Duel

Duel (Steven Spielberg, 1971)


This first film, made for TV, by one of the wealthiest director of its time, and maybe of all-time is a success of Hitchcockian grandeur. The story can be resumed to one line: a rep/seller on the road of California is menaced by a trucker until their ultimate showdown. As for Hitchcock’s The Birds not much is explained here except the fact that the menace is there and we are on the edge of our seat from the first moment until the generic. Do we really have to know why the birds attacked this little Californian town? No! It is the same here, the trucker is never seen and the tension rises gradually until the very end of this confrontation of the man versus the machine. The plot also revolves around the symbolism of the manhood of the two opposite forces. The little red Plymouth Valiant against the truck as a phallic representation of the two males. The impotent car against the powerful all-American truck. It also represents a rite of passage for Dennis Weaver’s character: his relationship with his wife is mentioned in a quick phone call where he demonstrates his inability to be a man, a real man. This event will make him face himself and be a stronger person.

However, the qualities of Duel mostly resides in its stylistic beauty and the mastery of its director. The simple plotline could have made this a poor TV-movie that could have been in the shelves and forgotten. Nonetheless, it was released in theatres and applauded. Made in thirteen days, Spielberg shows how he understood moviemaking and how he innovated with few resources. Nowadays, Spielberg has hundreds of millions of budgets and his films aren’t has great has they were in the 1970’s. The mise en scène of Duel deserves its place amongst the great films of its time. The way Spielberg places the viewer into the action, just like the master Hitchcock, is inspired and thoughtful.

As an admirer of Spielberg’s earlier work (Duel, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones original trilogy, even Jurassic Park I loved as a kid) and a detractor of his later work (War of the Worlds, Munich, The Terminal) it will always be a tormenting thing when thinking about the filmmaker himself. Nonetheless, Duel is an astounding start for the career of one of the most prosperous director of all-time.

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One Mann’s (Plymouth) Valiant struggle against a mechanical murderer, a parable concerning his diminishing manhood in this modern world of repressed anxiety and changing cultural mores.

Dennis Weaver wonderfully portrays David Mann: a businessman whose identity is at stake, a man who feels tiny and insignificant in his tiny red Plymouth Valiant, his underpowered engine barely able to climb steep hills and get him safely to his destination. Mann’s spiritual crossroads collides with a bullying truck driver, whose grimy and angry steel weapon dwarfs his own, a demon on wheels who pursues him through the hills and valleys pushing Mann to his very limits, until the final duel on the fiery ledge of the abyss: only one will survive.

Director Steven Spielberg films in close-up, which reveals the sweaty anxiety of our hero while never showing the driver of the truck: he’s just a faceless monster in cowboy boots. This allows a suspenseful interlude at a diner where Mann must confront this unidentified killer and we are allowed access to his inner thoughts as he reasons his way towards hysteria. Spielberg gives us subtle clues and quick edits to lead us astray and build suspense, so when the truth is revealed we reel in shock.

Soon the diesel stench of fear permeates the air and we become claustrophobic, enclosed in the coffin-like interior of Mann’s car, while the temperature gauge and speedometer both slowly crawl towards their deadly nadir. The sparse music adds an element of suspense and dread as wicked strings and grinding metal punctuate the drama.

Richard Matheson’s slender script is devoid of excess, allowing Spielberg to rely on frisson of visual momentum. David Mann finally attains his manhood and his wild victory dance soon turns towards a languid glowing sunset, physically and emotionally spent from the ordeal. DUEL is one of Spielberg’s best films since it doesn’t rely on the typical “happy ending” melodrama where the family reunites and everything is OK. Here, on this dismal precipice, David Mann’s future remains uncertain. Final Grade: (A)

All reviews copyright Korova, Ltd. Visit Alex at his Home Theatre Blog, http://korovatheatrepresents.blogspot.com/

Last updated: 2010-03-05 20:36:43 by AlexDelarge

Steven Spielberg's directing career began with the made-for-TV movie Duel, adapted from Richard Matheson's short story about a man who is targeted by a maniac trucker while driving on the highway. In essence, the film can partially be summed up as "shot of car, shot of rampaging truck, shot of scared man in car," because for most of the film, a long, drawn out car chase is what we're subject to. But there's a little bit more to it than that.

Spielberg has some tight camera angles and cinematography throughout the film. One of the best things about Duel is how forboding the truck becomes as the camera pans its length, or when it circles back around like a snake. Spielberg adds scenes to the film as well to characterize both Mann (Dennis Weaver) and the trucker, trying to take away some of the abstractions of the story while simultaneously adding others. It is to the movie's benefit that the trucker appears slightly more human than in Matheson's story; it heightens the terror of knowing that the trucker is just another human being (though deranged) who shares the road with us.

The first half of the film is relatively exciting as Mann comes into the understanding that his existence on the highway has become perilous. The car chase that ensues is fresh and welcome; the action starts early and doesn't really relent after that. The truck/car scenes are broken up by Mann's stop at a gas station and a cafe, allowing the viewer to figuratively "get out of the car" for a stretch on land. It works to maintain interest for the viewer; paranoia sets in for Mann as he tries to figure out who the mystery trucker is, and it triggers a duck hunt that ultimately leaves Mann even more terrified than before, and with him the viewer too.

But once we round that bend in the road, there's not much to keep us interested in the narrative again. Sure, there's some car chase that has some arguably profound moments and another land scene where the truck destroys a reptile zoo, but for the most part the film drags on with the aforementioned car-shot./truck-shot alternations that get stale after repetitive viewings. Just when you think Mann will finally ditch that damned truck, the beast rolls around the curve again. It might mimic the frustration of Mann, but it's tough to sit through the last thirty minutes of driving.

There's no flashy special effects here either, just good old-fashioned stunt driving, which may leave some gritting their teeth. There's not even an explosion at the truck's demise, though it does say "flammable" all over. It might be tough for some to appreciate the relatively "low" amount of action - this is, of course, leaving out all of the fine chases and eerie truck appearances.

And though Duel's beginning is especially high-octane, it's unfortunate that Spielberg couldn't do much for the last portion of the film besides more chases sequences. The end feels extremely unfulfilling - it's endless minutes of the same footage we've been seeing throughout the whole movie. It's still an appreciable film, and one that looks great when thought of as a TV movie; but the appeal doesn't really hold up, perhaps due in part because of being spoiled by contemporary dazzling effects, instead becoming a monotonous watch that especially resembles a really long car ride.

Last updated: 2010-01-22 20:03:25 by Ryneb