THE SMACKDOWN -- Rush vs. Grand Prix
For my money there
is nothing more viscerally exciting than Formula 1 auto racing. As
you may know, F1 is defined by and regulated by the Federation
Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The “formula” refers to
the set of specific rules to which all teams must conform. The “1”
stands for the undeniable fact that this is the most prestigious,
most dangerous, most exciting form of motor sports in the world –
period.
Unfortunately,
F1 is relatively unknown in the United States due to the fact that
there have been very few American drivers, with Mario Andretti, Phil
Hill and Dan Gurney being the major exceptions. In addition, all of
the exotic, immensely expensive cars are made overseas. This makes
the USA about the only industrialized country in the world that
doesn't feverishly follow the fame and fortune of such teams as
Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. Then again, what would one expect
from a country with the unmitigated gall to call a major sporting
event “The World Series” when the only teams eligible to play are
located within its borders? Thus, it is a bit surprising that
American Directors and American Studios have, on occasion, risked
millions in bringing F1 racing to the screen.
Our Challenger is
Ron Howard's Rush, a highly
publicized, ambitious production based on the true story of the 1976
F1 season and the bitter rivalry between the handsome playboy
newcomer James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and established driver Niki
Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), a past champion whose methodical approach to
driving is in stark contrast to his British counterpart.
Setting
the gold standard for all previous auto racing films is our Champion,
Grand Prix, directed
by the visionary John Frankenheimer. Set ten years earlier, Grand
Prix follows a fictional set of
characters during the 1967 F1 season focusing primarily on Pete Aron
(James Garner) as a hard-charging American driver desperately seeking
a comeback.
In a documentary
about the making of Grand Prix
a voice-over announcer states, “Because of the cost and complexity,
it is unlikely that a film like this will ever be made again.”
That statement held true for over 45 years. Can Ron Howard's brand
new, true story Rush score
the victory? Or does James Garner's fictional battle for the F1
Championship still possess the winning formula?
The Challenger
“
The
closer you are to death, the more alive you feel.” This is the
tagline for Rush,
and there's no denying that dying in an F1 racing car in the 1970s
was an all-too-common occurrence, with twelve drivers being killed
that decade alone. Two-time Academy Award winning Director Ron
Howard teams with two-time Academy Award winning Screenwriter Peter
Morgan to present a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the 1976 F1
season, focusing on the sport's two leading drivers at the time and
the sizzling trifecta representing the women in their lives -- Gemma
(Natalie Dormer), a nurse who knows how to dispense medicine as well
as formalities, Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde), Hunt's drop-dead
gorgeous first wife, and Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara), Lauda's
refined and faithful wife of 15 years, a soul mate who's loyalty and
devotion to a difficult husband may only be equaled by Sharon
Osbourne.
The events of this historic season reach a flash point, literally,
with Lauda's horrific crash in the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring,
leaving him with a severely burned face and lungs and extremely close
to death. Confined to an intensive care room, Lauda watches Hunt as
he continues to win and slowly challenge his once insurmountable lead
for the season championship. Against all odds, Lauda makes an
inspirational and astonishing return to racing which climaxes at the
final rain-swept event in Japan.
Bolstered by the use of high-quality, compact digital cameras, Howard
and Cinematographer Anthony Dod deliver heart-pounding action
sequences that not only puts the audience in the stands, but in the
race cars themselves. It's a hell of a ride, and the logistics of
capturing all of this on the big screen was clearly a massive
undertaking apparently requiring the combined skills of 6 Producers
and 5 Co-Producers. Then again, Rush may have simply raised
the bar for the further dilution of what once were meaningful screen
credits. Credit issues aside, Rush is a powerful, engaging
and highly entertaining movie.
The Defending
Champion
Oscar-winning
Screenwriter (All
That Jazz)
Robert Alan Aurthur's fictional script focuses on the top four
drivers during the 1967 F1 Season – both on and off the track.
Behind the wheel we find Pete Aron (James Garner), an American who
loses his ride, only to be hired for the final few races by a wealthy
Japanese industrialist (Toshiro Mifune) who desperately wants his car
to win its first F1 race. The reigning world champion is Jean-Pierre
Sarti (Yves Montand), a Frenchman who is the leader of the legendary
Scuderia Ferrari team. Providing additional competition is the
Englishman Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford) and young Nino Barlini,
Sarti's teammate. Behind the bedroom door we find three beautiful,
but dispassionate women – Louise Frederickson (Eva Marie Saint), a
semi-frigid American journalist who gets involved with the married
Sarti, Pat Stoddard (Jessica Walter), Scott's high maintenance,
self-centered wife, and Lise (Francoise Hardy), Nino's latest nubile
squeeze.
The
tagline for Grand
Prix
was “Sweeps YOU
into a drama of speed and spectacle!” Shot in 70 mm 6-track Super
Panavision and released in Cinerama, Grand
Prix
is one film that truly utilized all of the state-of-the-art
production techniques of the day. Sitting in front of a theater
screen over 100 feet wide, the audience literally felt the
exhilarating speed and the ear-shattering sounds of high revving,
400+ horse power engines. Next to being at an actual F1 race, Grand
Prix
comes as close as anything for the average person to “experience”
the inherent danger present on every lap, every turn. (Of the 32
drivers who participated or were seen in the film, five died in
racing accidents within the next two years and another five in the
following ten years.)
The Scorecard
There are a number of ways to assess the merit of a motion picture
project. In the case of these films two criteria are paramount for a
winning formula: 1) Is the off-track storyline fully developed,
engaging, well-acted and powerful enough to stand alone, sans any
racing footage whatsoever? And 2) Do the racing scenes capture the
inherent danger, the incredible speed, the earth-shattering sound,
the complexity and the beauty of F1?
Rush
has the advantage of being based on a true story. Niki Lauda, whose
nickname was “The Rat” because of his ungainly appearance and
bucked teeth, was, by all accounts, a cold, arrogant, calculating
Austrian obsessed to be the best. He was clearly the exact opposite
of the flamboyant Hunt, a highly charismatic, reckless playboy whose
lifestyle included lots of booze, drugs and women (he is said to have
had sexual relations with an NBA-worthy 5,000 young maidens before
dying of a heart attack at the age of 45). These two
bigger-than-life, divergent personalities, each desperately seeking
to become the premier global name in F1 racing, are captured
perfectly by the complex, insightful screenplay by Peter Morgan who
has a history of pitting head-to-head real-life, powerful
personalities, including the Howard-directed
Frost/Nixon,
as well as
Blair/Brown
in The
Deal
and Idi Amin/his doctor in The
Last King Of Scotland.
Lauda and Hunt are compellingly portrayed by the remarkable Daniel
Bruhl (in what some are already declaring to be an Oscar-worthy
performance) and his counterpart Chris Hemsworth. Lauda's story is
one of unparalleled dedication, perseverance and outright will power.
In a strange twist of fate, it may have been his bitter rivalry with
Hunt that actually drives him, both spiritually and physically, to
drive again. Audiences come to love Hunt as the dazzling, dashing
dandy he is, but it is Lauda's vulnerability and bravery that will
resonate deeper and longer. In fact, there are many who believe what
Lauda does in the last race of the season is “among the bravest
decisions in motor racing history.” Clearly there are no villains
here, only two remarkable, highly talented, highly motivated
adversaries who are not as black-and-white as the checkered flag
found at the finish line.
While
the off-track scenes provide an insightful, captivating look at the
behind-the-scenes lives of two historic racers, Rush
will also be remembered for its exhilarating on-track footage. One
must assume that Howard screened Grand
Prix
prior to undertaking this project; his challenge is to at least
equal, if not exceed, the cinematic spectacle brilliantly brought to
the screen by our Champion. He comes close.
Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, supplied with three dozen Arri
Alera Plus digital cameras, deserves much of the credit, especially
for having so many actually mounted inside the race cars which
provide a staggering visual immediacy. The extreme close-up of
Hunt's eyes behind the wheel captures the incredible focus needed to
pilot a 180 mph F1 car as well as any camera technique previously
employed. And the overhead shots of the blazing inferno engulfing
Lauda's blood-red Ferrari will not easily be forgotten.
All of these amazing images are enhanced by the cello-driven score by
Hans Zimmer providing a surprising and unique counterpart to the
speed of the cars and the sound of their screaming F1 engines.
Additional kudos must go to Editors Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill
who manage to condense a complex, multi-faceted story into a mere
123-minute running time. Opie and friends have done well.
Howard's
counterpart, John Frankenheimer, is probably best known for
directing, Birdman
of Alcatraz
and The
Manchurian
Candidate,
but his ability to overcome the immense challenges of shooting Grand
Prix
may be his most significant cinematic accomplishment. Without doubt,
Frankenheimer's biggest challenge was the screenplay penned by Robert
Alan Arthur, which at times is little more than a soap opera.
Nonetheless, the entire cast does an admirable job with the material,
with the lone exception being “newcomer” Francoise Hardy who, at
the time, was a popular singer in France. While she definitely
provides pleasing eye candy, her lack of acting ability can best be
summed up by simply pointing out that she never again appeared in a
major film anywhere.
Clearly
the best parts in Grand
Prix
didn't go to the actors, they went to the cars, and when the action
moves from off-track melodrama to on-the-track mega-drama, our
Champion's fortunes take a bigger turn than the famous Grand Hotel
Hairpin Curve at Monaco thanks to Director Frankenheimer's
outstanding directorial, editorial and technical achievements when
the pedal hits the metal. As the tagline declares, Grand
Prix “Sweeps YOU
into a drama of speed and spectacle!” If there ever was truth in
advertising, consider the fact that many young film goers would
become mesmerized by sitting in the very first row through repeated
screenings while stoned. Now that, my friend, was a hell of a rush
in
1967.
Using
every Super
Panavision camera in existence, the ultra-wide screen images
benefitted from Frankenheimer's occasional use of split screen (in
part to overcome the inherent distortion problems presented by
Cinerama in close-ups) as well as employing the additional use of
multi-image sequences. And
keep in mind there's no CGI – (thank you very much) – everything
you see is real.
Just as impressive was
the meticulous attention paid to capturing the ear-splitting sounds
of the various race cars, garnering Grand
Prix
two well-deserved Academy Awards. (Each car was carefully miked and
recorded so the screaming sounds made by the Ferrari engine would be
100% accurate and discernible from those made by the engine powering
the McLaren – it is this attention to detail that racing
aficionados cherish the most.)
All other technical aspects of the
film were top notch as well, with everything skillfully blended by
Oscar-nominated film editors Henry Berman, Stu Linder and Frank
Santillo and further enhanced by the moving score by Maurice Jarre,
who had recently completed Laurence
of Arabia. All
things
considered,
the
176
minute running time maintains its pace remarkably well.
The Decision
Both John Frankenheimer and Ron Howard began their careers in
television. Frankenheimer started out behind the camera; his
experience with employing multi-camera production techniques, meeting
rigid deadlines and needing to get things right on the first take
amid the chaos of live TV made him an ideal choice for Grand Prix.
Howard on the other hand, began his career in front of the camera.
His transition to directing single-camera feature-length motion
pictures is both remarkable and undeniable. Given these backgrounds,
one might give Frankenheimer the edge when it comes to the challenges
of capturing the turbulent and tempestuous world of F1 racing. Then
again...
Decision time – which of these two highly talented filmmakers
brings home the Smackdown trophy? Let's do a quick recap:
Cinemascope vs. Conventional Projection. Academy Award Winning
Sound Effects vs. Potential Academy Award Winning Sound Effects. 176
minutes vs. 123. Eva Marie Saint/Jessica Walter vs. Natalie
Dormer/Olivia Wilde. Robert Alan Aurthur's Screenplay vs. Peter
Morgan's Screenplay.
One film is Bigger, and even though it has nothing to do with
Niki, it is Lauda! The other is Faster. Hotter.
And Better!
Pop open the champagne Mr. Howard, taking the checkered flag is our
Smackdown Winner –
Rush.
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