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The Great Race | Year: 1965 Classification: Comedy Directed: - Blake Edwards Actors/Actresses: - Jack Lemmon - Tony Curtis - Natalie Wood the lavish classic comes to DVD! THE GREAT RACE is a lavishly-filmed comedy on the grandest scale. Director Blake Edwards' unmistakeable touch is all over this sprawling comedy about a long-winded race from New York to Paris, and is highlighted by Henry Mancini's delightful score. The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) and Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) challenge each other to win 'the great race', a foolish flight of fancy that will take them through the Wild West, fighting off polar bears in the Artic and thwarting Royal imposters in Europe. Coming along for the ride is feisty sufragette Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood at her loveliest), and Fate's dimwitted assistant Max (Peter Falk). Watch the hopeless quartet as they attempt to win the greatest race of the century - with hilarious results! Featuring Vivian Vance and Dorothy Provine (as the sexy saloon singer Lily Olay). Henry Mancini's score includes "The Sweetheart Tree" and "He Shouldn't-a, Hadn't-a, Oughn't-a Swang on Me". The DVD presents the film in a wonderfully clean print, in its 2:35:1 cinema ratio, complete with the Overture, Intermission and Exit Music sequences. The soundtrack has been newly-remastered in dynamic 5.1 from the original session tapes. The DVD also includes a Making-of featurette and the trailer. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc). Fate loves ... Like many of the reviewers, I first saw this great film as a child with my father. We have laughed about it ever since, and my own children also know that "Fate is a fink!" The movie spoofs the old Simon Legree silent movies and combines hilarious slapstick, outrageous sight gags, the historic 1908 New York to Paris automobile race (Remember the Thomas Flyer?), incredible round the world locations, an Old West saloon fight, great old cars and props, priceless performances by Jack Lemmon (sans frozen moustache), Tony Curtis (great swordplay but, alas, no Cary Grant impersonation), Peter Falk (hilarious in goggles) and the exquisite Natalie Wood (under the Sweetheart Tree). And don't forget the sendup of the Prisoner of Zenda with the fantastic Ross Martin who was then also starring as Artemus Gordon in the Wild, Wild West television series with Robert Conrad. The music by Henry Mancini is among his best, and the soundtrack is recently available. Even the opening credits are classic, including the harried projectionist and the audience booing Professor Fate! This could be an awesome widescreen DVD with plenty of saloon fight, sword duel and pie fight outtakes; current interviews with Curtis, Lemmon, and Falk; Blake Edwards commentary;...and please, a few more stills of Natalie Wood! A Big Ole Moose Butt A classically structured old time villian vs the good guy film, with the obligatory sidekicks and the beautiful love interest, who will eventually succumb to the charms of The hero. More about that later. OK, the stereotypes are there, but that's what the movie was about. Charging from the gate with the player piano, boos and hiss when the cast boards are shown, the movie brings the viewer up to speed very fast with humor and great slapstick. Following a PR auto race in the early days of the 20th century, the film follows the main characters through the landscape of the US and Europe. Sight gags abound and the scenery is often breathtaking. The plot is easy to floow and it's good fun. For the movie fan who doesn't want to disect a movies' every nuance, this is especially fun and worth seeing time and again. The characters will keep you laughing long after the soundtrack has ended,. I would comment more on the plot, but nearly 100 people already handled that - look, just take a chance on it. It's great fun. Buy The Great Race at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Great Race Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Great Race This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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