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| editing =
| studio = Rank Film Productions
| distributor = [[The Rank Organisation]]
| released =
| country = United Kingdom
| runtime = 111 minutes (UK)<br/>101 minutes (U.S.)
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'''''Silver Dream Racer''''' is a 1980 motor-racing film starring British pop star [[David Essex]] and [[Beau Bridges]]. The film was produced, written and directed by David Wickes. It was the last film to be made by
==Plot==
Nick Freeman ([[David Essex]]) is an aspiring motorcycle racer, whose brother has been developing an experimental motorcycle. When his brother dies before being able to test and race the new bike, Nick inherits the responsibility to prove his brother's design. In spite of a series of tough setbacks, including the loss of his girlfriend, Nick goes into the big race at the British Grand Prix with all his energy and concentration bent on winning. However, an
==Cast==
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* [[Ed Bishop]] as Al Peterson
* [[T. P. McKenna]] as Bank Manager
* [[David Baxt]] as Ben Mendoza
* [[Barrie Rutter]] as Privateer
* [[Steve Henshaw]] as privateer
* [[Doyle Richmond]] as Cider's Brother
* [[Nick Brimble]] as Jack Davis
* [[Malya Woolf]] as Mrs. Buonaguidi
* [[Stephen Hoye]] as Clarke Nichols
* [[Richard LeParmentier]] as Journalist
* [[Murray Kash]] as 1st TV Reporter
* [[Bruce Boa]] as 2nd TV Reporter
* [[Christopher Driscoll]] as Photographer
* [[Leslie Schofield]] as Reporter
* [[Robert Russell (
* [[Morris Perry]] as Financier
* [[Elisabeth Sladen]] as Bank Secretary (as Elizabeth Sladen)
* [[Jim McManus (
* [[Antony Brown (actor)|Antony Brown]] as Executive
* [[Edward Kalinski]] as Disco Boy
* [[Joanna Andrews]] as Disco Girl
* [[Vincent Wong (
* [[Cecil Cheng]] as 2nd Japanese Man
* [[David Neville (actor)|David Neville]] as Man at Bank
* [[Godfrey Jackman]] as Bank Doorman
* [[June Chadwick]] as Secretary
* [[Kate Harper (actress)|Kate Harper]] as 1st Party Guest
* [[Derrie Powell]] as 2nd Party Guest
* [[Perry Cree]] as 3rd Party Guest
==Production==
[[Tuesday Weld]] had talks about playing the female lead. She eventually took another role, and Cristina Raines took the part.<ref>{{cite news |author=SCHREGER, C. |date=July 22, 1979|title=THE CASTING DIRECTORS--WHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |id={{ProQuest|158885421}}}}</ref>▼
Director David Wickes had just enjoyed a box office success with the feature film version of ''[[Sweeney!|The Sweeney]]'' and he was approached by [[Tony Williams (film executive)|Tony Williams]] of the Rank Organisation asking if Wickes had a film he wanted to make. The director had been sent a script by actor Michael Billington which Wickets said, "needed a re-write, but I liked it because it was about a very human thing — dreaming the impossible dream. Tony Williams liked it too, so I went to see David Essex. I thought he might be interested because he was a keen biker himself."
<ref name="dave">{{cite magazine|magazine=Infinity Magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Infinity-Magazine-Issue-20/page/56/mode/2up?q=%22nat+cohen%22+%22emi+films%22|title=The Wickes Man|access-date=29 December 2022|last=Fairclough|first=Robert|issue=20|date=2019|page=59}}</ref>
Essex agreed to appear in the film and write the music. Wickes, who rewrote the script, said the film nearly was not made because of difficulties sourcing a 500cc racing bike ("all the big manufacturers have their own racing teams and they won't give you the time of day") but they were rescued by "a brilliant Welsh engineering company called Barton Motors" who produced "a great-looking bike that could go respectably fast around a track."<ref name="dave"/>
Some scenes were filmed during the [[1979 British motorcycle Grand Prix|1979 Grand Prix]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]], [[Northamptonshire]]. The Silver Dream Racer was a real motorcycle, designed by Barry Hart of the Barton company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2016/july/whatever-happened-to-the-silver-dream-racer/ |website=Motorcycle News |date=July 2016 |title=Whatever Happened to the Silver Dream Racer}}</ref> And built by James Valence. English motorcycle racer Roger Marshall did most of David Essex's riding for the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visordown.com/features/motorcycle-top-10s/silver-dream-racer |website=Visor Down |title=Silver Dream Racer}}</ref><ref>[https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/british-superbikes/2016/may/mcn-plus---my-life-in-bikes-roger-marshall/ My life in bikes; Roger Marshall] ''[[Motorcycle News]]'', 23 May 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2019</ref>▼
▲[[Tuesday Weld]] had talks about playing the female lead. She eventually took another role, and Cristina Raines, who had been in ''The Duellists'', took the part.<ref>{{cite news |author=SCHREGER, C. |date=July 22, 1979|title=THE CASTING DIRECTORS--WHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |id={{ProQuest|158885421}}}}</ref> Beau Bridges was imported from the USA to co-star.<ref name="dave"/>
Some scenes were filmed during the [[1979 British motorcycle Grand Prix|1979 Grand Prix]] at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]], [[Northamptonshire]]. "I think we still hold the record for using 16 Panavision cameras on a single day," said Wickes.<ref name="dave"/> The Silver Dream Racer was a real motorcycle, designed by Barry Hart of the Barton company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2016/july/whatever-happened-to-the-silver-dream-racer/ |website=Motorcycle News |date=July 2016 |title=Whatever Happened to the Silver Dream Racer}}</ref>
▲
==Release==
The film had its premiere on 26 March 1980 at the [[Dominion Theatre]] in London before opening to the public the following day.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]|date=26 March 1980|page=29|title=Entertainment: West End Cinemas}}</ref>
==Reception==
''[[The Guardian]]'' said "the story is as boring as hell".<ref>{{cite news |title=Anatomy of an American dream. |date=March 27, 1980 |work=The Guardian |id={{ProQuest|186245002}}}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it a "lively genre piece".<ref>{{cite news |author=Thomas, K. |title='SILVER DREAM RACER' AIRS ON THE Z CHANNEL |date=March 31, 1984 |work=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|153766963}}}}</ref>
According to Wickes, "The picture did pretty well in the UK but a lot better overseas. Most of the reviews were
The film was not a commercial success at the box office. It holds a 33% fresh rating on review aggregate site [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Silver Dream Racer |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silver_dream_racer |website=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=21 October 2017}}</ref>▼
favourable, and David’s song ‘Silver Dream Machine’ went to number two."<ref name="dave"/>
▲
==References==
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[[Category:1980 films]]
[[Category:1980s sports drama films]]
[[Category:British auto racing films]]
[[Category:British sports drama films]]
[[Category:Motorcycle racing films]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:1980 drama films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
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