Death Race 2000 is a cult action film directed by Paul Bartel in 1975. The movie takes place in a dystopian American society in 2000. David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone played the star roles; Mary Woronov, Roberta Collins, The Real Don Steele, Joyce Jameson, Carle Bensen, Sandy McCallum and Harriet Medin co-star. The screenplay was based on the short story "The Racer" by Ib Melchior.^[1] Death Race is an upcoming American film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. ... Image File history File links Death_Race_2000. ... Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an American actor, writer and director well known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed. ... Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926), sometimes nicknamed King of the Bs for his output of B-movies (though he himself rejects this appellation as inaccurate), is a prolific American producer and director of low-budget exploitation movies, many of which are some of the most influential movies made. ... Charles B. Griffith (b. ... David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine on December 8, 1936 in Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... Simone Griffeth McDonald (born Simone Griffeth on April 14, 1950 in Savannah, Georgia) is an American actress. ... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Don Steele, born Donald S. Revert (April 1, 1936 - August 5, 1997), was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement for health reasons in May 1997. ... Tina Hirsch is an Emmy-nominated American film editor. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A cult film is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an American actor, writer and director well known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... This article is about the philosophical concept and literary form. ... David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine on December 8, 1936 in Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... Simone Griffeth McDonald (born Simone Griffeth on April 14, 1950 in Savannah, Georgia) is an American actress. ... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Mary Woronov (b. ... Don Steele (April 1, 1936 - August 5, 1997) was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement for health reasons in May 1997. ... Sample from a screenplay, showing dialogue and action descriptions. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Ib Jørgen Melchior (born September 17, 1917 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is the auhor of many novels, shortstories and non-fiction books, as well as a producer, director, and screenwriter of low-budget U.S. science fiction movies, most of them released by American International Pictures. ...

Plot synopsis

The film is set in the year 2000, when the United States has been destroyed by a financial crisis and a military coup, and the United Provinces (a fascist police state), rules America, keeping the people satisfied by feeding a stream of gory gladiatorial entertainment. The political parties have collapsed into a single Bipartisan Party, which also fulfils the religious functions of a unified church and state. Fascism is a term used to describe authoritarian nationalist political ideologies or mass movements that are concerned with notions of cultural decline or decadence. ... A police state is a political condition where the government maintains strict control over society, particularly through suspension of civil rights and often with the use of a force of secret police. ... For other uses, see Gladiator (disambiguation). ...

Frankenstein (Carradine) is the most celebrated racer in a bloody spectacle instituted by the President of the United Provinces, the Transcontinental Road Race. He is reputed to be part machine, rebuilt after many crashes, and he is the government's champion. The race itself, in three segments from east coast to west, is scored both by traditional methods of timed checkpoints, and also by the number, age and gender of people killed by the drivers. The cars are equipped to kill, bearing anti-personnel weaponry ranging from blades to rockets, and the drivers and their cars are themed in a manner reminiscent of the Hanna-Barbera animated series Wacky Races. Cartoon Network Studios, formerly known as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ... Wacky Races is an animated television series from Hanna-Barbera, about a group of 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies, with each driver hoping to win the title of the Worlds Wackiest Racer. ...

In form, the film is thus part horror film, part satire. The dysfunctional fascist society is depicted, often accompanied by sick humor, through the playing out of the suicidal and homicidal impulses of the drivers and their victims. For example, in one memorable early scene, the staff of a geriatric nursing home array their patients in the path of the race. Frankenstein veers off the road and kills the staff instead. Horror Movie redirects here. ... 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ...

There are three main subplots: the deadly competition between the rival drivers, particularly Frankenstein and "Machine Gun" Joe Viterbo (Stallone), who hates playing second fiddle; the revolutionary machinations of Thomasina Paine (Harriet Medin), a lineal descendant of Thomas Paine and head of the Resistance, and her granddaughter Annie (Simone Griffeth), who infiltrates herself into the race as Frankenstein's co-driver intending to lure him into a planned ambush where he is to be replaced by a double; and finally, the enigmatic identity of Frankenstein himself. A subplot is a series of connected actions within a work of narrative that function separately from the main plot. ... For other persons of the same name, see Thomas Paine (disambiguation). ... Simone Griffeth McDonald (born Simone Griffeth on April 14, 1950 in Savannah, Georgia) is an American actress. ...

The plot twist is that Frankenstein is not a willing government stooge. There is no single Frankenstein, and he is simply one of many trained to race in the role. "When one is used up, they bring in another", he tells Annie. He isn't opposed to Annie and the resistance as such, but instead has his own plan to end the tyranny: win the race and shake hands with the President, detonating a grenade planted in his right hand. A Plot twist is a change (twist) in the direction or expected outcome of the plot of a film or novel. ...

Frankenstein successfully outmaneuvers both the rival drivers and the Resistance, and is declared the winner and sole survivor. In a swift-moving climax, Frankenstein and Annie combine to dodge Mrs Paine's attempt to assassinate Frankenstein, and Frankenstein succeeds in killing the President. In an epilogue, Annie and Frankenstein are wedded, and Frankenstein, now President, abolishes the race and the perverse laws of the Provinces, though he does make a point of running over an objecting (and objectionable) reporter.

Cast

David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine on December 8, 1936 in Hollywood, California) is an American actor. ... Simone Griffeth McDonald (born Simone Griffeth on April 14, 1950 in Savannah, Georgia) is an American actress. ... Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Mary Woronov (b. ... Martin Kove (March 6, 1946[1]) is an American actor who has appeared in both feature films and television series. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Don Steele, born Donald S. Revert (April 1, 1936 - August 5, 1997), was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement for health reasons in May 1997. ... Fred Grandy (born June 29, 1948) was an actor on the U.S. television series, The Love Boat, before his election in 1986 to the United States House of Representatives from the state of Iowa. ... John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American movie actor, director, writer, and producer. ... Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an American actor, writer and director well known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed. ... Lewis Teague (born 8 March 1938, Brooklyn, New York, New York) is a veteran film director, whose work includes Alligator, Cats Eye, Cujo, The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, and Navy SEALs. ...

Critical Reception

The movie has long been regarded as a cult hit, ^[1] and was often viewed as superior to Rollerball, made in the same year — another dystopian science fiction sports film, similarly focusing on the use of sports as an "opiate".^[1] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the philosophical concept and literary form. ...

Remake

Paul W. S. Anderson is directing a remake entitled Death Race, starring Jason Statham, which begun production in late August 2007.^[2] Besides Statham, the film will also star Ian McShane, Joan Allen, and Tyrese Gibson. ^[3] For other persons named Paula Anderson, see Paula Anderson (disambiguation). ... In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc. ... Death Race is an upcoming American film written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. ... Jason Statham (born 12 September 1972) is an English actor, known for his definitive masculine roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Revolver and Snatch. ... Ian McShane (born 29 September 1942) is a Golden Globe-winning English actor. ... Joan Allen in a scene from The Contender Joan Allen (b. ... Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978), often known simply as Tyrese or Black-Ty, is an American hip hop singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, and former fashion model and MTV VJ. After releasing several successful albums, he made the transition into films, with lead roles in several Hollywood films, including...

Other Media

A sequel comic book entitled Death Race 2020 was published in 1995 by Roger Corman's Cosmic Comics imprint. It was written by Pat Mills of 2000 AD fame, with art by Kevin O'Neill. The pair had already worked together on several comics including Marshall Law. The comic book, as the title indicates, took place 20 years after the movie and dealt with Frankenstein's return to the race. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926), sometimes nicknamed King of the Bs for his output of B-movies (though he himself rejects this appellation as inaccurate), is a prolific American producer and director of low-budget exploitation movies, many of which are some of the most influential movies made. ... This article is about imprints in publishing. ... Pat Mills, nicknamed the godfather of British comics, is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. ... Cover of the first issue of 2000 AD, 26 February 1977. ... For other persons of the same name, see Kevin ONeill. ... Comics (or, less commonly, sequential art) is a form of visual art consisting of images which are commonly combined with text, often in the form of speech balloons or image captions. ...

The Cars

Frankenstein's car is a heavy modified Chevrolet Corvette C3 convertible, although it is very difficult to position a V8 engine in the back of the car due to the natural layout of the normal Corvette which is FR (Front engine, Rear drive,) so technically his car is MR not FR. The Chevrolet Corvette C3 is a sports car patterned after Chevrolets Mako Shark II (designed by Larry Shinoda), produced between 1968 and 1982. ... French steam corvette Dupleix (1856-1887) Canadian corvettes on antisubmarine convoy escort duty during World War II. A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft. ... FR may stand for: Franc France (ISO 3166 country code, NATO country code) Frame Relay network technology Fribourg, canton of Switzerland Fish & Richardson P.C., an American intellectual property and patent law firm FR layout—front engine, rear drive The FR Fireball fighter aircraft of the US Navy Free Republic... In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical...

Stallone's car is presumably a chevy or Chevrolet V8 427 with a concept body shell. It resembles a cross between a front end ford GT40 and a back end of a Corvette. This technique of cross platform is still used today, mostly on Japanese cars. Chevrolet (IPA: - French origin) (also known as Chevy) is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors (GM). ... The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders. ... Two GT40s Mk II GT40 Mk II rear The Ford GT40 was one of the most distinctive sports cars ever, winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times straight from 1966 to 1969. ...

The most noticeable vehicle is Matilda (the Hun's car), which has an operating V-1 pulse jet engine on top, producing thrust (about 200 lb.) to increase its speed. Such an engine would most likely have provided too much power for the chassis and suspension, too much pressure for the tires, and would used too much fuel, so a hollow cylinder with blades in it may have been used in its place. The Vergeltungswaffe 1 Fi 103 / FZG-76 (V-1), known as the Flying bomb, Buzz bomb or Doodlebug, was the first modern guided missile used in wartime and the first cruise missile. ... A pulse jet engine (or pulsejet) is a very simple form of internal combustion engine wherein the combustion occurs in pulses and the propulsive effort is a jet; a reaction to the rearward flow of hot gases. ...

Speculation has been that the other cars in the film were heavy tuned American muscle road cars with body kits.

Vehicle Realism

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Due to the handling of the cars in the film all of them were fully functional road cars and were based mostly on modded american muscle cars with a body kit or some type of chassis conversion. In some of the film sequences Annie is seen adjusting the spark plugs rotation at the back of Frankenstein's car which would mean the car is MR (Mid engine, Rear drive) used in sports cars eg: Honda NSX, Toyota MR2. Only a few cars from that year have MR layouts - including the GT40. In ordinary English, Mr is a written abbreviation for Mister. MR can also stand for: Magnetic resonance imaging, properly abbreviated MRI Magyar Rádió, a Hungarian radio station Master of the Rolls, the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal in the UK legal system Mathematical... The Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America and Hong Kong) was a sports car produced between 1990 and 2005 by the Japanese automaker Honda. ... The Toyota MR2 is a two-seat, mid-engined, rear wheel drive sports car produced by Toyota from 1984 until July 2007 when production stopped in Japan, in three different design series. ... Two GT40s Mk II GT40 Mk II rear The Ford GT40 was one of the most distinctive sports cars ever, winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times straight from 1966 to 1969. ...

In reality, each of the cars used in the film could only run at about 30 miles per hour (mph), so the film was sped-up in order to make it appear that the cars were moving at full speed.

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Death Race 2000 at the Internet Movie Database