SummaryAmerican Grand Prix driver Pete Aron is fired by his Jordan-BRM racing team after a crash at Monaco that injures his British teammate, Scott Stoddard. While Stoddard struggles to recover, Aron begins to drive for the Japanese Yamura team, and becomes romantically involved with Stoddard's estranged wife.
Directed By:John Frankenheimer
Written By:Robert Alan Aurthur, John Frankenheimer, William Hanley, Bill Gavin
Grand Prix
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72
63% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
91
Whenever the cars are running, Grand Prix is one of the best studio efforts of the '60s. The film only stalls when it's off the track, which is where more than half of this three-hour epic takes place.
90
Grand Prix is possibly the greatest motor racing film of all time.
90
Grand Prix is not just a wonderful 'race movie'; it's a brilliant cinematic achievement, period.
63
The drama sputters through a 70-minute second half. [14 July 2006, p.4E]
60
Probably the best of the formula motor racing films, though that isn't saying much. Too long, and the bits in-between are the usual soapy off-track drama.
60
It's razzle-dazzle of a random sort, but it works.The big trouble with this picture is that the characters and their romantic problems are stereotypes and clichés.
50
Frankenheimer pulls out all the stops to lend excitement to the racing footage--splitting the screen into ever smaller increments, mounting cameras to the cars to get shots taken inches above the track, and using slow motion--but ultimately his obsession with technique becomes wearying, and the plot is simply not interesting enough to stand on its own.
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.3
100% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Aug 28, 2025
8
Grand Prix revolutionized the way racing films are shot and I love it for that. The writing is overall mixed. I like the characters, I think they are quite well-written. It's interesting that everyone is in a grey area, nobody's black or white. The story was probably secondary behind spectacle and it shows. I like how some of it is unpredictable, but at the same time it's also messy. The dialogues are mixed. Some of the lines have weight and meaning, but most of them feel forced and unnatural. The cinematography is amazing. The lighting is good, but the camera movements and angles are what revolutionized the way racing films and car scenes are shot in general. You can see how some shots inspired F1: The Movie or one of the best car chase sequences of all time, in Ronin (also directed by John Frankenheimer). The editing can sometimes seem weird with a modern eye, but at the time it must have been mesmerizing. The transitions between the split screens must have also been revolutionary. The sound design and mixing helps the cinematography in achieving the feeling of racing and its realism. The score is always beautiful, but not always fitting. The acting performances are mixed. I could feel that the non-English speaking actors had a hard time acting in a different language. The line deliveries felt forced. On the other hand, the physical acting is great. Grand Prix aims for spectacle over substance and delivers.
Production Company:
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Joel Productions
- Douglas & Lewis Productions
- John Frankenheimer Productions Inc.
- Cherokee Productions
Release Date:Dec 21, 1966
Duration:2 h 56 m
Tagline:CINERAMA sweeps YOU into a drama of speed and spectacle!
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
American Cinema Editors, USA
• 1 Nomination
