Naught Moses Phil Hill earned every second of the onscreen time he was given here. Because in some respects, "Pete Aaron" =is= Phil Hill, America's first Formula One world champion. The final race in the film at Monza (in '64 for the filming; in '61 in real life) =is= what happened with point leader Hill and runner-up Wolfgang von Trips when Hill won the title. And though Hill never caused any other driver to be seriously injured so far as I know, the years that followed his triumph were troubled when the Ferrari team blew apart, and the ATSs and Coopers her drove thereafter were third-rate. The drama is no better here than it was in "The Racers" with Kirk Douglas in '53, but we do get to see five-time champ Juan Fangio, then current champ Graham Hill, Richie Ginther and others get some well-deserved cameos. That's Graham Hill battling with John Surtees in the terrific opening race scenes at Monte Carlo, btw.

Spikeopath In truth the plot of Grand Prix is pretty wafer thin, with not enough story to fully justify the gargantuan run time, yet it's both thrilling and fascinating all the same. Plot essentially centers around the 1966 Formula 1 motor racing championship, with James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, Eva Marie Saint and Toshiro Mifune heading up the large ensemble cast list. It deals with the trials and tribulations of the drivers, both on and off the track.The human drama is a bit soapy, of which there is much, yet these narrative characterisations help to make us care and understand the protagonists at the core of the story. And of course when the drivers are out there on the track, we know their psychological make-ups, their driving mirroring their motives and emotional fortitude.The racing segments are superbly filmed by Frankenheimer, with multi-angles used to maximise the experience, while he also uses split screen sections to fully immerse us with the key characters. Two crash sequences are genuinely heart stopping, filmed with a clarity that makes us realise that people actually do die in this sport. While the sound work and editing is quite simply stunning.See it on the biggest screen you can, and for home formats get the best possible disc available. 8/10

MoneyMagnet This movie could have been absolutely spectacular if only any energy at all had been put into the human side of the story. Any screenplay that turns James Garner into a sexless bore with hardly any screen time, has got something seriously wrong with it (really - he has an affair with another driver's wife and we don't even see so much as a kiss?) It certainly isn't the fault of the cast, who are all likable actors with very little to do or say off the track. I gradually came to care somewhat about the drivers' stories, but the screenplay worked mightily for 3 hours to make me NOT care. Still, anyone who follows car racing at all can't fail to feel the clichéd-yet-still-true drama of the final race at Monza. "Sarti morta..." Criticisms out of the way, the racing sequences really are all that and a bag of chips, as advertised. I actually own this movie on Blu Ray and despite the fact I don't think it is a great movie, will likely watch it again just for the racing. I only wish that there had been more story focused on the team owners and team politics and drivers being concerned about the track conditions, as I am a racing fan (Indycar) and those stories interest me more.

Sonya Troncoso "Grand Prix" is a visual and exhilarating ride! Filmed in 1966 and directed by the talented John Frankenheimer of "Manchurian Candidate" fame, "Grand Prix" is a must see film. I recently saw this wonderful movie and was completely awestruck at the cinematography and brilliant direction. The film incorporates actual formula 1 racing and has famous drivers such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Juan Manuel Fangio making cameo appearances. The film begins with Aerial shots of the "Circuit de Monaco" and cameras mounted on the hood and back of a GT Ford driven by Championship driver Phil Hill makes this an authentic film complete with heart stopping footage. The audience is immediately placed in the driver's seat as formula 1 kisses every curve through beautiful Monaco, France, and the famous Monza racetrack in Italy. The story follows four Formula 1 drivers: Pete Aron, played by James Garner trying to make a comeback, English driver Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedform) recovering from a car crash and strongly resembling famous race car driver Jim Clark, actor Yves Montand as the seasoned French driver Sarti who gets involved with American Journalist played by Eva Marie Saint and Italian newcomer race car driver Nino Barlini played by Antonio Sabato. Romantic leading ladies in the story line include actress Jessica Walter and French singer, Franoise Hardy. Shot in Super Panavision 70, "Grand Prix" was presented in theaters in 70mm Cinerama (curved movie screens). "Grand Prix" won three Academy Awards for Best Sound, Best Sound Effects, and Best Film Editing. Frankenheimer a real car racing enthusiast was nominated for Outstanding Director by the Director's Guild of America. Doing much of his own driving was James Garner, who after making the film took up racing. His skills impressed formula 1 drivers Graham Hill and Jack Brabham to such a degree, they told him he could have been a successful Grand Prix driver had he not gone into acting.