Duel, the made-for-TV thriller that launched Steven Spielberg’s career, originally aired on 11.13.71. The original length was 74 minutes.
To the best of my knowledge the original TV version hasn’t been in circulation, if ever. The Duel Bluray contains only the extended 90-minute version that was assembled for theatrical release in Europe and Australia. Here are two links for the original version, in two sizes — 74 minute version #1 (3.7 GB) and 74 minute version #2 (700.9 MB).
Filming happened in a desert region northeast of Los Angeles (Sierra Highway, Agua Dulce Canyon Road, Soledad Canyon Road, Angeles Forest Highway). Principal photography took 13 days (three longer than the scheduled), leaving 10 days for editing prior to broadcast as the ABC Movie of the Week.
The positiveresponse was such that Universal decided to release Duel theatrically in Europe and Australia. Wiki excerpt: “The TV movie, however, wasn’t long enough for theatrical release, so Universal had Spielberg spend two days filming several new scenes, turning Duel into a 90-minute film.
The 90-minute Duel Bluray was released on 10.14.14, as part of the eight-film box set Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection. It was also released as a separate Bluray on 5.5.15.
