Duel Film Review
Duel was an interesting film. Interesting because it seemingly had next to no real plot, aside from the main character being overtaken and overtaking a truck down a road in the American desert. It is only when we go through the film with a fine toothed comb that we are able to pick out bits of pack story and meaning. Toward the beginning of the film, David Mann one of three characters to have actual names (the others being his wife, Mrs Mann and another credited as 'Jim, old man in car'), makes a call to his wife and we find out that something happened the night before to her and David did nothing to stop it and it is implied that David is loosing his title of, for lack of a better word, the Top Dog in the house. This scene was also positioned in a way that the camera is looking through the window on a washing machine at David on the phone in the background looking like he could be a meaningless extra in another film. The fact that he is so small in this scene and it is shot through a washing machine seems to suggest David that not only is he loosing his position in the house but he is also becoming less of man.
Presumably this film is set at a similar sort of time was it was made, around the 60/ early 70's, and during this time women started appearing more in the workplace, especially after the Equal Pay Act of 1963. We also hear at the beginning of the film what seems to be a radio talk show where people call in with their questions, and we hear about a man who's wife is out earning him to the point where he is now the 'housewife' in the sense that he looks after the children and the house. This makes the man question his masculinity as men have always been the ones to bring home the bacon since the dawn of time, back when men hunted for their food in order to provide for their family, similar to that of an instinct. In a sense a job is like hunting, in a sense that you are bringing home resources in order to keep you alive. It must have been hard for such people, not being able to do the one thing they know they should do and instead must now do something that they have traditionally never done.
Presumably this film is set at a similar sort of time was it was made, around the 60/ early 70's, and during this time women started appearing more in the workplace, especially after the Equal Pay Act of 1963. We also hear at the beginning of the film what seems to be a radio talk show where people call in with their questions, and we hear about a man who's wife is out earning him to the point where he is now the 'housewife' in the sense that he looks after the children and the house. This makes the man question his masculinity as men have always been the ones to bring home the bacon since the dawn of time, back when men hunted for their food in order to provide for their family, similar to that of an instinct. In a sense a job is like hunting, in a sense that you are bringing home resources in order to keep you alive. It must have been hard for such people, not being able to do the one thing they know they should do and instead must now do something that they have traditionally never done.
Hi Ollie,
ReplyDeleteOk, I'll comment on this review, but refer back to the previous two too, to keep the comments together...
All three reviews are missing images and basic details about who made the film and when; these basic details help you to introduce the film and put it in context for the reader (they can relate it to what was happening in the world and in culture at the time.) In fact, you need to work on the structure of your writing, so an introduction, your argument or discussion and a conclusion to draw everything neatly together.
All three reviews contain some really interesting and relevant points, but unfortunately you have not really developed the discussions in a thorough manner...certainly, this last review for 'Duel' seems very rushed - maybe a case of getting out and ticking the 'done box'?
You should also make sure that your bibliography is organised alphabetically - this becomes very important when you are using many sources, otherwise you have to trail through randomly listed names to find the one you want.
In just a few months you will be starting to plan your thesis Ollie, and these reviews were meant to be a way to iron out any writing creases...