Grand Prix (1966)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Robert Alan Aurthur (screenplay)
Robert Alan Aurthur (story)

Release Date:

21 December 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot:

American Grand Prix driver Pete Aron is fired by his Jordan-BRM racing team after a crash at Monaco that injures his British teammate...

Plot Keywords:

Ford Mustang | Race | Race Movie | Race Track | Car Accident

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 4 nominations

Cast

James Garner	...	Pete Aron
Eva Marie Saint	...	Louise Frederickson
Yves Montand	...	Jean-Pierre Sarti
Toshirô Mifune	...	Izo Yamura
Brian Bedford	...	Scott Stoddard
Jessica Walter	...	Pat Stoddard
Antonio Sabato	...	Nino Barlini
Françoise Hardy	...	Lisa
Adolfo Celi	...	Agostini Manetta
Claude Dauphin	...	Hugo Simon
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Guido
Geneviève Page	...	Monique Delvaux-Sarti
Jack Watson	...	Jeff Jordan
Donald O'Brien	...	Wallace Bennett (as Donal O'Brien)
Jean Michaud	...	Children's father

Runtime:

179 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Brands Hatch racing track, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Cherokee Productions

Trivia:

The cars had to be fitted with spark plug radio noise suppression kits similar to the ones used on passenger cars because otherwise the static produced by their engine electrics interfered with the radio-controlled camera mounts on the cars.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Scott Stoddard's car crashes in the first Grand Prix race you can see a white tendril of smoke shooting out towards the car. This is the hydrogen pump used to propel the fake formula 1 car with a dummy in it to make the crash seem more realistic and should not be in the shot.

Quotes:

Nino Barlini: And what do you think of this man? In the middle of the race, he decides to take a swim! It cost me two seconds!
Jean-Pierre Sarti: Pete, do you ever get tired, of the driving?
Pete Aron: No.
Jean-Pierre Sarti: Lately, I sometimes get very tired, you know? Very tired.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Style & Sound of Speed (2006) (V)

The BEST Racing Movie

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.