'Duel'- Film Review (2-5)

‘Duel’- Cutting Edges (5)’
1428 Words

Who'd have thought that a film (released in 1971), with a running time of 1 hr, 30 minutes, and a story about a truck pursuing a red Plymouth Valiant, would be as entertaining as it was?

As it happens, the story of  'mild-natured' David Mann, safely driving along the deserted southern, California highway, before an encounter with a  mysterious truck driver with extreme road rage, grips us and holds an air of tension and ambiguity.

The two arrive in a cloud of dust, and beeping horns, as a battle for survival amidst the mundane reality of day-to-day driving, takes a dramatic U-turn.

The question: who'll survive the game of cat and mouse?

It's evident, in the first couple of seconds of rare peace, that Mann is a man with some unspoken troubles around his masculinity in 1970's California... something that even his closest partner, his wife, scrutinizes over the phone: Mann:  "*Bitter* I know what it's suppose to mean. It means, you think I should go out, and call Steve Henderson up... and challenge him to a fist fight or something."
Mrs. Mann: "Well, no! Of course not... I mean- I think you could have at least said something to the man, last night. I mean, after all, he was practically trying to rape me in front of the whole party."

That, along with his constant referral to the police that may give the impression he's in some way 'weak' that he'd seek help from a larger organisation... and being looked upon by others in bitterness,
(whenever in peril, he's laughed at, and looked upon by rolling eyes and shaking heads), gives the impression that despite being reasonable at times, this isn't something encouraged in this male-driven culture.

Fig. 1

On the other end of the scale, we have the 'Truck Driver'- whose, in some way, personified by the truck itself (we never see his face, and all human responses are shown through the vehicle itself. See Fig. 1)- that embodies the extreme nature of 'masculinity', (or, rather, what's considered masculine at this time).

Fig. 2

His boisterous, egotistic decisions, and subtle movements (as emphasised by the use of camera- see Fig, 2 and Fig. 4),  as evident in some drivers, puts him first.... but rather than letting up, and merely pushing Mann down in a place he can still feel on the moral high ground, by ignoring the situation... he goes on to pursue Mann, and drive him to reciprocate in a manner, similar to his own.
In that regard Mann 'lowers' himself to the level to the Truck driver, his opponent, as it's the only way to hold his ground.
At times his excitement of winning gives way to a primal yell of joy. Camera angles work with this idea of predator vs. prey, using binary opposites, with indications to a greater power/bias on one side (as evident in Fig, 3, 4 and 5).

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

There's a sense of stalking, as a predator hunts it's prey, which also emphasizes this animalistic side to the truck driver, and to the emotion of pride.
There's the constant threat of the truck, 1- in the rear view mirror, 2- a use of angles that don't allow us to see threats, i.e. oncoming traffic, 3- in the corner of shots, etc. That, along with the emphasis on speed (a close up on dial and wheel), the size of the vehicle itself... and its use of sound, makes it clear it's an intimidating opponent.
There are moments when the sound pans from right to left, to mirror the disconcerting sense of Mann losing control of the red car. Additionally, the ticking and violin trills that in some way reference back to 'Psycho''s own iconic soundscape.

Indeed, this sense of conflict and masculinity is achieved through camera angles, and the phone calls with his wife, with the " few whimsical conversations from a call-in radio show" that "are really all the character development the movie provides," .
We see "minor characters, at the various stops Mann makes along the highway, are uniformly freakish.". Meanwhile, Maslin (1983) states, "Mann himself is shown to be a henpecked husband who regains his masculinity only through the contest on the road.".

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

These minor characters, (often women), are shown washing, and cleaning, and working in the background often. Fig. 7 shows how Mann adopts a boisterous posture (like the truck driver) but is quick to move when the lady comes round the corner, who inadvertently has him return to his 'meek' or 'considerate' (depending on your attitude on male chauvinism) position.
The radio show helps show the name and shame culture of people whom divert from the norm, and while Mann himself seems to enjoy the commentary.... it's this culture that has him reluctant to seek help when anxious for his predicament, in the cafe.
In fact, he himself, is seen segregated from the 'masculine' guys, huddled round the bar, while juxtaposed against some pink flowers, (considered a symbol of femininity in traditional gender bias culture).

Fig. 8

Additionally, women play a subtle, yet definitive part in the plot drive. We see the wife's demand that Mann returns for a set time, which puts a 'ticking clock' aspect to the story... along with the appointment he claims to be heading for. However, both are pushed relatively to the back, as Mann's life is suddenly put on hold, with the arrival of the truck driver.
Tension is retained and grown using differing pace of shots. While the pace itself tends to be moderate- even during threat sequences- the content itself is jarring, and swinging. Extreme angles to emphasis power, and the orientation of the red driver.

Fig. 9

That, and the use of red, (particularly in paused moments), helps us read the scene easily. Often they almost seem to be mirroring a traffic light, as if halting both the characters and the audience suddenly.

Fig. 10

Fig. 11

Fig. 12

It's visual references to the iconic tense scenes in 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' and other western films, where often there's a duel, also helps play with these themes.

Fig. 13

Fig. 14

The film ends in a burst of flying metal, and 4 tonnes of flammable gas plummeting down a cliff, as our one and only, real character, watches on in relief. The motive of the truck driver is left hidden, which is in some ways a lot scarier things (as commented by multiple viewers) as, in the words of 'Revtim': "How can I avoid doing what Dennis Hopper did to incur the trucker's wrath, if I don't know what is was?". 

Additionally, not seeing this antagonist means he could stand for multiple people. This works well for the relatable aspect of road rage, something that many of us way witness on a daily basis. Having the ordinary juxtapose against the extremity of competition, for masculinity- makes it tenser as we can almost see how day-to-day scenarios like pride, and boisterous decisions can escalate quickly.

However, 'Airman Doors, USAF', comments how 'IMDB' "puts forth the idea that the driver was hired by the victim's wife to kill him because a) she had apparently had an affair and he knew about it, b) the first thing she asked when he called was "Were you in an accident?", and c) there's really no other motive in the movie quite as strong as that one.", which is quite an interesting theory that also emphasis's this conflict between women and males in a biased society. However he dismisses this as a "reasonable but flawed theory, because the truck driver had many opportunities to kill him outright and failed to take advantage of them, preferring to toy with him instead.".

Either way there's undoubtedly a presence of such conflict, and we see Mann end with neither returning to his wife, nor phoning his 'male oriented' work about the appointment. Caught in the red light of the sun, we're asked to stop, and think about how this may relate to our own ideas. Is a gender bias in society the best outcome for everyone involved? And perhaps Mann himself is wondering where he fits in all this.
He may think he's proven his 'masculinity' by outwitting the truck driver, or he may be lost as to how he can function, now that his stand-back, mild-natured attitude has been compromised.
The question is: does the truck represent masculinity as a whole, and has he managed to beat this expectation, (an expectation best summed up by his wife, earlier in the film)?
Or does he now embody this violent masculinity, having to respond in likeness to the truck driver, so to survive?

References

Illustrations
Fig. 1 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 2 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 3 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 4 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 5 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 6 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 7 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 8 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 9 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://mossfilm.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/duel-truck-side-view.jpg [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 10 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s[Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 11 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 12 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfbDrkGcG4&t=779s
Fig. 13 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at: http://s4.storage.akamai.coub.com/get/b16/p/coub/simple/cw_timeline_pic/cbc1dd6c89b/d7a56eaa93ca61a3001ba/big_1435506859_image.jpg  [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]
Fig. 14 'Duel' (1971), [Film Still], Available at: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aJCSNIl2Pls/hqdefault.jpg
 [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]

Websites

'Cafe Society', (2004), 'What was the driver's motivation in Steven Spielberg's movie "Duel"?', [Online]. Available at: 

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-275851.html [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]

'Duel', (1971), Directed by Steven Spielberg, [Film]. USA: Universal Studios.

Freer, Ian (2014), 'Steven Spielberg's Duel: A Viewer's Guide', [Online]. Available at: http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/duel-viewers-guide/ [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]

Honeybone, Nigel (2011), 'Film Review: Duel [1971]', [Online]. Available at: http://horrornews.net/42926/film-review-duel-1971/ [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]

Maslin, Janet (1983), 'Speilberg's 'Duel', Four-Wheel Combat', [Online]. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9804EFD81138F936A25757C0A965948260 [Accessed Date: 28/04/17]