Video: The making of John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix
Check out this glorious “making of” video from the 1966 John Frankenheimer classic Grand Prix.
This clip looks at the shoot which took place in Monaco, one of the many European Grand Prix venues that were used in the making of the film. Grand Prix was filmed in Super Panavision 70 by Lionel Lindon, using 65mm Cinerama cameras and the results were breathtaking.
The unique racing cinematography is one of the main draws of the film. The mounting of cameras on the cars, at full speed and putting the stars in the actual cars, instead of against rear-projections made it a hit with racing fans. Drivers who appeared in the film included F1 World Champions Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Juan-Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jochen Rindt and Jack Brabham. Other drivers who appeared in the film include Richie Ginther and Bruce McLaren.
The actual stars were James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, and Antonio Sabato. Toshirô Mifune had a supporting role as a race team owner, inspired by Soichiro Honda.
One of the ten highest grossing films of 1966, Grand Prix also won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Sound in 1967 and gained cult status among racing fans. The film was released on DVD and HD DVD in 2006.
