Duel

Visible crew/equipment: Visible camera on the right side (near the tail lamp) of Mann's Plymouth (before the Chuck's Cafe scenes). (00:22:20)

gavlov

Visible crew/equipment: When Mann's bumper gets caught under the school bus and he's trying to free it, a large lighting panel is reflected in his car door every time he opens it. (00:47:00)

Jean G

Visible crew/equipment: During the scene in the gas station with snakes, as Dennis Weaver is wiping the tarantula from his leg, look at the shadow of the old woman behind him. There appears to be a moving crew member shadow next to hers. It cannot be a tank as she wasn't standing next to one either in the shot before or after. (00:55:50)

Visible crew/equipment: Just after the truck has run down the phone booth at the Reptile lady's place, it starts smashing into all the glass reptile cages nearby. If you look closely at the reptile cage which David falls over, you can see the film crew in the reflection. (00:58:05)

Gavin Jackson

Visible crew/equipment: When Mann's car spins out on the gravel and comes to rest facing the truck, you can briefly glimpse the cameraman (purported to be Steven Spielberg himself) crouching in the back seat. (01:04:25)

Jean G

Visible crew/equipment: When Dennis Weaver is in the cafe a shadow of a cameraman is cast across the table he is sitting at. The shot then changes to a wider angle to reveal that there isn't anyone near him who could have cast that shadow.

Duel mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: When David's car gets stuck on the bus bumper, the next shot is of the bus' black bumper and the side of the car. At the top of the black bumper there are two people seen in the reflection. The person on the left turns and takes a step to the right.

Visible crew/equipment: Just as Dennis Weaver goes back into the Diner after splashing his face with water in the washroom, you can see the shadow of the camera man, complete with camera on his shoulder, silhouetted on the back of his shirt and on the wall.

Duel mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: When David Mann stops off at the reptile lady's place, he enters a phone booth to call the police. When he's inside, you can see a perfect reflection of Spielberg. Look how young he looks.

Visible crew/equipment: The shadow of the camera can be seen on the left side of the screen, after David takes his seat at Chuck's Cafe.

Visible crew/equipment: At the gas station, just before the water is sprayed on the windscreen and the attendant first appears, if you look closely at the top right hand corner of the screen you can see a reflection (albeit for a split second) of a hand giving the cue for the action to begin. Was this Steven Spielberg's hand?

Will

Duel mistake picture

Visible crew/equipment: Near the end of the film, while Dennis Weaver is finally starting to get a good lead on the truck, the top of director Steven Spielberg's head is visible in the reflection of the back seat in the rear-view mirror.

Visible crew/equipment: When Dennis Weaver is in the cafe a shadow of a cameraman is cast across the table he is sitting at. The shot then changes to a wider angle to reveal that there isn't anyone near him who could have cast that shadow.

More mistakes in Duel

David Mann: That truck driver's crazy, he's been trying to kill me, I mean it.
Bus Driver: Well, mister, if I was to vote on who's crazy around here, it'd be you.

More quotes from Duel

Trivia: This film garnered so much critical praise that it was theatrically released in quite a few countries, though it was originally a made-for-TV-movie for NBC in 1972.

More trivia for Duel

Answer: It's never explained why but, judging from the numerous license plates from other vehicles attached to his truck, the truck driver is a serial killer and was just targeting people at random and decided to make David his next target.

Trucks used to have to be registered in multiple states if they were going to operate in them. It was very common to see semi trucks with a half dozen or so license plates on them, each from a different state.

Answer: According to director Steven Spielberg, the trucker was a serial killer, and each of the license plates were trophies from previous victims.

Answer: David pulled ahead of the truck not once but twice. He got to the gas station first, and got served before the trucker. For any normal person this would not be cause to try to murder someone, however the truck driver is an unhinged psychopath who doesn't need much reason to go into an obsessive rage. Add to that the fact that David is driving a much smaller car, and the fact that they're out in the middle of nowhere with nary a cop around, and the truck driver probably saw David as easy prey.

Answer: "It was very common to see semi trucks with a half dozen or so license plates on them, each from a different state." And that's how the psycho trucker got away with it. He could have those 'trophy' plates on the front of the truck in plain sight, and to anyone who saw it, the truck would look like just another big rig with multiple license plates. Nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious about it.

More questions & answers from Duel

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