''Mask of Dust'' (later named 'Race for Life' ) is a 1954 British

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Terence Fisher Terence Fisher (23 February 1904 – 18 June 1980) was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films. He was the first to bring gothic horror alive in full colour, and the sexual overtones and explicit horror in his films, ...

and starring

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

Mari Aldon Mari Aldon (born Marija Aldona Pauliutė; 17 November 1925 – 31 October 2004) was a Lithuanian-born American actress. Early life Mari Aldon was born in Tauragė, Lithuania. Her father Antanas Paulius was a policeman, mother Antanina (Antos� ...

and

Peter Illing Peter Illing (4 March 1899 – 29 October 1966) was an Austrian-born British film and television actor. Selected TV series * '' Deadline Midnight'' (1961) as Captain Dnieprovsky * '' The Saint'' (1962) as Inspector Buono Filmography * '' The S ...

. The film was based on the 1953 novel ''The Last Race'' by Jon Manchip White. It was produced by Hammer Films at the company's

Bray Studios Bray Productions was a pioneering American animation studio that produced several popular cartoons during the years of World War I and the early interwar era, becoming a springboard for several key animators of the 20th century, including the ...

as a programmer.Chibnall & McFarlane p.82 The film's sets were designed by the art director

J. Elder Wills James Ernest Elder Wills (1900–1970) was a British person who had a lengthy career in the film industry. He mainly worked as an art director, but he also worked in other roles, including director. Films he was involved in include '' Tiger ...

. It was released in the United States by

Lippert Pictures Lippert Pictures was an American film production and distribution company controlled by Robert L. Lippert. History Robert L. Lippert (1909-1976) was a successful exhibitor, owning a chain of movie theaters in California and Oregon. He was frustrate ...

as ''Race for Life''

Synopsis

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

Cast

as Peter Wells *

as Patricia Wells *

as Tony Bellario *

Alec Mango Alec Mango (16 March 1911 – 7 November 1989) was an English actor. He is best known for portraying El Supremo in the 1951 ''Captain Horatio Hornblower'', he also appeared in '' South of Algiers'' (1953), ''The Strange World of Planet X'' (195 ...

as Guido Rosetti * James Copeland as Johnny Jackson *

George Coulouris George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor. Early life Coulouris was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, the son of Abigail (née Redfern) anNicholas Coulouris a merchant of Greek o ...

as 'Pic' Dallapiccola * Meredith Edwards as Laurence Gibson *

Edwin Richfield Edwin Richfield (11 September 1921 – 2 August 1990) was an English actor. Career Richfield starred in the television series '' Interpol Calling'' (1959). He was '' The Odd Man'' in Granada Television's series of the same name in the early 1 ...

as Reporter in Lounge *

Richard Marner Richard Marner (born Alexander Pavlovich Molchanov, russian: Александр Павлович Молчанов, translit=Aleksandr Pavlovič Molčanov; 27 March 192118 March 2004) was a Russian-British actor. He was probably best known for h ...

as Hans Brecht *

Tim Turner Tim Turner (7 September 1924 – 1987) was an English actor who performed during the 1950s and 1960s. Life and career He was born John Freeman Turner in Bexley, Kent. Before becoming a film and television actor, Turner was a popular leading ...

as Alvarez *

Jeremy Hawk Jeremy Hawk (20 May 1918 – 15 January 2002) was a character actor with a long career in music halls and on London's West End stage. Early life Hawk was born Cedric Joseph Lange in Johannesburg, South Africa; his father was a matinee idol wh ...

as Martin * Stirling Moss as Stirling Moss *

Reg Parnell Reg or REG may refer to: * Reginald (disambiguation) * Reg or desert pavement * Raising for Effective Giving, a charity * Random event generator (parapsychology) * Raptor Education Group * Regal Entertainment Group * Regular language * .reg MS W ...

as Reg Parnell * John Cooper as John Cooper * Alan Brown as Alan Brown *

Leslie Marr Sir Leslie Lynn Marr of Sunderland, 2nd Baronet (14 August 1922 – 4 May 2021) was a British landscape artist, painter and racing driver. Early life, education and military service Marr was born in Durham, England, the son of Lieutenant Col ...

as Leslie Marr * John Welsh as Priest * Paul Carpenter as Racetrack Announcer *

Raymond Baxter Raymond Frederic Baxter OBE (25 January 1922 – 15 September 2006) was an English television presenter, commentator and writer. He is best known for being the first presenter of the BBC Television science programme ''Tomorrow's World'', con ...

as Racetrack Announcer (uncredited)

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. ''The British 'B' Film''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.

External links

* 1954 films 1954 drama films British drama films Films directed by Terence Fisher British black-and-white films Films based on British novels British auto racing films Hammer Film Productions films Lippert Pictures films Films shot at Bray Studios 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{1950s-UK-film-stub