JohnDoe
Bryn
Brenton
Duel (1970) - Trailer Included
Duel
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Denis Weaver, Carey Loftin, Eddie Firestone
“Okay, you want to play games” - David Mann
Duel is the story of an enigmatic killer truck driver using his vehicle as a weapon in a cross country cat and mouse game. On paper it doesn’t look like much, but this made for TV movie ended up thrilling executives and audiences so much that it received a cinematic release.
“I'd like to report a truck driver who's been endangering my life.” – David Mann
An exercise in suspense that builds right from the opening, with a now famous, uncut P.O.V shot of the devilish big rig revving its almighty engine and heading out on the road to begin its massacre.
At random, the death machine is soon tailgating a red 1970’s Plymouth Valiant driven by an anxious business man, David Mann (Dennis Weaver). Lethal twisted metal in the rear view mirror, gentle nudging abruptly turns into terror on the long and winding highway.
“How can he go so fast?” – David Mann
Tormented, a nervous, modern civilized Mann is gradually forced to make the eternal decision to live or die. Slowly he gains the perspective on his passive existence, facing fear and pushed to unleash man’s primal survival instincts and fight back.
“You can't beat me on the grade. You can't beat me on the grade!” – David Mann
John Doe says:
A hectic celluloid chess game and a simple premise, this economic and purposefully ambiguous film is still an intense and harrowing sensory experience.
Duel has appropriately been described as Jaws with a truck. The manipulative filmmaking techniques of Hitchcock, the unseen evil spectre exploited with precision. The raw cinematography, editing and strategic sound design and score all came back for the shark movie with maximum effect.
Announcing the arrival of a 25 year old television Director named Steven Spielberg, (Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders, Empire of The Sun) this collision of ashphalt and steel took home a pair of Emmy’s in 1972. One was for the disturbing Sound Editing and the other the urgent Cinematography.
Shot on location and capturing the uneasiness of gritty real life, a young Spielberg ensures a deliberately uncomfortable pace. Constantly aware of what an audience sees he adopts a less is more philosophy to raise questions about what the actual threat is.
The script opts for psychological thumb screws by silently pondering the abandonment of isolation on the lonely desert road and a society that coldly rejects its own in favour of profit.
Still sustaining a velocity that never surrenders, minimal dialogue and a well placed camera mean it’s impossible to ignore any of the onscreen details.
Watching Dennis Weaver (Touch Of Evil, McCloud, Gunsmoke) slowly disintegrate naked to the lens is the final key to what lifts this film well beyond what it should be. His performance adds emotion and empathy to the everyman screwed by the system.
A personal favourite, John Doe thought it appropriate to write this review after doing the list of 10 films by popular Directors yesterday. Although he bad mouths Spielberg when he takes himself seriously there is a sentimental appreciation for his early popcorn genre films that will guarantee repeat screenings.
Duel always leaves the pleasant aroma or burnt rubber and petrol in the home theatre with an after taste of speculative plot point conversations. Illustrating that pure cinema doesn’t need anything more than a motivated and inventive scholar of B movies who recycled the best tricks of the trade to engross and inspire a youthful JD.
The DVD:
Transfer: 1:33:1/ Dolby Digital 5.1
Extras: Steven Spielberg on the making of Duel, Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen, Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel and Photo Gallery
Watch the abrupt original trailer here
DVD Cover
Starring: Denis Weaver, Carey Loftin, Eddie Firestone
“Okay, you want to play games” - David Mann
Duel is the story of an enigmatic killer truck driver using his vehicle as a weapon in a cross country cat and mouse game. On paper it doesn’t look like much, but this made for TV movie ended up thrilling executives and audiences so much that it received a cinematic release.
“I'd like to report a truck driver who's been endangering my life.” – David Mann
An exercise in suspense that builds right from the opening, with a now famous, uncut P.O.V shot of the devilish big rig revving its almighty engine and heading out on the road to begin its massacre.
At random, the death machine is soon tailgating a red 1970’s Plymouth Valiant driven by an anxious business man, David Mann (Dennis Weaver). Lethal twisted metal in the rear view mirror, gentle nudging abruptly turns into terror on the long and winding highway.
“How can he go so fast?” – David Mann
Tormented, a nervous, modern civilized Mann is gradually forced to make the eternal decision to live or die. Slowly he gains the perspective on his passive existence, facing fear and pushed to unleash man’s primal survival instincts and fight back.
“You can't beat me on the grade. You can't beat me on the grade!” – David Mann
This guy must have read Stephen Kings Christine
John Doe says:
A hectic celluloid chess game and a simple premise, this economic and purposefully ambiguous film is still an intense and harrowing sensory experience.
Duel has appropriately been described as Jaws with a truck. The manipulative filmmaking techniques of Hitchcock, the unseen evil spectre exploited with precision. The raw cinematography, editing and strategic sound design and score all came back for the shark movie with maximum effect.
Announcing the arrival of a 25 year old television Director named Steven Spielberg, (Jaws, Close Encounters, Raiders, Empire of The Sun) this collision of ashphalt and steel took home a pair of Emmy’s in 1972. One was for the disturbing Sound Editing and the other the urgent Cinematography.
Shot on location and capturing the uneasiness of gritty real life, a young Spielberg ensures a deliberately uncomfortable pace. Constantly aware of what an audience sees he adopts a less is more philosophy to raise questions about what the actual threat is.
The script opts for psychological thumb screws by silently pondering the abandonment of isolation on the lonely desert road and a society that coldly rejects its own in favour of profit.
Still sustaining a velocity that never surrenders, minimal dialogue and a well placed camera mean it’s impossible to ignore any of the onscreen details.
Watching Dennis Weaver (Touch Of Evil, McCloud, Gunsmoke) slowly disintegrate naked to the lens is the final key to what lifts this film well beyond what it should be. His performance adds emotion and empathy to the everyman screwed by the system.
A personal favourite, John Doe thought it appropriate to write this review after doing the list of 10 films by popular Directors yesterday. Although he bad mouths Spielberg when he takes himself seriously there is a sentimental appreciation for his early popcorn genre films that will guarantee repeat screenings.
Duel always leaves the pleasant aroma or burnt rubber and petrol in the home theatre with an after taste of speculative plot point conversations. Illustrating that pure cinema doesn’t need anything more than a motivated and inventive scholar of B movies who recycled the best tricks of the trade to engross and inspire a youthful JD.
The DVD:
Transfer: 1:33:1/ Dolby Digital 5.1
Extras: Steven Spielberg on the making of Duel, Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen, Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel and Photo Gallery
Watch the abrupt original trailer here
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Horrorphile
One of my fave Spielberg flicks. What an evil looking truck it is! The original TV version would be curious to see, did he add stuff, did he re-shoot? or did he simply have the film blown-up for the cinemas?
It's great that younever see the driver also. Very Hitchcockian.
Celebrity Obsession
I haven't seen this film in many years, but I remember how good it was. That truck was scary!
The Tube Blog
Well, I'd say in 1970, there would have been very little blowing up to do - everything was shot and finished film, then transferred to tape for TV.
I've never come across anything that suggested that the version that was made for TV was any different to what we know as Duel.
Another great review, JD - and a favourable one for a Speilberg movie at that!
;o)
Film & TV on DVD
No other TV movies I can think of off hand, I think it was unprecedented at the time.
Hi Bryn,
Im not sure what they did with the transfer, I suspect they just blew the image up, or cropped it horizontally. The DVD transfer is nice.
Hi KylieW,
Time for you to revisit this menacing ride me thinks.
Film & TV on DVD
This is the kind of film Spielberg excelled at and the editing is exceptional.
I am not sure if the TV version had an alternate running
time or not either.
Horrorphile
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