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"Le Mans" (Steve McQueen) is now on DVD - "Grand Prix" needs to be next!!!
These are arguably the two finest racing movies of all time. My personal favorite is "Grand Prix".
A review of "Grand Prix":
One film that stands out far above all the others is the one widely considered the greatest racing film of all time: Grand Prix. This 1966 movie directed by the late John Frankenheimer, starring James Garner, is a spectacular glance back at the cars and drivers of the era. The mid to late sixties era in Formula One is well depicted in the Papyrus simulation Grand Prix Legends and is considered by many to be one of the best of F1 eras.
The cars were simple compared to today's technically and aerodynamically perfect machines, but there is little doubt that those sixties F1 cars were magnificent beasts. Just the names of the cars and drivers evoke memories of legends - Ferrari, BRM, Cooper, Honda, Eagle and Lotus; Hill, Clark, Brabham, Hulme, Gurney and McLaren.
I hadn't thought about this great film for quite a while until the Friday before the 2002 United States Grand Prix. Derek Daly was interviewing an actor and part time race driver named Antonio Sabato during Friday practice, and he mentioned that Sabato was the son of the man who had portrayed Ferrari driver Nino Barlini in the movie. Daly's mention of the film had me eager to see it again, so we went looking to rent a copy.
I had forgotten how great a motion picture 'Grand Prix' really is, especially if you're an F1 fan or a Grand Prix Legends aficionado. The story is uncomplicated, and the acting is only fair--but none of that matters. >From the opening shot of the roar of an F1 car starting up, to the incredible race footage and the dramatic finish, this is great entertainment. Most of the race sequences were staged for the film, but that doesn't make them less than impressive. Besides Garner, those cars were not piloted by stuntmen - they were driven by the world-class drivers who pushed them to the limit at every Formula One event of the time.
The first few times I had seen this film, I knew the names of the drivers, but I didn't know what they looked like. Now that I know who they are, I was looking for them and I was not disappointed. I was surprised to note that the great Graham Hill appears in several scenes, with a small speaking part. If you look closely, you can also see Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Jo Bonnier and Bruce McLaren. Most of the active F1 drivers of the time drove cars in the film, including Peter Revson, Bob Bondurant, Jo Siffert, Guy Ligier, Chris Amon, John Surtees and Mike Parkes.
It's a treat to spot those well-known drivers, but the real pleasures of this film are the cars, the circuits and the race sequences. It begins with the always spectacular start of the Grand Prix of Monaco, the wild scramble through the streets of Monte Carlo, and continues with the classic circuits of the time. We are treated to incredible footage of a rain-soaked Spa, the French GP at Clermont-Ferrand, England's Brands Hatch, the Dutch gem Zandvoort, and Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix.
The in-car shots are simply breathtaking, as we hear the scream of the Ferrari V12, the rumble of the Honda and the throaty roar of the BRM. The side and rear mounted camera shots were far ahead of their time in the sixties, making one realize the brilliance and vision of Frankenheimer. Watching the Belgian countryside flash by, with spectators standing on the side of the road, next to houses literally feet from the edge of the track reminds us how far safety has come in the years since the film was made.
Garner had taken driving lessons and was well prepared for the role alongside the great drivers of the day, with their sparse safety equipment of open-faced helmets and goggles. Reminiscent of his contemporary, Le Mans star Steve McQueen, Garner did his own driving. He made a good show of it, including crossing the finish line at Brands Hatch in a Honda with the engine in flames. Handling his own stunt, Garner set off the blaze, which unexpectedly erupted in a fireball just as the actor pulled the car off the track. He yanked himself from the burning machine, bruising his legs as he pulled his lanky frame from the cockpit with flames brushing his face and driving suit.
The only flaw in the film is that they failed to show the races at Watkin's Glen and the legendary German monster the Nurburgring. (Filmed on location throughout Europe, it probably would have killed the budget had Frankenheimer moved the entire company to New York State for the US Grand Prix. As for the 13 plus mile Nurburgring, I guess they couldn't visit every great track and it wasn't necessarily a favorite of the real drivers anyway.)
The movie ends at Monza, with the cars rocketing along at over 180 mph along the unbelievably high banking of the old oval. The high speed footage is extraordinary on the treacherous track that's still there but has not been used in many years. (Unless, of course, you drive Grand Prix Legends, where you can drive Monza in its full glory.)
If you haven't seen Grand Prix for a few years, go visit your video store. Rent or buy it and hold on to your seat for some of the best action driving scenes ever filmed. Don't forget to turn up the volume - you won't be disappointed.
"Le Mans" review:
Of all the classic race movies out there this is probably the most minimalistic and puristic one. Don't watch this movie for the rudimentary love story (if one can call it that way). Don't watch it for dialogue - Steve McQueen does not speak more than a 100 words in this film I would guess. Watch this movie for the breath-taking drama that develops in the pictures, since in racing a picture says definitely more than a 1000 words. The camera work is outstanding, and the story is built in a very detail-minded, documentary-type style that matches the coolness of McQueens persona. We see his charcter develop almost entirely in his actions, in the powerful flashback to an accident a year ago that he reflects upon as he returns to the same scene on the same track. As he drives to the track, stops his Porsche at the scene of the accident and stares back into the past, we begin to understand what kind of a racer he is .We see the quiet, yet passionate rivalry between him and his major competitor for the title in the Le Mans 24 hour race and we see his equally quiet interaction with the widow of the fellow driver who perished in that fateful accident. While personal interactions are very subdued, the true passion erupts on the race-track and this movie is superb in this regard. We see a generous and well-filmed display of the greatest prototypes and road-racers out there at the time. If you are a race-fan, you must see this movie, if you are not, you probably won't get it.
These are arguably the two finest racing movies of all time. My personal favorite is "Grand Prix".
A review of "Grand Prix":
One film that stands out far above all the others is the one widely considered the greatest racing film of all time: Grand Prix. This 1966 movie directed by the late John Frankenheimer, starring James Garner, is a spectacular glance back at the cars and drivers of the era. The mid to late sixties era in Formula One is well depicted in the Papyrus simulation Grand Prix Legends and is considered by many to be one of the best of F1 eras.
The cars were simple compared to today's technically and aerodynamically perfect machines, but there is little doubt that those sixties F1 cars were magnificent beasts. Just the names of the cars and drivers evoke memories of legends - Ferrari, BRM, Cooper, Honda, Eagle and Lotus; Hill, Clark, Brabham, Hulme, Gurney and McLaren.
I hadn't thought about this great film for quite a while until the Friday before the 2002 United States Grand Prix. Derek Daly was interviewing an actor and part time race driver named Antonio Sabato during Friday practice, and he mentioned that Sabato was the son of the man who had portrayed Ferrari driver Nino Barlini in the movie. Daly's mention of the film had me eager to see it again, so we went looking to rent a copy.
I had forgotten how great a motion picture 'Grand Prix' really is, especially if you're an F1 fan or a Grand Prix Legends aficionado. The story is uncomplicated, and the acting is only fair--but none of that matters. >From the opening shot of the roar of an F1 car starting up, to the incredible race footage and the dramatic finish, this is great entertainment. Most of the race sequences were staged for the film, but that doesn't make them less than impressive. Besides Garner, those cars were not piloted by stuntmen - they were driven by the world-class drivers who pushed them to the limit at every Formula One event of the time.
The first few times I had seen this film, I knew the names of the drivers, but I didn't know what they looked like. Now that I know who they are, I was looking for them and I was not disappointed. I was surprised to note that the great Graham Hill appears in several scenes, with a small speaking part. If you look closely, you can also see Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Jo Bonnier and Bruce McLaren. Most of the active F1 drivers of the time drove cars in the film, including Peter Revson, Bob Bondurant, Jo Siffert, Guy Ligier, Chris Amon, John Surtees and Mike Parkes.
It's a treat to spot those well-known drivers, but the real pleasures of this film are the cars, the circuits and the race sequences. It begins with the always spectacular start of the Grand Prix of Monaco, the wild scramble through the streets of Monte Carlo, and continues with the classic circuits of the time. We are treated to incredible footage of a rain-soaked Spa, the French GP at Clermont-Ferrand, England's Brands Hatch, the Dutch gem Zandvoort, and Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix.
The in-car shots are simply breathtaking, as we hear the scream of the Ferrari V12, the rumble of the Honda and the throaty roar of the BRM. The side and rear mounted camera shots were far ahead of their time in the sixties, making one realize the brilliance and vision of Frankenheimer. Watching the Belgian countryside flash by, with spectators standing on the side of the road, next to houses literally feet from the edge of the track reminds us how far safety has come in the years since the film was made.
Garner had taken driving lessons and was well prepared for the role alongside the great drivers of the day, with their sparse safety equipment of open-faced helmets and goggles. Reminiscent of his contemporary, Le Mans star Steve McQueen, Garner did his own driving. He made a good show of it, including crossing the finish line at Brands Hatch in a Honda with the engine in flames. Handling his own stunt, Garner set off the blaze, which unexpectedly erupted in a fireball just as the actor pulled the car off the track. He yanked himself from the burning machine, bruising his legs as he pulled his lanky frame from the cockpit with flames brushing his face and driving suit.
The only flaw in the film is that they failed to show the races at Watkin's Glen and the legendary German monster the Nurburgring. (Filmed on location throughout Europe, it probably would have killed the budget had Frankenheimer moved the entire company to New York State for the US Grand Prix. As for the 13 plus mile Nurburgring, I guess they couldn't visit every great track and it wasn't necessarily a favorite of the real drivers anyway.)
The movie ends at Monza, with the cars rocketing along at over 180 mph along the unbelievably high banking of the old oval. The high speed footage is extraordinary on the treacherous track that's still there but has not been used in many years. (Unless, of course, you drive Grand Prix Legends, where you can drive Monza in its full glory.)
If you haven't seen Grand Prix for a few years, go visit your video store. Rent or buy it and hold on to your seat for some of the best action driving scenes ever filmed. Don't forget to turn up the volume - you won't be disappointed.
"Le Mans" review:
Of all the classic race movies out there this is probably the most minimalistic and puristic one. Don't watch this movie for the rudimentary love story (if one can call it that way). Don't watch it for dialogue - Steve McQueen does not speak more than a 100 words in this film I would guess. Watch this movie for the breath-taking drama that develops in the pictures, since in racing a picture says definitely more than a 1000 words. The camera work is outstanding, and the story is built in a very detail-minded, documentary-type style that matches the coolness of McQueens persona. We see his charcter develop almost entirely in his actions, in the powerful flashback to an accident a year ago that he reflects upon as he returns to the same scene on the same track. As he drives to the track, stops his Porsche at the scene of the accident and stares back into the past, we begin to understand what kind of a racer he is .We see the quiet, yet passionate rivalry between him and his major competitor for the title in the Le Mans 24 hour race and we see his equally quiet interaction with the widow of the fellow driver who perished in that fateful accident. While personal interactions are very subdued, the true passion erupts on the race-track and this movie is superb in this regard. We see a generous and well-filmed display of the greatest prototypes and road-racers out there at the time. If you are a race-fan, you must see this movie, if you are not, you probably won't get it.
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