"Wheel-nuts, French ADCs & Ridley Scott's debut" Topic

Hi

A wheel practically coming off my car on the way to work yesterday ended up with me forced to spend the day back home. Tragically this meant yet more hours spent attacking the lead-pile… this time 10 Adler French ADCs.

I've posted a bunch of pics here:

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As with all my figures at present, they're not 100% finished (washes, etc.), nor are they based. Both of which issues I'd love to hear from you guys about, both here and on my own blog.

Painting these dashing little chaps in their hussar style uniforms also reminded me of the fun I had recently watching The Duellists, Ridley Scott's Napoleonic-era feature-film debut, in which Harvey 'Bad Lieutenant' Keitel's Noo-Yoik-Frenchman tries continually to run-through, shoot, or hack to death, the hapless Californy-Frenchman portrayed by Keith 'Kung Fu' Carradine…

Cheers

Seb

It was Keith Carradine in the Duellists and David Carradine in Kung fu

That is some amazing painting on those 6mm figures!

Love the paint job!

Also love the duelists, Keith Carradine is actualy a very good actor, also loved his portayal of Wild Bill in Deadwood.

His Character in the duelist is very intresting. it's told to us that he is infact very heroic, winning lots of battles and medal, getting promotet. So he is not a coward, Yes when faced with Keitels character he is scarded and angsty, he can face an enemy up front, but the demon that haunts him off the battlefield is a thousand times worse.

Yes, watching that film you get to feel empathy for the character Carradine plays… much like Inspector Clouseau.

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Gunfreak

That might be because the Keitel's character is a psychopath. Probably don't have to be a coward to be a tad uncomfortable facing a pyscho with a grudge against you. Surely different to taking your chances in battle.

Regards

The movie is based on a Conrad tale. Indeed by reading it one realizes how Feraud (Keitel) is a psychopathic and D'Hubert (Carradine) an ordinary heroic good soldier, likely to risk his life in battle because it is his duty, but pretty scared by an unpredictable and bloodthirsty fool.

A common misperception below,

From site below-"Dupont's series of duels fought against Fournier-Sarlovèze formed the basis for a Conrad short story which was adapted in turn by Ridley Scott in his first feature film as director, The Duellists in 1977.-

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In The Encyclopedia of the Sword, Nick Evangelista wrote:

As a young officer in Napoleon's Army, Dupont was ordered to deliver a disagreeable message to a fellow officer, Fournier, a rabid duellist. Fournier, taking out his subsequent rage on the messenger, challenged Dupont to a duel. This sparked a succession of encounters, waged with sword and pistol, that spanned decades. The contest was eventually resolved when Dupont was able to overcome Fournier in a pistol duel, forcing him to promise never to bother him again.[1]

They fought their first duel in 1794 from which Fournier demanded a rematch. This rematch resulted in at least another 30 duels over the next 19 years in which the two officers fought mounted, on foot, with swords, rapiers, sabres and pistols.

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It is NOT the Dupont de l'Etang, but Pierre Antoine Dupont-Chaumont. Same name (very common in France, just like Smith), but not the same general.

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@ Chocolate:

Damn! You're right of course. Pity tho', as I liked the alliteration…

@ most everyone else: nice to hear that this film is appreciated amongst us gamers. 'Tis pity she's something of a singularity (at least as far as I'm aware). It'd be great to have a lot more films set in the era, and close to the military action, but which also have the aesthetic charm and good character development this film has.

Oh yes, thanks also for the kind words re the painting. Always appreciated!

And @ MichaelCollinsHimself: love the Clouseau link! The old 'freezer ambush ploy'… fabulous!

I mentioned the Revenge Of the Pink Panther, albeit for very different reasons – due to the allures of the lovely Valerie Leon – (as opposed to The Return) in a recent post to Legatus Hedlius, on his fabulous Legatus' Wargaming Ladies blog:

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