Downhill Racer (1969)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Michael Ritchie

Writers:

Oakley Hall (novel)
James Salter (writer)

Release Date:

2 February 1970 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Skiing | Downhill Racer | Ski Race | Character Study | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 21

6:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Robert Redford	...	David Chappellet
Gene Hackman	...	Eugene Claire
Camilla Sparv	...	Carole Stahl
Joe Jay Jalbert	...	Tommy Erb
Tom J. Kirk	...	Stiles
Dabney Coleman	...	Mayo
Jim McMullan	...	Johnny Creech
Oren Stevens	...	Tony Kinsmith
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Machet
Rip McManus	...	Bruce Devore
Jerry Dexter	...	Ron Engel
Kenneth Kirk	...	D. K. Bryan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arnold Alpiger	...	Hinsch
Jack Ballard	...	Candy Vendor
Robert Brendlin	...	Announcer
Carole Carle	...	Lena
Kathleen Crowley	...	American Newspaper Woman
Harald Dietl	...	Journalist
Christian Doerman	...	Brumm
Michael Gempart	...	Hotel Receptionist
Rudi Gertsch	...	Selznick
Walter Gnilka	...	Austrian Journalist
Werner Heyking	...	Helgerson
Robin Hutton-Potts	...	Gabriel
Noam Pitlik	...	T.V. Announcer
Peter Rohr	...	Boyriven
James Sandoe	...	Spectator
Harald Schreiber	...	Oliviera
Heini Schuler	...	Meier
Alexander Stampfer	...	Skier No. 16
Walter Stroud	...	Mr. Chappellet
Ulrike von Zerboni	...	Jeanine
Eddie Waldburger	...	Haas
Marco Walli	...	Istel

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Norway:12 | Sweden:11 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Company:

Wildwood

Trivia:

This was going to be Roman Polanski's first American film. Robert Evans of Paramount needed someone to direct Rosemary's Baby (1968) so Polanski was given that project due to the nature of some of his recent films. Robert Redford was also considered for the male lead in that film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just after the Olympic Downhill Gold Medal racers reach the finish line, an announcer says (in German) "please clear the course; the first racer will be down in 5 minutes."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Twilight (1998)

Timeless because it's dated

For anybody who follows international sports, the characters and organizations in this movie ring true. Whether you follow skating, gymnastics, skiing, or any other essentially solo international sports, you have seen the loners, the chosen stars, the politics, fund raising, and everything else that goes on behind and in front of the scenes.

This movie captures those people and circumstances exceptionally well. As has been noted in the coverage of the Olympics, the parallels to the 2006 US downhill team are stunning. The fact that this movie was made in 1969, with the film style of the day, makes it quite dated. But it is exactly the dated fashions, music, cinematography, skiing equipment, and attitudes that make it a keeper.

Downhill Racer remains the seminal skiing movie (unless one prefers the slob humor of Hot Dog: The Movie), but it's also about bigger themes. Redford is the quintessential American loner, out for his own goals and not interested in serving the needs of his sport, his team, or the international press. It's a character we've seen a thousand times in real life, and it's one who gets deified or demonized depending on his success in the field of sport.

So, view this very dated movie in today's context. You'll be surprised how relevant it is.