Grand Prix Blu-ray Review: Takes the Flag for Total Racing Immersion

John Frankenheimer’s 1966 racing drama is so stacked with international stars that it might appear to be coasting on delivering any actual racing thrills. Instead, Frankenheimer keeps the pedal down on visceral, innovative coverage of exhilarating races throughout the film, enhanced by Cinerama and Super Panavison photography. As a result, just like its namesake racing league, the film is very much the direct forebear of this summer’s box-office hit, F1. 

The story loosely tracks the lives of a few of the international drivers over the course of a season on the Grand-Prix circuit. James Garner leads the cast as a veteran American driver looking for a few more moments of glory, basically Brad Pitt’s F1 role. He’s not the oldest racer out there though, since French cinema legend Yves Montand is also taking some more laps before retirement. They’re both friendly with the British racer played by Brian Bedford, and apprehensive about the abrasive Italian youngster rising in the ranks for the Ferrari team, Antonio Sabato (yes, Jr.’s dad). 

Sadly, Toshiro Mifune doesn’t play a racer, staying in the pit as the owner of the upstart Yamura team that hires Garner’s character. That gives him little to do other than glower or cheer depending on Garner’s racing performances, but it’s still rewarding to see him in the company of the other international stars. Another notable male star staying off the track is Adolfo Celi, fresh off his success as the eye-patched heavy in Thunderball, here playing the owner of the Ferrari team.

With all that testosterone and motor oil, Robert Alan Aurthur’s script squeezes in some ladies to balance the blend. The most famous is Eva Marie Saint, here playing a thankless role as an American journalist who has a brief affair with Montand’s character but otherwise hangs out on the circuit just for press coverage. The real scene stealer is young Jessica Walter, later to become the matriarch on both Arrested Development and Archer, but here in full sex-kitten mode as she ditches the British racer who happens to be her husband, has a fling with Garner, and refuses to be tied down to either of them. She’s devastatingly alluring here and already exhibiting her acerbic wit, putting almost as much va-va-voom into the film as all of the cars combined. There’s another young Euro-model type aligned with Sabato’s character, but as played by singer/fashion icon Francoise Hardy, her acting is so wooden that she fails to make any impact.

The cast is incredible, but the photography is the star. Frankenheimer leans into the Cinerama format, frequently varying the three-camera setup to shift to different split screen images, conveying multiple aspects of races at the same time. That approach is immediately evident in the iconic Saul Bass’s amazing opening title sequence, juxtaposing his graphic design elements with split-screen compositions of the initial race. It’s not just the variety of the images though, it’s the intensity, with Frankenheimer getting the cameras in, on, around, and above the cars to deliver high-octane action from every conceivable angle. He also lets the camera run without edits for extended sequences at times, putting viewers in the cockpit for uninterrupted first-person perspective that fully conveys the reality of the sport’s danger. Garner helps immensely with the immersion, performing all of his driving himself and reportedly beating pro-driver times on the actual tracks. I can only imagine the mind-blowing effect in full three-screen Cinerama theatrical presentation, but it’s still completely stunning on one TV screen. 

The Blu-ray presents a digital transfer from original 65mm elements, formatted at 2.2:1 with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio that further enhances viewer immersion in the Oscar-winning sound editing and mixing. That sound also gets an assist from Maurice Jarre’s score, yet another top-tier contributor to the film’s success. Picture quality is immaculate, with crisp detail and robust colors that fully reveal the amazing artistry, further improving the film’s contemporary feel. Five bonus features are included, providing in-depth coverage on the making of the film, racing in the ‘60s, the sound design, the Brands Hatch track in England, and the history of the Grand Prix circuit.

The film is nearly three hours long, including a 5-minute overture and intermission, and while the inter-race drama drags on a bit too long at times, the film as a whole speeds along at a great pace that never feels overstuffed. While I went in expecting some hokey star-fest with bland and limited driving coverage, like The Great Race or Cannonball Run, I’d now rate Grand Prix as the second most technically accomplished photography of the 1960s, right behind the almighty 2001. Aided by a diverse and highly watchable international cast, the film takes the flag for an amazing time at the races.