The Making of "Grand Prix" Feature Film Behind the Scenes James Garner F1 RACING

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[@user-nl3vh6bw3c]

My brother painted the cars for the movie. He also was part of the pit crew in some of the shots. He passed twenty years ago. He was an exceptionally gifted man, I miss him. He worked for Eltree Film Studios London.

[@WilliamParmley]

I remember an article in Car and Driver about the making of the film. I recall a mention about one of the Ferraris getting a scratch, which required a touch-up. For some reason no one who was qualified to do the painting was available at the time, so they had a makeup artist do the job with fingernail polish. No idea if any of this is true, but it's something I still remember from that article after all these years.

[@ciAMkia]

I'm sorry for your loss. My condolences. Thank you for sharing such a grand story about him. Your pride in his accomplishments is evident and entirely appropriate.

[@user-uq1io9cv4d]

​@@ciAMkia Thank you so much, I sincerely appreciate your kind words. Thank you.

[@Triumphs1962]

John Frankenheimer was the director of Grand Prix. I was a extra on a movie where John Frankenheimer was the director on the film. I got up the nerve at lunch one day to tell him that Grand Prix was my favorite movie ever. He said with a big smile “mine too” ! Made my day!

[@paulbfields8284]

That is a cool story.. thank u for sharing..

[@paxwallace8324]

Yeah I love Ronin one of his later films.

[@orangelion03]

@@paxwallace8324 A big fan of Ronin as well. Have you seen "The Hire: Ambush"? =)

[@paxwallace8324]

@@orangelion03 no will look for it

[@orangelion03]

@@paxwallace8324 It's on KZbin. The whole series is. They are all, at the very least, entertaining...

[@paulbfields8284]

Grand Prix and Le Mans… made so close to one another and both completely dedicated to the art of the drivers and the magnificence of the machinery.. pure racing junkie movies.. love em

[@drowepower88]

Le Mans was a total flop. I don't think anyone involved would argue the point. They started filming before a plot was ever written, which ended up never having one.

[@proinseasokiellig4388]

@@drowepower88 ...and it was all the better for it.

[@patlatorres7000]

No CGI or blue screens, this was a time when one had to film reality! Grand Prix and Le Mans were, up until Rush, probably the two best motorsports movies ever made -- and I really liked Winning, but it was not quite up to the level of the first two.

[@christopherjensen5007]

I can't thank you enough for posting this....I watched the movie again last night and came across this today. I was born in 1966 and I have fond memories watching this movie with my family in the 1970's. This documentary with Alan Whicker is pure gold! What a golden era to have lived in. I only wish my late mother could of seen this documentary.....She was a big fan of James Garner and Yves 'Montand'. She always got emotional when 'Montand' had the fatal crash at the end.

[@Rammstein56]

I still remember the rant of James Garner at the local Monagask shop keepers that came to complain about lost income, I was a ten year old kid but seeing that rant again makes me understand why I never forgot it, it was very, very impressive !

[@NigelTufnel612]

It'a Mon·é·gasque

[@shesathome]

In 1969 in the USSR this movie was rated 16+ and I was 13 but somehow managed to get into theatre and watched that film at least 6 times searching for availability in different cinemas. After that I was car-crazed, got licence at 16, attempted three times to pass exams in Moscow Automobile Institute and did it after serving in the Army as a driver of a anti-aircraft missile trailer.

[@larrysorenson4789]

And please give Bob Bondurant the credit he deserves as the technical consultant for all the racing moments.

[@guidochristopherschofisch]

Bob Bondurant Racing School in Arizona was the best for my racing skills in his Mustang SVO in 2000

[@obiemichaels9675]

I watched this yesterday. James garner was always one of my favourite actors

[@chancevonfreund9145]

Probably the best racing movie ever! Lemans with Steve McQueen was a good one also! 🏁

[@guidochristopherschofisch]

The Racing Scene with Garner, too

[@chancevonfreund9145]

Yes they say Garner could have been a fantastic driver on his own according to Phil Hill, Richey Ginther and John Frankenheimer the Director! 🏁

[@orangelion03]

@@chancevonfreund9145 He tried his hand at F5000, but it didnt work out too well He did race Baja and other off road events successfully. Check out his documentary The Racing Scene, available on KZbin.

[@orangelion03]

Glad we live in a universe that has both =)

[@chancevonfreund9145]

@@orangelion03 I don't think Garner ever drove Formula 5000! I know he owned one that Scooter Patrick drove. If he tried it couldn't have been serious those cars where beasts! Im going by what the professional drivers said as doubles in the movie about Garner. Most of the main actor's had to have special props built for race shots except Garner!🏁

[@steveadams1850]

Thanks KZbin algorithm. First you sent me the movie Grand Prix .... Then a few days later you sent me this. What a treat. 😂

[@PassadenaWolfrahm]

I enjoyed this more than the movie! So many details, even right up to the end, the names on the cars, spurious velocity stacks on the "Yamura", which until now I never noticed - in over 50 viewings of the film - is a "16" cylinder engine!? All great fun. And I never knew this was made, never heard of it.

[@paulomiranda1717]

This movie turned my head when I was only six years old ,and I still love it ,sure now I speak English, the first time I saw it I didn't even know how to read the Portuguese sub titles,but after all these years it is still the motion picture that I like the most,love racing,fan of James Garner and this video really adds to it,thank you.

[@donaldparlett7708]

They said that Mr James Gardner was a pretty decent driver and enjoyed it.

[@chrishiggs-ip1qy]

My Father bought a lotus 22 that was made up to be a Gurney Eagle for the film .Fitted with Ford motor which was then supercharged for hillclimb and sprints in the 1970s Best motor race film for the shots and sound So many different engines BRM .Ferrari. Maseratti. Repco .Honda .Ford and each one with a distinctive sound Love it

[@aaarauz1]

So chaotic! and 'quite rude' is a bit of an understatement but understandable given the stress involved. Like that one guy said 'how would I do it next time? I wouldn't'

[@orangelion03]

I saw Grand Prix with family when it premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, between Christmas and New Years 1966 (I was 10). I still have the original program...somewhere...Blew us away...still does! Though I thought I knew a lot about how it was made, I had never seen this before!!! I had read/heard about Garner's "discussion" with the locals and never thought I would actually see it!!! Thank you!!!! FYI: from 50-07 to 50:20...that's Mike Parkes listening intently to Frankenheimer AND a very young Peter Revson seen behind his shoulder. They drove the modified GT-40 camera car.

[@Adair9800]

That’s interesting. I also was 10 years old in 1966. Might have been in that Cinerama Dome on the same day as you. My father was always a big fan of Formula 1, so he took me to see this incredible film at the Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd, which is a historic-cultural monument.

[@orangelion03]

@@Adair9800 Remember that feeling at the start when you're looking down the exhaust pipes on that huge screen?! Still gives me chills. We emigrated to the US from Argentina in 1964. The whole family was racing fanatics. I attended my first Grand Prix in 1956, in my mamas womb =)

[@Adair9800]

@@orangelion03 Wow, came all the way from Argentina. Used to fly there almost every month for several years. Again, a great film and a great ‘the making of’ video. Personally, I only went to one race, in Long Beach, Ca. I am always a fan of Formula 1, but more a MotoGP fan (former roadbike club racer). FWIW, on Amazon Prime there is a film/documentary from 1974 I would highly recommend, The Formula One drivers AKA the Quick and the Dead.

[@dqqb3762]

I was at the Grand Prix premiere at the Cinerama Dome too, I was 13 years old

[@orangelion03]

I dont think one could have seen that movie when a little kid and NOT to grow up a racing fan! Of any kind!!

[@racer111259]

loved the co2 car cannon. nowadays that would be cgi but in the 60's it took real ingenuity and imagination. awesome!!

[@fvingerhoed]

great little view of a time gone bye ..

[@Porsche996driver]

Sensitive Steve McQueen wanted this role but he was unavailable. Jimbo got the gig and his actual neighbor McQueen always held a grudge against him. In Garner’s biography he wrote he constantly had empty beer bottles in his backyard. True! Later McQueen produced LeMans and nearly killed it all by himself with massive delays. Garner knew how to focus and get things done. 🏁✨

[@phucgougle4279]

Mcqueen was responsible for the whole enchilada on LeMans - SOLAR productions & yes he was difficult. His good friend director John Sturgis quit the project. Garner was a hired studio gun pretty much acting responsibilities only. Both were exceptional drivers in their time. The only one that actually competed at LeMans is Paul Newman. I believe they won their class in a 930? Mcqueen & Garner both kept condos or apartments off of Sunset to be close to studio and for extracurricular activities. Mcqueen lived above Garner and would piss off the balcony onto Garner's plants. Beer bottles sounds about par short man complex to boot.

[@sw5114]

⁠​⁠@@phucgougle4279James Garner was a more like able character than McQueen . At least as an actor. No idea about his personal life, but it would appear he was friendly . Both were iconic Hollywood personalities in any regard.

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

I love cars and especially in this era, but Lemans was completely incoherent and even boring. Loved the car scenes but the plot was meandering and directionless. It reported that McQueen would write the scripts each day. It’s like many new movies where they are filming scene by scene without a completed storyboarded story. Each of these finished movies have enough content for 2 or 3 movies. The editor is essentially writing the movie. Disney is famous for this and no wonder they are struggling.

[@dlewis9760]

Frankenheimer comes across as unhinged. I love the movie, but I agree with the commentary. He was not the center of the universe concerning people that lived there. Sorry, if his ring wasn't kissed. I understand, time and money but that doesn't look like I'd enjoy working under him. The locals were probably thrilled when he and his circus left town. Garner had a reputation as a decent guy. He wasn't the characters he played, no one is always what they seem, but he had a great reputation.

[@fh2926]

Marvelous! This is a window into a bygone era, both in racing and in Hollywood. Such men no longer exist. We don't have a Phil Hill, a James Garner, a John Frankenheimer, a Peter Revson, a Graham Hill or an Yves Montand to call on these days. Not even close...

[@wpbarchitect1800]

Agreed. I worked with the director Michael Mann on a film once, and I think he's truly the last of a breed of unabashed, unashamed testosterone-driven old school man's man director, who made brilliant films about the same. He was absolutely impossible to work for and it's a brutally stressful exhausting experience, but people but up with it because, like Frankenheimer, he's as demanding on himself as much, more really, than anyone else, and there was a good chance the movie you were working on was going to be great. And he really CARES about the work and puts every inch of himself on every frame of them. That's a very rare thing in that business, and making big, grand, great movies is literally almost impossible. I can't even watch the garbage made today, it's not art and doesn't even pretend to be or know it's supposed to be, they think they're the propaganda arm of some crazy social transformation project. It's so sad that somehow the idea of maleness, men themselves, should not only feel shame for it, are born with some sort of inherent guilt has gained traction. Thank goodness we have the relics of sane times, like these films by these directors with these stars, to tide us over until sanity returns, which it will.

[@riff1964]

Thanks for posting this, I watched the movie for the first time yesterday, so much has changed over the years and so much is the same.

[@michaelmclaren7373]

The GPDA meeting scene always gets me. Heroes and legends, and so many of them later killed in accidents.

[@sylvester-jb3lj]

Brilliant docu...thank you..

[@chriscosby6612]

What a guy James garner is. 15:28 helped the guy get his picture

[@JamieSmith-fz2mz]

That's for continuity. The make-up person or continuity person is the woman to his left. The photographer is shooting his face so that they can match his make-up in subsequent shots. You can hear them quibbling about the "match". The director is mad at him now, but he'd be madder if he had to edit it together with shots of Garner that didn't match.

[@PasstheDalek]

I was a kid when I saw this movie. It was great but I always wanted to know how they made it....

[@christopherjensen5007]

I can't thank them enough for posting this...I was born in 1966 and I also have fond memories watching this movie with my family in the 1970's. This documentary with Alan Whicker is pure gold! What a golden era to have lived in. I only wish my late mother could of seen this documentary.....She was a big fan of James Garner and Yves 'Montand'. She always got emotional when 'Montand' had the fatal crash at the end.

[@rexpayne7836]

Great content and presentation. 😊

[@malquezare]

Thanks to share. I love this movie also Le Mans movie

[@Mtlmshr]

The one shot at the end of the military band marching off you can see the one guy in the forefront working for the film get into military step with the band, I had to giggle because he probably was in the British military and as soon as the band started marching his instincts kicked in!

[@paxwallace8324]

Garner went on to race formula 5000 for real in America which was open wheel with V8 engines.

[@captaintoyota3171]

Dan gurney etc said he coulda be pro if he wasnt an actor. He had actual.pace

[@sess5206]

I remember well sitting in tge theater seeing the film when it was new. For this 13 year old kid at the time, it was spectacular. It still is!

[@ciAMkia]

I was a little kid when this film came out, but already an F1 and Le Mans fan. Jacky Ickx was my hero then and he stm still is today. I was able to meet and spend time with him a few years ago. So often in life, I've met my heroes only to be severely disappointed by them. Not so with Jacky Ickx. My admiration for him grew even more. He is one of the most egoless and classy gentleman racers on the planet. I love this movie to this day. Is it perfect? No, but name one artistic endeavor that must rely on hundreds of people that are perfect. I'll wait ... I'm still waiting.

[@kevincaplice3867]

Beautifully Monaco, and a movie made with actors and sets, a script and a unique story, real people doing real things captured on film. Todays directors could learn from this.

[@michaellorenson2997]

Excellent, thanks

[@amelierenoncule]

This IS very grande, mes amis ! Wish that I had seen it before the motion picture itself.

[@reginaldozamboni8851]

A Master piece.

[@ramblingsadrift6477]

"..with any luck your next crash will be much worse."

[@scottl.1568]

Awesome 😎

[@TairnKA]

It's funny the shop owners don't realize that in the 30 or 40 minutes of their complaining about loosing business, the film crew could have done the shots in 15 to 20 minutes? ;-)

[@larrysmith6797]

Essentially, they're French.

[@Imagineering100]

This is a great movie.

[@orangelion03]

Your next crash much worse indeed. The impact at 37:51...yikes! Carey Loftin hits HARD! Surprising he could get out of the car after that, didnt snap his neck, or bash his head against the barrier! He does seems to be a little out of sorts afterwards. Wow. Bit disrespectful he didnt get any screen credit for that stunt.

[@LerockJohn]

Paul Thomas Anderson should make a movie about all this movie making experience!

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

I didn’t know that Phil Hill spoke French.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

Does anybody speak Italian here. Oh the joys of foreign locations.

[@davidlafranchise4782]

So who is the woman in the crowd at 1:10? Is that from Le Mans movie?

[@PassadenaWolfrahm]

That's Francoise Hardy, "Lisa", "Nino Barlini's" girlfriend. She was a European singing sensation back in those days and interrupted her career to costar in Grand Prix.

[@littlechicago7482]

At the 4:00 minute mark you can plainly see the fake V8 cam covers and a 4 cylinder 105E in the middle.

[@morris2450]

Classic isn't it. I still think those race cars were fairly quick all the same.

[@drowepower88]

Well, you gotta give them credit for that anyway. More than likely, they wouldn't do that, today.

[@ehoberg]

I admire the big numbres of burning cigarettes in the hands of the crew-members. That today? But it did work by that time...😄

[@timsbike4887]

I felt for the stills photographer at the 15:10 mark. They all want pictures but they don't want him there. Poor guy cant win.

[@mattg432]

Look who's looking 36:36

[@gokartbob6478]

" Nino Nino, Why do you have two girls? ... Because they are very small" 😂🏁

[@tirebiter1680]

I am pretty sure that James Garner was such a talented actor, and a 1st class amateur race driver, that he didn't bother to read and memorise his copy of the dumb ass script, he just ad-libbed it.

[@jimnasium452]

Down vote for the gd cards over the end credits of an otherwise enjoyable video. ffs🤨

[@zekelucente9702]

There’s a Brad Pitt F1 movie in the works that promises to be great.

[@deantait8326]

Excellent for the era. But dang screeching (polyester - 2/ply) tire effects, still are annoying to me

[@dmarkj22]

As someone else already said, this is way before CGI and blue screens. Today’s directors and studios are just so lazy.

[@mecano572]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

It’s too bad that the F1 cars have outgrown Monaco. There’s no room to pass.

[@sourcetext]

With a camera 😂

[@saratoga123321]

Ironic for the vintage film channel with all this originality, then wacks out the thumbnail with all kinds of Ai and effects, James Garner looks like a mutant

[@VintageFilmChannel]

Ouch, that hurts. As far as I know, that IS a James Garner mutant AI image. And fyi I love irony

[@michaelmerta8956]

Garner coming up very arrogant as an driver of an movie. Most definitely of driving was done by professional racers.

[@tirebiter1680]

John Frankenstiner spent over $6 million at race tracks in Eutrope filming with hundreds of cameras and some formula 2 cars as well as actual formula 1s. And he spent about $1.99 on the script. Best way to watch this film is on a VCR so you can fast forward thru the scenes where there are no race cars.

[@captaintoyota3171]

Oh get over yourself life is too short to hate on fun things

[@ljubastojanovic608]

This TOD-AO sound was crucial dor impression, I am surprized nobody note that.

[@carlsilverman754]

The screenplay was cliched/stereotyped...the cars looked too smalll and jury rigged...the photography could have been better...the sound awful...saw it in NYC Times Square in Cinerama...Ron Howards race film and Steve McQueens LeMans better... not Frankenheimers best

[@littlechicago7482]

A few of the cars were Lotus 18's.The size was the same if it was a FJ or a F1.

[@captaintoyota3171]

My god it was a technical accomplishment though. What other film shows open wheel racing this good