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The Great Race Movie Review Summary

Actors: Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Ross Martin, Larry Storch, Denver Pyle, Vivian Vance

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Great Race


Leslie, a risk taker, has broken nearly every record set for speed.
Professor Fate, also a risk taker, is jealous of Leslie and tries to foil him at every turn only to have his schemes blow up in the faces of he and his inept sidekick, Max.
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Touting the performance of a new car, Leslie proposes a great race from New York to Paris.
Hoping to finally beat Leslie, Professor Fate also enters.
Maggie, a reporter, enters to cover the race from the inside. Along the way, her car breaks down and she uses her feminine wiles to hitch a ride with Leslie.
Along the way Maggie and Leslie fall in love, but are both too stubborn to admit it.
After many trials, Leslie approaches the finish line with Fate close behind.
During another argument, to prove his love to Maggie, Leslie pulls over and kisses her, letting Fate win the race.
Fate is presented the trophy, but won't accept it. He wants to beat Leslie fair and square, so he proposes another great race from Paris back to New York.
The review of this Movie prepared by Brandon Swenson




During the early days of the automobile, a challenge was been offered between Leslie Gallant, aka The Great Leslie (Curtis) and Professor Fate (Lemmon) for an auto race.   The race would cross three continents from New York to Paris going west, and each driver would have a sidekick/mechanic accompanying him. Leslie has Hezekiah Sturdy (Wynn) in the gleaming white roadster and the Professor has dimwitted Max Meen (Falk) in the jet-black death mobile. Newspaper gal and suffragette Maggie DuBois (Wood), reporting on the action for her paper, manages to hitch a ride from Leslie.

As time and miles pass the two fall for one another while escaping from one trap or another set by the Professor and Max, although most of their schemes backfire on them. After escaping from a saloon brawl and several close calls in the American Wild West, the cars must cross the ocean and do so by way of arctic ice floes. Both cars have hidden attributes that are called on to get through the rigors of the race.

Many more miles and mishaps pass before they all reach Europe. They enter the principality of Prince Hapnik (Lemmon), a drunken, clueless cackling dandy who will shortly be crowned the new puppet king. He bears an uncanny resemblance to Professor Fate, a fact that is not lost on Baron Rolfe von Stuppe (Martin). The two are confused for one another causing great mischief. Leslie and von Stuppe duel with swords before the outbreak of an epic pie fight. Covered in pie both teams are able to pull away from the Kingdom much to the dismay of Prince Hapnik. Finally in France, after 2,000 miles the finish line is in sight with Leslie in a position to win the race. To prove his love for Maggie he stops the car and allows Professor Fate and Max to cross first. The Professor should be ecstatic but he is not as he did not win, Leslie let him win and he wants a rematch
The review of this Movie prepared by David Fletcher



Script Analysis of The Great Race

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Plot & Themes

Time/era of movie:    -   1930's-1950's    -   1900-1920's Road trip    -   Yes

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   simply wealthy Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality    -   White American

Setting

Europe    -   Yes European country:    -   General Europe City?    -   Yes City:    -   New York    -   Paris Misc setting    -   castle

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   no torture/death Sex/nudity in movie?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   kissing Any profanity?    -   None

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