Mask of Dust (1954)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Richard H. Landau (writer)
Paul Tabori (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 December 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Action | Drama

Tagline:

Where every curve cries DANGER... One wrong move spells DEATH!

Plot:

A car pilot must choose between his love for car-racing, and his wife. His buddy's accident will help him to choose, and his loyal ways will get him a new friend - his main rival.

Plot Keywords:

Car Racing | Pit Crew | Grand Prix | Air Force Veteran | Friendship

Cast

Richard Conte	...	Peter Wells
Mari Aldon	...	Patricia Wells
Peter Illing	...	Tony Bellario
Alec Mango	...	Guido Rosetti
James Copeland	...	Johnny Jackson, mechanic
George Coulouris	...	'Pic' Dallapiccola
Meredith Edwards	...	Laurence Gibson
Edwin Richfield	...	Cynical Reporter in Lounge
Richard Marner	...	Hans Brecht, racer
Tim Turner	...	Alvarez, racer
Jeremy Hawk	...	Martin, racer
Stirling Moss	...	Stirling Moss - Racer
Reg Parnell	...	Reg Parnell - Racer
John Cooper	...	John Cooper - Racer
Alan Brown	...	Alan Brown - Racer

Also Known As:

Race for Life (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

79 min | USA:65 min (re-release) | USA:69 min (first release)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Quotes:

[first lines]
Guido Rosetti: Do you think I'm in the running?
'Pic' Dallapiccola: With me and Peter in the race?

Race for life, don't rush to buy

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Taking advantage of arrangements favoured by the UK's Eady levy (a state film subsidy established after the war) in 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers. None were entirely of the first rank, but they remain never less than entertaining - and include this title..

A Terence Fisher-directed effort: Race For Life (aka: Mask Of Dust, 1954), is a straightforward racing drama more than anything else. Richard Conte stars as Wells, the driver who - predictably enough - feels he might have lost his nerve whilst being saddled with blonde wife Patricia (Mari Aldon), who wants him to retire. When a fellow driver suffers a bad accident Wells feels he owes it to him, and to himself, to prove he still has it, one last time. Wells was formerly in the air force where, apparently, "he used to fly his plane the way he'd drive" so his courage is never in doubt - even if, as we see him nudge his smoking, oil-filled car round the track at the last, we feel his judgment may need inspection. The chief attraction in a film built around two big racing sequences is the location footage and the appearance of some real racing names, such as Stirling Moss, as supporting colour. Off the track the plot is less eventful, as even the potential rivalry between Wells as another driver is resolved without so much as a fist fight by the end. Tough guy Conte's story lacks enough conflict, leaving the actor little to do. For completists only.