Downhill Racer (1969)

Quietly cocky Robert Redford joins U.S. ski team as downhill racer and clashes with the team's coach, played by Gene Hackman. Lots of good skiing action leading to an exciting climax.

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writers:

Oakley Hall (novel), James Salter

Stars:

Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, Camilla Sparv

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	David Chappellet
Gene Hackman	...	Eugene Claire
Camilla Sparv	...	Carole Stahl
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Machet
Jim McMullan	...	Johnny Creech
Kathleen Crowley	...	American Newspaper Woman
Dabney Coleman	...	Mayo
Kenneth Kirk	...	D. K. Bryan
Oren Stevens	...	Tony Kinsmith
Jerry Dexter	...	Ron Engel
Walter Stroud	...	Mr. Chappellet
Carole Carle	...	Lena
Rip McManus	...	Bruce Devore
Joe Jay Jalbert	...	Tommy Erb
Tom J. Kirk	...	Stiles

Storyline

David Chappellet is a mean-spirited skier, who profits from another skier's injury to gain a spot on the American Olympic team. His roommate sums up his goals when he observes of David, "He's not for the team, and he never will be"; but precisely who the David is that David is so fiendishly striving for we're never to learn. He develops a short-lived relationship with Carole Stahl, a glamorous European woman even more capricious than himself. Chappellet's identity trouble are exacerbated by the fact that he is an "Event" as well as a personality; and more astute minds than his own have difficulty where the one leaves off and the other takes over. Director Michael Richie's ("The Candidate") feature film debut.

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Plot Keywords:

downhill racer | skiing | injury | man wearing towel | narcissism | 

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Taglines:

How fast must a man go to get from where he's at?

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

2 February 1970 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Büyük sampiyon

Filming Locations:

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wildwood

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's poster was as #4 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.

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Goofs

During Johnny Creech's (McMullan's) run at Lauberhorn his skis change from black to red.

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Connections

Featured in Twilight (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Moon River"
Written by Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini

User Reviews

A good film that could have been great

After many years of catching brief scenes of this now semi-cult film, I finally watched it in its entirety. It is not a great film, but for film students, and fans of both Gene Hackman and Robert Redford, it's a must. The opening credits are delivered over scenes of a Super G skier flying down the mountain and feature a combination of stop action and over-cranked footage. The film quality is beautiful, and although the techniques now seem dated, they stand for what was cutting-edge editing at the time. Watching the opening, you feel like you're in for a great ride but are sadly let down by a staid script. Having said that, the film can sort of get a way with this (at least to a certain extent) because you've got such great actors playing the main roles of skier (Redford) and coach (Hackman). Both know how to exploit the economy of language and show a lot simply with body language and expression. (They must have realized they had to with this script.) Add to that fact, that the character Redford is playing - a vainglorious Super G racer named David Chappellett, probably wouldn't have much to say.

Ultimately, the film serves as cinematic commentary on how fleeting success is in a sport like skiing, as well as the shallowness shown by both the press that cover the sport, and the women that covet the skiers.