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On IMDb, an average film actually has a rating of about 6.0-6.5, this this movie's current 3.5 would seem to indicate that it's a terrible film. However, I was surprised that aside from some poor writing here and there, the film was easy to watch and surprisingly good considering its minuscule budget.

Let's talk about budget for a moment. Despite having a budget of about $150,000 and coming from the king of cheapies, Roger Corman, you'd think it would look bad--like his earlier low-budget films "Wasp Women" and "The Last Woman on Earth". But, the film crew clearly spent money in particular places. First, the film is made in color--really nice looking color on the DVD. Second, the movie was filmed in several locations throughout Europe. And, finally, they used Formula One cars and instead of using the usual stock clips, they filmed the drivers very, very realistically. Clearly the movie looks great.

When it came to budget, you can soon see that one way they cut costs was by using no-name actors. William Campbell is a face you might recognize if you are a Trekkie, as he played a couple prominent guest spots in the original series (The Squire of Gothos and a Klingon captain). Handsome, yes....but also a rather obscure actor--particularly when this film was made. The other lead is Mark Damon--and it really threw me when he entered the movie. Why? Well, because evidently someone hated his voice and all his dialog was dubbed by William Shatner! So, once again, for Trek fans, this is an interesting film.

Another way they cut back was on the writing. While the script had bright moments, it also had a decent number of clichés and was far from brilliant. Heck, with a few revisions, the movie could have really been very good. As is, the racing scenes are mostly great (except for the scene where Damon rolls out of his car--it was badly done), the actors competent and the locales lovely. I did not love this film but liked it and see it as a great example of getting a lot of bang for the buck. Too bad later films like "Le Mans" and "Grand Prix" had the big-name stars and polish--they clearly overwhelm what is still a pretty decent film.

In this Roger Corman's movie we follow the tribulations and various romantic entanglements of Joe Machin ( you see, at first, he is cold-hearted , like a Machine ) but really the whole story is just an excuse to take the viewer through a nice tour of Europe ( or for the production team to take a vacation…). When the characters are not driving their F1s they do the cheapest thing a director can fill a movie with : talk, talk and talk some more. I guess Corman wanted The Young Racers to be classified as a full length movie so he had to fill it with something but I guarantee you that as soon as the 80 minutes are done with you will forget all the blah blah in a few heartbeats. In the first part of the film you can see a nice selection of vintage 60's bikinis. That's a plus ! And you can witness some typical 60's drinking and driving…with champagne no less ! Also, I think our friend Roger didn't want to bother with a boom operator in the busy streets of Europe so I guess the sound man FF Coppola hadn't much to do in the actual shooting of the film but what a nice goatee on his young face !

A former race-car driver-turned-writer decides to expose a ruthless, womanizing Grand Prix race driver in a book. However, his scheme explodes when his life is saved by this man, who is actually sensitive and misunderstood.

While not Corman's best work, there is a good cast here with Mark Damon and uncredited voice-overs by William Shatner. The script was written by Robert Wright Campbell, who received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay "Man of a Thousand Faces", the biography of Lon Chaney. Robert's brother William also stars in this alongside Damon. (William, interestingly, filmed "Dementia 13" immediately after this, under the guidance of Corman protégé Francis Ford Coppola, and also had some "Star Trek" appearances -- with Shatner!) William Campbell's ex-wife, Judith Exner, was notorious for having affairs with President Kennedy and two Chicago mobsters... but that is neither here nor there.

Well, that's a terrible title. I mean, these people don't seem that young, but Roger Corman was trying to make movies for teenagers. So, selling to them the idea that it was about young people fit the bill. I mean, one lead was about 30 and the other was in his 40s. These aren't teenagers. I did coincidentally watch Patrick H. Willems' video essay about racing in film a couple of months before I watched The Young Riders, and Corman's propensity for frugality seemed to have led to something of a small breakthrough in cinema: filming real actors in real cars on real roads racing for real. That's neat. The rest of the movie, though? It's alright. A character piece without the right kind of structure or stakes to give it the dramatic push it needs to be actually interesting. Still, I appreciated it for trying to a limited degree.

Stephen Children (Mark Damon) is a former racecar driver in Monte Carlo to see the Grand Prix but also to meet his fiancée, Monique (Beatrice Altariba). Along with his secretary, Henny (Launa Anders), he waits in a café only to discover Monique having a public scene with the winner of the race, Joe Machin (William Campbell), with whom she'd been having an affair. Stephen decides that he's going to destroy Joe by getting close to him and writing a book to expose all of Joe's flaws to the world.

Where the film falters is in how it structures everything. The script by R. Wright Campbell is a slow moving character piece, but it spends so much time on Stephen getting to know and like Joe that any sense of tension at Stephen's hidden motive gets lost by the halfway point. At best, the film becomes this portrait of Joe, a man consumed by fear every time he gets in the cab of his car. However, how this relates to his womanizing seems intentionally obfuscated, like it was an attempt to create a complex character, but I just don't think the writing is quite there. It's an interesting attempt, but I wouldn't call it successful.

Where the film gets really weird structurally is in the introduction of Sir William Dragonet (Patrick Magee). He's brought in when the racing circuit reaches England, and the racers have lunch with him. He seems like just a rich fan of the game, but he ends up like Stephen. He has a personal grudge against Joe and wants to destroy him. When Stephen won't play Sir William's game, Sir William decides to reveal to Joe Stephen's original intention, opening up the rivalry between the two men.

And suddenly I saw what this movie should have been.

The two men were becoming friends as they progressed in races. Stephen ends up on a rival racing team early in the film, and they're out on the track multiple times. But the races are essentially just racing footage because Stephen is getting friendly with Joe before every race. There's little drama in the racing, until the finale. What if Stephen never hid his motive? What if his getting onto a rival racing team wasn't just something that happened to him because he decided to show off on a test lap but he forced his way on because he wanted to face down Joe on the track? It'd be closer to a generic racing movie, probably, but it'd have actual drama infusing its runtime instead of this leaden attempt at a character study.

The racing footage, though, is where the film is at its best. It's not always actually dramatic because of the story around it, but the fast moving cars, filmed from inside the cars themselves, is gripping if thin entertainment. When things do actually get dramatic for that final race in England, though, it's an extra layer on top that makes the event pop that much more.

So, the script, like many Corman films, needed another rewrite (Campbell wasn't a bad writer, and maybe he could have managed it himself). There's the production idea (race cars) and a script idea (the fearful athlete) that don't quite mesh as well as they should, but the actors are all game and do their best. It's always fun to see Trelane in something other than that one Star Trek episode.

It has some charms. It doesn't gel. It's far from the worst film Corman ever made, but it's also far from his best.

Handsome writer, and racing car enthusiast, Mark Damon (as Steve Children) decides to pen the biography of Grand Prix champion driver William Campbell (as Joe Machin). As it turns out, Mr. Campbell is "arrogant, ruthless, crude, and altogether a hateful human being." In Mr. Damon's full view, Campbell ended an affair with Damon's fiancée. Damon wants to expose Campbell's bad character, but is drawn to the charismatic playboy. The two men duel over the affections of women like Damon's blonde secretary Luana Anders (as Henny), and form an unexpected friendship. Not a very good film, certainly; but, you can see where one was possible.

**** The Young Racers (5/22/63) Roger Corman ~ Mark Damon, William Campbell, Luana Anders

This is one of only a handful of this director's films that I haven't seen. I've had more than enough experience, however, with those that heap great praise over Mr. Corman's work, most of which is junk, and all of which is flawed, at best. Take for example a home movie called "Little Shop Of Horrors", the original, not the musical (which came later). Although it is remembered with saccharine fondness by many, the movie, which was entirely created in 3 days, on a set which was leftover by another project that wrapped early, is possibly the worst film ever made. As for 1963's "The Young Racers", I stopped in and managed to read a comment on it, under the title, "a great little film". First of all, I seriously doubt it. But everyone's entitled to their opinion. Where the writer of the comment lost me was towards the end, where they bemoaned Corman's having had to resort to making, 'grade Z porno flicks' in the 70's. I don't know what Roger Corman this person is talking about, but it wasn't the one that directed this movie. Roger Corman, despite my limited taste for his output, NEVER made a grade Z porno flick, EVER. Seriously, if you're going to make a comment, do the bloody legwork and research what the hell you're talking about! How many clicks would it have taken to correct your ignorant statement? Your love or hate of his films are your own affair, but get the facts straight.

Maybe it was because that day I had gotten my first COVID-19 shot. Maybe it was because I was tired. But, I found this movie quite boring. What you never get with a Roger Corman movie is boredom, but unfortunately that is exactly what I was swallowed into about 5-10 minutes into the film.

Stephen Children (Mark Damon) wants to write a book about hot shot race driver Joe Machin (William Campbell) to expose him for the horrible person that he is. Yet he is drawn to him and begins to befriend him.

I found the film super talky, but the racing scenes were interesting. In the end though this oldie might be one worth missing. Does also star Patrick Magee and Francis Ford Coppola did 2nd unit directing and sound.

Early 1960's newfangled, fast, agile, sleek, clean-lined, independent suspension formula one racers streak across the screen in glorious color. High-pitched, hi-revving engines scream DANGER HERE! This film delivers the typical 1960s male adolescent fantasy desire for a fast beautiful car, fast high-living, and the same kind of woman. At film's beginning, the characters are presented as mere stereotypes. In movie westerns, William Campbell was often typecast as a somewhat erratic bad guy, and in this movie he starts off in type as a bad guy 20th century playboy driver. He is egotistical, ruthless, detestable, married to a beautiful woman but still enjoys controlling, using, then callously discarding woman after woman (as he says, "the kind I get"). Mark Damon plays a writer who is also a driver and fiancée of one of the discards. But Damon's revenge is complicated by a growing friendship with Campbell as they compete on the racing circuit. Without being too obscure or complicated, the movie allows the excitement, danger, conflict, and searing emotions to cut thru the drivers' facades and expose their inner drives and fears, like a Bowie knife can carve up a tin of Boston baked beans. The characters become more than and different from what we thought. We increasingly understand and sympathize with the "bad" guy as he struggles with his fears and tries to become his better self. The plot climaxes, then accelerates promptly to a plausible resolution that leaves you with a good feeling. Enough fast action for any classic auto fan. Enough human element to get past the action into hearts and minds of the drivers "and the women who love them" (sorry, could not avoid inserting that cliché). Fans wanting more dwelltime should see James Garner's thrilling 1966 film "Gran Prix."

One of producer / director Roger Cormans' exploitation-subculture flicks, "The Young Racers" is intended to take a look at the lives and personalities of those who make their living racing cars. Mark Damon plays Steve Children, a former racer turned writer who learns that champion driver Joe Machin (William Campbell) has used and discarded Steves' fiancee Monique (Beatrice Altariba). Aiming to get back at Joe (a flamboyantly arrogant, cocky type) somehow, Steve works his way into Joes' life, pretending that he's penning a novel and needs inspiration. But as time goes by, he learns more about Joe, realizing that this man who's come off as such a conceited pig is actually more sensitive and troubled than it appears.

Although there is some fairly intense, well-edited, and exciting racing action, "The Young Racers" is one of those racing dramas that spends more time off the track. It functions more as a character study. As written by Campbells' younger brother / fellow actor Robert (R. Wright) Campbell, it includes some good and interesting insight, if perhaps some overly grandiose dialogue. The main reason to watch "The Young Racers" is to watch an engaging cast fill out these roles. Damon (who's actually looped by none other than Bill Shatner!) and Campbell do a fine job, receiving strong support from a very attractive bunch of actresses. Luana Anders is front and centre as Steves' loyal secretary Henny, while Marie Versini makes the most of a compelling role as Joes' equally loyal wife Sesia. The great Patrick Magee pops up in the final quarter of the film to play a pivotal role.

As was often the case with Corman films, he paces it well enough so that it clocks in at roughly 80 minutes or so (although in his case it was always an economical decision). It's good entertainment with a jazzy score by Les Baxter, the prolific composer who contributed to a large number of A.I.P. exploitation features.

Among the technical crew: Francis Ford Coppola as the sound man, Menahem Golan as the property master, and longtime Corman colleague Charles Griffith as the assistant director.

Seven out of 10.

I've developed a particular interest in one of Roger Corman's modes of directing. From what I can see, apart from the odd attempt at a prestige movie (for example with von Richthofen and Brown - a neat little movie), he directed three types of movies: the monster movies eg. 'Creature from the Haunted Sea' (1961), 'The Wasp Woman' (1960); then there are the Poe inspired ones, eg. 'Premature Burial' (1962), 'Pit and the Pendulum' (1961); however the movies I'm interested in are the movies he makes about subcultures which are typically labelled 'exploitation' movies. These include Gas-s-s-s (1971), The Trip (1967), The Wild Angels (1966) etc. His targets in these movies are particular American subcultures such as gangsters, beatniks, bikers, acid-heads etc.

In a manner very similar to Verhoeven these movies are only ostensibly pure entertainment, indeed they are poorly made exploitation movies in the eyes of many. There is however a lucid heat-seeking intellect behind the scenes. Corman's target throughout can be seen as laxity of thought. His style is most evident in the openly satirical Gas-s-s-s, where he thoroughly slices through hippie idealism with his cine-pathologist's scalpel. To a lesser extent it's on display in The Young Racers, more of a prestige movie than the "exploitation" movies referred to, but an intellectual cousin. The montage over the opening credits is key, it shows a series of photographs of two young children playing with toy cars in a sand pit, we are shown a photograph of a horrible toothy, gummy, grin from one the children (the only time a face is shown), the clear implication being that being a gas-head is akin to a second childhood, and we suspect we will be given a Cormanesque exposition on the existential/Socratic unsoundness of motor racing. And to an extent we are.

The movie is about an arrogant racing champion (William Campbell as Joe Machin) who steals the fiancée of a writer (Mark Damon, playing Stephen Children) only to use her and toss her away. Children wants revenge and decides to write a book on Machin exposing him as a brainless womaniser. To do this he joins the Lotus team as some sort of test driver (Children had been a promising driver but given it up because he thought the sport too unsafe and morally disturbing - in his opinion the spectators came to see accidents). He strikes up a false friendship with Machin saying that he is going to write a mere novel, with Machin as the main character.

The Young Racers could be Corman's best film because of it's sheer intellectual honesty and avoidance of cardboard cutout reactionary characterisations. We learn that Children's initial thoughts about Machin were totally inaccurate, that Machin is a highly functional individual who has realised that the only way to seize life is with cruelty and passion. During one midnight moment Machin scrutinises the scrutiniser. He says: "I know what bugs you, you're disturbed because people act as if the words you're written were whispered in your ear. They don't figure you had to have sensitive feelings to put 'em down" "How can you know that?", "Because they cheer for Joe Machin the Grand Prix driver, not Joe the man". The script is terrifically strong, another example is when Machin is told he "...drive(s) like a sixteen-year old pursuing a maiden, trampling down the flowers as you pass." Indeed Children is almost subjected to more scrutiny than Machin, we are shown clearly that his fiancée was not the woman he thought her to be, in his mind she was what he wanted her to be. In truth, Machin did not seduce her, she threw herself at his feet in a moment of brazen shallowness. The main message of the movie is, I suspect, not to judge people at face value. The criticism of motor-racing becomes secondary, though highly intriguing.

The movie has a high art content, the initial photographic montage at the start of the film is an incredible exposition of the photographer's art, it manages to make the scene very primal. It reminds me of the adolescent atavism in Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch where a group of children set a scorpion against an army of ants, and then pour fire on top of them, but the feeling in The Young Racers is achieved with much more subtlety. I was reminded of Alma-Tadema in two shots, one showing the ecstatically beautiful rose garden in Aintree, and secondly in Monaco where a deep-focus shot of painterly beauty is achieved by focusing on a hotel balcony overlooking lower Monaco and the bay. It's one of two places where I paused the DVD to let the beauty sink in. The other was for a static shot at the Spa Grand Prix where a shot of the racetrack is predominantly filled with a rickety barrier caked in verdigris. The ugliness of the sport at that time is captured in full. I could go on, the picnic on the meadow above Rouen, the beautiful cottage rented by the river just to please Children's secretary, etc.

Why do people not like it (at time of writing the IMDb vote average is 3.1/10)? I can only speculate. It is not a straightforward racer, for example like the Tom Cruise vehicle Days of Thunder (1990). There is no embracing of racing culture, which I suspect tends to confuse the audience that it has been marketed towards. I must admit that the acting is not particularly out of the top drawer, we are not spoilt, as we are in other Corman movies by the presences of the likes of Bruce Dern and Dennis Hopper.

The ending is also quite weak because the only way to tie up the film's themes is pretty anticlimactic. This having been said The Young Racers is more complex and human in it's storyline, and more beautiful in its imagery, than a dozen contemporary films.