Man, Just watched "Le Mans" with Steve McQueen and now "Grand Prix" with James Garner is on TCM.. What do you guys think of old racing movies???
I was just sitting here, between films, trying to pick my best of those two. I'm leaning slightly to "Grand Prix". I'm a big McQueen fan, but "Grand Prix" has a better story and better racing action. The margin is VERY slim.
Those are the 2 greatest filmed auto racing movies of all time. I ended up going to Le Mans on a 1-day pilgrimage years later while on vacation. I got myself taken around the "short course" at speed by chief instructor of a drivers school. Man what a ride!! All this due to the movie "Le Mans".
I have always thought that Grand Prix is the finest racing movie yet done. I saw it when it came out in Cinerama, the speed shots with the camera on the nose are very impressive and when it starts to rain at Spa it was very very impressive.
Grand Prix will never be experienced these days, but if you could go back in time and see it in Cinerama it was an experience I will always remember. I had never heard sound like that and the screen wrapped around to the sides. Very few theaters had the facilities to show it. James Garner was an excellent driver and capable of running professionally.
As has been said, "Grand Prix" and "Le Mans" are the best but now "Rush", the story of the rivary between Formula One champions Jame Hunt and Nikki Lauda should also be considered one of the top three. Everything else is just "the rest". The edge still has to go to "Grand Prix". It had a believable story line, fantastic photography and great actors. "Le Mans" is more of a tribute to a great race by an all time superfan, Steve McQueen. "Winning", with Paul Newman, was just a soap opera. I've still got to see "Snake and Mongoose", even though it won't measure up to the greats.
James Garner was great behind the wheel. I first saw him in "Grand Prix", then later in his career, I remember reading about him racing. I watched "The Rockford Files", just to catch him torturing that Firebird. One of the best.
Great clips about the making of grand prix and some of the stars now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghyr2iG-its http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO1sghO2Jkw
Man, the last 3 movies about racing, are 3 I have never seen. Yup, I'm brewing coffee and dropping No-Doz.
The Young Racers has some decent F1 footage, too. Speed, is a little hokey but worth watching for some of the lines from Stewart and Healy. Stewart is a test driver and just rolled a car on the track, then gets in to drive the new lady publicity agent over to the factory to show her around, and she offers to drive and he basically tells her no thanks, he can't ride with women drivers, he takes enough chances as it is.
Love TCM! Great movies all last night! Grand Prix had it all. Spent many years going to Bridgehampton. This movie always brings me back there. Even though they were Can Am cars not Formula One, the atmosphere was the same. Classy Ladies as well
I also saw Grand Prix in Cinerama back when it first came out. I was a kid maybe 10-11 years old and it had a lasting impression on my need to go fast. I grew up in a racing family and spent my younger years at tracks all over the East coast. My avatar pic is Daytona 1959. My dad is the guy on the far right. I was there but I was 3.. lol
I was lucky enough to get to see both Grand Prix and Lemans in theaters when they just came out. Great movies both of them. Both would be great in the new theaters with all the sound equipment they have now
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