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Written by:
Gregg Leary
04/29/2008 - 08:07 AM
Charlotte, North Carolina
The DVD and book go together...like a Highland Green Ford Mustang GT and a satanic black Dodge Charger R/T. ยป More Photos
This is the first TWOFER review I've done for the SPEEDtv.com website. It had to happen. The DVD and book go together...like a Highland Green Ford Mustang GT and a satanic black Dodge Charger R/T.
Before you even OPEN "The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time" you know you're in for something special. The dust jacket shows "bad guy" Bill Hickman launching his 1968 Dodge Charger R/T above the streets of San Francisco. This book may just be "Number One.with a Bullitt." (Bad pun totally intended.) The "back jacket" depicts scenes from "The French Connection," "The Blues Brothers," "The Rock," "The Road Warrior," and even "The Keystone Kops, " and asks the intriguing question, "If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have twenty car chases to watch, which would you pick?"
O.K., I'm hooked. Author Jesse Cross is uniquely qualified to bring us his Top Twenty List of the greatest car chases of all time. He is an automotive writer and former racer.and a film buff to boot. In the Foreword, Peter Yates, director of "Bullitt," calls this book, "the definitive guide to-and analysis of-car chases on film. Anyone fascinated by the history of the car in film cannot fail to be riveted by this book."
What constitutes a great car chase? Crosse's rules are: "A car chase is a pursuit scene that has its own beginning and end within the movie. It must be real enough to flood your veins with adrenaline, make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, and leave you with a tangible sense of relief when it's over."
Jesse takes us all the way back to 1912 with Mack Sennett's Keystone Kops, as some of the earliest examples of car chases. They had "no stunt doubles, no blue screens and no computer generated images" to help them document their celluloid craziness. Perhaps "under cranking" the film was their only "special effect." I remember being spellbound as a kid watching their chases as well as marveling at the unique racing contraptions the "Our Gang" crew concocted in "The Little Rascals" episodes. I guess I was born a car chase fan.
"The Greatest Movie Car Chases of All Time" is divided into seven well researched chapters.with Chapter 8 being the payoff.The Top Twenty Car Chase Films of all time.
Chapter One, "Dynasty," tells of the People who made the great films.the directors, stunt drivers, actors, cinematographers and special effects masters.
Chapter Two, "Dancing in the Street," tells How the great chases were made. Peter Yates employed light weight
Chapter Three, "Mustangs to Minis," tells of famous cars that became stars through their roles in great car chase films. The Mustang and Charger in "Bullitt," the Dodge Challenger in "Vanishing Point," and the Minis in "The Italian Job," are profiled in detail.
Chapter Four, "Licensed to Thrill" traces the great James Bond rides.from the Aston Martin DB5 through the Lotus Esprit and BMW 750.and on to the Aston Martin Vanquish and Jaguar XKR.
Chapter Five, "Cut to the Chase," tells of the specialized equipment necessary to capture the chases on film. Low loaders, tracking vehicles, nitrogen cannons, pipe ramps, stunt turntables, and even the "Spit Roast Rig" are explained and illustrated with breathtaking photographs.
Chapter Six, "Lights, Camera, Action," describes the various cameras, mounts and techniques used in filming great action sequences.
Chapter Seven, "Playing Rough," chronicles a "day in the life" of a movie stuntman.
Chapter Eight, "The Top Twenty," is the payoff. Think of it as twice the fun of David Letterman's Top Ten List. I have seen exactly HALF the films on Jesse Crosse's list. So I'll give you my "HALF-fast" comments in parentheses at the end of some of the films I have seen. However, to get the Complete Top Twenty List, you'll have to BUY the book.
20. "Thunder Road." (1958) (One of the first films I remember seeing as a kid. Robert Mitchum was cool.almost as cool as Elvis Presley playing race driver Lucky Jackson in "Viva, Las Vegas." I just found out that Elvis wanted to be in "Thunder Road" but Colonel Parker made him turn it down.)
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18. "The Rock" (1996) (A chase scene through San Francisco? Déjà vu? "Bullitt' did it better but the pyrotechnics and special effects in "The Rock" are worth seeing. Nicholas Cage makes the Top Twenty twice.)
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