Richard Matheson: The Writing of Duel (2004)
*** (out of 4)
Nice interview with legend Richard Matheson who discusses his story and eventual screenplay of DUEL. Matheson starts off by saying his original idea came on the day that Kennedy was assassinated because on the way home from a golf course a trucker got behind him and his friend and eventually ran them off the road. From here Matheson discusses certain aspects in the screenplay including not showing who was driving as well as his opinions on Dennis Weaver, the score and Steven Spielberg's handling of the film. Fans of the film or Matheson in general should really enjoy this featurette as the writer tells some great stories and he's as compelling as ever. I thought the featurette did a good job at talking about the writing of the original story and what he wanted to change with the screenplay. Matheson also talks about trying to get this as a TV show but everyone turned him down so he simply shelved the idea before eventually getting it to Playboy.
