'' is a
1971 Television Movie directed by
Steven Spielberg , written by
Richard Matheson (based on his own short story), starring
Dennis Weaver and a
Peterbilt 351 tanker truck. ''Duel'' was Spielberg's feature-length directing debut, following a well-received turn directing a segment of the anthology television series ''
Night Gallery ''. Initially shown on
American television as an ''
ABC Movie Of The Week '' installment, it was eventually released to
Cinemas in Europe.
''Duel'' is a
Thriller about a traveling salesman named David Mann, who is played by
Dennis Weaver . Mann is driving to a business appointment on the back roads of the
California desert. For no apparent reason, he is terrorized by a large
Truck , which repeatedly chases and attempts to run him off the road. The film consists of a cat and mouse struggle between the truck and Weaver's character. Throughout the film, the driver of the truck remains anonymous and unseen, with the exception of two separate shots where his arm beckons Weaver to pass him, and another shot where Weaver observes the driver's snakeskin boots. His motives for targeting Weaver's character are never revealed.
The truck driver was played by the late stuntman and character actor
Carey Loftin , though at times Spielberg and others drove the truck.
Despite its simple plot, a low budget (only $375,000) and very short filming deadlines (originally 10 days), the movie maintains a high level of suspense due to Spielberg's taut direction and the script's refusal to resolve the central mystery of the driver. The film's success put the young Spielberg on the map in
Hollywood , and enabled him to move beyond directing for television.
The truck, a
Plymouth Valiant with an underpowered engine to signify the weakness of the David Mann character.
The script is adapted by
Richard Matheson from his own
Short Story . It may have been inspired by a
1947 episode of the
Old-time Radio series ''
Lights Out '' entitled "What the Devil", which had a similar plot but different resolution.
''Duel'' falls under the
Suspense genre, a format popularized by the late director
Alfred Hitchcock . In fact, much of the film’s score, particularly the use of the rapidly driving violins, seems to resemble that of ''
Psycho '', one of Hitchcock’s most popular films. It is often speculated that filmmakers use these genres as a means to express some underlying view or views about the world in which we live. We can certainly see this in episodes of ''
The Twilight Zone '' where the protagonist is often a mere representation of ourselves caught up in some unexplained and often-inescapable circumstance. Is it no wonder that the author of the film's screenplay, Richard Matheson, was actually a recurring writer for such TV shows as ''
The Outer Limits '', ''
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour '', and, of course, ''The Twilight Zone''.
In fact, on some level, ''Duel'' seems to play around with the ideologies and concepts of the socially acceptable male versus that of the female. We can see this in our protagonist, who is appropriately named David Mann. While it may appear that he is representing the everyday man, he is just the opposite of what sociologist Janet Saltzman Chavetz believed (in 1974) to be the traditional male. He isn’t tough, he isn’t aggressive, he isn’t proud, and more often than not, he allows his emotions to get in the way of the problem at hand. While very few women appear throughout the film – including his wife, a tomboy snake enthusiast, the waitress at a nearby restaurant – they all seem to be more controlling and more dominant than him. It’s no wonder that his apologetic phone call to his wife pertains to his not speaking up for her when another man was supposedly hitting on her the night before.
Spielberg illustrates how our protagonist lacks this sense of manliness, despite his valiant efforts. The enormous truck that haunts him is simply a manifestation of all the things he has failed to overcome as a result of not “being a man.” (Bear in mind, this is someone who children looked down upon and laughed at during a rather humorous scene in the film.) After several attempts to avoid and bypass the problem (the truck), it appears that it has just become far too powerful and overwhelming. With no other option, he must face the problem head on, as a man should. This, of course, is taken literally in the final scene as Mann has to resort to murder by staging a collision between his own car and the truck in order to lure both over a cliff, and presumably the driver also to his death. The smoke that had once blinded the protagonist from all life’s possibilities has finally cleared and he is left feeling more in control than ever.
Spielberg knew how to communicate to his audience on both the observable and intellectual levels. ''Duel'' represents some of Spielberg’s finest work expressing how our inner psyche can often manifest itself into much larger things (i.e. the dinosaurs in ''
Jurassic Park ''.) Using the suspense genre, we are able to see how brilliantly Spielberg is able to weave together story with the art of motion pictures. ''Duel'' appeals to audiences for all of these reasons and will continue to remain a landmark film.
- Spielberg has said in the past that he watches this film every time he is about to start a new project so that he never unlearns the lessons he taught himself in making it. However, on the DVD, he says he has not seen ''Duel'' for a while.
- Spielberg lobbied to have Dennis Weaver in the starring role because he admired Weaver's work in Orson Welles ' '' Touch Of Evil '' (source: DVD bonus material).
- Shooting was completed in 13 days (3 longer than the scheduled 10 days), leaving 10 days for editing prior to broadcast as the ABC "Movie of the Week" (source: DVD bonus material).
- The old couple that Mann flags down on the highway are the same actors who appear in a helicopter in '' Close Encounters Of The Third Kind ''. (source: DVD bonus material)
- The groaning roar sound of the truck falling down the canyon is re-used in ''Jaws'' (source: DVD bonus material).
- There were several trucks used to "play the part of the truck", one of which has survived. {Link without Title}
- The "bumper" of the truck is clearly constructed of pieces of railroad rail. In conjunction with the multiple license plates and empty tanker, this suggests that the trucker is, in fact, a serial killer.
- Much of the movie was filmed in southern California 's "Canyon Country," in and around Agua Dulce, California and Acton, California . In particular, sequences were filmed on Sierra Highway, Agua Dulce Canyon Road, Soledad Canyon Road and Angeles Forest Highway. Many of the landmarks from ''Duel'' still exist today, including the Tunnel , the railroad crossing and Chuck’s Café, a place where David Mann abruptly stops for a break. The building, now a French restaurant, still sits on Sierra Highway.
