The consolidated, all-in-one DUEL DVD discussion thread (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey Nelson]

"The original 1971 ABC TV cut has a running time of 74 minutes. Later, when it was released in theaters, an additional 16 minutes of footage was added to bring the running time up from 74 minutes to 90 minutes. Those additional scenes include an extended opening credit sequence, David Mann's telephone conversation with his wife while inside the gas station, the school bus sequence, and the truck pushing Mann's car towards the train at the railroad crossing."
Cool, thanks for the info on the exact scenes that were added; I knew about the last one you mentioned, but wasn't sure about the others. BUT, that's not the end of the story; Spielberg trimmed much of Mann's "inner dialogues" for the theatrical cut, AND it looks like two more inner dialogues were trimmed from the U.S. theatrical and video releases as compared to the U.K. version, as noted here in archived DUEL news at the Spielberg site (scroll down to August 21, 2003 Updates):
http://www.spielbergfilms.com/duelnews.html
There are also a couple more missing/changed bits in the U.S. version, as outlined in this thread from the DUEL forum at the Spielberg site:
http://www.spielbergfilms.com/forum/...read.php?t=548
I'd love to see a list of the initial "inner dialogue" trims Spielberg made for the theatrical version...anyone with anymore info on this, or any other version differences?

 

[Richard--W]

Reviving this old thread to comment that I bought this DVD the morning it came out. At first glance, I was delighted with the quality of the presentation, and with the supplements. I appreciated the interviews with the great Richard Matheson and with Steven Spielberg. DUEL was composed for full screen, which was the nature of television back in the 1970s, and I was pleased Universal didn't screw around with the oar to pump up DVD sales.

Watching the original broadcast of DUEL remains a vivid memory from my childhood. A Movie-of-the-Week was always a tight 74 minutes of program in a 90 minute time slot. Intended to air twice, first in the fall and then repeated the following spring. In 1971, tv watchers had never seen anything like DUEL. Even with commercial breaks, the film was stunning. Everybody at school talked about it the next day, and my film buff friends raved about the direction and editing and the simplicity of the script. The film generated so much enthusiasm that it was repeated for the first time later that fall, and I held a portable cassette tape recorder up to the mono soundbox on the TV to record the audio so that I could at least listen to the film. I used to scour TV Guide Magazine hoping for repeats, and in fact I caught several repeats during the early-to-late 1970s.

Wish I'd kept that cassette, because the original broadcast that so impressed the world isn't on this DVD. I'm not sure I like the extended 90 minute version as much. It's a different film. Additonal material reduces the momentum of the piece, slows down the action. The extended "thought bubble" scenes lessen the impact. The original 74-minute version was more suspensful, more relentless, had greater impact because it gave us (the audience via Dennis Weaver) less time to catch our breadth (breaks notwithstanding).

I wish everyone could see the original 74-minute version, which should have been the main feature on this DVD with the extended / theatrical version included as a supplement. There's no reason to leave it out. I suppose an expanded DVD is too much to hope for.

EDIT

let me add that I'm not complaining. I enjoy the extended / theatrical version. It's a great film, but the original 74 minute Movie-Of-the-Week is even greater.

 

[Mark Lucas]

You can always edit out the extended scenes, I think. Since all I've watched is the extended cut I'm not sure what was added. The train sequence and the scene where Weaver calls his wife are all that come to mind.

 

[Richard--W]

You can always edit out the extended scenes,

I'm tempted. But there are so many little bits and pieces that were changed here and there. Without a reference for the 1971 edit, it can't be done accurately.

Just for fun, I once recut FOR YOUR EYES ONLY removing all the crap producer Michael G. Wilson added to Richard Maibaum's script. I restructured the first hour the way Maibaum intended. That meant doing some cutting. If the producers hadn't messed with his brilliant script, and given the project to a director who understood elementary dramatic business (like Peter Hunt), FOR YOUR EYES ONLY could have been a 007 masterpiece. The film can't be completely saved but I certainly improved it. My version was about 18 minutes shorter and everyone I showed it to preferred it over the theatrical release.

However that's another story ...

 

[Richard--W]

Since all I've watched is the extended cut I'm not sure what was added. The train sequence and the scene where Weaver calls his wife are all that come to mind.

There's also the opening title sequence which was stretched out with the voice of actor William Daniels as a caller on a radio program that Weaver listens to as he drives. The scene where Weaver goes into a diner was also stretched out with a voice-over to tell us what Weaver is thinking. The scene with the school bus and Weaver calling his wife, as you say, are also additions. And there's other, little things. It would be interesting to make a scene-by-scene comparison of the two different versions but I don't believe the 74-minute version has ever been released to home video.

Has anyone else seen the original 74 minute version? Am I only one who prefers it?

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

As I pointed out earlier in this thread, things intact in the broadcast version were edited out of the theatrical version. It isn't just a matter of stuff being added for the theatrical version. Lots of changes were made re: additions and deletions. I'd really, REALLY like to get my hands on a copy of the original broadcast version. But, I still say that the version we have on DVD is an excellent film.

 

[Scott Temple]

After just finding out about this a few hours ago, I searched for a thread and didn't find one so I figured this was an appropriate thread to post it in.
Dennis Weaver, 81, died Friday, February 24th, 2006. The cause of death was cancer.
Los Angeles Times article
Lots of celeb deaths lately. Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, Dennis Weaver, Dana Reeve, Maureen Stapleton, and just two days ago, Peter Tomarken, former Press Your Luck (CBS, 1983-1986) game show host.

 

[GuruAskew]

So did anyone ever figure out what was holding up the original DVD release of "Duel"? I remember everyone assumed that the released version was identical to the leaked version but someone pointed out that the original canceled version (the one I have) had a DVD newsletter link on one of the menus and the released version didn't.

I guess it's possible that Universal actually redesigned the menus just to remove that weblink but that's pretty unlikely if you ask me, especially considering the time between releases. I just can't see a studio putting a release on hold for something so minor.

Has anyone ever actually done a comprehensive comparison between the two discs? All the evidence points to there being SOME significant difference between them, it's just a matter of finding it.

 

[Richard--W]

But, I still say that the version we have on DVD is an excellent film.

Sure, I quite agree, and enjoy it immensely.

I just feel that the original 74-minute version was a textbook study on how to create and sustain suspense. It was really something. I do wish Universal had included both versions on the DVD.

The film wasn't composed for a widescreen, so I'm not interested in the theatrical version which cuts off top and bottom information. It's not supposed to be shown that way. Forgive me saying I think all this interest in a widescreen version is mis-directed. It's the original 74 minute intention that's important.

 

[WillG]

So did anyone ever figure out what was holding up the original DVD release of "Duel"?

I think one of the big theories about his had little (if any) to do with content. I think at the time Duel was initially supposed to be released Dennis Weaver's daugther was killed when a runaway truck crashed into the Farmer's Market in L.A. It has been theroized that Spielberg asked for the release to be delayed because of that.

Anyway, that is what I hear/read and it seems to make sense.

 

[oscar_merkx]

this is the first I've heard of the 74 minute cut.

Interesting

 

[GuruAskew]

I think one of the big theories about his had little (if any) to do with content. I think at the time Duel was initially supposed to be released Dennis Weaver's daugther was killed when a runaway truck crashed into the Farmer's Market in L.A. It has been theroized that Spielberg asked for the release to be delayed because of that.

Anyway, that is what I hear/read and it seems to make sense.

Yeah I heard that but I still think there's more to it. I'm pretty sure Universal would have merely "dusted off" the old files and just resumed production of the existing disc if there wasn't anything that needed to be changed on the disc but they did actually author a new version. I just have a feeling that there's something that was changed. I doubt it's the film itself, I'm guessing it's the supplements, there was that one featurette on early Spielberg that had a lot of footage and music that could have put a snag in the production. The difference might not be obvious but I have a feeling that there's a significant change.