rolls his way through his own version, pointing out how Carrouges is the agent of his own folly, and professing great love for Marguerite, claiming she returned it. But he also points out that there is no real crime in raping a woman, which was true for the times. Marguerite's retelling is, of course, the most sympathetic, a smart, capable woman forced to marry a stupid lout and suffer the "affections" of an arrogant squire. She does not support Carrouges desire to duel, for she knows should he lose, she will die and her son will be orphaned. Its all so rather complicated, a story further complicated by the reality of an age past compared to our own 21st century morals.

There may be three "truths" but there is no doubt that Marguerite was raped. The greatest tragedy is that she is not the arbiter of her own justice, and she has no rights. Its the men, the pompous, arrogant, foolish men who are slighted by her rape. 

Being a Ridley Scott movie, it looks spectacular even if you forgive the astoundingly bad haircut given to Counter Pierre. As we are wont to do, the Middle Ages are always seen as cold, gloomy and full of mud. The battle scenes, while not really required for the story we are telling, are brutal, bloody and vast in scale -- Scott loves his battle scenes. 

I also need to address my comment back when Kent posted his viewing of it --- I was annoyed that here we have yet another movie hinging on the rape of a woman, where the actions of men are built on abusing a woman. That is not in doubt here, but the difference here from my dislike of this usual "plot motivator" is that its not the toss away point, its the entire focus of the movie, its the reason for its being. Usually in movies like these, all other aspects would show the men as great and heroic and "OMG I have to duel to save my wife's honour!" but even if you take Carrouges own coloured viewpoint at face value, its never really about anything but his wife.