Duel
DVD cover
Genre	Thriller
Running time	74 min. (approx.) 90 min. (approx.) (DVD version)
Director(s)	Steven Spielberg
Producer(s)	George Eckstein
Writer(s)	Richard Matheson
Starring	Dennis Weaver Carey Loftin
Music by	Billy Goldenberg
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Original channel	ABC
Release date(s)	November 13, 1971
IMDb profile
All Movie Guide profile

Duel is a 1971 telemovie about a trucker harassing a motorist on a remote and lonely road. The telemovie was directed by Steven Spielberg, starred Dennis Weaver, and was written by Richard Matheson based on his own short story. This is a DVD cover. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... Steven Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror or science fiction. ... William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 â€” February 24, 2006) was an Emmy Award-winning actor and was an American television actor, best known for his roles as sidekick Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964 on TVs first adult Western Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama... Carey Loftin (b: January 31, 1914 Blountstown, Florida d: March 4, 1997 Huntington Beach, California) was an American actor and stuntman whose most famous role, though he wasnt visible, was as the truck driver in Steven Spielbergs Duel. ... Billy Goldenberg is a composer best known for his early work on Steven Spielbergs, telefilms, in particular, Duel. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1970 in film 1971 1972 in film 1970s in film years in film film // Events February 8 - Bob Dylans hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New Yorks Academy of Music. ... “Telefilm” redirects here. ... Steven Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 â€” February 24, 2006) was an Emmy Award-winning actor and was an American television actor, best known for his roles as sidekick Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964 on TVs first adult Western Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama... Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror or science fiction. ...

Plot

David Mann (Dennis Weaver) is a businessman driving to an appointment in his Plymouth Valiant . On a two-lane highway in the California desert, he gets stuck behind a large flammable tank truck. The slow-moving, exhaust-spewing truck refuses to let Mann pass, but he soon overtakes it. Suddenly, the truck passes him then brakes. Mann stews, but he again passes the truck that responds with a blast of its air horn. William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 â€” February 24, 2006) was an Emmy Award-winning actor and was an American television actor, best known for his roles as sidekick Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964 on TVs first adult Western Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama... The Plymouth Valiant was an automobile manufactured by the Plymouth division of Chrysler Corporation in the United States from 1960 to 1976. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Flammable or Flammability refers to the ease at which a substance will ignite, causing fire or combustion. ... A Shell Jet A refueller truck on the ramp at Vancouver International Airport. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Later, Mann stops at a gas station where he's soon joined by the tank truck. As Mann's car is refueled, he keeps his eye on the truck cab and identifies the driver's snakeskin cowboy boots. The gas station attendant warns Mann that his radiator hose needs to be replaced, but Mann ignores him. Snakeskin is a material that is produced from the hide of a snake. ... Cowboy boots are boots worn by cowboys. ... Radiators and convectors are types of heat exchangers designed to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. ...

After Mann leaves the gas station, the tank truck catches up and tailgates him. Mann waves for the truck to pass and it does before slowing down. Agitated, Mann tries to pass but the truck swerves to block him. Mann honks and curses, the truck driver puts his hand out and signals for Mann to pass. Mann pulls out to find himself in a near-head-on collision with an oncoming car. Mann swerves over to the highway's shoulder, passes the truck and zooms away. For socializing before a sporting event, see Tailgate party. ... Standard wrong-way sign package used on all freeway off-ramps in California (and since copied by other states such as Georgia and Virginia). ...

Mann looks in his rear-view mirror to see the truck gaining on him. He accelerates but the truck catches up. He panics and veers off the road, spinning out then crashing into a fence. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The rear-view mirror of a Mazda 626. ...

Terrified and suffering from whiplash, Mann stumbles across the road to Chuck's Cafe. He freshens up in the bathroom, exits then sits to order food. He looks out the window to see the truck parked outside. Shaken, Mann uses inner monologue to comprehend the truck driver's motives. As he eats nervously, Mann eyes the other patrons, specifically men in cowboy boots. Mann decides that a couple of the men are his adversaries only to see them get up and leave in separate vehicles. Believing he's identified his pursuer, he confronts a man who responds by throwing Mann over a pool table. Mann gets kicked out of the cafe then sees the man he confronted leaving in a different truck. The sound of the tank truck's engine prompts Mann to run after it as it roars down the highway. Whiplash is the common name for a hyper extension/flexion injury to the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spines. ...

Mann gets back on the road and later stops at a railroad crossing. As he waits for a freight train to pass, he is suddenly bumped and pushed from behind by the tanker truck. Mann brakes hard and tries to reverse, but the truck is too powerful. Fortunately, the train clears the crossing and Mann drives up on an embankment to let the truck pass.

Mann again catches up with the truck but does not try to pass it. He pulls into a gas station/snake farm and uses the phonebooth. While the truck idles down the road, Mann calls the police but fails to notice that the truck has turned around and is barreling down on the phonebooth. Mann jumps out of the booth and the truck smashes it and chases him, smashing through the fauna display. Mann gets in his car and races away. Up ahead, he conceals himself behind a hill. The truck drives past, once more leaving Mann in the clear. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Mann decides to wait at least an hour before starting up again. He naps in his car until he's startled awake by an air horn, frightening him. Mann laughs with relief to learn that the air horn sound is from a passing train. Feeling confident, he drives off. A short distance ahead, he sees the truck waiting for him. He screeches to a halt and ponders his next move.

A car with an elderly couple approaches. Mann flags them down and wants them to call the police. While they argue, the truck proceeds in a collision course with Mann. The couple drives off, Mann runs across the road, away from the car. The truck continues for Mann's car but instead drives up the highway. Mann gets back in his car drives off and again finds himself behind the truck. Mann is again waved to pass by the truck driver but once Mann passes, the chase continues.

The car and truck head up a steep hill when Mann's car begins spewing steam; his engine is overheating. He loses speed, loses oil pressure and slows down to a speed of less 20 miles per hour (32 km/h), but manages to reach the top of the hill. Mann shifts into neutral and coasts downhill. Reaching the bottom, Mann crashes into a cliff wall and is unable to restart his engine. As the truck barrels down, Mann's car comes to life and he quickly turns up a canyon road. The truck makes a swift turn up the road, blaring its air horn.

Mann drives up to a canyon ridge and backs his car around to face the oncoming truck. As the truck heads towards him, Mann jams his briefcase onto the accelerator and jumps out. The car collides with the truck and explodes. Engulfed in flames, the truck pushes the car towards the ridge but brakes too late. With a long, final blow of its air horn, the truck plummets over the ridge, crashing with a monstrous roar. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Mann sees the destroyed truck and hops with joy. The film ends with a silhouetted shot of Mann against the sunset, sitting quietly and tossing pebbles.

Cast

William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 â€” February 24, 2006) was an Emmy Award-winning actor and was an American television actor, best known for his roles as sidekick Chester Goode from 1955 to 1964 on TVs first adult Western Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama... Jacqueline Scott is an actress who has appeared in several films and television programs as well as guest starring in over one hundred television shows. ... Eugene Dynarski (born September 13, 1932) is an American actor. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Dick Whittington is a character in British pantomime, very loosely based on the real-life Richard Whittington. ... Carey Loftin (January 31, 1914–March 4, 1997) (also credited as Cary Loftin) was an American actor and stuntman. ...

Story origins

The script is adapted by Richard Matheson from his own short story, originally published in Playboy magazine. It came from a real-life experience, in which Matheson was tailgated by a trucker on his way home from a golfing match with writer friend Jerry Sohl, on the same day as the Kennedy assassination. The short story was given to Spielberg by his secretary who reportedly read the magazine for the stories (source: DVD bonus material). Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror or science fiction. ... This article is in need of attention. ... For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation). ... Gerald Allan Sohl Sr. ... John F. Kennedy The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, USA at 12:30 PM Central Standard Time (18:30 UTC). ...

Some have proposed that Matheson may also 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. Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Before television, radio was the dominant home entertainment medium. ... Wyllis Cooper Lights Out was an American old-time radio program featuring tales of the supernatural and the supernormal. ...

The truck

In the DVD documentary, Spielberg observes that the fear of the unknown is perhaps the greatest fear of all and that Duel plays heavily to that fear. 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. Spielberg says that the effect of not seeing the driver makes the real villain of the film the truck itself, rather than the driver.

The truck, a 1955 Peterbilt 281, [1] was chosen for its "face". For each shot, several people had the task to make it uglier, adding some "truck make-up". The car was also carefully chosen, a red 1971 Plymouth Valiant with an underpowered engine to signify the weakness of the David Mann character. Its red color was also intentional for Spielberg wanted the car to appear well among all the dust and rocks on the road, which are basically brown and green. The shots of the truck are done so in such a way as to present it as "alive" in terms of its attack on Mann. According to Spielberg, the multiple license plates on the front bumper of the truck are meant to subtly suggest that it is a serial killer. Peterbilt Motors is a manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 6 through Class 8 trucks headquartered in Denton, Texas. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... The Plymouth Valiant was an automobile manufactured by the Plymouth division of Chrysler Corporation in the United States from 1960 to 1976. ...

Film production

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 and Australia, and had a limited cinema release to some venues in the United States. Night Gallery was Rod Serlings follow-up to The Twilight Zone, airing on NBC from 1970 to 1973. ... The ABC Movie of the Week was a weekly anthology series, featuring made-for-TV movies, that aired on the ABC network in various permutations from 1969 to 1976. ...

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, tight editing and the script's refusal to resolve the central mystery of the driver. The film's success enabled Spielberg to move beyond directing for television and establish himself as a competent film director. (source: DVD bonus material).

During the original filming, the crew only had one truck and so the final shot of the truck falling off of the cliff had to be completed in one take. For the film's theatrical release, though, additional trucks were purchased in order to film the additional scenes that were not in the original made-for-TV version (i.e. the school bus scene and the railroad crossing). Only one of those trucks has survived.

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, is currently still on Sierra Highway. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Agua Dulce, Spanish for sweet water, is a town located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Acton is an unincorporated Census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California near the Antelope Valley. ... Sierra Highway is a road in Southern California, United States. ... Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon / valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. ... The Angeles Forest Highway traverses the Angeles National Forest and connects the Los Angeles basin to the Antelope Valley by going up and over the San Gabriel Mountains. ... The Figueroa Street Tunnels are a set of four tunnels constructed in 1931 north of Downtown Los Angeles along California State Route 110 near Elysian Park. ...

The original made-for-television version was only 74 minutes long and 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". Following Duel's successful TV airing, Universal released Duel overseas in 1973, especially in Europe. Since the TV movie's 74 minutes was not long enough for theatrical release, Universal had Spielberg spend 2 days filming several new scenes. These new scenes turned Duel into a 90 minute film. The new scenes were the railroad crossing, school bus, and David Mann's telephone conversation with his wife. Also a longer opening sequence was added with the car backing out of a garage and driving through the city. Expletives were added to make the film sound like a major motion picture. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ...

Director Steven Spielberg lobbied to have Dennis Weaver in the starring role because he admired Weaver's work in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Touch of Evil (1958) is considered one of the last examples of film noir in the genres classic era (from the early 1940s until the late 1950s). ...

Duel and Jaws

The dinosaur roar sound effect that is heard as the truck goes over the cliff is also heard in Jaws as the shark's carcass sinks into the ocean. Spielberg has said that this is because he feels there is a "kinship" between Duel and Jaws, as they are both "about these leviathans targeting everymen." He has also said that inserting the sound effect into Jaws was "my way of thanking Duel for giving me a career." It has been suggested that Orca (Jaws boat) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the biblical creature. ... For other uses, see Everyman (disambiguation). ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The Incredible Hulk episode "Never Give a Trucker an Even Break" used footage from Duel. Unable to sue because the studio owned both the film and Hulk series, Spielberg insisted that all his future contracts list a clause designed to protect his movies from being used as stock footage. ^[1]
• The noise the truck makes as it crashes is a dinosaur roar sound effect.
• Whilst Mann is being chased, a parked sedan resembling a police car is seen, briefly raising his hopes, but it turns out to be a service car for a pest exterminator named Grebleips, which is "Spielberg" in reverse.
• The truck's driver-side door is open as it falls off the cliff because stuntman Cary Loftin actually drove the truck to near the edge of the cliff and then bailed out. ^{[citation needed]}
• This film was #67 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
• Steven Spielberg is reflected in the glass of the telephone booth at the Snake-a-Rama.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... The Incredible Hulk The Hulk, often called The Incredible Hulk, is a Marvel Comics superhero. ... Carey Loftin (January 31, 1914–March 4, 1997) (also credited as Cary Loftin) was an American actor and stuntman. ... This article is about the U.S. cable network. ...

References

• Duel: Special Edition DVD (2005)
• "The Complete Spielberg" by Ian Freer, Virgin Books (2001).
• "Steven Spielberg" by James Clarke, Pocket Essentials (2004).
• "Steven Spielberg The Collectors Edition" by Empire Magazine (2004).
• "The Steven Spielberg Story" by Tony Crawley, William Morrow (1983).
• "Duel" by Richard Matheson, Tor Books Terror Stories Series (2003).

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Duel

• Duel at the Internet Movie Database
• Duel at Rotten Tomatoes