Talking to a family friend about what movies he was planning to pick up after (hopefully) receiving some vouchers for the Christmas season,I was delightfully caught by surprise,when he mentioned the title of a Paul Newman film that my dad had recently picked up.With the UK being hit by the worst storms for 60 years,I felt that it was the perfect time to stay in,and head out on the racetrack.The plot:Walking past a "rent a car" store after winning his latest race,a race car driver Frank Capua finds himself quickly enchanted by the charms of the shops secretary,called Elora.Getting into a whirlwind romance with Elora,Capua soon takes Elora and her son Charlie on the road,and introduces them to the life of a race car driver.Despite Charlie catching the racing bug from Frank very quickly,Elora finds herself completely isolated in Capua's world,which leads to Frank fearing that he may be about to lose the most important race in his life.View on the film:Using a mix of archive and new footage,the editing of the racing scenes by Richard C Meyer (who also co-edited Butch and Sundance) and Edward A. Biery, (who would reunite with director James Goldstone and Newman for When Time Runs Out) sadly give the scenes an annoyingly "shaky" appearance,which along with not allowing the viewer to get a sense of what is taking place,also leads to the pertinaciously thrilling,set-piece scenes lacking any sense of excitement.Set against the racetracks,the screenplay by Howard Rodman gives each of the Capua family members a melodrama race track,which along with featuring some rather unexpected surprises, (such as Newman's reaction to rival driver Luther "Lou" Erding)also perfectly compliments the twilight atmosphere that director James Goldstone covers the movie in.Made just he was catching the racing bug himself,Paul Newman gives a very good performance as Frank Capua,with Newman showing the contrasting sides of Franks life,by having Capua's wide smile that he shows on the race track,fade away,as Frank begins to fear that his marriage is running out of fuel.Joining her real-life husband,Joanne Woodward gives the film a real heart & soul as Elora,with Woodward showing her love for Frank slowly fade away,as she begins to fear that they may be about to go off the race tracks.

I am a big fan of Paul Newman but this must be one of his lowest films, even though he is OK at it. I think this movie deserves 5.5 stars.One of the biggest problems is that it last 120 minutes, it should have lasted 20 minutes less. I think the plot was good but not the way it was developed.What I liked the most was the final scene between Paul and Joanne, this scene deserved to be in a much better movie. The race scenes are good.Frank Capua is a car racer who gets married with Elora who has a 16 years old son who gets along with him, but there will be serious problems in the couple when he puts his career before her...........I recommend watching it if it's on TV and you like old race cars movies or if you are a Paul Newman's die hard fan

This movie was made about 10 years after Newman became famous. As far as I can see it was just to waste time dreaming about car racing, I have no problem with that, but the story line was limp. Guess he just needed some tax write-offs.The race scenes are probably good, but having "what-his-name" as the bad guy, did not work. The love scenes were a waste of time. I guess as a period piece and a nod to Newman it has a niche in history, but its really not a very good flic.The nascar crowd undoubtedly adore it but again , its limp. Newman looks way older than his present age, which is almost 40 years ago.Try as I might, I cannot say much good. Joanne Woodward, looks great as usual,but looks alone do not make a movie worth watching.

Taken as a whole, this does not measure up to Newman's later works, but that's not his fault. The story is a weak and draggy at times. Certainly it's not "The Verdict", but then it's not meant to be. It is what it is, a pretty basic story about a race car driver and his relationships; between he and his distant wife, his teammate (and again, his wife) and his stepson. The uneven pacing almost sinks the film as a whole, though the supporting cast is pretty ace. But forget all that for a moment.For race fans the vintage footage alone is worth the price of admission...Can-Am cars at Elkhart Lake open the show and Indy closes it. Great stuff! What makes it all really work is that PLN did his own driving and it's clear he is enjoying himself and is right at home in the car, not shoehorned in like a Burt Reynolds or Tom Cruise or Sly Stallone. He is a RACER, and it shows. Plus the ending is classic Newman; you just don't know what's going to happen next, and you WANT to know.Also recommended: "Grand Prix" and "Le Mans".