Duel
The most bizarre murder weapon ever used!
Country
Budget
$450 000
Box office
$2 544
Director
Actors
Dennis Weaver, Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Gene Dynarski, Lucille Benson, Tim Herbert, Alexander Lockwood, Shirley O'Hara, Carey Loftin, Charles Seel
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
George Eckstein
Camera operator
Jack A. Marta
Composer
Artist
Audition
Editing
Frank Morriss
Whole Team (15)
Whole Team (15)
Short description
Traveling businessman David Mann angers the driver of a rusty tanker while crossing the California desert. A simple trip turns deadly, as Mann struggles to stay on the road while the tanker plays cat and mouse with his life.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was shot in 13 days (excluding additional scenes for the theatrical release).
- The number Mann calls his wife on was a real, working phone number at the time the film was made.
- The truck driver's face is not shown, nor is his name mentioned. In Richard Matheson's story of the same name, the driver is named Keller, which sounds quite similar to the word "killer".
- According to the filmmakers, the license plates on the truck were taken from cars that it destroyed. According to Spielberg, the truck driver wanted to destroy one car in each state.
- At the 56th minute, when the main character enters the phone booth, the film crew is clearly visible in the reflection.
- No sets were built for the film.
- Mann's car is a 1970 Plymouth Valiant.
- After the television broadcast, Spielberg shot several additional scenes for the theatrical release of the film.
- Originally, it was a 74-minute television film made for ABC. But after its tremendous success on television, producers decided to expand the film and release it theatrically.
- When Cary Loftin, who played the truck driver, asked Spielberg why his character was so persistently pursuing David Mann, Steven said: “Simply, you’re the most repulsive and filthy son of a bitch to ever walk the earth.” To which Cary replied: “Well, then I’m exactly what you need.”
- The film is partially based on a true story that happened to Richard Matheson.
- On the car that the character played by Dennis Weaver mistakenly believes is a police vehicle, one can notice the inscription “Grebleips” – Spielberg’s surname written backwards.
- Footage from the film was used in one episode of the series "The Incredible Hulk" (1978). After learning about this, Steven Spielberg insisted that a mandatory clause be included in the contracts for his future projects, prohibiting studios from using footage from his films without his consent.
- The scene at the railroad crossing, where the truck attempts to push Mann’s car under a train, was specifically shot for the theatrical release.
- Lucille Benson (the woman at the gas station) played a similar role in another Spielberg film – "1941". The elderly couple in the car stopped by Mann also appears in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
- During the filming of the scene where the truck falls off a cliff, the special equipment controlling the driverless car malfunctioned. To avoid losing time on repairs, a stuntman got behind the wheel of the truck and jumped out just a moment before the vehicle plunged into the abyss.
- Dennis Weaver's acting in "The Evil" convinced Spielberg that a better candidate for the role of the victim could not be found.
- You can see 17 tally marks on the truck.
- After filming wrapped, Spielberg had just over three weeks for post-production.
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Auditions in India
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Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
