Duel (1971)

fig 1.

Originally aired as a television thriller film, Duel was a good enough concept that it was re released as a full length cinema adaptation that was well received by the public, and it remains a classic. It was based on the script of the same name by Richard Matheson, during Steven Spielberg's early direction in college it was enough to distract him into dropping education to work on it. The film follows a family man on his way home that is suddenly finds themselves in a situation of harassment on the road by a large truck. To overcome this problem our unnamed character needs to avoid danger imposed by the mystery driver and attempt to get back to his family. The film carries various messages intended for the audience in mind that this essay will explore.

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In many scenes, Duel, as a thriller, administers shots of tension; there are several different scenes we may observe that display techniques delivering this. In the bar scene we are introduced to a narrator that fills in our main characters mind working to us, while in immediate juxtaposition there is the first chase scene, that sparsely uses any dialogue at all, instead trusting in the audience to fill in the blanks. 

Suspense seems to double its effect when partnered with action elements, an interesting development for this kind of film when we are initially thrown in with a high energy, quick and cool chase scene. What may have been a moment of cool-down becomes an excruciatingly and increasingly difficult to watch scene. '... for although time goes slowly, unbearably slowly, we are still highly excited - held and absorbed by the tension of the situation.' (Stephenson, 1965) Internal and physical conflicts have varied requirements in relation to action or thriller genres, while both of which may be used in tandem to achieve a desired result. The way that the film uses both of these conflicts is a reprise in its flow that assists in differentiating scenes away from each other rather than being a nonstop grind of engines and testosterone.

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Characterisation of specific elements assists the audience in recognising the separate elements of metaphorical importance that turn up in Duel. The truck has a very obvious bad guy vibe with its hillbilly details such as reckless driving and excessive rusting chassis. When the truck is parked outside the bar after the main characters crash, we take part in a empathy of minds, the cinematography arranging the supposed culprits like criminals on a line up. When the truck drives off by itself however, the film also takes a sublime turn. We never see the drivers face for a reason from that point onward, as it becomes more like a ghost or a dragon that needs slaying. '...grungy, greasy, and old, reminding us of something from another world. Its yellowish hues are symbolic of sickness, and its sandy hues suggest it emerged from the soil in the surrounding cliffs and mountains.' When the mind realises this, the ending is so much more understandable in retrospect, especially on a second viewing. 

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In all, Duel is a pretty good action film, but it also bears a quality message that implants itself right a the core of the film, rewarding extra viewings with new viewpoints of David Mann's situation as a family guy. The social commentary extends its hand to actual situations that happened to men at the time, a unique exploratory point of view from the director who may have himself had a medium of understanding about this occurrence of everyday life. The designed elements of the film were barebones and easily understood in their roles. It's a thoroughly interesting and exciting film for these points, and so it a natural classic.

Bibliography

Justice, Chris. "Duel (1971) | Classic-Horror.Com". Classic-horror.com. N.p., 2005. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. http://classic-horror.com/reviews/duel_1971

Lapsley, Robert and Michael Westlake. Film Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1988. Print.
Stephenson, Ralph and J.R Debrix. The Cinema As Art. 1st ed. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1965. Print.

Figures

fig 1. Spielberg, S. (1971). Duel. [Poster]
fig 2. Spielberg, S. (1971). Duel. [film still]
fig 3. Spielberg, S. (1971). Duel. [film still]
fig 4. Spielberg, S. (1971). Duel. [film still]