Kirk Douglas plays green upstart on the European racecar circuit, falling in love with pretty French ballerina while clawing his way to the heights of success and celebrity in Monte Carlo. Bella Darvi (a Leslie Caron lookalike) plays the love interest; Lee J. Cobb co-stars as Douglas' team manager, chomping on his stogie and bellowing orders like a drill sergeant. Despite the phony backdrops and back-projection, the noisy track action, the general overacting and all the bad French accents, this is a rousing, enjoyable drama with well-cast Douglas appropriately chewing things up as the arrogant ace. The set-bound stuff is awkward, but director Henry Hathaway keeps a lively pace and Alex North's score is first-rate when it's audible. **1/2 from ****
Review of The Racers
