Hello, class! Today I will be analyzing this scene from Duel, which we watched last week in class:
Steven Spielberg managed to create an extremely intense chase throughout the movie, but this scene in particular used continuity edits extremely well to raise the tension even further.
As the scene begins, continuous, longer shots are used to create a hightened tense of uncertainty, while using the 180 degree rule several times to face the driver from the side, so that he’s facing left from our perspective, to get his thoughts and expressions. As the scene approaches a refueling station, the camera uses a reverse shot as our main character talks with the gas attendant. It then turns into a panning shot to turn around and see the gas truck parked and supposedly anticipating something.
As more and more of the gas stop is revealed, as our protagonist walks around the venue, you can faintly hear the attendant fiddling with his car as he makes his way to the telephone booth, which is done in one longer take to help get a sense of the distance between his car and the booth.
As our main character talks on the phone, we get match cuts between him and the gas truck, letting us “keep our eye” on both sides of the situation and further increase the tension. And as the truck begins to turn around and approach, wide shots are match cut with the booth as he frantically tries to get the police to help. The shot right before the gas truck gets ready to ram the booth, continuity is held thanks to the constantly growing louder engine of the truck, and it comes into frame from the left, which was established where the truck was at compared to the booth in previous shots.
Finally, high and low angled, yet wide shots help capture the scale and danger of the truck as it destroys the stop, the noises of the crashes and the truck engine pushing you to the edge of your seat. It truly becomes one of the more tense and pulse-rising scenes in the movie.
-Jeremy Sauter