Absolutely Fantastic

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The early 1960s saw the beginning of a rivalry between two competing films set amongst the world of Formula One. Lee H. Katzin's Day of the Champion, starring Steve McQueen, was to focus on a particularly gruelling 24-hour race, France's Le Mans, while John Frankenheimer would shoot Grand Prix, a luxurious ensemble piece boasting a handful of the industry's biggest names, on 70mm Cinerama, in what would be one of the final films to showcase the technique before it became defunct. It was a race to hit the cinema screens first, with both movies experiencing issues during production. Day of the Champion would later be re-titled Le Mans, and wouldn't see a release until 1971, a whopping five years late. Grand Prix emerged as the winner, winning multiple Academy Awards in the technical department and boasting racing scenes that haven't been matched since.While Le Mans' focus was solely on the racing, Grand Prix has larger ambitions. On top of a number of extended racing scenes, the story also gets bogged down by various melodramatic sub-plots involving a few of the drivers and their romantic engagements. Our main heroes are Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), a French multiple champion reaching the end of a decorated career; Pete Aron (James Garner), an American looking to salvage his career after he signs up with Yamura Motors; Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabato), an arrogant but promising rookie who plays second fiddle to Sarti; and Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford), a British driver looking to get back behind the wheel following a horrific crash. Away from the track, their personal lives resemble a soap opera. Aron grows close to Pat (Jessica Walter), Stoddard's estranged wife, while the married Sarti embarks on an affair with American journalist Louise Frederickson (Eva Marie Saint).This is the sort of lavish, star-studded production that was so common in the 1960s, offering a new familiar face in what feels like every scene. There's also an international flavour to the impressive cast, with the likes of Adolfo Celi, Toshiro Mifune and Claude Dauphin popping up, to name but a few. The hysterical dramatics drag the running time to just shy of three hours - complete with intermission - and Grand Prix ultimately succeeds on the strength of its racing scenes alone. Strapping a camera on top, on the side, and seemingly everywhere but underneath the vehicle, Frankenheimer thrusts you straight to the head of the action. Also employing split-screens, this is one of the most dazzlingly stylish films of its day. Despite not being a Formula One fan in the slightest, I found the time spend on the track exhilarating. The growls of the engines combined with the angles of the camera place you front and centre, almost as if you were right there behind the wheel. As a pure thrill ride, it's one of the very best, it's just a shame that we have to sit through 90 minutes of melodramatics in between.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Having just watched this movie for the first time in 20 years and being a fan of motor sport. I was pleasantly surprised how well this film still stands up today. Often regarded as the golden era of Formula one it was a time when the sport was incredibly dangerous with drivers losing there lives on a regular basis, this film encapsulates all the dangers the drivers put themselves through to succeed in this sport. The performances are all solid but it's the racing action that keeps you gripped the in car shots are ahead of there time, whilst the cars and all the great circuits from the time Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza with it's lethal banking make this film a must not just for F1 fans but of 60s cinema.

Epic soap opera combines the elements of tragedy, courage and competition to document the trials and tribulations of the elite motor racing fraternity. James Garner stars as the subdued track star, his rivalry with former team mate Brian Bedford not only confined to the cockpit with Jessica Walter's sultry influence pitting the pair against one another following an acrimonious split. Yves Montand and Antonio Sabato provide solid, watchable supporting performances as Garner & Bedford's nearest rivals, the ageing Montand beginning to question his place in the sport, whilst the brash, youthful Sabato seeks to shine in its luminosity.Diverse cast and some compelling race sequences just manage to go the distance (3 hrs) as our heroes make sacrifices for the obligations of their sport, becoming increasingly disdainful of its commercialisation at the expense of their safety in what has become a familiar rhetoric for these types of movies since.You won't need to be a fan of formula one to enjoy Grand Prix, though it's epic duration and moments of melodrama and romantic interludes sometimes stifle momentum. Though dated, Grand Prix is colourful, picturesque and tells a rather straightforward if bittersweet tale of professional racing that is long overdue for a decent remake.

"Grand Prix" is a visual and exhilarating ride! Filmed in 1966 and directed by the talented John Frankenheimer of "Manchurian Candidate" fame, "Grand Prix" is a must see film. I recently saw this wonderful movie and was completely awestruck at the cinematography and brilliant direction. The film incorporates actual formula 1 racing and has famous drivers such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Juan Manuel Fangio making cameo appearances. The film begins with Aerial shots of the "Circuit de Monaco" and cameras mounted on the hood and back of a GT Ford driven by Championship driver Phil Hill makes this an authentic film complete with heart stopping footage. The audience is immediately placed in the driver's seat as formula 1 kisses every curve through beautiful Monaco, France, and the famous Monza racetrack in Italy. The story follows four Formula 1 drivers: Pete Aron, played by James Garner trying to make a comeback, English driver Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedform) recovering from a car crash and strongly resembling famous race car driver Jim Clark, actor Yves Montand as the seasoned French driver Sarti who gets involved with American Journalist played by Eva Marie Saint and Italian newcomer race car driver Nino Barlini played by Antonio Sabato. Romantic leading ladies in the story line include actress Jessica Walter and French singer, Franoise Hardy. Shot in Super Panavision 70, "Grand Prix" was presented in theaters in 70mm Cinerama (curved movie screens). "Grand Prix" won three Academy Awards for Best Sound, Best Sound Effects, and Best Film Editing. Frankenheimer a real car racing enthusiast was nominated for Outstanding Director by the Director's Guild of America. Doing much of his own driving was James Garner, who after making the film took up racing. His skills impressed formula 1 drivers Graham Hill and Jack Brabham to such a degree, they told him he could have been a successful Grand Prix driver had he not gone into acting.