Grand Prix

[TU Homer]

Best racing movie, maybe ever. Just saw it last night and was very impressed. Will definately have to add it to my library.

James Garner is surprisingly good. Very telling, about the cars, circuits, and F1 circus of the mid-sixities.


-TU

[Warlock!]

http://beyondtherim.meisheid.com/wp-images/wayback.jpg

[racer2c]

I liked Garners performance. Seeing the old Nurburgring/Monaco/Spa is cool, but the movie is a bit long in tooth and not up to the artistic camera/direction that Le Mans is. Racing scenes are great. I like Garners Mustang too.

They used F3 cars in this film for the most part. Diffintly up there with La Mans though. It's not like there is a large catalog of racing movies to be picky about. :)

[racer2c]

Interesting trivia from IMDB.


The cars that were used in the film, supposedly Formula 1 cars, were in fact Formula 3 cars made up to look like Formula 1's.

John Frankenheimer refused to film cars moving slowly, then speed the film up. He felt the average moviegoer would be able to notice the difference.

James Garner did all his own driving. During breaks in filming there were several mini races in which Garner either tied or bettered the professional drivers hired for filming.

The Formula 3 car's smaller engines could not spin the wider Formula 1 tires realistically on starts, so the tires were wet with gasoline for those shots, which not only allowed them to spin realistically but also caused them to smoke realistically as they spun.

Filming required the use of all existing Panavision 65mm cameras.

Steve McQueen wanted the role of Pete Aron but could not play it for one reason or another and lost the role to James Garner. According to Garner in a interview with Premiere magazine, McQueen lived beside Garner and would throw garbage in his yard because of the bitterness of losing the role.

In a 1980 interview given by director John Frankenheimer, there were 32 professional racing drivers used in the filming including Lorenzo Bandini, who coached the actors with the driving. The following year, nine of the film's drivers (including Bandini) had been killed in racing accidents. By 1980, 21 of the 32 drivers used in the film were killed in racing accidents.

[oddlycalm]

It's not like there is a large catalog of racing movies to be picky about. :) Very true. Frankenheimer did do a great job of the racing footage, considering when it was shot, but the story itself was pretty hokey and the characters one dimensional. He totally wasted the talent of the great Toshiro Mifune IMO. I think I heard there was a new super duper umpty dumpth anniversary version DVD recently released but I'm too lazy to look it up.

oc

[Michaelhatesfans]

I think I heard there was a new super duper umpty dumpth anniversary version DVD recently released but I'm too lazy to look it up.

oc
Go get it - the extras alone are worth the $15 at Fred Meyer. There is a segment where Moss, Brabham, Gurney and others discuss what it was like in that era. Awesome stuff! :thumbup:

[datachicane]

Frankenheimer did do a great job of the racing footage, considering when it was shot, but the story itself was pretty hokey and the characters one dimensional. He totally wasted the talent of the great Toshiro Mifune IMO.

Yep. One of the most amazing talents of the 20th century, and he gets nothing. Imagine what Mifune's role could have been...

Still a good movie, although a ninety-minute sans-soap-opera edit would be better. Second only to Le Mans (unless you count Nine Days in Summer :eek: )

[ferrarigod]

I just bought the DVD at Best Buy about a half hour ago. Can't wait to see the special features, and how much better the racing clips will look!!!

[Rob]

The movie's at least a half hour too long, but the racing scenes are extremely well done. I bought the DVD a couple weeks ago. The special features are a really nice bonus.

[chop456]

Yep. One of the most amazing talents of the 20th century, and he gets nothing. Imagine what Mifune's role could have been...


I lost respect for him after he failed to chop off Richard Chamberlain's head.

[datachicane]

I lost respect for him after he failed to chop off Richard Chamberlain's head.

:rofl: :rofl: