I already possess the films Bullitt, The French Connection, The Italian Job [original version], and Mad Max and knew that they did indeed contain some exciting car chases. I was not disappointed with my purchase – all the other excerpts were equally as exciting.
Unfortunately the DVD is not available to purchase, as it was a give away with a 2007 Top Gear Magazine.
It is my intention today to look in a little bit more detail at each of these films.
Bullitt is a 1968 American thriller film starring Steve McQueen. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the novel titled Mute Witness (1963) by Robert L. Fish (aka Robert L. Pike). Lalo Schifrin wrote the original music score, a mix of jazz, brass and percussion.The movie won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Frank P. Keller) and was nominated for Best Sound. Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.
Bullitt is probably best-remembered for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, regarded as one of the most influential car chase sequences in movie history. The scene had Bullitt in a dark "Highland Green" 1968 Ford Mustang 390 CID Fastback, chasing two hit-men in a "Tuxedo Black" 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum.
In 2007, Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
At the time of the film's release, the car chase scene generated a great amount of excitement.
Two 1968 390 CID V8 Ford Mustangs (325 bhp) were used for the chase scene, both owned by Ford Motor Company and part of a promotional loan agreement with Warner Bros. The Mustangs' engines, brakes and suspensions were heavily modified for the chase by veteran car racer Max Balchowsky.
Ford Motor Company had also originally loaned two Ford Galaxie sedans that were intended to be used in the chase scenes, but the producers found the cars entirely too heavy to put through jumps over the hills of San Francisco without the suspensions of the cars being severely damaged.
The Galaxie sedans were replaced with two 1968 440 CID/375 bhp Dodge Chargers that were bought outright from Glendale Dodge in Glendale, California. The engines in both Chargers were left largely unmodified, but the suspensions were upgraded to cope with the demands of the stunt work.
The director called for speeds of about 75–80 mph (120–130 km/h), but the cars (including the ones containing the cameras) reached speeds of over 110 mph (175 km/h) on surface streets. Driver's point-of-view angles were used to give the audience the "feel" of the ride as the cars jumped the hills.
Filming the chase scene took three weeks, resulting in 9 minutes and 42 seconds of film. During this film sequence, the Charger loses six hubcaps and has different ones missing in different shots. As a result of shooting from multiple angles simultaneously, and some angles' footage used at different times to give the illusion of different streets, the speeding cars can be seen passing the same green VW bug four different times and the same blue sedan with black top three times. The Charger also crashes into the camera in one scene and the damaged front fender is noticeable in later scenes. After the Charger hits a parked car, it disappears for a split second from the screen before the scene is changed.
(I bet you will go back and look at this sequence now to see if you can spot all these!)
Although Steve McQueen was an accomplished driver, he did not perform the bulk of the driving stunt work. The stunt coordinator, Carey Loftin, hired famed stuntman and motorcycle racer Bud Ekins to do most of the risky stunts in the Mustang. He is also the stunt man who lays down his bike in front of a skidding truck during the chase (Ekins also doubled for McQueen in the sequence of The Great Escape in which McQueen's character jumps over a barbed wire fence on a motorcycle). The Mustang’s interior rear view mirror goes up and down depending on who is driving: when the mirror is up (visible) McQueen is behind the wheel, and when it is down (not visible) Ekins is driving.
The black Dodge Charger was driven by Bill Hickman, who also played one of the hit-men and helped with the choreography of the chase scene.
Of the two Mustangs, one was scrapped after filming due to liability concerns and the surviving backup car was sold to an employee of Warner Brothers' editing department. The car changed hands several times, and Steve McQueen at one point made an unsuccessful attempt to buy it. Currently in non-working condition, the Mustang is rumored to have been kept in a barn in the Ohio River Valley by an anonymous owner.
Ford Mustang used in the chase scenes in Bullitt
The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore. It tells the story of New York Police Department detectives named "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy Russo, whose real-life counterparts were Narcotics Detectives Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso. Egan and Grosso also appear in the film, as characters other than themselves.
It was the first R-rated movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture since the introduction of the MPAA film rating system. It also won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gene Hackman), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Ernest Tidyman). It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Roy Scheider), Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Tidyman also received a Golden Globe Award, a Writers Guild of America Award and an Edgar Award for his screenplay.
In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".
The film is often cited as containing one of the greatest car chase sequences in movie history. The chase involves Popeye commandeering a civilian's car (a 1971 Pontiac LeMans) and then frantically chasing an elevated train, on which a hitman is trying to escape.
The scene was filmed in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn roughly running under the B subway line (currently the D subway line) which runs on an elevated track above 86th Street and New Utrecht Avenue in Brooklyn. The conductor played by Bob Morrone and train operator played by William Coke, aboard the hijacked train were both actual NYC Transit Authority employees.
Friedkin's plan included fast driving coupled with five specific stunts:
1. Doyle is sideswiped by a car in an intersection
2. Doyle's car is clipped by a truck with a "Drive Carefully" bumper sticker.
3. Doyle narrowly misses a woman with a baby stroller and crashes into a pile of garbage.
4. Doyle's vision is blocked by a tractor trailer which forces him into a steel fence.
5. Doyle must go against traffic to get back on a parallel path with the el.
Intercut with these car scenes underneath the elevated train is additional footage (shots facing the car, not from the driver's perspective) that was shot in Bushwick, Brooklyn, particularly when Doyle misses a moving truck and slams into a steel fence. Many of the shots in the scene were "real" and while Gene Hackman drove well over half of the shots used in the film, legendary stunt driver Bill Hickman, who also had a small role in the film as FBI agent Mulderig, drove the stunt scenes and point-of-view shots through the windshield and from the front bumper, with Friedkin running a camera from the backseat while wrapped in a mattress for protection.
The production team received no prior permission from the city for such a dangerous stunt, but they had the creative consulting and clout provided to them by Eddie Egan and Sonny Grosso (which allowed normal protocol for location shooting like permits and scheduling to be circumvented), and the only precaution taken was to place a "gumdrop" style beacon on the car's roof and blare the horn. The most famous shot of the chase is made from a front bumper mount and shows a low-angle point of view shot of the streets racing by. This was the last shot made in the film and was, according to Friedkin, needed to increase the speed of the chase after a rough cut of the scene proved less impressive than he hoped.
While Friedkin contends the front-bumper shot is made at speeds of "up to 90mph," director of photography Owen Roizman, wrote in American Cinematographer magazine in 1972 that the camera was under cranked to 18 frames per second to enhance the sense of speed. Roizman's contention is bared out when you see a car at a red light whose muffler is pumping smoke at an accelerated rate.
Other shots involved stunt drivers who were supposed to barely miss hitting the speeding car, but due to errors in timing accidental collisions occurred and were left in the final film. Friedkin said that he used Santana's song "Black Magic Woman" during editing to help shape the chase sequence; though the song does not appear in the film, "it [the chase scene] did have a sort of pre-ordained rhythm to it that came from the music."
Grand Prix is an action film released in 1966. It was directed by John Frankenheimer with music by Maurice Jarre. It starred James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford and Antonio Sabato. Toshirô Mifune has a supporting role as a race team owner, inspired by Soichiro Honda. It was photographed in Super Panavision 70 by Lionel Lindon, and presented in 70 mm Cinerama in premiere engagements.
The unique racing cinematography is one of the main draws of the film. Racing fans also enjoy the real-life racing footage and the appearances by real drivers. These included walk-ons (some uncredited) of F1 World Champions Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Juan-Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jochen Rindt and Jack Brabham. There also were Richie Ginther and Bruce McLaren.
One of the ten highest grossing films of 1966, Grand Prix also won Academy Awards for Best Sound Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Sound in 1967 and gained cult status among racing fans.
The Italian Job is a British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. It was released in 1969 and was very popular in Britain; subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as something of a national institution in the UK, with a cult following elsewhere.
Its distinctive soundtrack was composed by Quincy Jones, and includes two well-known songs, "On Days Like These" sung by Matt Monro over the opening credits, and "Getta Bloomin' Move On" (usually referred to as "The Self Preservation Society", after its chorus) during the film's climactic car chase. Lead actor Michael Caine can be clearly heard among the singers in the latter.
In November 2004, the magazine Total Film named The Italian Job the 27th greatest British film of all time. The line "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!", said by Michael Caine in the film, was voted the favourite film one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1000 film fans.
According to the director's commentary on the DVD, despite the huge publicity the film would give to the Mini, the car's maker, BMC, were not completely committed to the project. BMC only provided a token fleet of Minis and the production company had to buy the remaining number needed for filming, albeit at trade price.
By contrast, the Italian manufacturer Fiat grasped the commercial potential of the film and offered the production team as many super-charged Fiat cars as they needed, several sports cars for the Mafia confrontation scene, plus a cash lump sum of $50,000, but the producers turned down the offer because it would have meant replacing the Minis with Fiats.
As Croker walks through the garage where the Minis are being prepared for the robbery, we hear that "Rozzer's having trouble with his differential" and we clearly see that the back of the red Mini Cooper is jacked up and Rozzer is obviously working hard. This is probably an insider joke since the Mini is a front wheel drive car and does not have a rear differential. In the early 1960s, front wheel drive cars were a new and rare occurrence, asking a novice car mechanic to repair a Mini's rear differential was a popular snipe hunt.
Gold cost about $39 per troy ounce in 1968 so four million dollars in gold bars would have weighed about 3200 kg (7000 lb), requiring each of the three Minis to carry about 1070 kg (2300 lb) in addition to the driver and passenger. Since a 1968 Mini only weighs 630 kg (1400 lb), each of these diminutive vehicles would have had to carry over 1½ times its own weight in gold.
The coach used at the end of the film, was a 1964 Bedford VAL with Harrington Legionnaire Body, distinctive for its twin front steering axles. Following the filming, the coach had its improvised rear doors welded up and was subsequently used on a Scottish school bus route until the mid 1980s and was scrapped according to the Legionnaire register.
The Lamborghini Miura that has an unfortunate accident in the opening scenes was a real Miura P400. As it tumbles you can see it has no engine, so the car was stripped to just a frame before being tossed off the cliff.
Charlie Croker picks up an Aston Martin DB4 Convertible from a garage after his release from prison. The Aston Martin scene in the original film was mostly improvised by the two actors, which caused slightly visible lighting problems in the scene as the crew didn't know where the actors would be.
The Mini's make their getaway in "The Italian Job"
Le Mans is a 1971 action film directed by Lee H. Katzin. Starring Steve McQueen, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race.
The film is today still popular among race fans as it is a relatively accurate depiction of the era, with a lot of racing but very little dialogue. Due to this, and partly to the American market's general low awareness of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, it was only a moderate success at the box office there. It followed in the wake of the similar 1966 film Grand Prix.
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) is an American thriller film directed by William Friedkin and based on the novel written by former Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin. The film features William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Turturro, John Pankow, among others. Wang Chung composed and performed the original music soundtrack. The film tells the story of the lengths to which two Secret Service agents go to arrest a counterfeiter.
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian action film directed by George Miller and written by Miller and Byron Kennedy. The film, starring the then-little-known Mel Gibson, was released internationally in 1980.
C'était un rendez-vous ("It was a date") is a short film (under 10 minutes) made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris.
Ronin is a 1998 action-thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and written by J.D. Zeik and David Mamet. It stars Robert De Niro and Jean Reno as two of several former special forces and intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious, heavily guarded suitcase while navigating a maze of shifting loyalties and alliances. The film is noted for its sensational car chases.
Vanishing Point is a 1971 action-road movie directed by Richard C. Sarafian; starring Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, and Dean Jagger.
Vanishing Point is notable for its scenery from filming locations across the American Southwest and its social commentary on the post-Woodstock mood in the United States.
The film is beloved by Mopar auto enthusiasts because it is one of the few movies ever to feature a classic Dodge muscle car. Though there was a 1997 remake, the original 1971 version of Vanishing Point is a cult classic.
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) is an American thriller film directed by William Friedkin and based on the novel written by former Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin. The film features William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Turturro, John Pankow, among others. Wang Chung composed and performed the original music soundtrack. The film tells the story of the lengths to which two Secret Service agents go to arrest a counterfeiter.
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian action film directed by George Miller and written by Miller and Byron Kennedy. The film, starring the then-little-known Mel Gibson, was released internationally in 1980.
Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story of breakdown of society, murder and vengeance. It became a top-grossing Australian film and has been credited for further opening up the global market to Australian New Wave films.
The movie was also notable for being the first Australian film to be shot with a widescreen anamorphic lens.
It has had a lasting influence on apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction ever since. The film spawned two sequels, Mad Max 2 in 1981 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.
The Car used in "Mad Max"
C'était un rendez-vous ("It was a date") is a short film (under 10 minutes) made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris.
For many years it has been enjoyed as an almost Masonic secret among car enthusiasts. Whisper the words “Have you seen Rendezvous?” and you’ll receive either a knowing, “No, but I’ve heard it’s unbelievable” or a smug, “It is un-be-lieve-able”. Lack of distribution has only fuelled the myths surrounding the film.
Was Lelouch really arrested when it was first shown? Who drove the car? Was it Lelouch or a hired Formula One driver? What was the car? Was it really a Ferrari 275 GTB? How did he do it?
A composite version of the rumours/myths (garnered verbally and from the web) would read something like this; Lelouch had made enough money from his classic “Un Homme et une Femme” to buy himself a Ferrari, which he proceeded to drive with “enthusiasm” in his native Paris. Whilst shooting another film, a new bit of equipment was being used – a gyro stabilised camera mount.
Lelouch then came up with the idea for “C’était un Rendezvous”. The camera used only had a ten minute film magazine – hence the mad dash to the steps of the Basilique du Sacre Couér in Montmatre.
On first showing, Lelouch was supposedly arrested. In his defence, he proclaimed he had taken all possible precautions. This included convincing a Formula One driver to helm the car (he refused to name him).
Subsequently the film went underground - occasionally shown in front of a Lelouch full-length feature on theatrical release. Outside of this, only poor quality pirate copies on VHS or a badly worn print were available. These would be played at car club meetings and slowly the film attained its mythical status with the arrival of the internet helping to spread the word.
What we do know is that there are no special effects or speeding up the film - Lelouch simply mounted the camera on the front of the car and shot it. This is what separates “C’était un Rendezvous” from all other films - it’s “verité”.
Today, the audience walks into a movie, safe in the knowledge of computer-generated special effects or a production where there’s enough money to block off streets and control the traffic. Lelouch had none of this.
Richard Symons, a documentary film maker, with more than a passing interest in fast cars came to hear of it and managed to acquire a very poor 2nd generation VHS copy. He wasn’t disappointed… “I’d never seen anything like it, 9 minutes of adrenalin that simply leaves your jaw on the floor. To cut a long story short, we got in touch with the director, dusted down the 35mm negative, restored and re-mastered it for re-release – we’ve brought out all the details and colours and it looks stunning.”
“C’était un Rendezvous” has come to represent something more than an adrenalin rush. It uniquely captures a time and a spirit that seems a long way away from today. Lelouchs’ brilliant ending only adds to this – making a beautiful sense out of the preceding nine minutes.
Ronin is a 1998 action-thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and written by J.D. Zeik and David Mamet. It stars Robert De Niro and Jean Reno as two of several former special forces and intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious, heavily guarded suitcase while navigating a maze of shifting loyalties and alliances. The film is noted for its sensational car chases.
Vanishing Point is a 1971 action-road movie directed by Richard C. Sarafian; starring Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, and Dean Jagger.
Vanishing Point is notable for its scenery from filming locations across the American Southwest and its social commentary on the post-Woodstock mood in the United States.
The film is beloved by Mopar auto enthusiasts because it is one of the few movies ever to feature a classic Dodge muscle car. Though there was a 1997 remake, the original 1971 version of Vanishing Point is a cult classic.
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