You know it's an old motor-racing movie when Stirling Moss has hair!
Rather slowly paced but quite exciting story about fading driver Pete Wells (Richard Conte) whose wife Pat wants him to chuck the business before he kills himself. He refuses, even when advised by older team mate Dallapiccola (George Colouris) and being outpaced by the up and coming Rosetti.
Things get even worse after Wells withdraws from a race when Dallapiccola is killed. He is given one more chance but Pat leaves him in disgust. Rosetti is made team leader and is given Wells' car. However, since this is a fifties movie, you know everything will turn out fine.
Richard Conte has just the right world-weary look for a burnt-out driver and he and his wife to some extent reflect the Montand/Eve Marie Saint thread in the other movie mentioned below. With his mad professor hair George Colouris may appear incongruous as a racer but, it should be remembered that, at that time a lot of pre-war drivers were still at the wheel. Fangio won 5 championships in his forties and Luis Fagiola won the 1951 French Grand Prix at the age of 53. In fact it is Alec Mango who seems too mature to play boy-racer Rosetti.
With its limited budget this movie is a pale forerunner of the excellent "Grand Prix" but, there is some superb staged racing mixed with genuine footage of the guys in overalls wrestling with the snarling monsters of cars of the time. No poncy roll bars or traction control. Just put your foot down with your head and shoulders sticking out of the cockpit, power-sliding around bends and corners. A couple of awful, real crashes are featured, and you wonder if the drivers walked away. A museum piece but, if you like huge, fifties racing cars, you'll want to give it a look.
Rather slowly paced but quite exciting story about fading driver Pete Wells (Richard Conte) whose wife Pat wants him to chuck the business before he kills himself. He refuses, even when advised by older team mate Dallapiccola (George Colouris) and being outpaced by the up and coming Rosetti.
Things get even worse after Wells withdraws from a race when Dallapiccola is killed. He is given one more chance but Pat leaves him in disgust. Rosetti is made team leader and is given Wells' car. However, since this is a fifties movie, you know everything will turn out fine.
Richard Conte has just the right world-weary look for a burnt-out driver and he and his wife to some extent reflect the Montand/Eve Marie Saint thread in the other movie mentioned below. With his mad professor hair George Colouris may appear incongruous as a racer but, it should be remembered that, at that time a lot of pre-war drivers were still at the wheel. Fangio won 5 championships in his forties and Luis Fagiola won the 1951 French Grand Prix at the age of 53. In fact it is Alec Mango who seems too mature to play boy-racer Rosetti.
With its limited budget this movie is a pale forerunner of the excellent "Grand Prix" but, there is some superb staged racing mixed with genuine footage of the guys in overalls wrestling with the snarling monsters of cars of the time. No poncy roll bars or traction control. Just put your foot down with your head and shoulders sticking out of the cockpit, power-sliding around bends and corners. A couple of awful, real crashes are featured, and you wonder if the drivers walked away. A museum piece but, if you like huge, fifties racing cars, you'll want to give it a look.