"Grand Prix" is a pretty spectacular film to watch and I sure wish I could see it on the big screen--especially since it was apparently shown in the Cinerama format. Not surprisingly, it won several technical Oscars in 1967. It was simply amazing how much better the camera-work and sound was than in previous racing films. However, while spectacular, it's also a film with very little depth. After all, with most of the film spent showing various races, there wasn't a whole lot of time left for character development. Now this isn't to say it's a bad film--but it's one that lacks a lot in the way of characters. The actors are more one-dimensional than you'd normally find in a film. Sadly, there were only a few times you really got a good look into a character (such as how Sarti, Yves Montand, reacted after his car ran over two teens). Lovely to look at and exquisitely made but its value as a film limits itself.

It's amazing how short my review is for a nearly three hour film, but after the picture concluded, there just wasn't much to say or add.

According to a recent biography of Steve McQueen, Grand Prix was supposed to be a project that he and John Frankenheimer were originally to work on. But the two had creative differences and went their separate ways doing separate racing pictures. What McQueen eventually did was Le Mans. I think Frankenheimer wound up with the far better product.

Grand Prix is a Grand Hotel type film involving several people and their lives over the course of a few months on the European racing circuit. Many of the types fans of the sport will most likely recognize.

James Garner is the American driver who's had a run of bad luck. A car crash has forced him to try and be color commentator for television, a role he can't fit in. Japanese auto industrialist Toshiro Mifune is offering him a way back into the circuit.

Brian Bedford's sustained a serious crash and even before's he's healed he's driving through a lot of pain. His wife Jessica Walter thinks he's certifiable and she drifts into an affair with Garner whom she thinks is showing good sense in going for the life of sports television commentator.

Antonio Sabato, father of the famed Calvin Klein model of the last decade, is the Epicurean live for the moment driver who doesn't take anything seriously except for the time he's actually competing. Definitely not his women as Francoise Hardy finds out.

The veteran of the circuit, the Michael Jordan of the profession, is Yves Montand. The only real happiness he has is driving, not even an affair with journalist Eva Marie Saint is bringing him that. Montand is trapped in a loveless marriage to Genevieve Page who's the daughter of another automobile industrialist. His name means more prestige for daddy's firm, so she'll tolerate all infidelities.

Montand is getting old and like many afraid his reflexes won't be there for him at one critical point too many. Back then these guys were racing at speeds of 180 miles an hour. Your life saving decisions at some point are taken out of your hands at those speeds.

Whether it's the NASCAR circuit in the USA, the Grand Prix of Europe or even midget go cars, auto racing may in fact be the only truly international sport there is. It's stars come from every corner in this world except Antarctica. The sport is held in just about every country there is. It's also never become has politicized as the Olympics have become on occasion. The drivers who compete and the supporters and sponsors around them are an international fraternity that national boundaries have no meaning for.

Despite the presence of so many international names, the star of the film is the sport itself. All the stories of the players are done against that backdrop. It's a tribute to John Frankenheimer that the individual stories did not get lost in the making of Grand Prix. The film won three Oscars, for Sound, for Sound Effects, and for Film Editing.

Grand Prix is the best film on auto racing ever done. And it's presented in such a way that even people who don't follow the sport, can appreciate what the drivers go through. If possible see this one on the big screen.

The film Grand Prix was originally filmed in Cinerama and was designed for that medium. It has to be seen in Cinerama to get the full effect. When first shown people had to leave because they felt sick, you were really in the car and the sense of speed and movement was fantastic. When released in Cinemascope it lost much of that impact. Its a shame it will probably never be seen again in all its original glory.

I have raced at Brands many times on the old circuit, the one used in the film and knew Graham Hill and some of the other drivers used in the film Graham had an incredible sense of humour.

It is good to see the Monza banking being used. It is no longer part of the circuit as it was considered too dangerous at the speeds of modern cars especially since the suspensions would bottom out and throw the car out of control on the bumps and the banking was very bumpy.

Tony Pollock