[Lee Jong-gil's Film Reading] The Era of Barbarism Recreated with Thorough Historical Accuracy

Director Ridley Scott's Film 'The Last Duel: The Final Duel'
Duel Trial Between Friend Who Raped Wife... History Excluding Victim Woman's Pain and Sorrow
Vivid Depiction of Duel Trial Details from Fight Patterns to Weapons Used

The movie "The Last Duel" is set in 14th century France. Marguerite (Jodie Comer), the wife of the noble Carrouges, is sexually assaulted by Jacques (Adam Driver), her husband Jean's (Matt Damon) friend. Summoning her courage, she confesses to Jean, but Jacques insists on his innocence. Jean appeals to King Charles VI (Alex Lawther) to request a trial by combat. The duel is a contest where victory equates to justice. Marguerite's pain and sorrow are disregarded. Only the fight to uphold honor matters. The crowd is interested solely in who will win. Director Ridley Scott cleverly uses this psychology in the film. He places the trial by combat in the opening scene and then shows the preceding events from the perspectives of the three individuals. The duel is replayed to make viewers reflect on the inhumane gaze focused only on entertainment.

A society that cannot empathize with the vulnerable is barbaric. To emphasize that this remains true today, it must be portrayed realistically. Director Scott provides vivid realism through thorough historical research. The highlight is the trial by combat. From the nature of the fight to the weapons used, everything is depicted as it was. The duel between Jean and Jacques is the last officially recognized trial by combat in French history. It was not held after the legal system was somewhat established. Even before, the process was not simple. It was only permitted for serious crimes such as murder, treason, heresy, rebellion, leaking secrets, falsehood, and insulting women. The duel did not happen immediately. To ensure fairness, time was given for training. Professional swordsmen provided instruction. If the defendant or plaintiff was elderly, a proxy would fight on their behalf.

Knights or nobles like Jean and Jacques fought wearing armor. There were no restrictions on weapons. Typically, they used spears, longswords, daggers, and shields. Commoners wore conspicuous clothing and carried duel shields. The oval-shaped shields had spikes at both ends to stab the opponent. Fighting methods varied by region. Sometimes men and women faced each other. Men wielded clubs and entered holes up to their waist. Women used a "pyeong-gon," a stone wrapped in cloth. Victory was achieved by pulling the man out of the hole or forcing him to place his hand on the edge of the hole. Men won by pulling the woman into the hole. The duel usually continued until one party lost their life. Survivors were often executed as it was considered they admitted guilt themselves.

Jean and Jacques begin with a joust. Horsemanship is similar. They maintain balance on the saddle and maximize the horse's kinetic energy. They charge at each other aiming their spear tips and collide. This is called "wild boar tusks." Usually, the spear tips were lowered during the charge. They aimed at the opponent's horse's head or chest while preventing the spear from being knocked away. They also tried to knock the opponent's spear down. Spears were common weapons in the 14th century. However, in trial by combat, both parties had to agree to use them.

Jean and Jacques fail to decide the duel with spears because their armor is too strong. They did not wear just mail (chainmail) over padded clothing. Over that, they wore a "coat of plates" with iron plates fastened by large rivets. The structure was simple but offered substantial protection. As shown in the film, ordinary swords could not even inflict wounds. Around that time, the use of shields declined significantly, and two-handed weapons were developed. Especially the greatsword, though initially avoided due to its length, became essential because of its overwhelming defense. It was mainly used to thrust the blade tip into gaps in heavily armored suits. It was made as light as possible to allow flexible posture changes and conserve stamina. Today, lightweight weapons like the ?p?e and foil are relatively light and considered heavy by comparison. Ceremonial two-handed swords are sometimes made heavy for visual impact.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.