Steven Spielberg and Duel: The Making of a Film Career by Steven Awalt

Before he became a world-renowned filmmaker of such classics as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg got his start on television, helming episodes of Rod Serling's Night Gallery and Columbo. But it was the small-screen version of a Richard Matheson short story that first brought the young director's work to the attention of critics and viewers alike.

In Steven Spielberg and Duel: The Making of a Film Career, Steven Awalt provides an exhaustive study commemorating the film that decisively launched the career of a major film artist. Through in-depth research and interviews with the film's creative and technical crew, the author tracks the film from genesis through production to release. Awalt conducted lengthy one-on-one interviews with Spielberg, Matheson, assistant director James Fargo, editor Frank Morriss, composer Billy Goldenberg, former MCA/Universal president Sidney J. Sheinberg, and writer-producer Steven Bochco, among others.

Spielberg provided access to many rare documents from his archives, including multiple drafts of Duel's teleplay, the shooting schedule, shooting logistics breakdowns, and production correspondence. The first book-length examination of this important production in the director's early career, Steven Spielberg and Duel also includes the original teleplay by Matheson, four additional scenes created for the international theatrical release of the film, photos, and storyboards of the film's final sequence.

A fascinating look behind the scenes of an acclaimed work, this book will interest not only scholars and film historians but anyone interested in the work of Richard Matheson and Steven Spielberg.