Steven Spielberg worked his way up to directing features by making short films and episodes of TV shows like Columbo and Night Gallery. His earliest movies were also made for television – and the first feature-length TV movie he made that wasn’t part of a series was the classic 1971 thriller Duel (watch it HERE). Forty-two years after Duel first aired, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is now set to give the film a 4K release on November 14th!
Based on a short story by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay, Duel centers on a motorist terrorized by an evil truck. Dennis Weaver stars as the traveling salesman waging a desperate battle for survival after he is mysteriously singled out.
Jacqueline Scott, Eddie Firestone, Lou Frizzell, and Gene Dynarski are also in the cast.
A press release on Blu-ray.com notes, “Praised for its deft use of relentlessly mounting psychological tension, Duel features one of the most uniquely terrifying “characters” in movie history: a massive, roaring, 40-ton truck with sheer menace. A few years later, the action of Spielberg’s blockbuster hit Jaws would echo Duel‘s tale of a lone hero in a heart-stopping fight to the finish against a monstrous, inhuman foe.“
The 4K release of Duel has the following special features and technical specs:
PREVIOUSLY RESTORED IN THE 4K FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
ORIGINAL TV VERSION OF THE FILM IN 1.33:1 RATIO
HDR 10 PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK
A Conversation with Director Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg and the Small Screen
Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel
Photograph and Poster Gallery
Optional English SDH, Spanish, Mandarin, Danish, Finnish, French Canadian, French European, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin American Spanish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature
Duel is a great thriller that actually ranks highly on my list of favorite Spielberg movies. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s highly recommended that you seek it out. Spielberg made two more TV movies after this (Something Evil and Savage), then headed to the big screen with The Sugarland Express. One year later, he followed that film with one of the best movies ever made, Jaws.
Are you a fan of Duel, and will you be buying this 4K release? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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