Grand Prix (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Grand Prix (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by John Frankenheimer

Grand Prix (Two-Disc Special Edition)
List Price: $20.98
Our Price: $15.99
You Save: $4.99 (24%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $10.50 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Brian Bedford, Eva Marie Saint, James Garner, Toshir? Mifune, Yves Montand
Director: John Frankenheimer
Brand: Team Marketing
Producer: James Garner
Producer: John Frankenheimer
Writer: John Frankenheimer
Producer: Edward Lewis
Producer: Kirk Douglas
Writer: Robert Alan Aurthur
Writer: William Hanley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; Italian (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.20:1
Running Time: 179 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-07-11
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Product features:
  • Officially Licensed
  • Highest Quality Recording

Movie Reviews of Grand Prix (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Movie Review: Classic portrait of an era
Summary: 5 Stars

If you're a vintage racing fan, Grand Prix needs no review: it's a remarkable document of the golden age of racing, made at a time when the real cars -- and drivers -- were available. Phil Hill's recent passing reminded us of what we've lost.

If you're a film enthusiast, and maybe not so knowledgeable about 1960s Formula One, Frankenheimer's work still delivers. The cinematography is superb, and the script provides a fascinating look into the social scene and competitive aspects of racing back then. It's educational, without the burden of being a documentary, and apart from the overture and intermission segments it's easy to forget you're watching a 1966 movie. And it has a bit of substance: 1960s racers risked their lives in every race, much more so than F1 drivers do today in their much more elaborate cars. The spectre of death, and the sense that some onlookers might be there for the carnage, weighed on at least some of the drivers who were there for the sport. Grand Prix acknowledges this.

Grand Prix may be the best racing movie ever made. McQueen's LeMans in 1971 (he was originally supposed to be in Grand Prix) is a cult classic for diehard race fans, but almost devoid of plot or dialogue. I'm a big fan but would hesitate to recommend to anyone who isn't a gearhead. Grand Prix, on the other hand, should be very enjoyable to almost anyone with an appreciation of the era.

The extras included in the two-DVD set are also very good, and you can watch them prior to the film if you're among those whose knowledge of Formula One is minimal.

Summary of Grand Prix (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Nine races. One champion. James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford and Antonio Sabato portray Formula I drivers competing to be the best in this slam-you-into-the-driver's seat tale of speed, spectacle and intertwined personal lives. Eva Marie Saint and Toshiro Mifune also star. John Frankenheimer (who 32 years later would again stomp the pedal to the metal for the car chases of Ronin) directs this winner of 3 Academy Awards?,* crafting split-screen images to capture the overlapping drama and orchestrating you-are-there POV camerawork to intensify the hard-driving thrills. Nearly 30 top drivers take part in the excitement, so buckle up, movie fans. Race with the best to the head of the pack.

DVD Features:
Theatrical Trailer
Documentaries
Featurette


Light on story, this 1966 spectacle directed by John Frankenheimer was shot in 70 millimeter, with a cinematically enthralling emphasis on unique, visceral new ways of capturing the sensations of a car race. James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, and Toshiro Mifune are part of the stellar, international cast whose characters plod through assorted relationship and business conflicts. But the film's real hook is the thrilling and inventive means by which Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate) brings an urgency to the drama happening on the racetrack. A true master of the plastic techniques of obtaining and cutting kinetic footage, Frankenheimer offers more than a joyride to viewers: he makes action part of the compelling language of stories. Cameras are strapped to vehicles as they round the track, shots are taken from a helicopter, the screen is split between angles for maximum impact--even if Grand Prix doesn't rank among the director's best character-driven stories, it is certainly driven on its own terms. --Tom Keogh

On the DVD
The much-anticipated release on DVD does not disappoint, with a pristine restored print and upgraded 5.1 Dolby sound. Of course, the Cinerama film can only be fully appreciated if you sit very close to your screen. The absence of a commentary track is forgivable, since director John Frankenheimer died in 2002. "Pushing the Limit" is your standard 30-minute retrospective with many new interviews with the stars and drivers. The universal opinion is that the film caught Formula One at the exact right time when the beauty of the sport was about to be changed in favor of safety and commercialism. There are some fascinating stories on how they were able to use real race footage so seamlessly. "Flat Out" continues the vibe of what racing was like in the '60s with more interviews from the real racers. "The Style and Sound of Speed" talks about designer Saul Bass and how he created the film's different approaches to each race and the cutting-edge use of montages and multiple screens. The vintage doc is kitschy but allows us to see the filming in action (the footage is used extensively in the new featurettes). --Doug Thomas

Action & Adventure DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in My all-time favorite movies, Part 3
Casablanca ImageCasablanca
BOGART,HUMPHREY; Release date: 2000-02-15; DVD
Best price: $3.21
Price in other shops: $19.98
Ninotchka ImageNinotchka
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2005-09-06; DVD
Best price: $7.17
Price in other shops: $19.98
Goodbye, Mr. Chips ImageGoodbye, Mr. Chips
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops: $19.98
Mutiny on the Bounty ImageMutiny on the Bounty
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $19.97
Key Largo (Keepcase) ImageKey Largo (Keepcase)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-07-25; DVD
Best price: $4.93
Price in other shops: $19.98
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Two-Disc Special Edition) ImageThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-09-30; DVD
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops: $26.98
The Caine Mutiny (Collector's Edition) ImageThe Caine Mutiny (Collector's Edition)
Sony; Release date: 2007-05-08; DVD
Best price: $11.54
Price in other shops: $19.94
On the Waterfront (Special Edition) ImageOn the Waterfront (Special Edition)
Sony; Release date: 2001-10-23; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $19.94
From Here to Eternity ImageFrom Here to Eternity
Columbia Pictures; Release date: 2001-10-23; DVD
Best price: $6.32
Price in other shops: $14.94
Limelight (2 Disc Special Edition) ImageLimelight (2 Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-07-01; DVD
Best price: $6.28
Price in other shops: $29.98
Similar DVD Movies
Top Gun ImageTop Gun
Release date: 1998-10-21; DVD
Best price: $7.90
Price in other shops: $19.99
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition) ImageThe Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-09-30; DVD
Best price: $13.96
Price in other shops: $26.98
Vanishing Point ImageVanishing Point
NEWMAN,BARRY; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $4.90
Price in other shops: $9.98
Forbidden Planet (Two-Disc Special Edition) ImageForbidden Planet (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2006-11-14; DVD
Best price: $15.95
Price in other shops: $26.98
The Sting ImageThe Sting
Universal; Release date: 1998-03-31; DVD
Best price: $4.21
Price in other shops: $9.99
2001: A Space Odyssey Image2001: A Space Odyssey
Release date: 1998-08-25; DVD
Best price: $29.53
Casablanca ImageCasablanca
BOGART,HUMPHREY; Release date: 2000-02-15; DVD
Best price: $3.21
Price in other shops: $19.98
Bullitt ImageBullitt
Warner Brothers; Release date: 1997-11-19; DVD
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops: $19.98
Winning ImageWinning
Universal; Release date: 1999-03-16; DVD
Best price: $2.94
Price in other shops: $9.99
Le Mans ImageLe Mans
Team Marketing; Release date: 2003-04-29; DVD
Best price: $7.13
Price in other shops: $14.98
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners