Duel (1971 film)

Duel
International theatrical release poster
Based on"Duel"
1971 short story
by Richard Matheson
Written byRichard Matheson
Directed bySteven Spielberg
StarringDennis Weaver
ComposerBilly Goldenberg
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerGeorge Eckstein
CinematographyJack A. Marta
EditorFrank Morriss
Running time74 minutes (original)
90 minutes (theatrical)
Production companyUniversal Studios
Budget$450,000
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseNovember 13, 1971 (1971-11-13)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Duel is a 1971 American road action-thriller[1][2] television film directed by Steven Spielberg. It centers on a traveling salesman David Mann (Dennis Weaver) driving his car through rural California to meet a client. However, he finds himself chased and terrorized by the mostly unseen driver of a semi-truck. The screenplay by Richard Matheson adapts his own short story of the same name, published in the April 1971 issue of Playboy,[3] and based on an encounter on November 22, 1963, when a trucker dangerously cut him off on a California freeway.[4][5]

Produced by Universal Television, Duel originally aired as a part of the ABC Movie of the Week series on November 13, 1971. It later received an international theatrical release by Universal Pictures in an extended version featuring scenes shot after the film's original TV broadcast. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Spielberg's direction being singled out for praise. It has since been recognized as an influential cult classic and one of the greatest films ever made for television.

  1. ^ "Spielberg's brilliant feature debut is a textbook example of what an ambitious and talented young director can do with modest resources". Cinephiliabeyond.org. February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2019. I think when you make an action film, especially a road picture, it's the best way to work, because it's very hard to pick up a script and sift through five hundred words of prose and then commit them to memory.
  2. ^ "Spielberg's Duel, Four Wheel Combat". The New York Times. April 15, 1983. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2019. Duel might almost have been a silent film, because it expresses so much through action and so little through the words that are here.
  3. ^ "April 1971". Playboy Magazine Complete Archive. Playboy. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Duel (1971) - About the Movie". Amblin .com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Bouzereau, Laurent (2004). "Richard Matheson: The Writing of 'Duel' (2004)". Universal Studios Home Video. Retrieved August 18, 2023.