The Last Duel
The Last Duel is a book by Eric Jager. It tells the story of the December 29, 1386 trial by combat between Norman knight Jean de Carrouges and the squire Jacques Le Gris. Carrouges had accused Le Gris of raping his wife Marguerite de Carrouges, nee de Thibouville, that previous January, and had gone to King Charles VI seeking an appeal to the decision handed down by Count Pierre d'Alençon, whom Carrouges believed favored Le Gris. Whichever combatant still alive at the end of the duel would be declared the winner as a sign of God's will. If Jean de Carrouges lost the duel, Marguerite de Carrouges would be burned at the stake as punishment for her false accusation.
This was the last officially recognized judicial duel fought in France.
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese has optioned the book as a future motion picture that he will produce and possibly direct. Early casting rumors[citation needed] claim that, even though the two men were in their early fifties at the time of the duel, Matt Damon (b. 1970) is being considered for the part of Jean de Carrouges, while Leonardo DiCaprio (b. 1974) is being considered to play against type as Jacques Le Gris, the alleged rapist. If these rumors turn out to be true, it will be the second time that Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio will be in a movie directed by Martin Scorsese, the first being the Academy Awards Best Picture winner The Departed (2006).
The Last Duel, a drama-documentary based on the book and including comments by Jager was broadcast by BBC Four as part of a medieval-themed season on April 24, 2008. An abridged version of the book was read by Robert Glenister on BBC Radio 4 as Book of the Week between Monday 10 and Friday 14 January 2005.[1]
[edit] References
- Eric Jager (2004). The Last Duel. Century. ISBN 0-712661-90-5.
- ^ Daoust, Phil (10 January 2005). "Radio Pick of the Day". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/jan/10/tvandradio.radio. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
