| Grand Prix (Two-Disc Special Edition) |
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Product Details
Light on story, this 1966 spectacle directed by John Frankenheimer was shot in 70 millimeter, with a cinematically enthralling emphasis on unique, visceral new ways of capturing the sensations of a car race. James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, and Toshiro Mifune are part of the stellar, international cast whose characters plod through assorted relationship and business conflicts. But the film's real hook is the thrilling and inventive means by which Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) brings an urgency to the drama happening on the racetrack. A true master of the plastic techniques of obtaining and cutting kinetic footage, Frankenheimer offers more than a joyride to viewers: he makes action part of the compelling language of stories. Cameras are strapped to vehicles as they round the track, shots are taken from a helicopter, the screen is split between angles for maximum impact--even if Grand Prix doesn't rank among the director's best character-driven stories, it is certainly driven on its own terms. --Tom Keogh On the DVD
The much-anticipated release on DVD does not disappoint, with a pristine restored print and upgraded 5.1 Dolby sound. Of course, the Cinerama film can only be fully appreciated if you sit very close to your screen. The absence of a commentary track is forgivable, since director John Frankenheimer died in 2002. "Pushing the Limit" is your standard 30-minute retrospective with many new interviews with the stars and drivers. The universal opinion is that the film caught Formula One at the exact right time when the beauty of the sport was about to be changed in favor of safety and commercialism. There are some fascinating stories on how they were able to use real race footage so seamlessly. "Flat Out" continues the vibe of what racing was like in the '60s with more interviews from the real racers. "The Style and Sound of Speed" talks about designer Saul Bass and how he created the film's different approaches to each race and the cutting-edge use of montages and multiple screens. The vintage doc is kitschy but allows us to see the filming in action (the footage is used extensively in the new featurettes). --Doug Thomas
Product Reviews
 (5 stars) - the best F 1 film ever !
I had seen the movie when it was released, several times, and liked more than very much. But I was curious to see if it could resist the pass of time.
It did better than that. The plot is good, but the action scenes were superb. Even if we are now used to see "on-board" footage in every F1 race.
The cars are beautyfull, perhaps the beautyest of all times, the technical aspects well shown, the old "circus" at it's best. Pilots were the most important part of the man-machine team, and the cars were still cars and not fighter planes on wheels.
A must for all fine car lovers
(5 stars) - I lovrd this film...what a surprise!!!!!
This usually is not my kind of movie, but the acting, the story and the non-CGI effects really pulled me in. I bought this film because it was a cheap HD DVD closeout, but what a treat it was for me to find that it was a fantastic film. The restoration is perfect; as it looks like it was filmed today. The performances are spot on and believable. Basically, I was shocked that I could sit down though a 3 hour film from the '60's and not get bored for a second. A film I never heard of, but one that will stay in my collection for a long, long time.
Buy it cheap, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
(5 stars) - Best motorsport movie of all time!
This movie is easily the best motorsport movie I've ever seen and I'm blown away with the camera-work and filming techniques considering the movie was made in 1966. The special features were very enjoyable but most importantly the quality of the transfer from 70mm to HD-DVD is outstanding. Watching this movie in HD-DVD made an already spectacular movie 100x more enjoyable!
(5 stars) - So Good - The Incredible Racing Movie
This movie just begs to be on Blu-Ray - shot on 70mm panavision, this would be one incredible movie in high definition. The progression, sumptuous movie theater experience (in the 60's), crummy VHS, to Laserdisc, to DVD. I've seen them all. The DVD version to date, is the best ever. Sound-wise DVD is much better than the theater version, visually theater still wins.
The movie - pretty darn simple story about Grand Prix drivers during the 1966 F1 season. It's what you would expect, beautiful women chase handsome race car drivers. All set around the dangers of driving a race car in that era, death and injury. Four fabulous races are covered.
The best line of the movie - James Garner walks the absolutely stunning gorgeous Jessica Walter back to her hotel room. *Why do you all do that?* *What?* *Wear sunglasses on top of your head? You look ridiculous.*
The film is incredible from all possible angles. The director, John Frankenheimer did not invent split screen photography; but he made the best use of the technique in any film to that date. He worked very hard to make the racing feel real. Much of the footage is of real live F1 race from the 1966 season. He had all the actors learn how to drive race cars, so stunt doubles were not required. The only exception was Brian Bedford (he played Scott Stoddard) who could not learn how to drive. James Garner actually spent 2 months learning from Bob Bondurant. He also hired a big group of excellent F1 drivers of the era.
Pacing, it's a long film, nearly 3 hours. There is even an intermission, with music. The racing footage is spectacular. The romance story in between was just sort of OK.
The second disc is full of really great bonus features. The list is long and deep. Making of, interviews with Frankenheimer, race drivers, racing journalists, and a look at what F1 racing was like in that era. There's around 1.5 hours of material.
New to the movie - you have to remember in 1966, there was no ESPN, no in car cameras, and no high definition. Putting a camera on an F1 camera and seeing 150mph 6 inches above the ground, was revolutionary. None of us had ever seen anything like it. People also stood right next to the track with no barriers. There were no major sponsors on cars. And drivers got killed frequently - it was a very dangerous business.
Today, Father's Day 2009, I watched this movie. I'm reminded of the day my father took me to see this film - my first panavision film ever, and the reason I love racing so much. I was 9 years old, and was stunned by this film for weeks afterwards. Finding it on VHS a long time later, was just disappointing. The LaserDisc version was really nice. 4 Disc sides, really good sound, good picture. It was almost like the original theater version. Then this DVD came along, and I now own a really great surround system and large television. The original theater experience was very close.
It's just a darn great movie. This version is really nice. I can't wait for Blu-Ray.
(5 stars) - Movie Review
This movie is a must for racing fans and casual observers alike. The details, the sounds and the characters all make this movie an awesome experience to behold! Each race depicted in the film keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat... wanting more. For a never forget experience, be sure to view Grand Prix with your surround sound system turned up to the max!
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