The Great Race (1965)

Plot of the Great Race: The Great Leslie is a performer of dangerous stunts, just for the effect and has a rival Professor Fate, who is constantly trying to sabotage his efforts, however the sabotage usually backfires. Leslie proposes a car race from New York to Paris, to promote American cars and has the Leslie Special built for him. Professor Fate also has a car built so he can complete. A third competitor is Maggie DuBois, a feminist campaigner and journalist. There are other competitors, but they are all disabled by Max, Professor Fate’s assistant. Then Maggie’s car breaks down and she is picked up by professor Fate. The two cars carry on and the occupants have many adventures, involving bar room brawls, as in westerns, a trip on an iceberg and an adventure in the country of Carpania where professor Fate is a double of the country’s crown prince, and becomes involved in the politics.

Content: No sex or nudity although Maggie spends time in period underwear. Some drinking, mainly of champagne. No drug taking although Maggie smokes cigars possibly as a feminist statement. In the town of Boracho everyone is involved in an extreme bar room brawl. The two cars drift on an iceberg from Alaska to Russia. Prof Fate falls into the water a lot. Much of the film  in Carpania with a plot requiring Fate to be the crown prince, and Leslie to fence against the Carpanian villain in the manner of Prisoner of Zenda. Then the pie fight where apparently 4000 pies were thrown, beating the 3000 thrown in a Laurel and Hardy film. Maggie and Leslie argue a lot, but are obviously falling for each other.

A View: Despite its age and my enthusiasm for comedy I had not seen this film. Apparently it was not liked at the time but has stood the test of time fairly well. I think it did what the director wanted it to do, despite the obvious use of screens behind the actors, and models being blown up, and the fact that the iceberg was in a tank, possibly all these devices were intended to increase the fun. Dorothy Provine is terrific as a sexy singer. It is an extremely long film, again I think intentional but today they would probably have included a couple of other competitors. So it has a place in filmography, and worth a  view if you like that sort of thing.

Fun Fact: The competitors in the actual 1908 race faced much more difficulties than those faced by the competitors in the film.