Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Starring Dennis Weaver, Carey Loftin and Jacqueline Scott.
Written by I Am Legend novelist Richard Matheson and based off his own short story that had featured in Playboy, Duel is a psychological thriller about a motorist (Dennis Weaver) who is stalked by a crazed truck driver (Carey Loftin). It is notable for being the feature debut of Steven Spielberg, who had recently signed to a contract with Universal and had been honing his skills on the well-received TV pilot Night Gallery (1969) and episodes of several TV shows including Marcus Welby, M.D. (1970), Columbo (1971) and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law (1971).
Shot on location in 13 days for an original running time of 74 minutes, Duel enjoyed high ratings when it premiered on US television as an ABC Movie of the Week in November 1971. This prompted Spielberg to embark on two additional days of filming, extending the movie to 90 minutes for a theatrical release in Europe and the UK (along with a limited North American release the following year). With the success Duel establishing Spielberg as a major emerging talent, he would go on to produce two further TV movies before making his theatrical feature film debut in 1974 with The Sugarland Express.
For more on Steven Spielberg, check out Trevor Hogg's in-depth career profile Encountering Spielberg and be sure to vote in our poll for your favourite Steven Spielberg movie.
Embed courtesy of GoogleVideo.
Related:
Five Essential Films of Steven Spielberg
Short Film Showcase - Amblin' (1968)
Click here to view more short films and public domain features.
4 comments:
It may interest your readers to know that the short story "Duel" was inspired by an actual event that happened to Matheson the day JFK was assassinated, when he and his friend Jerry Sohl were tailgated at high speed through a narrow canyon by a demented trucker. The film version also led to further collaborations with Spielberg on TWILIGHT ZONE--THE MOVIE and the AMAZING STORIES TV show. For further information, see my book RICHARD MATHESON ON SCREEN (http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4216-4), tentatively due out in early October.
Hi Matthew, will have to keep an eye out for the Duel story, wouldn't mind reading it.
Thanks for the comments and good luck with your book launch!
Great Reviews !! I have never seen this film but heard lot about it..It was favorite film of my Grand Maa..Duel
It is a great film Duel, well worth a viewing.
Post a Comment