Welcome to a new ongoing series called “Revisiting Spielberg” where I plan to revisit one of the famous directors’ numerous films in chronological order while also talking about where the director was at that point in his career. Today, I’m giving a brief history of Spielberg’s journey to becoming a successful television director when he got his start at Universal Studios and concluding with a review of his first feature-length film, the made-for-TV movie “Duel” in 1971.
I hope you enjoy it!
If ever there was a person on this planet born to be a filmmaker, it is director Steven Spielberg. He started young, too. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Spielberg grew up primarily in Phoenix, Arizona. At the age of 13, he started to make 8mm films with his friends, coming up with clever ways to create special-effects and camera angles.
Spielberg said he almost gave up being a filmmaker at 16 after he saw what would become his personal favorite film, 1962’s “Lawrence of Arabia”. He thought that the film set the bar too high, but after repeat viewings of the film, his love for cinema only grew and he said that there was no way at that point that he wouldn’t become a filmmaker.
He did try to go into film school, but the University of Southern California wouldn’t accept his application due to low grades in high school. He did finally enroll in California State University, but later dropped out. It was Universal Studios where Spielberg would learn the most about filmmaking.
One summer, he got a three-day pass but on the fourth day, he walked in with no trouble without the pass because security knew who he was. He ended up spending almost the whole summer as an unofficial apprentice of the studio.
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| Steven Spielberg's first directing job was with Joan Crawford for the segment 'Eyes' in the TV anthology film "Night Gallery". |
Universal asked Spielberg to make a short film which turned into the 26-minute 35mm film, “Amblin’”. Universal executive Sid Sheinberg loved the short and offered the 22-year-old Spielberg a seven year TV contract with the studio. Spielberg accepted and became notable for directing Joan Crawford in the segment ‘Eyes’ for the Rod Serling anthology film “Night Gallery”.
Spielberg would also be notable for directing the first regular episode of “Columbo” titled ‘Murder by the Book’. Star Peter Falk was impressed by Spielberg’s filmmaking imagination that helped set the tone of the show. Also, while Crawford initially wanted the director replaced due to his age, Spielberg and the actress got along famously with Crawford raving about the director with reporters.
However, Spielberg’s biggest achievement on the small screen was 1971’s made-for-TV movie “Duel”. It aired on ABC as an installment of their “Movie of the Week” series. Director George Lucas said that he didn’t know Spielberg yet and among him and other directors such as Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Francis Ford Coppola, he was seen as a studio insider who had been crowned prince of Universal, making glossy studio fare but nothing more.
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| A monstrous truck terrorizes a distraught Dennis Weaver in "Duel". |
While at a party given by Coppola, Lucas snuck off to another room to watch the first part of “Duel” to see what Spielberg was up to. At the first commercial break, he rushed to Coppola and said that they needed to watch the rest of the movie because Spielberg was great.
The movie follows a businessman named David Mann, played by Dennis Weaver due to Spielberg’s admiration of Weaver’s performance in “Touch of Evil”. On his way to an important meeting, David is soon terrorized by a huge, dirty semi-truck being driven by a mostly unseen driver. You have no idea why he is chasing down David and you never see the truck driver’s face.
This makes things all the more terrifying for both David and the audience as it is confusing as to why this truck driver is trying to kill David. Not seeing the driver also helps establish the truck itself as the main antagonist of the movie.
Of course, the DNA of later Spielberg films, especially “Jaws”, can be found here. It’s a movie about an everyman who is being terrorized by an almost overwhelming predator. The good news is that this movie is helped by Weaver’s performance as David as you see and feel the fear he is going through.
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| Dennis Weaver gives a strong performance in 1971's "Duel". |
No scene in the movie expresses this more than a scene where David manages to get to a small diner to get away from the truck and try to calm down. Unfortunately, he eventually notices that the truck is outside and anybody in the diner could be the driver. He tries to figure out in vain who the driver is and the tension is genuine.
Speaking of the truck, it’s a genuine monster as Spielberg chose a dirty old truck that looks more like a beast than a semi. It sells the danger easily along with Weaver’s aforementioned performance.
Of course, the movie works mostly due to Spielberg’s solid direction. He chose to film the movie completely on location and outside. This gives the movie an authentic realism and the chases are well shot and choreographed. At the age of 24, Spielberg was already a confident and true filmmaker.
If you’re a fan of Spielberg’s movies, then you need to forget that this is a made-for-TV film as Spielberg made a movie that could have easily been made for the big screen. In fact, after the success of the movie on television, Universal did give the movie a limited release in the U.S. and a wide release internationally.
The movie has gone on to maintain a strong cult following and is often considered one of the best television movies ever made. The movie still holds up today and it was a strong start for Spielberg’s feature-length films.
Next week, we finally travel from the small screen to the big screen as I take a look at Spielberg’s first theatrically released feature film, 1974’s “The Sugarland Express”. Until next time, I’ll see you at the movies!
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