Movie Mom

Movie Mom

The Great Race

posted by Nell Minow
B+
Lowest Recommended Age:All Ages
MPAA Rating:NR
Profanity:None
Nudity/Sex:Mild references
Alcohol/Drugs:Drinking, smoking
Violence/Scariness:Comic peril and violence, no one hurt
Diversity Issues:A theme of the movie
Movie Release Date:July 1, 1965

Dedicated to “Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy,” this movie is both a spoof and a loving tribute to the silent classics, with good guys, bad guys, romance, adventure, slapstick, music, wonderful antique cars, and the biggest pie fight in history. The opening credits are on a series of slides like those in the earliest movies, complete with cheers for the hero and boos for the villain, and a flickering old-fashioned projector that at one point appears to break down. Always dressed in impeccable white, the Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) is a good guy so good that his eyes and teeth literally twinkle. His capable mechanic and assistant is Hezekiah (Keenan Wynn). The bad guy is Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon), assisted by Max (Peter Falk). Like Wile E. Coyote, Fate’s cartoonishly hilarious stunts to stop Leslie inevitably backfire.

After a brief prologue, in which Fate tries to beat Leslie in breaking various speed records, literally trying to torpedo him at one point, they both enter an automobile race from New York to Paris. So does a beautiful reporter (Natalie Wood as Maggie DuBois) trying to prove she can get the story — dressed in an endless series of exquisite ensembles designed by Hollywood legend Edith Head. Great%20Race2.jpg

The race takes them across America, through the Wild West, to a rapidly melting ice floe in the Pacific, and into a European setting that is a cross between a Victor Herbert operetta and “The Prisoner of Zenda,” where a spoiled prince happens to look exactly like Professor Fate and it takes all of the stars to foil an evil Baron (Ross Martin) who wants to use Fate to take over the throne.



You Might Also Like...
Previous Posts

Jen Chaney Ranks the "Fast and Furious" Movies
Just in time for the release of the sixth in the series of car chase extravaganzas that began with "The Fast and the Furious" is Esquire's smart and funny assessment of installments 1-6 from my friend Jen Chaney. It’s tempting to lump all of the Fast and the Furious movies into one massive clutc

posted 3:39:37pm May. 22, 2013 | read full post »

BFCA Television Award Nominees
 The nominees for this year's Broadcast Film Critics Association television awards were just announced: BEST COMEDY SERIES ·      The Big Bang Theory – CBS ·      Louie – FX ·      The Middle – ABC ·      New Girl – FOX ·      Parks and Recreation –

posted 9:14:41am May. 22, 2013 | read full post »

More from Disney's Next Release: Planes
[iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HjcPOZ_z3Ts"] This video, featuring music by the film's composer, Mark Mancina, is much more appealing than the trailer.  I'm beginning to look forward to it.  And do we get a hint that train and boat movies may follow?

posted 8:00:45am May. 21, 2013 | read full post »

Jerry Lewis is Back (in France) With a New Movie -- A Drama
They really do love Jerry Lewis in France, so where better to premiere his first movie in 23 years than Cannes?  The 87-year-old legendary funny man appears in a drama called "Max Rose," about an elderly widower, co-starring with Claire Bloom.  The Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive clip.

posted 3:41:59pm May. 20, 2013 | read full post »

Opening This Week: Three Big Movies for a Three-Day Weekend
Three big movies are opening up this week to make sure there's something for everyone this holiday weekend. "Hangover III" is the final chapter in the saga of the Wolf Pack, with Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Zach Galifianakis making many more bad decisions.  Heather Graham and Ken Jeong return.

posted 8:00:06am May. 20, 2013 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments Post the First Comment »
post a comment

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.





Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.