Grand Prix is a fun film. It’s not fun because of the predictable storyline and the hokey 60s romances, rather it’s a fun film because of the way it was shot. Made in 1966, John Frankenheimer put together some of the most magnificent camera techniques that were far ahead of its time. Following the story of several formula one racers, the film showcases cameras attached to vehicles, high-speed races and some of the most spectacular crashes. On top of this, Frankenheimer also put together ‘cinerama’ techniques, which included multi-paneled footage on one screen and split-screen techniques. I think that was the gimmick of the film and it worked out quite well. You’ll get some gorgeous footage of 100+ mph racing around corners, up on high roads and just intense, beautiful action. The techniques of the film helped to revolutionize an industry that needed it. Hell, even NASCAR and formula 1 races use some of the same techniques now that were developed in Grand Prix (that’s how important it was).
On the story side of the film, you get an all around solid performance from the main body of actors. Leading the way with a strong American presence is James Garner as Pete Aron. A role that was put together for Steve McQueen, Garner owns this cocky, no-nonsense role pretty solidly. He emits a perfect amount of passion for the sport through his character, which develops it quite nicely. He’s intense during the racing scenes (which he did most of) and strong when he’s not racing. Garner is a perfect Aron. As for the others, you get some really nice acting from Yves Montand, as the Italian driving stallion Jean-Pierre Sarti. His older, wiser Sarti helps to balance out all the testosterone emitted by Garner’s Aron and Antonio Sabato’s youthful driver Nino Barlini. The weakest performance of the bunch is awarded to Brian Bedford, who seemed to whine more with his British character Scott Stoddard. Bedford’s part was woefully underperformed and not written well. He played a good protagonist to Pete Aron, but still wasn’t very strong overall. As for the ladies, Jessica Walter (Arrested Development, anyone?) played a fantastic, sassy bitch that goes back and forth between Pete and Scott. Opposite of her is Eva Marie Saint’s Louise Frederickson, who helps to give some dimension to Yves Montand’s Jean-Pierre Sarti through a budding romance.
Now, how did this film translate to Blu-ray? For the most part the video upgrade to HD was pretty solid. There were some scenes that showed some graininess, mostly when the days were cloudy in locations like Monaco. When you get out into the tracks that have more wooded areas around them the visuals clean up quite nicely. For example, there is a track (which I can’t remember the name) that is set out in the country side. The shots of the rolling green hills is amazing to look at on Blu-ray. What’s even cooler is when the rain starts pouring down during the shoot and you get some helicopter views of the race. It shows some detailed moments where the rain is kicking off the tires of the cars going 100+ mph. It’s stunning to watch in HD and a visual treat. The real great part about this release is the upgrade in audio to 5.1 DTS-HD (from mono). Your audio system will earn its money with Grand Prix.
As for features, you get some solid material. The biggest feature is the breakdown of the production and vintage footage of James Garner cussing out a shopkeeper in Monaco. Garner had every right to do so, as this man was holding up the production and Garner was wet from being in ocean water during the scene. Anyway, the featurette is great and it has some interviews with cast/crew. The other features are just equally as good, including a featurette on one of the tracks in the film called Brands Hatch. You get a tour of the track with explanation of how to handle each corner; it’s a very cool featurette. Here’s a list of all that you get on this Blu-ray:
– Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix
– Flat Out: Formula 1 in the Sixties
– The Style and Sound of Speed
– Brands Hatch: Behind the Checkered Flag
– Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions
– Theatrical Trailer