If you’ve looked through my artwork you should see that I’m a fan of movies.

Why is that?

The image presented in this entry is the answer…

Released in 1971, the movie Duel was directed by a then mostly unknown by the name of Steven Spielberg.  It was released theatrically in Europe but aired on TV in the US and Canada and, I do believe, I caught it when it aired in that year.  I was likely between four and five years old at the time and this proved to be the first film I saw where I realized a story was being told from beginning to end.

It was, to my very young mind, nothing short of magic.

I would not see the film again for at least ten years, and when I did I was shocked to find that it was directed by Mr. Spielberg but in retrospect, that should have been obvious.  For Duel is essentially an early draft, if you will, of the film that made him a superstar: Jaws. Only Duel featured a homicidal truck driver pursuing a harried driver along desert roads, their encounters proving more and more dangerous.

So why did this particular film affect me as much as it did?  Easy: It was essentially a silent film.

Sure, there was dialogue, but it was incidental at best.  In his commentaries for the DVD release, Mr. Spielberg pointed out the film was originally intended to not have one bit of dialogue, but the studio balked at that idea.  Still, for the most part it is a silent film… punctuated by the sounds of engines and squealing tires.  If you haven’t seen the film yet, give it a look.

It’s well worth it.