Grand Prix Movie: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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May 23, 2011 2:17 a.m. DWNSHFT Reader

So about a year ago I added "Grand Prix" to my queue on NetFlix. It finally arrived. OK, it was made in the mid-60s so my expectations are only moderate. Wife is turned off by the overture and goes to do something else. As soon as I see the footage from Monaco I know this is well worth it. OK, yeah, sure, the three romance stories detract. But who cares. Seeing the cars and the real drivers is priceless. It's fantastic just to watch the backgrounds, like the little hotel rooms the drivers stay in. The best part for me was seeing some of the greatest tracks as they were back then. I sort of remembered the tracks from playing Gran Prix: Legends and seeing them in color just blew me away. The sharp curbs, the tracks going through villages, a foot off a house or stone wall. Wow, just plain wow. For race fans this movie is the archeological find of all time. I don't care if the actors' cars were F3 cars mocked up to look like F1 cars; they were mocked up to look very like them. And the engine sounds were all for the real F1 cars. Fantastico!

David
May 23, 2011 5:38 a.m. JoeyM SuperDork

I prefer it to LeMans. [Yes, I know, blaspheme.....I counter by saying, "Toshiro Mifune."]
May 23, 2011 5:59 a.m. LainfordExpress Reader

I just watched this last week (from netflix, too), but I prefer Le Mans. I'd buy a re-edit of Grand Prix that was just the racing scenes.
May 23, 2011 6:48 a.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

JoeyM wrote:

I prefer it to LeMans. [Yes, I know, blaspheme.....I counter by saying, "Toshiro Mifune."]

That isn't blasphemous at all. Grand Prix is a much better FILM. LeMans is just race coverage without any announcers, and with some terrible "stories" thrown in the middle.

Also...Toshiro Mifune!
May 23, 2011 6:53 a.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

The making of Gran Prix is actually better than the movie. They did a whole day of it on Spike/TBS/etc whatever last year with interviews of James Garner, the director, and a bunch of footage from the filming. I should find out if all that stuff is on some special edition DVD...
May 23, 2011 8:09 a.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

The making of Gran Prix is actually better than the movie. They did a whole day of it on Spike/TBS/etc whatever last year with interviews of James Garner, the director, and a bunch of footage from the filming. I should find out if all that stuff is on some special edition DVD...

Click the link!
May 23, 2011 10:03 a.m. TR8owner Reader

In reply to DWNSHFT:

I was there for the filming at Brands Hatch. At the British Grand Prix on the last corner heading on to the pit strait, I'm one of the spectators. I was 14 yrs old and its the only time I've appeared in a Hollywood film,

That movie is a true classic. I believe this was the first year of the 3.0 litre cars. They were only 1.5 litre before this.
May 23, 2011 10:19 a.m. Lesley SuperDork

Wonderful film with a good story. The subplots weren't a distraction for me at all, on the contrary, they only served to enrich it. I love Le Mans too, despite there being an absence of plot. Most of it was cobbled together to try and create some sort of plausible story, since McQueen kept tossing the script throughout the shooting. A continuity guy would have apoplexy at some of the pitting scenes – cars that are filthy from hours of racing in the rain pull in spanking clean at their next stop.
May 23, 2011 5:35 p.m. plance1 Dork

don't forget garner coming around the bend in the mustang, if only he could have gotten his female costar to pipe down so we could hear more of those sweet engine noises. Go Rockford!
May 23, 2011 7:21 p.m. rustyvw HalfDork

I loved it, but the actress who played the American journalist kills it for me. Other than that it's one of my favorite movies.
May 23, 2011 8:21 p.m. shadetree30 Reader

rustyvw wrote:

I loved it, but the actress who played the American journalist kills it for me. Other than that it's one of my favorite movies.

That would be Eva Marie Saint. The wife of the guy who got hurt (Scott Stoddard) was Jessica Walter who was in full babehood at the time but her part was almost as annoying.

Did you notice the drivers' character's names were close-but-no-cigar to real-life drivers? Mostly because of the name placards on the cars from real race footage, I guess...

" Jean-Pierre Sarti"- John Surtees

" Nino Barlini"- Lorenzo Bandini

" Peter Aron"- Chris Amon

"Scott Stoddart"- Jackie Stewart

We still occasionally use the phrase "You're supposed to drive the car, not stand it on its bloody ear!" at hillclimbs. Also one of the favorite movies at the Saturday night party.

Wow, I was in 10th grade when that movie came out...