Duel

In 1971, a young director was handed a "movie of the week" project by ABC, and turned a short story about a truck stalking a man on the Pacfic Coast highway, into a suspense classic. The director was Steven Spielberg, the film was Duel. I remember seeing (and loving) this film on TV back in the early 70's, so I grabbed the DVD when I saw it on the bargain rack. I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon watching the extra features, and then the film. It's still awesome! Spielberg speaks at length about making this film at the ripe old age of 24. It is fun for me to listen to a passionate director talk about camera shots, casting, studio politics and influences on subsequent projects. He tells a great story about using the same sound during the demise of the truck, as he did when they kill the shark in Jaws, as sort of an homage to his first feature length film.