Grand Prix Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros.)

Grand Prix is a 1966 sports drama co-written, produced, and directed by John Frankenheimer (Ronin, 52 Pick-Up, Reindeer Games, Birdman of Alcatraz, French Connection II, Prophecy, Tales from the Crypt, and The Manchurian Candidate). It was written by Robert Alan Aurthur (All That Jazz, The Lost Man, Edge of the City, For Love of Ivy, and Warlock). It was executive produced by Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, Seconds, The Final Countdown, Tough Guys, The Vikings, and Posse). It had an estimated budget of $9,000,000. Formula 1 drivers compete to be the ultimate racer in this slam-you-into-the-driver’s seat tale of speed, spectacle and intertwined personal lives. It follows these adrenaline fueled professionals which includes Pete Aron (played by: James Garner from The Rockford Files, Maverick, and The Great Escape), Jean-Pierre Sarti (played by: Yves Montand from Jean de Florette, Z, and The Wages of Fear), Scott Stoddard (played by: Brian Bedford from Nixon, Robin Hood, and The Angry Silence), and Nino Barlini (played by: Antonio Sabato from Escape from the Bronx, Violent Cops, and Thunder). Nearly 30 top drivers take part in this tense competition. Buckle up to race with the very best!!!! Grand Prix is one of the best racing films ever made. Originally, it was supposed to be a project for Steve McQueen but he left because of creative differences and he ended up doing Le Mans instead. Director John Frankenheimer just knows how to capture the visuals for action and pure suspense. He always delivered in those departments. Grand Prix takes you behind the scenes for the world of Formula 1 racing and all it’s unique talent. James Garner as Pete Aron is excellent here. He’s an American driver that has some serious bad luck lately. He got into a brutal crash that almost ruined his career and it forced him to move away from the sport for a little bit. Yves Montand as Jean-Pierre Sarti is a living legend when it comes to professional racing. He always be the best in the past but his age is starting to catch up with him. Brian Bedford as Scott Stoddard is the driver that Pete Aron nearly killed during his devastating wreck. He rushes back to work despite being in so much pain. Antonio Sabato as Nino Barlini is the extreme risk taker that takes nothing serious except when he’s driving against others. The rest of the supporting cast includes Eva Marie Saint (North by Northwest), Jessica Walter (Arrested Development), Toshirô Mifune (Seven Samurai), Françoise Hardy (A Bullet Through the Heart), Adolfo Celi (Danger: Diabolik), Claude Dauphin (Barbarella), Enzo Fiermonte (Romeo and Juliet), Donald O’Brien (Zombie Holocaust), and Jack Watson (The Wild Geese). I’ve always liked Grand Prix but I feel like it’s at least 20 minutes too long so it does drag a little bit every once in awhile. It would be damn near perfect with some of that filler material trimmed down. At the same time, I do appreciate that it shows so much more than racing in this. It goes into the personal lives and problems from all these people involved with this dangerous sport. They all get mixed up in each other’s relationships and it gets messy within the community. It has some of the most stylish shots of these races and their dedicated drivers. The anxiety, tension, and adrenaline rush is felt during these rough competitions. It makes the audience respect this particular version of the sport. It’s been done so many times after Grand Prix but rarely any of them manage to stack up with this late 60’s production. It’s nice to see this catalog title get resurrected on home video, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 1080p (2.21:1) transfer is the same previous 2011 restoration. Grand Prix has always looked amazing with it’s intense cinematography, thrilling locations, and high quality production design. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital Mono, German: Dolby Digital Mono, Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks on the disc. Grand Prix sounds great when it comes to the audio. All of the races really amp everything up especially during the finishes. All of the dialogue is crisp, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles. It has the little over 29 minute documentary “Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix”. It has interviews with a variety of people which includes James Garner, Simon Wincer, Antonio Sabato, Jessica Walter, Eva Marie Saint, and John Frankenheimer. It goes into the production. They go over working with the professionals of European racing. They weren’t that interested in a movie about their sport at first. They are not shy about sharing their experiences with the director. It has a good amount of additional footage here. It’s a excellent companion piece to the actual movie. It has the almost 12 minute “The Style and Sound of Speed”. This focuses on Saul Bass. He’s handled visuals and titles for some classic material. He’s worked on so many iconic productions over the years and it highlights his work on Grand Prix. It has the little over 17 minute “Flat Out: Formula One in the Sixties”. This focuses on Formula 1 and racing during this time. It’s a cool inside look into the sport with footage and interviews from some real life drivers. It has the almost 11 minute “Brands Hatch: Chasing the Checkered Flag”. It highlights one of the most known and memorable moments from Grand Prix. It’s a detailed quick tour of one of the tracks featured here. It has the almost 13 minute “Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions”. This is a old school promotional extra to promote the racing feature. Lots of different stuff are packed in this. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!