User Reviews

"Because of costs and complexities, it's unlikely a film like this will ever be made again," narrator Fred Foy intones half-way through this 13-minute-long movie preview for the feature film GRAND PRIX. If three actors are beheaded by whirling helicopter blades during filming (as happened with TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE), the teaser hypesters might rightfully proclaim "Because of America's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it is unlikely any future Hollywood film will have such a high toll in an aviation accident, especially ones involving toddlers (two killed)." But in the case of GRAND PRIX, this hyperbole seems blatantly unbelievable from the git-go. There is ALWAYS something better and bigger under the sun. You can tell from this preview that GRANd PRIX is no burning-of-Atlanta type ground-breaker, even though GONE WITH THE WIND was 27 years old by the time GRAND PRIX hit the big screen. Further, while it's admittedly cool to see a race car go careening into the bay just short of the finish line, that's not quite the spectacle of the flying monkeys from the WIZARD OF OZ (also dating from way back in '39). Finally, with the race drivers and movie stars of the 1960s all jumbled together, the majority of the world population (born since most of these people died!) will not be able to tell real people from fake race car drivers if they bother to watch this forgettable 13-minute "teaser" today.

This short promotional film was made while John Frankenheimer was filming Grand Prix, which set the standard for racing films to follow. Brief bits of the stars in the film are seen: James Garner, Yves Montand, Eva Marie-Saint, Jessica Walter, Brian Bedford, Antonio Sabato, and Francoise Hardy. The film also features several current racing stars of the time,including Phil Hill. The preparation for shooting some racing scenes is highlighted, along with aerial, track, and ground footage of the action. Although the film was made in Monaco, it reminds viewers the actual released film will feature the many other racing tracks throughout Europe from the formula one circuit.