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Posted: |
Sep 17, 2001 - 8:14 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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I cannot possibly be objective about this, since I am such a huge fan of Steven Spielberg.
Although considered part of the "movie brat" generation of the 70's, Spielberg never had any formal film education (his marks were too poor!). On the other hand, he probably was the one who knew the most about film history and filmic aspects, the film geek that he was.
DUEL is, in this respect, a pure ode to Alfred Hitchcock, one of Spielberg's greatest inspirations: The psychological thriller about a man eventually turning so paranoic in his search for the psycho truck driver that HE in turn is looked upon as crazy (the café scene). Dennis Weaver does brilliantly in this part (although, like Mark Hammil and STAR WARS, no one ever heard from him since).
Note also that it breaks strongly with the rigid demand for motivation that is so prevalent in classical Hollywood cinema. The truck attacks are never motivated. They are senseless and a "malignant" force that seems to have no other objective than to kill the protagonist - for no discernable reason.
The film is chockful of "spielbergian" traits as well: from the everyday man encountering a "supernatural" challenge to the troubled family relationship to the love of cars.
The film is a technical achievement, one of the first to make PROPER use of the camera outside a moving car. The editing, zooms and close-ups combine into a dynamic experience that propel in excitement (although some of the "chock" zooms seem to date the film unnecessarily).
Some of the "internal monologue" may be considered superflous as well.
The film is, more abstractly, a sarcastic kick against the Car as suburban commodity and consumerism in general.
DUEL was originally intended as a feature film, but when Gregory Peck refused to star in it, Universal released it as a TV film instead. The film did much better in Europe, where it was released on the big screen and awarded best film in the French Grand Prix de Festival and Spielberg as best director in the Italian Taormina Film Festival.
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Billy Goldenberg's score mirrors the Hitchcock influence explicitly, through PSYCHO string outbursts whenever the truck attacks. It's a harshly experimental score, typical of the 70's, that occasionally goes somewhat overboard with the plings and plongs (chock zoom combined with a screeching synth sound etc.).
It's also used sparingly. Spielberg is a huge proponent of realism, and wisely leaves many self-explanatory scenes without music.
Goldenberg's score has never been released in any format, not even on bootleg.
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Yeah, isn't it a shame? Maybe with the special edition that's due out this year, a CD will be made, probably limited though.
(Darn bootleggers... never there when you need them)
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Posted: |
Sep 18, 2001 - 12:25 AM
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By: |
Spacehunter
(Member)
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quote:
Originally posted by Thor:
Dennis Weaver does brilliantly in this part (although, like Mark Hammil and STAR WARS, no one ever heard from him since).
I wouldn't say that. He was around way before DUEL and continues to be active, appearing in three movies in 2000. Hamill, unfortunately fell victim to typecasting, but thanks to projects like MIDNIGHT RIDE (barely-known little road thriller), SLIPSTREAM, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, and BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER, was able to show he's more than Luke Skywalker. It's a shame he never reached the stardom his SW costar Harrison Ford did, because I think Hamill is just as talented. He still keeps active, though it is (obviously) is lesser known things.
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I know I'll be in the minority on this, but I can not stand Duel! I thought Dennis Weaver's acting was totally laughable! He was always acting like a wienie. I'm sure if a better actor had played the part, I would've enjoyed the film.
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I WILL second Spacehunter's thought's about Mark Hamill. I think he is a wonderful actor, befallen the fate that is typecasting.
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Yeah, I have seen stuff he's been in, but I couldn't tell you what the titles were.
I remember watching one of the things he was in and thinking, "Why is he relegated to such drivel?" He really should be able to get better jobs! Perhaps we could blame it on his agent!
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Yeah, Hamill is good. He did a really good job on the Wing Commander games, too, where he played...well...you (the player). But in a way that you really could identify with the character.Regarding Duel, I kept missing it everytime it was on TV for years, but when I finally caught it, I enjoyed it very much. !!!!!!
Little bit of trivia, INCLUDING A SPOILER:
!!!!!! The sound when the truck falls off the cliff is a T-Rex cry (from some old dino movie I believe). When the remainings parts of the killed shark are seen floating in the ocean in Jaws, the exact same sound can be heard. NP: Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Michael Kamen)
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Posted: |
Sep 19, 2001 - 2:11 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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Yeah, that's right about the dino roars, Marian. You've seen the JAWS documentary too, huh?  http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/smile.gif">Spacehunter: When I said "we hadn't heard from him since", I was of course being a bit sarcastic. We HAVE heard from both of them (Hamill and Weaver) since, but in less-than-stellar films and TV fare. Hamill's bad guy performance in the Norwegian/Swedish HAMILTON is also worth mentioning (and I ditto Marian's sentiments on WING COMMANDER III and IV). Jim, you said: >>I thought Dennis Weaver's acting was totally laughable! He was always acting like a wienie<< But wasn't that the purpose? To have an everyday, office clerk-type guy, a "wienie", face a sensational challenge? I think it was, and I think Weaver did great in this regard. Weaver grows into a hero by the end of the movie.
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The dino roar was from the movie THE LAND UNKNOWN,a classic 50s flick.I'm surprised that Steven din't use the famous Warner Bothers scream that he and George Lucas always put in their movies but I guess it was too early for that.
I always wondered the backstory of the truck driver...was he in the diner?This actually COULD have a sequel...like maybe a "ghost truck" haunting that stretch of highway or haunting Dennis Weaver years later.mmmmm...maybe not.
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Thaxton:
I'm surprised that Steven din't use the famous Warner Bothers scream that he and George Lucas always put in their movies but I guess it was too early for that.
Ah, someone else who has noticed this little aural trademark! Does anyone know where this scream originated? I've heard it as far back as 1954's Them!. You can hear it as a Stormtrooper falls down a shaft in the Death Star in Star Wars, when a Nazi guard falls out of the truck containing the Ark of the Covenant and smashes into the windshield of the following jeep in Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and in literally dozens of other Spielberg/Lucas productions. It's kinda like their version of Hitchcock's obligitory cameo in every one of his films.
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quote:
Originally posted by Thor:
Yeah, that's right about the dino roars, Marian. You've seen the JAWS documentary too, huh?
Yep. To be honest, I never noticed the sound effect before watching the documentary, and even than I found it hard to hear. The 1.5 hour documentary for CE3K is even better. Great stuff. NP: Ultima Ascension (George Oldziey)
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Posted: |
Sep 18, 2001 - 11:33 PM
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By: |
Joe E.
(Member)
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The famous scream heard in so many Lucas films is known as the "Wilhelm," after the name of the actor/stuntman who screams it in an old movie. Veteran Lucasfilm sound designer Ben Burtt came across the scream and decided to use it in the original Star Wars as one of the few "library" sounds culled from existing sources, simply because he liked it; since then, he has incorporated it into pretty much every Lucasfilm production (and a few non-Lucasfilm productions) in which he could find a place for it, as his "signature." Among the works that include this scream are all four Star Wars films, all the Indiana Jones feature films and a few episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Willow, and More American Graffiti; undoubtedly both the remaining Star Wars films will have it, as well. There was a well-researched history of the scream up at TheForce.net, but it seems to be gone now; however, if you want to track it down to its origins, I believe the scream was from a Warner Brothers western. A search for the name "Wilhelm" among cast and crew members of Warner Bros. westerns at the IMDB should yield a small handful of films you can check out for it; I would do this myself, but I'm too lazy at the moment (I'll probably do it someday, though). One of my best friends was in the film & television program at UCF and was an intern at Universal Studios Florida for a while, leading to a position as an intern and occasional PA on the series seaQuest DSV when its production moved there in 1994, so she got to meet Mark Hamill and work with him for a day when he guest-starred on the series. She says he's absolutely one of the nicest people in the industry - just absolutely wonderful. Duel is indeed excellent. http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/smile.gif"> - JE ------------------
“There it stuck fast, and would move no more...”
[This message has been edited by Joe Esrey (edited 19 September 2001).]
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Posted: |
Sep 18, 2001 - 11:51 PM
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By: |
Spacehunter
(Member)
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Thanks for the info on that famous yell. My dad and I call it the "Hollywood yell" because it seems to be in every movie we see.[This message has been edited by Spacehunter (edited 19 September 2001).]
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Posted: |
Sep 20, 2001 - 3:48 AM
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By: |
Thor
(Member)
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Spacehunter, I'm embarrased to say that I haven't actually seen HAMILTON yet, although it is readily available in every video store. It is, as you know, directed by Norwegian director Harald Zwart, who did last year's intelligent Hollywood comedy http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/Forum1/HTML/001723.html" TARGET=_blank>ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL'S. Peter Stormare plays the hero himself, super-agent Carl Hamilton (yes, very similar to the James Bond concept, although somewhat more political), based on Swedish author Jan Guillou's popular novels: http://www.haraldzwartfanpage.com/1170.jpg">
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