John Frankenheimer’s 1966 Formula 1 epic film “Grand Prix” kicks so much ass. This movie shredded the rulebook of filmmaking when it was created, and film became all the better for it. It’s three hours of incredible camerawork, impeccable acting, and powerful storytelling. As a piece of art it’s a bit messy, overlong, and plodding in some places, but every time the cars are on screen you are staring into the face of god. The cinematography created for this film changed the course of Hollywood history, and techniques it pioneered are still used today.
Have you enjoyed any car chase scene in movies in the last fifty years? It was influenced by work that Frankenheimer did on “Grand Prix.” You can bet on that.
This is not just my favorite car film, but it’s my second-favorite film of all time (“Jurassic Park” just can’t be topped). It’s visually compelling in ways that no film of its time, or since, has ever been. And that cast! James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Jessica Walter, Françoise Hardy, Toshiro Mifune, it’s just incredible.
Possibly my favorite channel on YouTube these days, Patrick (H) Willems, posted on Thursday afternoon a dissection of “Grand Prix” and what makes it so great. Patrick isn’t a car person, and has never owned a car, but something drew him to this passionate and irreplicable piece of cinema history.
It’s apropos to discuss “Grand Prix” now, as motorsport seems to have the eye of Hollywood with the recent run including “Rush,” “Ford vs. Ferrari,” and “Ferrari,” as well as the upcoming Brad Pitt F1 epic “F1.” Can “F1” be the modern day “Grand Prix?”
Anyway, this 42 minute video essay about one of the greatest films on planet earth (slight exaggeration, but I adore it), is well worth watching. Whether you’re a cinema buff or a car fan or both, you need to watch “Grand Prix.” If you haven’t seen it before, drop what you’re doing and go watch that. After you’ve seen it, follow up by watching Patrick’s video above. You won’t regret either.