Grand Prix

Released Dec 21, 1966

2h 59m

Drama

List

92%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

The most daring drivers in the world have gathered to compete for the 1966 Formula One championship. After a spectacular wreck in the first of a series of races, American wheelman Pete Aron (James Garner) is dropped by his sponsor. Refusing to quit, he joins a Japanese racing team. While juggling his career with a torrid love affair involving an ex-teammate's wife, Pete must also contend with Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), a French contestant who has previously won two world titles.

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Alec B

If you can get passed the predictable melodrama the editing, cinematography, direction, and Saul Bass montage designs will more than see you through the lengthy running time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Klaudia K

Fantastic film about Formula 1

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/01/23

Full Review

jrnation5788

A terrific time capsule for 60's Formula 1 racing with expert cinematography, a solid story, and character performances to go along.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/05/22

Full Review

Christopher B

Grand Prix is considered one of the greatest films made about professional auto racing, mainly due to it's numerous camera angles, a variety of different and thoroughly captivating split screens as well as some of the most intense and engaging driving (A lot of it actually recorded at real Formula One races) sequences recorded on film. There is a lot to like here in the racing elements and a majority of the film is the races, however a downside is the bland and mindless romantic stories tied in between them. The only interesting element is the dilemma of risk-taking and what you have to give to compete in such dangerous professions, the men involved all make many sacrifices as well as their loved ones. The cast all does a good job and Toshiro Mifune as well as many others make up the great supporting cast as well. For the driving sequences captured alone, the film is worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/22

Full Review

philip r

Having finally seen this film after seeing parts of it forty years ago, I have to agree with many of the other comments here. Visually, it's absolutely stunning and remains one of best looking films I've seen from the 1960's. The cast is first class and overall the acting is pretty good. The problem is the story and pacing. Outside of the racing scenes, it's a fairly standard story line and it lags terribly in spots. This is by no means John Frankenheimer's best work but It remains however a must see for anybody interested in racing films or in 1960's cinema.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I saw this after the death of James Garner. The idea was good, but this was not one of his better movies. The concept was interesting-a mixture of Formula One racing and the intrigues and romances of the people involved. Trouble is, the movie tries to include too much and ends up overlong and tedious. We do get a feel of what it is like to be in the race-the high speeds, the tight curves, the dangers of other drivers or cars that break down, leading to serious accidents. We also see the strains and divided loyalties of the drivers and their respective friends and spouses. We also see the rocky relationships between drivers and their employers. But the film becomes overlong because it just tries to incorporate too much. It is easy to see why most films try to simplify their stories as much as they can.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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John Frankenheimer

Director

James Garner

Pete Aron

Eva Marie Saint

Louise Frederickson

Yves Montand

Jean-Pierre Sarti

Toshiro Mifune

Izo Yamura

Brian Bedford

Scott Stoddard

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Pauline Kael

The New Republic

There’s so much plain and fancy hard work involved in a production like Grand Prix that it begins to seem almost cruelly flippant to watch it for the same reasons we’d watch a lousy old movie on television.

Sep 19, 2023

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

It's a rowdy, roaring, ecstatic hallelujah of movement and speed.

Rated: 9/10

Jun 8, 2020

Full Review

Penelope Houston

The Spectator

Frankenheimer can make one feel that there's no more exhilarating place to put a camera than on a Formula One.

Jul 9, 2018

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Turns a high-speed death-defying stunt into a collection of beautiful pictures assembled with visceral effectiveness,.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 30, 2017

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A decent formula motor racing film.

Rated: B

Dec 31, 2014

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

It's still the gold standard for racing movies, a film which was decades ahead of its time in terms of on-track realism.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 3, 2012

Full Review

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Synopsis

The most daring drivers in the world have gathered to compete for the 1966 Formula One championship. After a spectacular wreck in the first of a series of races, American wheelman Pete Aron (James Garner) is dropped by his sponsor. Refusing to quit, he joins a Japanese racing team. While juggling his career with a torrid love affair involving an ex-teammate's wife, Pete must also contend with Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), a French contestant who has previously won two world titles.

Director: John Frankenheimer
Producer: Kirk Douglas, John Frankenheimer, James Garner
Screenwriter: Robert Alan Aurthur
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Cherokee Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Joel Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 1966, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 18, 2010
Runtime: 2h 59m

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