Grand Prix [HD DVD]

Very good sound + vision (50 GB double-layer BD). Original aspect ratio. Highly recommended!

This sixties big time melodrama in glorious 70mm Cinerama with stellar cast also sports some of the best racing footage ever - this is rivetting stuff! The live action sequences from 1966 Monte Carlo- and Spa- Grand Prix will make you feel like the proverbial documentary "fly on the wall" ...only this time it's the wall of an F1 cockpit - take off and enjoy!

Film: 6.5/10
Racing sequences: 10/10
Picture quality: 9/10
Aspect ratio: ca. 2.35:1 (orig.)
Run time (24 fps): 2:55'57"
Chpt.: 46
Audio: GB; F;D;E;POR
ST: GB; F;D;E;POR;DK;FIN;N;S o/-
Region free
Bonus, all in SD:
- Making-of, 29'
- Formula 1 in the sixties, 17'
- Style and Sound of Speed, 11'
- Brands Hatch, 10'
- Grand Prix - Challenge of the Champions 12'
- Trailer
Studio: MGM

Having purchased this movie on VHS, DVD and now Bluray, this the best this movie has ever looked and sounded! The BEST racing scenes ever filmed - you'll feel like you're in the race cockpit. Story line could have been better, but watch it for the cars and race tracks. Special features are from the special edition DVD.

If you like fast cars and the roaring sound of, "VAROOOOM!" this is the movie for you. Or if you prefer soap opera romances and beautiful clothes, you, too, will like this movie. It opens with a bang on the picturesque streets of Monte Carlo, as the 1966 Grand Prix racers are bolting through town. We meet drivers from America, England, and France (James Garner, Brian Bedford, and Yves Montand) and follow their rivalry through the racing season. We also look behind the scenes at their love lives as they deal with conflicting feelings about racing.

This is an exciting and very enjoyable movie. Yves Montand never looked hunkier, even though he plays the oldest racer on the circuit. He's dreamy and so much better than his love interest, Eva Marie Saint, who is drab and dull and totally miscast as a fashionista. Brian Bedford, with his cute babyface and stiff-upper lip is memorable as a sensitive driver who never quite lived up to his famous brother. His love is well-played by kittenish Jessica Walter as a model with a roaming eye. On the down side, handsome James Garner isn't given much to do and his character is bland and uninspired. Many real Formula 1 drivers have minor parts and several real Grand Prix races were filmed in various countries adding an authentic flavor.

The film comes in two discs and the Extras are quite interesting, featuring interviews with director and cast that were filmed in the nineties. We learn that the stars didn't use stunt drivers, but actually drove themselves at high speeds for close-ups. The special effects are impressive, done decades before CGI. Maurice Jarre's soundtrack is lovely (and sounds a lot like his "Lawrence of Arabia" and even a bit like "Dr. Zhivago").

This is a movie with something for everyone - high speed racing excitement, romance, and moments of personal reflection. The acting and direction are excellent. Highly recommended.