The Film Bee Reviews

“You never had any real education, did you? All you ever had were your skis… and that’s not enough.”

Claire (Gene Hackman) to Chappellet (Robert Redford)

Let’s be honest ski movies have a bad reputation. When you hear the phrase “ski movie” you probably start thinking about those awful sex comedies from the 80s (watch this space, as I will be writing a review of “Hot Dog: The Movie” very very soon, and boy do I have so much to say about that!). I think it’s unfair to lump all ski movies in with the likes “Hot Dog: The Movie” and “Ski School” and I do think it’s a sub-genre that should be explored and celebrated in more depth. I’ve recently started learning to ski myself, so I have become slightly obsessed with watching everything ski related. So consider this review of “Downhill Racer” to be the beginning of a mini series!

Those who know me probably know my love and appreciation for the New Hollywood film era (starting in 1968 to 1981, give or take a few years), and I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable when it comes to films from this time. However, I had never heard of Michael Ritchie‘s 1969 film “Downhill Racer” and I can’t believe how overlooked this film is. Starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman, “Downhill Racer” is a cautionary tale of obsession and perfection. David Chappellet (Redford) is a young hot shot who is summoned by coach Eugene Claire (Hackman) to Switzerland in order to join the US skiing team. We know that Chappellet is a damn good skier, but it’s his attitude that sucks, and he shows little interest in being a team player which ultimately causes major issues.

 Chappellet is so egoistic that he refuses to participate in the race at the Lauberhorn downhill ski races because of his late starting position. After going skiing myself and experiencing skiing on ice (I instantly fell over and couldn’t get up for ages), I can understand why Chappellet gets so irate. He knows he won’t be able to perform well, and this is to be his debut. It’s his “make or break” so it needs to be perfect. The interaction between Hackman and Redford is performed expertly by the two actors and we can sense the frustration and irritation that the older man must have been feeling at the time. Even though Hackman isn’t given much material to sink his teeth into, he still tries his best to flesh out Claire as a real character.

“Starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman, “Downhill Racer” is a cautionary tale of obsession and perfection.”

Chappellet finally makes his European skiing debut at the Arlberg-Kandahar in Austria. After a stunning and intense skiing sequence, which leaves us on the very edge of our seats, he manages to finish in fourth position. However, before we can get a chance to celebrate, in the final race of the season at he crashes and returns to the US with his tail between his legs. We get to see a little more about Chappellet’s background as he visits his father (Walter Stroud) in Idaho Springs during the summer. These scenes help to give some much needed depth to the character, who up to this point has come across as a blank slate. However, I couldn’t help but crave more of these scenes between Redford and Stroud. Every time, something happens to present us with more depth to the character of David Chappellet, it’s almost snatched away from us as if Ritchie and writer James Salter are too afraid for us to get too attached to Chappellet.

When he returns for the winter season, Chappellet wins the Grand Prix de Megève in France and as a result attracts the attention of Machet (Karl Michael Vogler), a ski manufacturer who wants the skier to use his skis for the advertising value. However, Chappellet is more interested in Machet’s attractive assistant Carole Stahl (played by the rather gorgeous Camilla Sparv). The film’s second act suffers from the rather bland romance between Chappellet and Carole, which limps along like a skier with a broken leg.

Both Sparv and Redford are fine actors, but we’re simply not interested in the relationship of the two characters that they play. It’s a real drag to watch these scenes, when all we want to do is get back to the skiing. We know that the relationship is going to fizzle out and go nowhere. Carole is too much of an “Swinging Sixties” sex kitten to care about the likes of another Yankee skier, even if he’s Robert Redford. And Chappellet is too immature and arrogant to actually properly commit to a long-term relationship.

“The fact that Redford did all of this own skiing and damaged his knee in the process, just goes to show his dedication to the role.”

Of course, I don’t want to give away too much of the film’s ending but it ends in a bittersweet way. There’s a chilling reminder that even if you may be on top of your game today, there’s always a younger shark lurking in the waters waiting and willing to take your spot on the top of the food chain.

I think Ritchie did the best that he could and at times, there’s an “Avant Garde” aspect to the the film which takes it to a whole different level of filmmaking. I like the cross over between French New Wave cinema and the New Hollywood era, and in lots of ways the film has a very “European” vibe to it. However, there’s something lacking in “Downhill Racer” and that’s a sense of urgency and tension. Everything feels a little too laid back, the film’s second half is really let down by that lacklustre relationship between Carole and Chappellet. The film’s comedic moments are also a little too forced, and feel like an attempt to raise a cheap laugh out of the viewer.

“The film’s second act suffers from the rather bland romance between Chappellet and Carole, which limps along like a skier with a broken leg.”

Ultimately, it’s the cinematography by Brian Probyn and the editing by Richard A. Harris which manages to breath some life into the picture. Without the stunning skiing sequences, “Downhill Racer” would be almost forgettable. And, while I’m not a huge advocate for remakes, I do feel that “Downhill Racer” could be ripe for a remake. There’s so much to explore with this narrative and the two main characters, that I really would love to see someone take this film and remake it as something more intense and even darker.

Exploring the background of this film, I discovered that originally Roman Polanski was attached to direct, lured in by Paramount studio head, Robert Evans (who would go on to produce Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown”). However, Polanski was too committed to bringing “Rosemary’s Baby” to the big-screen, that he left the project. I’m left wondering whether “Downhill Racer” should have been directed by Polanski? Perhaps he would have brought some much needed passion and eroticism to the relationship between Chappellet and Carole. There’s an interesting aspect to Sparv’s character, this ice Queen who uses men for her pleasure and discards them once she’s done with them. However, Ritchie doesn’t seem to know what to do with the romance between Chappellet and Carole, and he certainly doesn’t know how to film anything like a sex scene.

I also wonder whether Polanski would have added more of a psychological aspect to the character of Chappellet, focusing more on his descent into the world of perfectionism and obsession. I think Polanski would have been able to draw out a better performance from both Redford and Hackman and would have helped develop some of the dialogue exchanges between the pair. The dialogue feels a little “stagey” and “wooden” reminding us that we are watching a film.

Maybe I am being too harsh on Ritchie. It is probably worth mentioning that “Downhill Racer” was Ritiche’s feature debut, and perhaps he was a little lost in all the complications of that this film faced? It was Redford who managed to hold the film’s production together after Evans and Polanski exited in order to make “Rosemary’s Baby” and brought Ritchie on board, and I respect Redford’s dedication to get this film made.

You’re probably reading this review and believing that I didn’t enjoy “Downhill Racer” and I would like to assure you that I did quite enjoy the film. There are many positive things which are worth mentioning. The ski sequences are the very definition of “breath taking” and they are what leaves such a lasting impression on the viewer. The surreal and jazz like score by Kenyon Hopkins helps to add to that “European” vibe that the film has. And, the fact that Redford did all of this own skiing and damaged his knee in the process, just goes to show his dedication to the role.

However, there’s something that “Downhill Racer” lacks and I just can’t quite figure out what that is. Roger Ebert gave the film a raving review, and summed it up as “the best movie ever made about sports—without really being about sports at all.” And, that’s what I believe is the matter with “Downhill Racer”…It should be a movie about sports and that’s why it just left me feeling slightly underwhelmed.