Need a gift idea for your Dad this Christmas? Well if he likes motor racing you could do a lot worse than getting him
'Grand Prix' on DVD. Released in 1996, this film will evoke memories of what formula 1 was like in the 60s or in my case give a taste of what the old days were like!
Directed by the late John Frankenheimer, who also directed the quality 'Ronin'. The superb car chases in Ronin follow on superbly from the directing skill on show in Grand Prix. The engine noises are real, the speed is real, in fact everything seems utterly authentic.
The film has been digitally transferred from restored 65mm elements and still looks amazing in widescreen. The style of the whole film should excite people with an interest in artistic filmmaking, andnot just petrol heads. The superb 5.1 sound was clearly ahead of its time.
Split screen action in the race scenes makes me wonder why formula one today cannot show the same innovative coverage. A lot of camera work in modern F1 you have no sensation of speed, instead the camera seems to just follow the car, trying to hold as long as possible on the advertising. Back in the 60s however, the cars were just plain red or blue and it was the drivers bravery which made the difference.
The film brings home the brutality of the sport, with some horrific accidents and crashes. The film tries to deal with the personalities of some of the drivers as they come to terms with their mortality. The young are just enjoying the fast life of hot women & fame while the older gents think about retirement.
Its strange to think one of the young leading ladies is
Jessica Walter, who plays Lucile Bluth in Arrested Development. The film also features the rather lovely french singer Francoise Hardy (below).
The 2 disc special edition contains a lot of extras. There are 4 different documentaries, about the making of the film and some other ones about the sport in the 60s. There is even an interesting one about the Brands Hatch racing circuit.
Even better is that this DVD is only
£2.97 from Amazon. At this price it is probably the best bargain dvd I own!
Take advantage while you can guys - I shudder to think how many DVDs I could buy. It may be a great time to get on some of their boxsets - which are up to 70% off anyway!
