Death Race 2000 (1975)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Ib Melchior (story)
Robert Thom (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 April 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Sport

Tagline:

In The Year 2000 Hit And Run Driving Is No Longer A Felony. It's The National Sport!

Plot:

A champion of a brutal cross-country car race of the future where pedestrians are run down for points...

Plot Keywords:

Race | President | Automobile | Hit And Run | B Movie

Cast

David Carradine	...	Frankenstein
Simone Griffeth	...	Annie Smith
Sylvester Stallone	...	Machine Gun Joe Viterbo
Mary Woronov	...	Calamity Jane
Roberta Collins	...	Matilda the Hun
Martin Kove	...	Nero the Hero
Louisa Moritz	...	Myra
Don Steele	...	Junior Bruce (as The Real Don Steele)
Joyce Jameson	...	Grace Pander
Carle Bensen	...	Harold
Sandy McCallum	...	Mr. President
Paul Laurence	...	Special agent
Harriet Medin	...	Thomasina Paine
Vince Trankina	...	Lt. Fury
Bill Morey	...	Deacon
Fred Grandy	...	Herman the German
William Shephard	...	Pete
Leslie McRae	...	Cleopatra (as Leslie McRay)
Wendy Bartel	...	Laurie
Jack Favorite	...	Henry
Sandy Ignon	...	FBI agent
John Landis	...	Mechanic
Darla McDonnell	...	Rhonda Bainbridge
Roger Rook	...	Radio operator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Bartel	...	Frankenstein's doctor (uncredited)
David Boyle	...	(uncredited)
Paul L. Ehrmann	...	Government agent (uncredited)
Lewis Teague	...	Toreador (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Bartel

Writing credits
Ib Melchior		(story)
Robert Thom		(writer) and
Charles B. Griffith		(writer) (as Charles Griffith)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	producer
Jim Weatherill	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Paul Chihara

Cinematography by
Tak Fujimoto

Film Editing by
Tina Hirsch

Art Direction by
Beala Neel		(as B.B. Neel)
Robin Royce		(as Robinson Royce)

Costume Design by
Jane Ruhm		(as Jane Rum)

Makeup Department
Patricia Hutchence	....	makeup artist (as Pat Hutchence)

Production Management
Peter Cornberg	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles B. Griffith	....	second unit director (as Charles Griffith)
Dennis E. Jones	....	first assistant director (as Dennis Jones)
Lewis Teague	....	second unit director

Art Department
Keith Michl	....	property master

Sound Department
Lee Alexander	....	sound mixer
Ben Burtt	....	sound designer (uncredited)
Richard Bryce Goodman	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Richard MacLean	....	special effects
Jack Rabin	....	special optical effects

Stunts
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunts
Ronald C. Ross	....	stunt coordinator
Harry Wowchuk	....	stunts
Paula Dell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kim Kahana Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Greg Walker	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Bryar	....	key grip
Paul Hunt	....	additional cinematographer
Eric Saarinen	....	camera operator: second unit
Henning Schellerup	....	camera operator: second unit
Brian Swain	....	gaffer
Kit Kalionzes	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)
Douglas Olivares	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Leslie Otis	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Michal Goldman	....	associate editor
Lewis Teague	....	associate editor

Other crew
Joanie Blum	....	script supervisor
Dean Jeffries	....	car constructor (as Dean Jefferies)
James Powers	....	car designer
Arrahwanna Thomsen	....	script supervisor (as Arrah Robinson)
Gil Valle	....	location manager

Production Companies

• New World Pictures
• Columbia Associates

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distributors (1975) (Canada) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2005) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV)
• Concorde Film (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Digital Multimedia Limited (DML) (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• IVC (197?) (Greece) (theatrical)
• New Horizons Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• New Horizons Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video

Special Effects

• Jack Rabin & Associates

Other Companies

• Electrofilm Inc.  electric helmets
• Rutan Aircraft Factory  veriveggan aircraft

Also Known As:

Frankensteins Todesrennen (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Ölüm yarisi 2000 (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Anno 2000 la corsa della morte (Italy) [it]
Carrera mortal (Venezuela) [es]
Carrera mortal 2000 (Argentina) [es]
Corrida da Morte - Ano 2000 (Brazil) [pt]
Etos 2000: Koursa thanatou (Greece) [el]
Herrscher der Straße (West Germany) [de]
Herrscher der Straße - Frankensteins Todesrennen (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Herrscher der Strasse (West Germany) [de]
Kalmanralli 2000 (Finland) [fi]
La carrera de la muerte del año 2000 (Spain) [es]
La course à la mort de l'an 2000 (France) [fr]
Les seigneurs de la route (France) (video title) [fr]
Rally thanatou sto etos 2000 (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Sasikvdilo rbola 2000 (Georgia) [ka]
Wyscig smierci (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

USA:84 min | Argentina:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Brazilian Sign Language | Spanish

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Stereo | Dolby | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Netherlands:16 (re-rating) | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Finland:K-18 | Germany:16 (2002) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:18 (DVD release) (2003) (uncut version) | Norway:16 (video) (1988) (heavily cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1976-2003) (cinema release) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2002)

Filming Locations:

Chet Holifield Federal Building - 24000 Avila Road, Laguna Niguel, California, USA

Company:

New World Pictures

Trivia:

Was theatrically re-released in France in the mid-80s with its title changed from the accurate translation "Course a la Mort de l'an 2000, la" to a more evasive "Seigneurs de la Route, les" (meaning "Lords of the Road"). This time, David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone shared the top billing on the posters.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the theatrical version and all video versions up to the "Roger Corman's Classics" release, there were some errors that have since been corrected. Traffic has been cropped from the shot when Machine Gun Joe runs over the man hanging the "Frankenstein" banner on the street (which previously made nonsense of the earlier newscast of "citizens staying off the streets"). A crewmember previously visible when Joe runs down the fisherman has also been cropped out.

Quotes:

Junior: Frankenstein! Frankenstein the legend, Frankenstein the indestructible! Sole survivor of the titanic pile-up of '95, only two-time winner of the Transcontinental Road Race... Frankenstein! Ripped up, wiped out, battered, shattered, creamed, and reamed... a dancer on the brink of death... Frankenstein, who lost a leg in '98, an arm in '99! With half a face and half a chest, and all the guts in the world, he's back!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Dead End (1985)

I think that "Death Race 2000" is a fine little cult film.

In this mid-1970's version of the year 2000, the favorite national sport is a no-holds-barred, violent cross-country road race in which the points are scored when pedestrians are run down. Fan favorite Frankenstein (David Carradine) is the "dark hero" and his chief competitor is the ill-tempered Machine Gun Joe Viterbo (Sylvester Stallone).

"Death Race 2000" delivers some solid B-movie entertainment, with amusing performances, cool cars, a quick pace, and a heavy dose of dark humor. It is probably one of the best (certainly the most profitable) of the many B-pictures that the legendary Roger Corman produced throughout the 1970's and 1980's. It moves along well enough to clock in at a reasonable running time of about 80 minutes.

Followed by the sequel "Deathsport" in 1978.

7/10