Duel On Wheels

 

How much we know about movies? Which was the first movie to be released in theatres?

Well, let us dig a little bit more about it in further blogs. But the answer to one question is, in 1910 a movie named “In old California” was the first movie and the length of the movie was just about 10 minutes. We are talking about film making of yesteryear's in the digitalized world of film-making.

Today we have digitalized cameras that can erase the data and re-shoot the entire scene. Then we had film strips that could cost hundreds and thousands of dollars to cut and re-shoot the entire scene.  The main object of this piece of writing is not about filmmaking, instead, it is about a movie called “Duel”. Released in the year 1971, made the entire film industry look at it and became an example for creating a movie that is lasting until today for its extremely well-approached screenplay and characters. 

Ever since “In old California” made its appearance in 1910, the movie era began in  

The USA. After the release of “In old California,” the English flicks were known to be Hollywood. A new era of film voyage began. Throughout those years film became one of the most wanted topics of discussion. That 10 minutes movie created a vibe that today it is one of the leading businesses in the world. Every country has been projected as film-land and the glamorous world attracts everybody. Let us hop into our topic of discussion “Duel on wheels”.

“DUEL” is a movie written by  “Richard Matheson” a great author and a screenwriter.  Richard Matheson came up with this suspense narrative when he was on a long drive and witnessed this entire narration being in the moment.  

This blog gives a lot more information about the entire narration.

 

https://talesofmytery.blogspot.com/2013/02/richard-matheson-duel.htmaboutm=1

 

A credit to the story is one part, and another credit should go to Steven Spielberg. A great director who came up with an extraordinary short film on his back, Hollywood captured the true visuals of “Duel On Wheels”.  Steven Spielberg was known to many production compartments for jaw-dropping short films.

“Duel” is a unique story of a truck driver who gets annoyed by a car that overtakes him and how this leads to the entire story that captures the visuals of a truck and car speeding for victory. But throughout the story, we get to witness a lot of twists and turns even though it is a straight narration. What happens when the driver is so obsessed about taking a lead role on the road and tries to annoy a fellow man accompanying him on the same road with a different medium of transport.

The Art Of Filming Duel

To be a filmmaker one should understand that there are two competitive parts attached to it.

1.            Art of Writing a script without having confusion about how to shoot or what to shoot.

2.            Art of mastering camera angles.

If you watch  Steven Spielberg's films or Christopher Nolan's films, what highlights the most with the story line?

camera angles”. Why I am stressing this? The movie should make the audience be at the edge of the seat from the title card until “The End”. What happens when visually appealing anecdotes advance to the screens. The “Duel” has a lot of Point of view shots as well as long,  mid-long shots and close-up shots. The key point in the movie is how the director shows that the truck driver is the antagonist. Through the car's point of view shot, the truck makes its first appearance and unknowingly becomes an antagonist in the protagonist's journey. When the protagonist honks and overtakes, Still the truck's forbearance is well appreciated. But, suddenly a few minutes later makes a reappearance. This shot is shown through the car's mirror. That’s where the spectacle gives birth to the antagonist in the story. The camera angle justifies that the truck driver is the antagonist in the movie. Certain camera angles build the curiosity in the audience's mind that makes to think a lot about what happens next?. This is the reason that one should master the art of camera angels.

 

 

Take look at the above shot pictured. Now the truck is still shown as just a person who had his journey to talk about. The movie intensely justifies that the driver was having a strong approach about being ahead of the car. This is a common goal of every driver who sees a vehicle ahead of him irrespective of speed and power, He/she wants to overtake and be in front of that vehicle.

 

Now, this scene builds a notion that this truck can be harmful, and the story would be told around this truck keeping this truck as the antagonist. The journey continues where the protagonist never finds who the truck driver is and why is he so obsessed about killing the car?

How the climax has been framed and what happens in the end? This story keeps the audience tight-packed with some great soundtracks and sound effects.

 

Why Duel?

Duel is a unique concept with a storytelling justifying the injured relationship of each wheel with the road. The best fact about the movie is, Steven Spielberg was given told by the production company to shoot everything keeping the roads and the movement in the background. But he never agreed to that and came up with a plan to shoot the entire movie without filming it keeping movement in the background and routed to canyon country. Today the company has one of the greatest and the iconic flicks attached to its portfolio.

 

The movie is worth watching and if you are awaiting great entertainment after a lengthy week, Just grab popcorn and watch this movie which makes you sedentary at the edge of the seat.