Duellen

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.

Directed by Knud Leif Thomsen, Duellen leans on a strong ensemble — Frits Helmuth, John Price, Axel Strøbye — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1962.