A race driver must choose between his love for racing and his wife. His buddy's accident will help him to choose, and his loyal ways will get him a new friend - his main rival.A race driver must choose between his love for racing and his wife. His buddy's accident will help him to choose, and his loyal ways will get him a new friend - his main rival.A race driver must choose between his love for racing and his wife. His buddy's accident will help him to choose, and his loyal ways will get him a new friend - his main rival.
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- (uncredited)
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRacing sequences filmed at Goodwood, Sussex.
- Quotes
Guido Rosetti: [referring to Wells] He's finished and you know it! He should have packed up two years ago.
'Pic' Dallapiccola: Aye, he's off form. He's in a streak of bad luck. Bad luck, bad roads, bad weather. It's what we all suffer from sooner or later.
Guido Rosetti: You forgot to add something.
'Pic' Dallapiccola: Hm?
Guido Rosetti: Bad nerves.
- Alternate versionsRace for Life (1954) is a shorter cut for USA release, at 69 minutes (65 minutes in the re-release). The director's cut was titled Mask of Dust (1954), and ran at 79 minutes.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood! (1987)
Though once feted as the best, Peter Wells (Richard Conte) has struggled since his return from his time in the RAF and his wife Patricia (Mari Aldon) wants him to retire. Hastening the issue, his teammate Guido Rosetti (Alec Mango) is winning, and putting increasing demands on the team to promote him to lead driver. His feelings are focused when his friend and fellow driver, Tony Bellario (Peter Illing) is involved in an accident.
Melodrama really is the word for this one. I thought the footage from the races was integrated well and there was a sense of danger to them. They're, obviously, not putting the real actors at risk and their scenes are rear projection. It's the scenes around the racing that were the real problem for me. It's basically the same plot as "Days of Thunder" but the performances are pretty over the top. Alec Mango might as well twiddle a Waluigi style mustache as he schemes behind Well's back (only to - minor spoilers - reverse his position based on very little later in the film). It was Mari Aldon that was the most strikingly bad though, she pretty much stares directly down the lens a couple of times, pulling a face like she's spoofing what an actress might do.
This might be reflective of racing at the time, I don't know, but how old are some of the drivers supposed to be. Today the average Formula One driver is in their late twenties, here the three drivers seem nearer their fifties.
I didn't hate every minute of it and there's something to be said for something (anything) that's not another bad film noir - but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as anything other than a reason to see some footage from the time of Sterling Moss.
- southdavid
- Dec 3, 2023
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Racers from Hell
- Filming locations
- Goodwood Motor Circuit, Goodwood, Chichester, West Sussex, England, UK(Location: Opening racing scenes)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 19 minutes
- Color