'Can-Am: The Speed Odyssey' - what do you think?

Well, it finally arrived yesterday. Was the months of waiting worth it? Overall, yes. I have only watched it once, but it struck me as more of a rough draft than a polished product. What did you think?

The film is 98% original footage which is great. Jim and Sam do a nice job on the narrative. I was dissapointed to see they left out the 1964 pre Can-Am Riverside and Mosport footage used in the trailer. It needs more lead-up to how big banger sports cars came to be. The time wasted on the public road in the opening sequence could have been better spent. I also would have liked to have seen more of the footage to go along with the driver quotes from the trailer.

Some high points - the 66 San Jovite race footage was very exciting. 1967 Bridgehamption and Road America were also excellent. The 1970 Glen footage looks like it was taken direct from TV. I could not believe how good it looked. Fantastic. The ti22 crash at San Jovite which was probably taken from Super 8 was a welcome addition.

There must have been very little 1969 footage located, as the year was covered in a very short chapter, almost as an afterthought. The film ends rather abruptly with Donohue winning the 1973 championship. No mention of what happened in 1974.

I know I may sound rather critical of the flow of the film and that its choppy in spots, but I did enjoy the original footage very much and recommend it.

I hope to offer you my opinion later today as I believe it's on its way to my office as I type this. I've been looking forward to this DVD for almost a year now! To be honest, I anticipate it to be more of a rough draft like you mentioned. I have a hard time believing they would have a huge budget at their desposal... Even so, I'm still very excited for this DVD. Can Am footage is hard to come by, so anything is very welcome!

Originally posted by Aero426
The ti22 crash at San Jovite which was probably taken from Super 8 was a welcome addition.

I'm afraid that our friend Peter Bryant would likely disagree.....
Tom

after all the wait....i thought it was only so so.

My copy finally arrived today. Sure, it could've been better. But, as it wasn't filmed to as a documentary it's not that bad. I was dissapointed at so little 73 coverage and no 74, as was mentioned earlier.

Finally watched my copy this evening, and overall I was very pleased. I do wish it would have covered more then just select events of the Can Am, but the footage was great. Sam Posey was great as well. He could be talking about lawn mower racing, and I'd still be captivated!

Overall, definitely worth the price. Especially considering that I wasn't around to see Can Am in person, and the only footage I've really seen has been limited to short youtube videos!

Got my DVD late yesterday. Immediately popped a cool one, sat down, and enjoyed it.

Considering that the footage was 35-40 yrs old, I thought it very well done. I particularly enjoyed the coverage of venues where I'd seen the originals run (Riverside, Stardust, Road Atlanta and Bridgehampton). And I thought the driver interviews (esp w/Bruce and Mark) were excellent. Kudos to Sam Posey and Jim Hall for top-notch narration.

I'd give it an 8.5 on a 10 scale; well worth the price.

And as an old Cobra owner, I enjoyed the intro, even if it had no real connection to the series....

and what about the other can-am DVD "Can-Am Thunder"

Have tried to locate a copy here in the U K , but no luck ! can anyone advise where I can get it from ?

Thanks

www.motorsportcollector.com

They're based in Chicago, but I believe they will ship internationally.

I watched it on my laptop in the dealer's waiting room while our Toyotl was getting refreshed.

The video had me leaning into the curves, and I enjoyed the interviews. It'll be much better with more realistic sound.

I laughed out loud at Vic's comment about driving the Shadow "once".

Definitely worth it.

Haven't looked at "can-am thunder" yet.

--
Frank Sheffield
San Diego CA
USA

Might just have to run down to Downers Grove (TMC is located there) to grab a copy ;) I am curious about Can-Am Thunder too, they keep going on about it in all of the e-mail updates!

I enjoyed The Speed Odyssey DVD which was well put together with many clips for the 60s/70s

The Can-Am Thunder DVD seemed to rely much more on modern day Supersports, Good Festival of Speed and the 2007 Monterey Historic with Pete Lyons relating many stories - clips form the early days were fewer

Can Am Thunder is a Duke Video production, so should be readily available in the Uk via usual sources, or in Australia from www.pitstop.net.au (who have the Speed Odyssey one as well in need...) Looking forward to seeing a copy after such a long wait for it!

Fellow forum member Paul Medici brought both Can-Am The Speed Odyssey and CanAm Thunder with him on a visit this weekend. They are both good. It is easy to criticize either one of them. They both tried their hardest to show the viewer what the CanAm series was about.

On CanAm Thunder Pete Lyons explains the different cars in the series. He does a very good job of it. Some of the footage is current Vintage. There is original CanAm mixed in with the current.

On Can-Am The Speed Odyssey, Sam Posey does a beautiful job of preparing the viewer for what he is about to see. I don't feel either of these DVD's are going to be considered the ultimate example of what the Can-Am was about. There is only so much you can show the viewer per race and that is about what they have accomplished. Mostly showing the leaders and a few close ups of the Team members.