Today’s movie happens on June 9. Watch it tonight and enjoy.
DUEL
On June 9, 1972 [the entire film] salesman David Mann leaves his California home on a business trip. He passes, is passed by and re-passes a dirty Peterbuilt tanker trunk. Mann stops at a gas station and calls his wife, who is upset that he did not confront a friend of his who had made a pass at her. The station attendant tells Mann he needs a new radiator hose, but Mann doesn’t believe him and leaves. Mann gets behind the truck again, which blocks all attempts to pass. When Mann finally does get around the truck, it’s driver begins to tailgate him at high speed, causing Mann to finally crash into a fence opposite a diner, while the truck keeps going. After using the restroom, Mann is shocked to see the truck parked outside. Mann has an inner dialogue with himself in which he tries to pick the driver out from the diner’s patrons and berating himself for just sitting there. When he thinks he has identified the driver he confronts him, but the man leaves in a different truck, followed shortly thereafter by the tanker. Leaving the café, Mann stops to push a stopped school bus, but flees when the truck reappears and pushes the bus. When Mann has to stop at a railroad crossing the truck appears behind him and tries to push him into the train. Mann stops at Sally’s Snakerama to call the police, but the truck returns and destroys the booth, with Mann just barely escaping. Mann parks behind an embankment and the truck passes him. However when Mann starts up, he sees the truck waiting for him just around the bend. Again Mann can’t pass the truck, but when he does a chase begins. Several people along the way either can’t or won’t help him. Near the top of a long uphill climb, Mann ‘s water hose bursts and he barely makes the summit to coast down the other side. Mann drives onto a dirt road and places his briefcase on the accelerator and heads towards the pursuing truck, leaping out at the last second. The tanker hits the car, which bursts into flames partly obscuring the driver’s vision, as too late he realizes the truck is headed for a high cliff. The truck and burning car plunge over the side as Mann sits tossing pebbles while the sun sets.
This film is an early Spielberg classic. This story of an average guy getting caught up in an extraordinary situation brings North by Northwest to mind. And like a good Hitchcock film, Spielberg gradually builds the suspense with the most apparently mundane shots. Weaver is excellent as the ordinary guy who is finally pushed far enough to fight back.
In the film at 2:50-54 the scores of baseball games that occurred the previous day are given.
Producer - George Eckstein
Director - Steven Spielberg
Screenplay - Richard Matheson
Awards – The film won the Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing Emmy and was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming – For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television Emmy at the 24th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Runtime – 1 hour 30 minutes
Released - November 13, 1971(original version), October, 1972 (extended version)
Starring –
Dennis Weaver as David Mann
Jacqueline Scott as Mrs. Mann
Carey Loftin as The Truck Driver
Eddie Firestone as Café owner
Lou Frizzell as Bus driver
Eugene Dynarski as Man in café
Lucille Benson as Lady at Snakerama
Tim Herbert as Gas station attendant
Charles Seel as Old man
Shirley O'Hara as Waitress
Alexander Lockwood as Old man in car
Amy Douglass as Old woman in car
Sweet Dick Whittington as Radio interviewer
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.
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