Grand Prix (1966)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Robert Alan Aurthur (screen story)
Robert Alan Aurthur (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

21 December 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot:

American Grand Prix driver Pete Aron is fired by his Jordan-BRM racing team after a crash at Monaco that injures his British teammate...

Plot Keywords:

Race | Race Car | Monte Carlo Rally | Car Accident | Ford Mustang

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 4 nominations

Cast

James Garner	...	Pete Aron
Eva Marie Saint	...	Louise Frederickson
Yves Montand	...	Jean-Pierre Sarti
Toshirô Mifune	...	Izo Yamura
Brian Bedford	...	Scott Stoddard
Jessica Walter	...	Pat
Antonio Sabato	...	Nino Barlini
Françoise Hardy	...	Lisa
Adolfo Celi	...	Agostini Manetta
Claude Dauphin	...	Hugo Simon
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Guido
Geneviève Page	...	Monique Delvaux-Sarti
Jack Watson	...	Jeff Jordan
Donald O'Brien	...	Wallace Bennett (as Donal O'Brien)
Jean Michaud	...	Children's Father
Albert Rémy	...	Surgeon
Rachel Kempson	...	Mrs. Stoddard
Ralph Michael	...	Mr. Stoddard
Alan Fordney	...	Sportscaster
Anthony Marsh	...	Sportscaster
Tommy Franklin	...	Sportscaster
Phil Hill	...	Tim Randolph
Graham Hill	...	Bob Turner
Bernard Cahier	...	Journalist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Masaaki Asukai	...	Japanese interpreter (uncredited)
Lorenzo Bandini	...	Grand Prix driver (uncredited)
Raymond Baxter	...	BBC interviewer (uncredited)
Salvatore Billa	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Bob Bondurant	...	Grand Prix driver (uncredited)
Jack Brabham	...	Grand Prix driver (uncredited)
John Bryson	...	David, photographer (uncredited)
Jim Clark	...	Himself (uncredited)
Eugenio Dragoni	...	Ferrari official (uncredited)
Evans Evans	...	Mrs. Randolph (uncredited)
Tiziano Feroldi	...	Doctor at Monza (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Izo Yamura (voice) (uncredited)
Alain Gerard	...	American boy (uncredited)
Richie Ginther	...	John Hogarth (uncredited)
Noël Godin	...	Spectator (Spa) (uncredited)
Arthur Howard	...	Claude (uncredited)
Gilberto Mazzi	...	Rafael (uncredited)
Bruce McLaren	...	Douglas McClendon (uncredited)

Directed by
John Frankenheimer

Writing credits
Robert Alan Aurthur		(screen story)
Robert Alan Aurthur		(screenplay)
John Frankenheimer		uncredited
William Hanley		additional dialogue (uncredited)

Produced by
Kirk Douglas	....	executive producer
John Frankenheimer	....	executive producer
James Garner	....	executive producer
Edward Lewis	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Lionel Lindon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Henry Berman
Stu Linder		(as Stewart Linder)
Frank Santillo

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Richard Sylbert

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
Sydney Guilaroff	....	makeup artist
Giuliano Laurenti	....	makeup artist
Alfio Meniconi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Peter Crowhurst	....	production manager: England
Sam Gorodisky	....	production manager: Italy
Sacha Kamenka	....	production manager: Monaco and France
William Kaplan	....	unit production manager
Wim Lindner	....	production manager: Netherlands (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Enrico Isacco	....	assistant director
Stephan Iscovescu	....	assistant director
Sam Itzkovitch	....	assistant director
Roger Simons	....	assistant director

Art Department
Frank Agnone	....	property master
Saul Bass	....	poster designer (uncredited)
Tom Jung	....	poster designer (uncredited)
Mickey Lennon	....	stand-by prop (uncredited)
Mickey O'Toole	....	stand-by props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Charman	....	sound recordist
Gordon Daniel	....	sound editor
Franklin Milton	....	sound recordist
Harry W. Tetrick	....	sound (as Harry Warren Tetrick)
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Robert Bonnig	....	special effects
Jeff Clifford	....	special effects
Jimmy Harris	....	special effects
Garth Inns	....	special effects
Milt Rice	....	special effects
Jimmy Ward	....	special effects
Jack Woodbridge	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Saul Bass	....	visual consultant
James S. Pollak	....	title designer (uncredited)

Stunts
Max Balchowsky	....	stunt driver
Tom Bamford	....	stunt driver
Carey Loftin	....	stunt driver
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Georges Fontenelle	....	camera operator: second unit
Yann Le Masson	....	camera operator: second unit
George Lucas	....	additional camera operator
John M. Stephens	....	camera operator: second unit
Olivier Benoist	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
George Cole	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	costume selector
Sydney Guilaroff	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Saul Bass	....	montage
Fredric Steinkamp	....	supervising editor
Chris Kelly	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor
Mike Deasy	....	musician (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Chris Amon	....	racing driver
Lorenzo Bandini	....	racing driver
Jean-Pierre Beltoise	....	racing driver
Bob Bondurant	....	racing driver
Joakim Bonnier	....	racing driver
Jack Brabham	....	racing driver
Ken Costello	....	racing driver
Juan Manuel Fangio	....	racing driver
Nino Farina	....	racing driver
Paul Frère	....	racing driver
Richie Ginther	....	racing driver
Dan Gurney	....	racing driver
Graham Hill	....	racing driver
Phil Hill	....	racing driver
Dennis Hulme	....	racing driver
Tony Lanfranchi	....	racing driver
Guy Ligier	....	racing driver
Bruce McLaren	....	racing driver
Michael Parkes	....	racing driver
Andre Pilette	....	racing driver
Teddy Pilette	....	racing driver
Peter Revson	....	racing driver
Jochen Rindt	....	racing driver
Jim Russell	....	racing driver
Ludovico Scarfiotti	....	racing driver
Jo Schlesser	....	racing driver
Skip Scott	....	racing driver
Jo Siffert	....	racing driver (as Joe Siffert)
Mike Spence	....	racing driver

Other crew
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Joakim Bonnier	....	racing advisor
Richie Ginther	....	racing advisor
Phil Hill	....	racing advisor
Lucie Lichtig	....	continuity
Carroll Shelby	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Cherokee Productions
• Douglas & Lewis Productions
• Joel Productions
• John Frankenheimer Productions Inc.
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere) (pan/scan)
• MGM Home Entertainment (198?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Vídeo Arte (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (HD DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (two-disc special edition)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Frick Enterprises  racing camera mounts
• Lee Lighting  lighting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

176 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian | Portuguese | Japanese

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Brands Hatch racing track, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Cherokee Productions

Trivia:

During filming, Yves Montand spun out and subsequently was terrified to go fast again. The crew modified a racecar that was then towed behind a Ford GT40. This setup would reach speeds of 130 mph. Montand was more comfortable with this setup than with having to drive the car himself.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Jean Pierre crashes he is helped out of his car. He pulls his goggles part way down as they are now just under his lip and covering his chin. The view then cuts to a close-up of Jean Pierre's face and the goggles are not over his face any more.

Quotes:

Jean-Pierre Sarti:I suppose what's wrong with me is my life. But I can't change it, or won't. So there's nothing you can do for me.
Louise Frederickson:What's wrong with your life?
Jean-Pierre Sarti:I've begun to see the absurdity of it. All of us, proving what? That we can go faster, and perhaps remain alive? Nino gambling his life for a trophy, then fills it with beer, and does tricks. Stoddard filling himself with drugs in order to drive, and still passing out with the pain. Don't you see how absurd it all is? Who cares?
Louise Frederickson:I thought you cared, for yourselves. I didn't know you asked of anyone else. Nevertheless, others do care. 100,000 of them cared today.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited into Pushing the Limit: The Making of 'Grand Prix' (2006) (V)

A Technically Superb Film

I won't bore you with the plotline; you can get all that elsewhere. The main reason one should see this film is for the camera effects. And remember too -- these were all done the hard way; there was no computer imaging back in 1966!

If you get the chance to see this in a theater, DO NOT BE LATE!! The opening -- with the driver plugging his ears with cotton before putting on his helmet -- is aptly appropriate. The split-screen and multiple-image effects are first seen in the opening and crop up throughout the movie -- and always to good advantage, not just a "gee whiz, look what we can do" use of technique and technology. ESPN and the other networks, in their NASCAR telecasts, have just now started to adopt techniques first used by Frankenheimer 30-plus years ago.

One of the best scenes in the film is in the early minutes. You are actually *in* the cockpit of a F-1 car as it spins out of control, slides off the track, and launches itself into the harbor. I might add that this was *NOT* done with models, but used real, full-sized cars and took long hours to produce -- and these were truly "state-of-the-art" effects in 1966 (I won't give away the secrets here but will say that if you can locate a copy of the appropriate issue of "Popular Mechanics" [March 1966?] you will enjoy the article about the film and the techniques). The end result was about 15 seconds of some of the best racing footage committed to film. Needless to say, this is a very quick-running sequence!

I saw this picture in Cinerama in 1966, and I too echo the sentiment for a re-release of this picture to the large screen. More is the pity that Cinerama is no more. There are few pictures where Cinerama could be used to its fullest advantage; the in-car and on-track sequences of this film, however, were some of those.