MASK OF DUST is a lesser work from the early Hammer, with studio stalwart Terence Fisher helming an indifferent plot about racing car drivers suffering from the usual troubles of rivalry, romance and corporate shenanigans. Richard Conte is the American import lead, but the stock characters play second fiddle to the endless use of stock footage.
This less than thrilling saga of the racing world is slower than the bunny was in his race against the turtle. A few race sequences (seemingly stock footage) are interspersed with the drama of a driver (Richard Conte) whose wife (Mari Aldon) begs him to leave the profession after a rival is badly injured on the track.
Richard Conte is the old man of the racing world -- why, he was racing before the War. He's been in a slump for a couple of years, but when his best friend, George Coulouris, is killed during a race, he ignores the pleading of his wife, Mari Aldon.
You really have to be a fan of motor racing to enjoy this film.Quite apart from a clichéd plot and basic acting you have to sit through 2 utterly boring and similar motor races.
Taking advantage of arrangements favoured by the UK's Eady levy (a state film subsidy established after the war) in 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities.