Grand Prix (1966)

Grand Prix is one of those films that simply couldn't be made today. This fact is mentioned over and over in the extras on the excellent DVD-edition, and rightly so. Back in the 60s, F1 racing was still much more "innocent" (and more exciting) than the multi-billion-dollar media-circus it is today. Just imagine someone trying to get Bernie Ecclestone and the teams to allow a film-crew to use F1-tracks on a race-weekend or even to film in the pits/paddock-area of today's F1 - for free! Or imagine having a bunch of actors drive around in real race-cars on real tracks at break-neck speed in today's safety-obsessed world - impossible.

Well, Frankenheimer did all that back in the 60s and for that reason alone the movie is required watching for anyone who has even a slight interest in cars or motor sports. GP offers us a pretty realistic glimpse of an era gone-by - and it doesn't shy away from the gruesome reality and dangers of motor-racing in the 60s. This realism alone makes GP stand out. The filmmakers didn't simulate races, they actually had the actors racing cars on the original tracks and filmed it. The result is astonishing and really gives a feeling of what it must've been like to sit in one of those beautiful deathtraps at speeds of around 300 km/h. The excellent cinematography, editing and music add to this unique experience and they also give the picture that typical 60s-feel (the opening credits alone are worth the price of admission in my book).

On a side note: Being a racing-fan myself, I can't help but wonder why Frankenheimer didn't include the race at the Nürburgring. Back in those days, F1 still used the 20km+ Nordschleife-version of the track, possibly the most demanding and "scary" circuit ever.

Naturally: Between races the movie loses momentum. That's not so much caused by some weak dialog or the predictable plot - it's s just that those incredible scenes on the tracks simply steal the show. No wonder that I find myself fast-forwarding through a lot of the dialog.

In short: 10/10 for the action on the racetracks - 6/10 for the scenes off the track = 8/10

Fmovies: If you are a racing fan, then this movie is a must. The in-car camera shots are amazing, and put to shame the pictures we get today, from real races with modern technology. It serves as a great historical piece, with wonderful shots of the old Spa circuit and the oval banking at Monza. The effects are amazing. They somehow made it look like James Garner was actually driving the car, with another car buzzing behind him. The crash scenes are very spectacular. In terms of the story, it is OK, and improves greatly during the last race, where flashbacks are featured on each driver, and the suspense builds. It`s probably best seen on the biggest screen you can find.

Readers may not remember (or possibly even know) that when this movie was released in 1967, it played in theaters equipped with CINERAMA, and let me tell you, that was an eye popping experience! The movie played for eight solid months at the Mann Cinerama theater in Minneapolis and they packed them in every night for the entire run. I think I saw it about a half dozen times in this format (not to mention some 20 more times in other theaters, television and VCR/DVD). 1967 was also such a wonderful year in motor sport. Dan Gurney won at Spa in his Eagle, one week after winning LeMans with AJ Foyt, who had in turn won Indianapolis a week before that.

Going to a Cinerama theater in those days was a big event. You got dressed up. I still have the playbill type program for Grand Prix that you got with your ticket. I also have Maurice Jarres great sound track album as well as an interesting record associated with the movie featuring Formula One engine sounds from Monaco, Spa and Monza with narration by Phil Hill. Great stuff.

Grand Prix fmovies. If you've seen Days of Thunder and Driven you probably laughed at some of the unrealistic stunts and the silly storylines. Grand Prix is by far the best racing movie out there. The racing scenes are realistic and exciting. James Garner portrays a US Formula 1 driver with wonderful action scenes. If you liked drivers like Jimmy Clark, you'll love this movie.

The film Grand Prix was originally filmed in Cinerama and was designed for that medium. It has to be seen in Cinerama to get the full effect. When first shown people had to leave because they felt sick, you were really in the car and the sense of speed and movement was fantastic. When released in Cinemascope it lost much of that impact. Its a shame it will probably never be seen again in all its original glory.

I have raced at Brands many times on the old circuit, the one used in the film and knew Graham Hill and some of the other drivers used in the film Graham had an incredible sense of humour.

It is good to see the Monza banking being used. It is no longer part of the circuit as it was considered too dangerous at the speeds of modern cars especially since the suspensions would bottom out and throw the car out of control on the bumps and the banking was very bumpy.

Tony Pollock

Without a doubt, the greatest motor racing movie of all time! Steve McQueen's Le Mans doesn't come close. The storyline is OK but where this movie excels is in the groundbreaking cinematography. The shots of the old tracks particularly Spa and Monza are truly superb. Ever wanted to know what it's like to blast along the Masta straight down to Stavelot at Spa, you'll see it here. Want to know what driving on the steep Monza banking was like at 160+ mph, you'll see it here with in car footage. On top of that you've got circuits like Zandvoort in Holland which is not used for today's F1. These were the days when drivers partied the night before and after the race, when the sport was glamorous and exciting. The soundtrack is also brilliant. When oh when will we get the DVD version?