The Making Of Grand Prix

As I normally have a good eye for quality films that I want to rent, I want to begin by saying I have never got it so wrong as I did with 'The Making of Grand Prix'.

Firstly, I saw the film when it was released in 1968, and, except for some of the schmaltzy romantic goo that one expects in Hollywood action films of that era, I really enjoyed it for the close up action of the cars on the grids of the Formula 1 circuit in 1967 when the film was shot.

So, the first 15 minutes of this DVD were exactly what I expected; archive film of John Frankenheimer and his stars and production team at work at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix and the subsequent races of the 1967 F1 season, with a very boring american in his dated dress suit delivering a cheesy intro of each chapter of the DVD.

What followed was beyond my comprehension. I was subjected to the standard nauseating American newsreel type coverage of many major European and American road races with FULL GRAPHIC COVERAGE of the all too frequent crashes and fatalities of this sport.

Included for our edification and titillation were the1955 LeMans accident when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes flew into the spectators and exploded amongst the crowd and the newsreel cameramen immediately ran over to the site of horror and FILMED the bodies of dead and dying spectators spread out over the track and viewing areas; also, Taffy von Tripps' fatal accident at another track; several years' worth of INDIANAPOLIS 500 racing and fatal crashes; but the worst was the film of Lorenzo Bandini's 1967 Monaco crash when the camera showed poor Lorenzo's fatally broken and burned body being removed from the foam covered remains of his Ferrari. Even though it was just grainy black and white footage, you could see more than you wanted.

At that point, I removed the DVD from my player and returned it to its mailer/envelope for posting. I think this DVD should be renamed 'The Death of Formula 1'. If ever one needed a reason to justify how boring Formula 1 has become with all the politics and infighting between the teams and the FIA, etc., this is it. Can anyone even remember the last fatal accident at a Formula 1 circuit?

This DVD should be remarketed for what it is and the trailer for the film production, 'GRAND PRIX', should be marketed separately. That would, at least, be an honest representation of what is contained on the disc.