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Motor racing became a regular theme of the films made by the Shell Film Unit
in the years after World War Two. This reflected the filmic potential of the
subject, its popularity with viewers (particularly male ones), and its obvious
but largely unstated connection to the sponsor's commercial interests. While a
number of filmmakers worked on Shell's motor racing films, their most prolific
director was Bill Mason, himself a motor racing enthusiast (an enthusiasm
inherited by his son, Pink Floyd drummer Nick). This was his first such film, an
account of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Stylistically, the film's approach somewhat resembles that of contemporaneous
newsreels - combining footage of highlights with descriptive commentary - but
its 30-minute running time allows considerable room for exposition as well as
for detailed coverage of the race to be included. Indeed, the whole of the first
reel covers the background (including compiled shots of early motor races, maps
and footage of the location, and preparations by mechanics and drivers). The
second and final reel is devoted to the race itself, which was won by Swiss
driver Emmanuel de Graffenried in a Maserati. Released into cinemas as well as
distributed non-theatrically, it is a significant contribution to the sports
film genre, and interesting to compare to later television equivalents.
Patrick Russell
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Complete film (28:18)
