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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
247 .......................... 283
__________________________
October 10th
—— 1971 ——
"DUEL"
—— thriller ——
Had Hitchcock ever handed over his talent
to a road movie... this would be it...
And if driving in the same tracks wasn’t enough, it even has that slight Psycho-substitute of a soundtrack to go with it. And of course, there is obviously the obligatory tight tension, which is the hinge to hold every Hitch film tightly concealed and controlled throughout – something that Spielberg uses by taking this exact tension and making it the effective six-cylinder engine that fires through the entire film. This movie may not be a masterpiece, but being a product short of money and made with an even shorter shooting schedule, you would be surprised just how effectively Spielberg can spellbind you into the driver's seat of this direct to television feature film. Indeed, this movie was a small screen big screen experience and that fact even elevates the already impressive film just a little bit more. This truck movie of terror comes packed and stacked with a heavy dose of cat and mouse musings, taking a simple premise and then petrol-power that promise all the way to the end credits…
Speeding through the runtime with a minimum of 90 miles per hour truly gets the maximum out of those 90 minutes of motor mayhem. A film that is filled to the needle point with sharply shaped tension and slow burning scenes of subtle fear and tear – all of which makes even the punctual pit stops seem thrilling. All this praise may seem overwhelming, but by television standards, this is mighty impressive and without a doubt worthy of being dubbed a true low budget b-movie theater experience. Now, while emphatically being in the upper end of the casual Sunday “satellite zapping’s”, this movie is no masterpiece when measured against the masses. The low budget feeling and the bareboned fundament of which this film is built upon is still as evident as ever; and for all the good and bad reasons, respectively. All this might put a spoke in the wheels of a young and hopeful Steven Spielberg, but he was wise enough to know how to overtake this problem and get the best out of it, while still keeping the tension alive even when running out of gas... quite literally.
'Duel' is fiery fun entertainment, while also being an engine-driven exercise in slick stick-shifting sabotage of all the senses – a method, which automatically puts the mind on autopilot and lets a little bit of logic loose, but without losing the life that led the entire thing to begin with. 'Duel' feels like a work of passion and while it might suffer slightly, cinematically, it is hard to hate it and not be tempted to race along with. There are a few things that doesn't quite work, like the voice-over for example, but seeing Spielberg create this tense little flick out of almost nothing is a joy(ride) to behold and having Dennis Weaver at the actor's helm is an honor to witness as well. There might be more positives than negatives displayed in this review, but despite of 'Duel' doing its job well, it is still a job that is poorly paid and with terrible work hours… all of which shows. But after all, there is only so much you can do as a guy who is just starting out, no matter the talent you might have.
'Duel' is decent enough for what it wants to be and even better for what it actually is, but there are still a few things that I find hard not to critique it for, even when considering all the circumstances. I admire Spielberg for taking the wheel in a race where he barely even knows the track and while he might not win or even come second or third, he is still a winner in his own way and 'Duel' is definitely a trophy to behold. And on a final note here, I have a hunch this movie might have even more punch if I ever take it for a second spin someday in the future...
+
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
247 .......................... 283
__________________________
October 10th
—— 1971 ——
"DUEL"
—— thriller ——
Had Hitchcock ever handed over his talent
to a road movie... this would be it...
And if driving in the same tracks wasn’t enough, it even has that slight Psycho-substitute of a soundtrack to go with it. And of course, there is obviously the obligatory tight tension, which is the hinge to hold every Hitch film tightly concealed and controlled throughout – something that Spielberg uses by taking this exact tension and making it the effective six-cylinder engine that fires through the entire film. This movie may not be a masterpiece, but being a product short of money and made with an even shorter shooting schedule, you would be surprised just how effectively Spielberg can spellbind you into the driver's seat of this direct to television feature film. Indeed, this movie was a small screen big screen experience and that fact even elevates the already impressive film just a little bit more. This truck movie of terror comes packed and stacked with a heavy dose of cat and mouse musings, taking a simple premise and then petrol-power that promise all the way to the end credits…
Speeding through the runtime with a minimum of 90 miles per hour truly gets the maximum out of those 90 minutes of motor mayhem. A film that is filled to the needle point with sharply shaped tension and slow burning scenes of subtle fear and tear – all of which makes even the punctual pit stops seem thrilling. All this praise may seem overwhelming, but by television standards, this is mighty impressive and without a doubt worthy of being dubbed a true low budget b-movie theater experience. Now, while emphatically being in the upper end of the casual Sunday “satellite zapping’s”, this movie is no masterpiece when measured against the masses. The low budget feeling and the bareboned fundament of which this film is built upon is still as evident as ever; and for all the good and bad reasons, respectively. All this might put a spoke in the wheels of a young and hopeful Steven Spielberg, but he was wise enough to know how to overtake this problem and get the best out of it, while still keeping the tension alive even when running out of gas... quite literally.
'Duel' is fiery fun entertainment, while also being an engine-driven exercise in slick stick-shifting sabotage of all the senses – a method, which automatically puts the mind on autopilot and lets a little bit of logic loose, but without losing the life that led the entire thing to begin with. 'Duel' feels like a work of passion and while it might suffer slightly, cinematically, it is hard to hate it and not be tempted to race along with. There are a few things that doesn't quite work, like the voice-over for example, but seeing Spielberg create this tense little flick out of almost nothing is a joy(ride) to behold and having Dennis Weaver at the actor's helm is an honor to witness as well. There might be more positives than negatives displayed in this review, but despite of 'Duel' doing its job well, it is still a job that is poorly paid and with terrible work hours… all of which shows. But after all, there is only so much you can do as a guy who is just starting out, no matter the talent you might have.
'Duel' is decent enough for what it wants to be and even better for what it actually is, but there are still a few things that I find hard not to critique it for, even when considering all the circumstances. I admire Spielberg for taking the wheel in a race where he barely even knows the track and while he might not win or even come second or third, he is still a winner in his own way and 'Duel' is definitely a trophy to behold. And on a final note here, I have a hunch this movie might have even more punch if I ever take it for a second spin someday in the future...
+
__________________________