IMDb > The Great Race (1965)
The Great Race
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The Great Race (1965) More at IMDbPro »

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The Great Race (1965) -- Trailer for this comedy starring Jack Lemon
The Great Race (1965) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   5,277 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Blake Edwards
Writers:
Arthur A. Ross (screenplay)
Blake Edwards (original story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Race on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 July 1965 (USA) more
Tagline:
THE GREAT LAUGH SHOW OF ALL TIME! more
Plot:
Comedy about an early 20th century car race across three continents. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Pixar Flick 'Cars 2' Plot Has Been Revealed
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 10 September 2009, 9:00 AM, PDT)

Chris Lemmon: The Hollywood Interview
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 9 June 2009, 12:28 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Lemmon's most underrated role more (118 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Blake Edwards' The Great Race (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
160 min | Spain:146 min (DVD edition)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo (RCA Sound System) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Six Hannibal-8 cars were built for the movie. Three of these used the "lazy tongs" lifting mechanism. This mechanism was so fragile that it broke constantly. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the scene on the beach in the tent when Leslie and Maggie DuBois drink champagne, Leslie puts on a phonograph record of "The Desert Song." The film is set in about 1908; "The Desert Song" did not premiere until 1926. more
Quotes:
Maggie DuBois: You mean amazing because I'm a woman. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Home Improvement: The Great Race (#2.25)" (1993) more
Soundtrack:
The Sweetheart Tree more

FAQ

Q: Is this movie based an an actual event?
Q: As a kid, I seem to remember watching a "Great Race" cartoon series in the 60's and 70's. Was "The Great Race" eventually turned into a cartoon series?
Q: What happened to the cars driven by The Great Leslie and Professor Fate? Were they real cars? Are they still around?
more
20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
Lemmon's most underrated role, 10 March 2003
Author: markcarlson2222 from San Diego CA

Now I've read most of the comments on this film and while I might agree with some of the more specific comments regarding the looser and less plausible plot in the last third of the film and that Natalie Wood might have been more of a contribution and less of a distraction, these are moot points. The film is funny, enjoyable and a great tribute to the heyday of silent villains and heroes in a way that doesn't overdo it. Curtis' flashing smile, Wynn's turn-of-the-century mechanic character, the harried and frazzled O'Connell as Goodbody, and especially Falk's on-again, off-again sycophant/lackey/nobody's fool Max are memorable and fun. But as much as I like the main movie, my fave bits are the early scenes in which Professor Fate, always in black and macabre emblems, tries to outdo the stunts of the gleaming white, perfect and popular Great Lesile Gallant III. The stunts are fun, witty and totally unbelieveable. The plane pickup, the rocket train, the garishly painted torpedo with a mawkishly wonderful gramaphone speaker on top are priceless Victorian images of a time that we all imagine existed but never really did. Lemmon is a gem as Fate, right from the great use of his eyes under thick brows and black hat, to the spooky house in his own Munster's décor to the crème de la crème, the Hannibal Twin 8 race car. That car is a masterpiece of mechanical and artistic design. I wonder where it is now. Even the sound it generates in the film, that sinister and harmonious hum are perfect for Fate's élan.

What I've never understood is why I never heard more of Lemmon's comments on this film. It had to be fun to make and work with Curtis, but the role of Fate is so underrated. You never see it mentioned in Biography or any anthologies of Lemmon's work. I still roll in peals of laughter at his dizzy 'Let's see the Great Leslie try THAT one on for size...' as he passes out in the mud. Or when Max breaks off the moustache in the freezing storm, and all you see is Fate's astonished look of shock followed by a sideways glare that could cut glass. The last part of the film, the entire Prince Hapnik and Potsdorf sequences are less than helpful, and they really aren't needed, despite a record pie fight, but it does serve to give Lemmon another role, diametrically different from Fate. Again he uses his eyes and his voice to great effect. `Baron Rolf von SHTUPP!!'(Any relation to Lilly von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles?) With perfect timing. I mean it. Try it some time and you'll never match that unique panache which Lemmon displayed. All in all, a wonderful and fun film. No deep message, just good turn-of-the-century atmosphere, great gags and lively dialogue. Enjoy, and don't take it too seriously. After all, it's not PEARL HARBOR, is it? **** our of **** for me.

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