Movielogr
Duellen (1962)
Directed by Knud Leif Thomsen
Overview
A sort of forerunner to Hollywood’s Boogie Nights (1997), this Danish melodrama is set in the world of strip clubs. A medical student (Frits Helmuth) earns money for tuition working in a burlesque joint. He falls for one of the girls (Malene Schwarz), but she is also involved with a movie director (John Price). The director and Helmuth get into a philosophical debate about love and Darwinism, and the film ends with a duel (the film’s title). Duellen was met with mostly incomprehension when it premiered and is no more lucid when viewed today. The striptease scene featuring full-frontal nudity is tame by modern standards.
Length 97 minutes
Actors
Frits Helmuth | John Price | Axel Strøbye | Hans Kurt | Buster Larsen | Vera Gebuhr | Albert Watson | Ulla Darni | Elith Pio | Poul Müller | Karl Stegger | Aage Winther-Jørgensen | Minna Jørgensen | Poul Thomsen | Knud Rex | Maxine | Malene Schwartz