Review by maitle

The 1986 Soviet film Race of the Century ("Гонка века") gives a dramatic presentation of the events of the Golden Globe Race and the fate of main character Donald Crowhurst. The movie is focused on the idea of competition in a capitalist society as a soul-consuming "rat race", where all community members including children are under constant pressure, and failure and poverty are not tolerated. It portraits Crowhurst as a deeply honest man being forced into a dangerous invincible enterprise by his disastrous financial situation and the greed of his entrepreneur Best. The screenplay is written with some liberties with in the real facts, such as downplaying Crowhurst's role in his own destruction, and reporting Tetley as having been killed in a wreckage instead of committing suicide many years later (probably to increase the tension). Crowhurst's suicide is ascribed chiefly to the inability of a moral person to survive in an immoral society. The film's highlights include a realistic depiction of sailing, an endearing portrayal of the Crowhurst family, and a dramatic enactment of Donald's descent into insanity leading to fatalism. This film has passed unnoticed, and today it is known mainly because of Natalia Guseva (Наталья Гусева) had played the role of Crowhurst's daughter Rachel.