Wall of Death (1951)
"There Is Another Sun" (original title)

The story about a prizefighter and a motorcycle daredevil that vie for the beautiful girl from the Carnival.

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Guy Morgan, James Raisin (story)

Stars:

Maxwell Reed, Laurence Harvey, Susan Shaw

Cast

Cast overview:
Maxwell Reed	...	Eddie 'Racer' Peskett
Laurence Harvey	...	Mag Maguire
Susan Shaw	...	Lillian
Leslie Dwyer	...	Mick Foley
Meredith Edwards	...	Detective Sergeant Bratcher
Hermione Baddeley	...	Gypsy Sarah, fortune-teller
Robert Adair	...	Sarno
Leslie Bradley	...	Racetrack Manager
Eric Pohlmann	...	Markie, club owner
Nosher Powell	...	Teddy Green, champ boxer (as Fred Powell)
Earl Cameron	...	Ginger Jones, carnival boxer
Dennis Vance	...	Len Tyldesley
Laurence Naismith	...	Riley, Green's trainer
Charles Farrell	...	Mr. Simmons, fight promoter

Storyline

The story about a prizefighter and a motorcycle daredevil that vie for the beautiful girl from the Carnival.

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle speedway | wall of death

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1953 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Wall of Death

Filming Locations:

Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nettlefold Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Typical Fifties moral tale

There seem to be a large number of these types of film produced in the fifties and sixties in the UK. They always seemed to have a very obvious villain and very obvious good guys, usually the only difference between the films would be the background setting. This is a good example of this type of movie because it's set in a rather run-down fairground populated by stereo-typical fairground types - the heart-of-gold fortune-teller, the gruff but kind boxing promoter, the naive up-and-coming boxer and the shady character riding the Wall of Death. Maxwell Reed plays 'Racer' the archetypal kid from the wrong side of the tracks with an unknown past and a huge chip on his shoulder. Laurence Harvey plays the gullible but likable 'Mag' Maguire who idolises 'Racer' despite the latter wearing the heaviest eye shadow seen on film.

I've always had a soft spot for these types of low-budget films because they seem to capture a snapshot of a post-war Britain that is long gone. The plot is predictable but enjoyable nonetheless.