Duellen
6.5 4

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.

  • Released: 1962-02-09
  • Runtime: 97 minutes
  • Genre: Drama
  • Stars: Elith Pio, Poul Thomsen, Ulla Darni, Knud Rex, John Price, Malene Schwartz, Axel Strøbye, Aage Winther-Jørgensen, Buster Larsen, Karl Stegger, Frits Helmuth, Poul Müller, Albert Watson, Vera Gebuhr, Hans Kurt, Minna Jørgensen
  • Director: Knud Leif Thomsen