La guerre des motos

I first saw the US release version of Silver Dream Racer on HBO in the early '80s. It wasn't until almost 20 years later I saw the original UK version (same film with different editing). As a fan of MotoGP racing, my emotions on this movie are mixed.

Assuming you've never seen the movie or been been exposed to spoilers on the editing differences in the original (UK) versus US release versions, pay attention: THE EDITING DIFFERENCES IN WHICH VERSION YOU WATCH WILL LIKELY HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON IF YOU LIKE OR DISLIKE THIS FILM. When the DVD is re-released in late 2010, it will hopefully give you the option to choose the US edit as the default view.

THE VOTE OF "8" IS FOR THE US RELEASE VERSION. The editing and scene differences make it a much more enjoyable movie. Without injecting a spoiler, the editing differences drop the original UK/European version to a rating of "2" (1, plus an extra point for a decent theme song by David Essex). Based on the US version, the acting is OK (David Essex and Beau Bridges do a better job in front of the camera than most real GP racers being interviewed). The camera shots are decent (remember this was filmed in 1980, long before Hi-Def helmet cams became the norm).

If you're a fan of racing and sport bikes, the US version is worth your time.

Nick Freeman is a talented motorcycle racer but his bike has seen better days and he doesn't have the finances to upgrade it. Then his brother dies and Nick is left the bike he spent the last three years developing. The bike is revolutionary and Nick sees a way to pursue his dream.

Heaps of potential, largely wasted. It is difficult to make an unexciting racing movie, but writer-director David Wickes somehow manages it here. The final racing scenes are great, but just about everything else is mediocre: sub-plots that don't go anywhere, much filler, attempts at humour that are largely silly, implausible plot developments or events and a general cheesiness to proceedings.

Throw in some irritating performances - David Essex and Cristina Raines are okay but Beau Bridges and Clarke Peters are quite cringeworthy - and the film is more miss than hit. Don't get me started on the ridiculous ending...

When I was younger I loved this film as I was a huge David Essex fan - but you have to be careful what version you watch as far as I know two endings were done - one for the states where he crosses the line a winner and the film has a happy ending - the other a United Kingdom version where he crosses the line a winner then skids, crashes burns and dies - not a brilliant film by any stretch of the imagination but it is over 20 years old now and it did appeal to his die-hard fans

When this film first came out I was keen on motorbikes, keen on movies and I was keen on pop music. But....David Essex made music that was poles apart from the stuff I liked, the movie was pretty cheesy and the 'Silver Dream Racer' itself was -to anyone who knew anything about motorcycles- in many respects a fairly obvious fraud. So I wasn't overly impressed, back then.

However, wind the clock on 38 years and by some miracle I can at least tolerate Essex's music, the motorcycling scenes are interesting to me for all kinds of reasons, and when it comes down to it this is a film that is better made than many are, with a plot that is no less cheesy or nonsensical than most.

The motorcycle itself was designed and built by a UK company and used an engine that was mostly used as a sidecar power unit. Three machines were planned, of which two were finished and used in the film. Of the three, only the third machine -which was barely a chassis and bodywork when the movie was made- now exists, apparently, and has been recently restored and used in a photo shoot this year (2018). A further mockup (with an entirely different chassis beneath) was destroyed during filming. The bike is meant to be 'revolutionary' with 240bhp and have a 'carbon fibre chassis' but in the film it is clearly none of these things, although it was a real racing motorcycle of a kind rather than just a prop. About 150bhp was typical at the time for top class GP bikes.

Like many racing films real race footage is used in the film. However unlike most racing films they didn't just dress up an extant racing machine and use that, they actually tried to race the bike that had been built for the film for real. Roger Marshall actually rode the bike in a 1979 Silverstone race and much of the race footage in the film comes from that event. However in reality the performance of the machine was so far from being competitive that in order to qualify the machine they allegedly (and quite illegally) replaced the 500cc motor with a 750cc version instead.

Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Silverstone and an unknown disused airfield were used for filming. In fairness David Essex was a genuine motorcycle nut and rode bikes in several of the scenes in the movie, perhaps taking more risks than most movie stars might have.

So overall this isn't the most brilliant movie in the world but it will (of course) appeal to David Essex fans, it is an interesting period piece and it is somewhat better (especially if you have an interest in motorcycle racing around that period) than some of the negative reviews here might suggest.

If you have read other reviews here you may have gathered that there are two different edits of this film in circulation; if you have the DVD you can choose the version you want but if you watch it on UK TV (eg 'talking pictures') they generally use one version not the other.

Arguably the worst film I have ever seen. All prints of this film should be destroyed. I have been a keen motorcyclist all my life, and was rather looking forward to this film. Although it was released over 20 years ago, I didn't see it until just recently. I wish I hadn't bothered.