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Without a doubt, the greatest motor racing movie of all time! Steve McQueen's Le Mans doesn't come close. The storyline is OK but where this movie excels is in the groundbreaking cinematography. The shots of the old tracks particularly Spa and Monza are truly superb. Ever wanted to know what it's like to blast along the Masta straight down to Stavelot at Spa, you'll see it here. Want to know what driving on the steep Monza banking was like at 160+ mph, you'll see it here with in car footage. On top of that you've got circuits like Zandvoort in Holland which is not used for today's F1. These were the days when drivers partied the night before and after the race, when the sport was glamorous and exciting. The soundtrack is also brilliant. When oh when will we get the DVD version?

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.

Grand Prix is one of those films that simply couldn't be made today. This fact is mentioned over and over in the extras on the excellent DVD-edition, and rightly so. Back in the 60s, F1 racing was still much more "innocent" (and more exciting) than the multi-billion-dollar media-circus it is today. Just imagine someone trying to get Bernie Ecclestone and the teams to allow a film-crew to use F1-tracks on a race-weekend or even to film in the pits/paddock-area of today's F1 - for free! Or imagine having a bunch of actors drive around in real race-cars on real tracks at break-neck speed in today's safety-obsessed world - impossible.

Well, Frankenheimer did all that back in the 60s and for that reason alone the movie is required watching for anyone who has even a slight interest in cars or motor sports. GP offers us a pretty realistic glimpse of an era gone-by - and it doesn't shy away from the gruesome reality and dangers of motor-racing in the 60s. This realism alone makes GP stand out. The filmmakers didn't simulate races, they actually had the actors racing cars on the original tracks and filmed it. The result is astonishing and really gives a feeling of what it must've been like to sit in one of those beautiful deathtraps at speeds of around 300 km/h. The excellent cinematography, editing and music add to this unique experience and they also give the picture that typical 60s-feel (the opening credits alone are worth the price of admission in my book).

On a side note: Being a racing-fan myself, I can't help but wonder why Frankenheimer didn't include the race at the Nürburgring. Back in those days, F1 still used the 20km+ Nordschleife-version of the track, possibly the most demanding and "scary" circuit ever.

Naturally: Between races the movie loses momentum. That's not so much caused by some weak dialog or the predictable plot - it's s just that those incredible scenes on the tracks simply steal the show. No wonder that I find myself fast-forwarding through a lot of the dialog.

In short: 10/10 for the action on the racetracks - 6/10 for the scenes off the track = 8/10

It's hard to rate this film. Its got a soap opera plot pasted on to some really fine cinematography, editing, music and racing sequences. The real stars of this film are the cars, the beautiful F1 'cigar' cars of the 60's with their exposed engines and elegant lines. Within a handful of years aerodynamics and advertising would change the look of racing forever. Even the plot hints at the change taking place at the time-- from the gentlemen's league of the 50's to the ravenously commercial and brutally competitive environment that Formula 1 was to become. Frankenheimer followed the tour through a season, to the storied old tracks such as Nurburgring, Spa and Monza (before safety and television considerations changed them to much shorter, less idiosyncratic shadows of their former selves). There are cameos by Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Jim Clark and Lorenzo Bandini, names tinged with tragedy in retrospect. Technically this film is quite an achievement. Many of its developments, however, did not really take, such a multiple images, and the splicing of soft music to intense action scenes. The film, then, is not one of great importance in movie history. But there are a lot of racing fans who hold a special, if not top, place for Grand Prix in their lists of favourite films.

In the 1960s they were virtually outlaws and died in droves. The circuits of Monaco, Spa, Zandvoort and Monza almost guaranteed a fatal accident. Nothing was done about the safety of the circuits and the cars. It is thanks to Jackie Stewart that the drivers made their voices heard and some improvements were slowly enforced.

Grand Prix does show some of the dangers and fatal accidents, but it is mainly about the excitement of the races. Because it is a feature film and not a documentary. An excellent film, by the way, with beautiful images, excellent camera work and varied editing. I had a great time with it. Three hours is a long time, but the film never bored me for a minute. Frankenheimer knows how to keep a film exciting.

The drama plot is of less importance, it is mainly about the beautiful action shots and racing scenes that absolutely impress, especially when you consider how old the film is.

The plot is ho-hum, the acting is superb, with Jessica Walter and James Garner especially terrific, but the movie is about formula 1 racing, and there has never been anything like it. The racing scenes merge image and movement and music and become transcendent. Even on the small tv screen, this movie is remarkable. But if you ever find it playing in a theatre, you'll be amazed.

Although it is almost 40 years old, it is still the standard by which racing movies are judged. The good news is the plot doesn't interfere with the racing scenes. It's also great to see drivers like Graham Hill, Phil Hill (glad he didn't quit his day job), Chris Amon, Jimmy Clark, and others on screen. The cars are incredible, even with their lack of aerodynamics and their skinny tires. The opening scene with the engines starting and watching the throttles work is just too cool. These were the 3-litre engines and it was back when drivers actually had to clutch and shift! It's also great to see the tracks as they were back then, especially Spa. Unfortunately they were incredibly dangerous and have been updated for safety reasons, but they were good to see in their old form.

If you are a car racing fan, you'll love this movie automatically. If you are a cinephile, you will appreciate it technically. If you are a writer, you will spit on the script. No matter.

"Titanic" wasn't about that pathetic love triangle story. It was a vehicle to get you into the night the great ship was lost. Grand Prix uses a relatively lame storyline about the private lives of the drivers to get you into their circle. I think it's all just a part of putting the audience into the car.

And I DO mean the car. Not a green screen half car and a CGI effect. A car. Several cars. At high speed, with cameras mounted and actors trained to actually drive them. No phony backgrounds projected. Watch NASCAR or INDY coverage on the SPEED Channel any weekend and you will see on-board shots from vidcams in real time. We're used to that now. Prior to "Grand Prix", there was NO such thing. Grand Prix stands with "Bullitt" and "The French Connection" as the greatest "cut to the chase" movies of all time.

Nothing is done like this any more. If you want to see the masters at work, rent these movies. This is pure analog fun at it's best, and it just doesn't get better with the switch to digits, because the thrill leaves along with the risk factor.

So tolerate the maudlin romantic claptrap. Laugh as you watch some of the stars of Formula 1 racing standing around grimacing into the camera at the infidelities of the British driver's wife (it is a riot), but stand and applaud in awe at the astounding achievement of John Frankenheimer and company at shooting a fictional Grand Prix season against the background of an actual Grand Prix season. It is awesome and worthy of your viewing time, even though the basic story falls short of Oscar caliber scripting.

Yes, it's a soap opera set against the backdrop of the International racing world, but it's so well done, it has to be recommended. Director John Frankenheimer assembled a top cast including James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford and Antonio Sabato as the racers and Eva Marie Saint, Jessica Walter and Francoise Hardy as the women in their lives. Garner and Bedford both vie for Walter, classy reporter Eva Marie Saint hooks up with Montand and Sabato and Hardy are the swinging Europeans. Toshiro Mifune plays a Japenese race car manufacturer. Jessica Walter is stunning and most of the acting is first-rate although Montand's accent is too thick and is pretty distracting. Bedford spends most of the movie in body cast. How they all end up is unimportant.

Frankenheimer's direction is stellar and he's helped out by the great Saul Bass who supplied some very nifty montage sequences.

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

It's Formula One. The movie starts at the Monaco Grand Prix. Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand) is the past champ tired of racing. Nino Barlini is his brash Italian teammate. American Pete Aron (James Garner) crashes his car severely injuring teammate Scott Stoddard. Scott's wife Pat (Jessica Walter) is eager to leave the racing life. American journalist Louise Frederickson (Eva Marie Saint) covers the races.

The technical aspect of the race filming is ahead of its time. Director John Frankenheimer uses the real tracks and gives the movie a real racing feel. It is miles ahead of its competitors and comparable to modern race coverage. It isn't always clear between the drivers but there are plenty of great shots of the drivers' faces while driving. Away from the races, the movie is rather ponderous and slow. Those scenes are static in comparison both in movement as well as drama.

I saw this after the death of James Garner. The idea was good, but this was not one of his better movies.

The concept was interesting-a mixture of Formula One racing and the intrigues and romances of the people involved. Trouble is, the movie tries to include too much and ends up overlong and tedious.

We do get a feel of what it is like to be in the race-the high speeds, the tight curves, the dangers of other drivers or cars that break down, leading to serious accidents. We also see the strains and divided loyalties of the drivers and their respective friends and spouses. We also see the rocky relationships between drivers and their employers.

But the film becomes overlong because it just tries to incorporate too much. It is easy to see why most films try to simplify their stories as much as they can.

I won't bore you with the plotline; you can get all that elsewhere. The main reason one should see this film is for the camera effects. And remember too -- these were all done the hard way; there was no computer imaging back in 1966!

If you get the chance to see this in a theater, DO NOT BE LATE!! The opening -- with the driver plugging his ears with cotton before putting on his helmet -- is aptly appropriate. The split-screen and multiple-image effects are first seen in the opening and crop up throughout the movie -- and always to good advantage, not just a "gee whiz, look what we can do" use of technique and technology. ESPN and the other networks, in their NASCAR telecasts, have just now started to adopt techniques first used by Frankenheimer 30-plus years ago.

One of the best scenes in the film is in the early minutes. You are actually *in* the cockpit of a F-1 car as it spins out of control, slides off the track, and launches itself into the harbor. I might add that this was *NOT* done with models, but used real, full-sized cars and took long hours to produce -- and these were truly "state-of-the-art" effects in 1966 (I won't give away the secrets here but will say that if you can locate a copy of the appropriate issue of "Popular Mechanics" [March 1966?] you will enjoy the article about the film and the techniques). The end result was about 15 seconds of some of the best racing footage committed to film. Needless to say, this is a very quick-running sequence!

I saw this picture in Cinerama in 1966, and I too echo the sentiment for a re-release of this picture to the large screen. More is the pity that Cinerama is no more. There are few pictures where Cinerama could be used to its fullest advantage; the in-car and on-track sequences of this film, however, were some of those.

Here is the story of four "Grand Prix" race-car drivers. We follow not only their competitions on the track, but also their mating habits off the track. First-billed James Garner (as Pete Aron) is an American who accidentally wipes out Brian Bedford (as Scott Stoddard) from Britain. The opening crash causes Mr. Garner to lose his sponsor and Mr. Bedford to be hospitalized. As both men plan comebacks, Garner takes up with Bedford's wife, a cynical and sexy Jessica Walter (as Pat Stoddard). Garner tells Ms. Walker she's different from the usual $100 hooker...

Meanwhile, retiring Yves Montand (as Jean-Pierre Sarti) from France is turning sour on the sport, while turning sweet on beautiful fashion magazine editor Eva Marie Saint (as Louise Frederickson). He's married to another woman, of course. The fourth racer is handsome young Antonio Sabato (as Nino Barlini), an Italian who attracts delicious Francoise Hardy (as Lisa). Mr. Sabato takes his other women in pairs. Yum, yum…

The long romantic parts of "Grand Prix" become very tiresome...

Garner never captures the passion of either a racer, or lover of Ms. Walter. Montand and Ms. Saint play their roles well, but it's not much of a story. Bedford's part is the most engaging. Sabato is around to be sexy, but the end shows he and Montand on contrasting ends of careers. While the plot lines meander, the racing is exciting. Director John Frankenheimer and photographer Lionel Lindon thrillingly put you in the car. "The Cruel Sport" is acknowledged for its danger appeal. Every race in this movie includes some sort of accident, which is one reason people watch these drivers. But, don't tell.

****** Grand Prix (12/21/66) John Frankenheimer ~ James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Bedford, Yves Montand

Jeremy Clarkson, in an interview with Eric Bana, thought the "good old days" of motor racing changed after Niki Lauda's accident in 1972, and when "Jackie Stewart really got into his stride with the safety thing".

He wasn't alone in thinking the safety measures Stewart advocated detracted from the sport. "Grand Prix" gives an insight into what Formula One was like before the changes.

Most of what I know about Formula One comes from this movie and the eye-opening 2013 documentary, "Life on the Limit".

I may not be a motor racing fanatic, but I do love movies, and I think "Grand Prix" has a great script. It focuses on the lives and loves of four drivers. Only Italian Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabàto) loves the sport for the thrills and the glory. The others, Pete Aron (James Garner), Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand) and Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford) do it for other reasons, often against their instincts.

Although Garner was top billed, Yves Montand stole the show as the most philosophical of the drivers. However, when Jean-Pierre suggests that the crowds only come to see the accidents, Eva Marie Saint as Louise Frederickson best sums up what draws spectators to the sport, "There are some who come for the accidents and the fires. But the others... the others ride with you all. You put something in their lives they can't put there themselves".

Seeing this on the wide-screen was awesome. When the curtains parted after the overture, and the camera pulled back to reveal the thundering exhaust as the flag went down on the Monaco Grand Prix you automatically pressed back against your seat.

You would think starting with that amazing street-race risked making everything else anti-climatic, but no! The final race at Monza on those banking curves is even more spectacular.

Maurice Jarre's monumental score gave a feeling of the cars shooting past. Even in its quieter moments, the score gives a sense that the track ominously awaits the protagonists.

And what about beautiful Françoise Hardy as Lisa? She epitomised the off-the-track glamour of Formula One. I was sorry to learn she is not well these days.

Director John Frankenheimer and the stars that played the drivers have gone now, but what a movie they left behind; whenever you see a list of motor racing movies, "Grand Prix" is at the top.

"When I look back, I don't know how the hell we ever did that film." - John Frankenheimer

At 176 minutes, Grand Prix is the very definition of epic, but is so perfectly edited and shot that it never really feels that length. I'm always weary of movies with bloated running times, but Grand Prix even features the 5-minute intermission as seen in theatres, so there's no reason to feel guilty for getting up and stretching your legs a bit.

The film follows four Formula 1 drivers as they question life, chase women, and face a crisis of confidence. It's very Day-of-Thunder-ish, but I guess there's only so much story you can shoehorn in-between racing scenes in a film like this. The documentary feel adds an authentic edge to it, which helps keep a far distance from Tony Scott's similarly-themed disaster.

Shot in 70mm and originally projected in Cinerama (a curved screen for an immersive experience, an early form of IMAX in a way), John Frankenheimer does not hold back and thrusts the audience right into the middle of real races. Up until this point racing movies were mostly b-grade drive-in material with actors shot against a projected backdrop (think of Clark Gable in To Please a Lady) and audiences had never really seen it for real, in color, and especially not from the driver's point-of-view. Some shots are mesmerizing, especially the camera, one inch above the surface of the tarmac, hurtling down the road. Few movies have ever given you this sense of speed. And it's all done for real. I'm not saying that there's no place for CGI in movies, but if you want something to look good, you're going to have to do it the hard way.

Frankenheimer had little regard towards the end of his career after making drek like The Island of Doctor Moreau and Reindeer Games (though Ronin more than makes up for it). I always thought he was an underrated filmmaker who deserved more acclaim. Grand Prix deservedly won three Oscars for Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing. It will never win awards or recognition for the story, but for sheer sight and sound it's a force to be reckoned with.

If you've seen Days of Thunder and Driven you probably laughed at some of the unrealistic stunts and the silly storylines. Grand Prix is by far the best racing movie out there. The racing scenes are realistic and exciting. James Garner portrays a US Formula 1 driver with wonderful action scenes. If you liked drivers like Jimmy Clark, you'll love this movie.

In recent times, our shore was abuzz with concrete rumours of a Formula 1 street circuit being held in Singapore, and a night one at that. I was a Formula 1 spectator fan (from the television set of course) for some time, until Schumi came along, won almost everything with the Prancing Horse, and actually made it predictable, and boring for the most parts of each race circuit. Pole position, race day, 50 odd laps and podium finish.

While advancement in technology has made driving a car at 300kmph seem like an hour long arcade game, and safety standards have ensured that dangerous stunts and outcomes are reduced to a rare minimum, the sport somehow lacked that danger and edgy randomness in having things go wrong, and to see how drivers use their skill to react to them. Finding that balance between safety and spectacle, without unnecessary endangering the lives of the drivers, is a tough one. For many, watching the cars go through their paces round and round a circuit, may seem to be boring spectator sport, and just how a movie like this can engage, remains a challenge.

Clocking in close to 3 hours, it tells the story of 4 grand prix drivers, naturally of different nationalities - American Pete Aron (James Garner), French Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), Brit Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford) and Italian Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabato), with their allegiance sworn to the different manufacturers they drive for, which includes Ferrari. They come together on race day to outperform one another, and more often, the movie focuses on their love lives, with Sarti in a budding relationship with writer Louise (Eva Marie Saint), Scott having to deal with an accident caused by Pete, and facing the prospect of losing his model wife Pat (Jessica Walter) to that same man, and Nino just being the playboy he is with his latest squeeze Lisa (played by French singer Francoise Hardy). Rounding up the international cast is Toshiro Mifune, who plays the Japanese businessman whom Pete Aron drives for. When their love lives take a break from the screen, the story tries to explore why they do what they do, and what makes them tick during races, knowing well that it is a dangerous job.

But the length of the movie also is contributed by the extent in which the races are featured in the movie, from the various grand prix circuits. The thrill in watching this is not for the race scenes per se, but for a trip down memory lane on how F1 was done in the past. There are no paddle gears for shift changes, only those that comes with the stick, and plenty of mechanical parts compared to the computer on board for that "fly by wire" drive in today's cars. Engineering has come a long way, and this movie makes you appreciate that advancement. The tracks featured too are a sight to behold, with a mixture of existing and retired circuits seen.

And the strong technical aspect of the film is what makes it entertaining, with features like split screens (up to 6 at times), montages, and plenty of nifty camera angles that make you wonder how they did it back in the old days. The camera shifts perspective often enough, and my favourite would be the one that follows the road, like the Daytona game, sans dashboard.

Grand Prix might look dated in its treatment of the narrative, but it probably formed the basis and benchmark on how to film a racing spectator sport, for other race movies like Days of Thunder, Driven and even Pixar's Cars.

If you are a racing fan, then this movie is a must. The in-car camera shots are amazing, and put to shame the pictures we get today, from real races with modern technology. It serves as a great historical piece, with wonderful shots of the old Spa circuit and the oval banking at Monza. The effects are amazing. They somehow made it look like James Garner was actually driving the car, with another car buzzing behind him. The crash scenes are very spectacular. In terms of the story, it is OK, and improves greatly during the last race, where flashbacks are featured on each driver, and the suspense builds. It`s probably best seen on the biggest screen you can find.

With it great cinematography, music and sound effects (Oscar), outstanding racing sequences, and the best use of multi-screen photography even attempted in a movie, GRAND PRIX is quite simply the best racing movie ever. Darn it! Why darn it? Well, while the script makes clever use of the track speaker system to advance the plot, it also gives us some fairly uninteresting people to watch. James Garner, never one particularly capable of carrying a dramatic film alone, gets virtually no help from the `International Cast (i.e., nobody you've either heard of or much care to see). Garner's pretty good in a stiff-jawed type of way (the role was written for Steve McQueen), but his character is too underwritten to root for. Those uninterested in racing won't find much of interest; the two romantic subplots involve adulterous affairs between either not very likeable people or not very wise ones. GRAND PRIX lost a lot of money, and Garner got the lion's share of the blame; but, the real problem lays with the romance between Yves Montand and Eva Marie Saint, which dominates the movie. While expressive, Montand is simply unintelligible, and his scenes with Saint generates no heat and not much empathy.

The opening race at Monte Carlo runs WAY too long. So long, in fact, I found myself looking forward to the first car crash (quite impressive, even by today's standards). However, the slack pacing of this initial sequence undercuts the rest of the film. The thrills are quite realistic, apart from the obvious use of a dummy at the climax of the film. Either a more carefully weighted dummy should have been used or the scene should have been excised.

This is definitely a movie for the big screen; although, it is not really a CINERAMA film. The film uses SUPER PANAVISION, the same single-camera widescreen format used for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. CAUTION: If you must see it at home, even on a big screen TV, make sure to see it in LETTERBOX with a SURROUND SOUND system. The 3:4 (TV) version is TOTALLY unwatchable. More than any other widescreen film, GRAND PRIX uses EVERY inch of the frame.

Sharp "State-of-the-Art" Cinema from John Frankenheimer.

Testing the Limits of Technology and Story-Telling with a "Cinerama" Presentation of Vibrating Racing-Cars, Human Drivers, with Sound and Fury.

A Pristine Picture that was quite an Event in 1966.

Suffering only from that which All Sports Movies Suffer...the Melding of On-Field Action and Off-Field Drama.

Done here with about a Half & Half Devoted to Each during the 3-HR Running Time.

It Manages to be about as Good as Can be Expected from the Sports Fans and General Audiences.

Pure On-Field Exposition is usually left to Documentaries.

Winning Three Technical Oscars, Editing, Sound, and Effects.

The Film is an Entertaining and sometimes Reverberating Ride with Shots and Angles Spanning from All Directions with Cameras Mounted seemingly Everywhere.

Considered one of the Best Racing Movies.

It set the Standard for the Type and is Still being Used Today. See "Ford vs Ferrari" (2019).

Screened Side by Side, one can Hardly Notice the more than 50 Year Gap.

This director is clearly obsessed with racing. The racing part from Ronin (another of his movies) lasts for at least 15 minutes and is truly exciting. Raving parts are good in this movie too (obviously) and there are some outstanding actors here, but still quite boring.

I've never shied away from a 3-hour movie because of its length before. But is there any reason on this green earth of ours why John Frankenheimer's hyped-up, revved-down motor sports drama had to be 3 hours long? The main attraction of "Grand Prix" is obviously the hyper-kinetic racing action we were promised. I'm not really big on action sequences per se, but I did get that impression. Unfortunately, it feels like an eternity sandwiched between just the first two races because the focus of this film is the personal drama-- the silly, soapy, boring personal drama that's simply not interesting. I found the character of Pat particularly unsympathetic (which is a shame because I love the actress who played her, Jessica Walter). I found Pete (James Garner) a general nuisance and an ineffective precursor to Tom Cruise's Maverick in "Top Gun." (Ironic, considering Garner was another Maverick once...) As for Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), he was just dull and a little pretentious. No better was Eva Marie Saint's Louise, his love interest, and their love story may have the least heat of any in cinema history.

The only really interesting character was Nino (Antonio Sabato), but like they'd give him any screen time up against costars like that! The film does have its strong points. They may take forever to get to the next race, but when they do it's entirely worth the wait. That is, worth the wait alone, not what Frankenheimer and Aurthur forced into the waiting time. The races are thrillingly filmed, dizzyingly edited, and make brilliant use of stereo sound and widescreen. Maurice Jarre's music is also a lot better than most people seem to think. It is a bit too reliant on an unchanging menu of themes, but "Doctor Zhivago" had the same shortcoming and its score is hailed as a masterpiece.

For a while, there must have been something interesting going on in the creative team's heads. Unfortunately, in their desire to make a film people would take seriously as more than just a racing picture, they created one nobody could take seriously because the drama is just so insipid. The mistake here was trying to elevate a simple gimmicky widescreen sports vehicle (no pun intended) into a masterpiece of human emotion. It's nowhere near "Ben-Hur..." but it does beat "Chariots of Fire." A real disappointment.