35 replies to this topic

[pluto]

Has anyone seen the 1967 version of Michel Vaillant TV series which is now in a double DVD format? It seems that lots of interesting stuff is in there...

[Pedro 917]

I know Michel Vaillant was French F.3 driver Henri Grandsire but that's about all I can remember. I was only 12 then and understood little of the French they spoke. I would love to see them though, just to see the old tracks and footage of that time.

[SEdward]

Are you sure that you're not mixing it up with the recent Michel Vaillant film, which has just been released on DVD?

If you are, then believe me, it's not even worth watching.

Edward.

[Rob29]

Never heard of a previous film or TV series. Are you sure it was not a cartoon? If there is a film of 1967 french F3 racing please advise where I can obtain a copy.

[hans stuck]

This is it:
http://michelvaillant.free.fr/dvd.htm
Looks too cool.
Don't speak french, but I bet its a gas anyways.
Been trying to track down a set for US dvd players, a retailer etc.
Not much luck...
Anyone with more info, please pass it!

[Peter Morley]

Originally posted by hans stuck
This is it:
http://michelvaillant.free.fr/dvd.htm
Looks too cool.
Don't speak french, but I bet its a gas anyways.
Been trying to track down a set for US dvd players, a retailer etc.
Not much luck...
Anyone with more info, please pass it!

I've got both dvd's - but not watched either of them yet (current backlog of around 50 dvds).....

One is:
"Les aventures de Michel Vaillant"
All 13 original episodes on 2 discs, released in 2003.
It lists drivers as Bob Bondurant, Jo Schlesser, Johnny Servoz, Mauro Bianchi, Jose Rosinski so it must have real footage.

The other is:
Michel Vaillant - the recent cinema film which features a Panoz LMP-1 & Lola B98/10
I have the 3 disc prestige version that was released in 2004

Both are region 2 (e.g. Europe) and of course in French (but the film does mention a French subtitled version). So you'll need a chipped player to watch them in the US (shouldn't be a problem getting them mail ordered).

I'll try to find time to scan through them soon.

[hans stuck]

chipped player?
They have not been released for US costumers? :

[starlet]

In two words : HIGHLY RECOMMANDED

As Luc said, Michel Vaillant was the driver/"actor" Henri Grandsire.
At the time of the series, he was an Alpine driver.
So during the 13 episodes, we can see him making its own races.
There are thus beautiful images from sport cars ( Targa Florio, Monza, Sebring ... ), F3 ( Monaco ... for Rob29 ) and even rally.

What Grandsire liked well in fact, was that the shooting being directly made through the true race, he not dedicated really much time to play the actor.

He keeps a good memory of this series, even if he is more recognized in France now as a former actor than as a former driver ...

[pluto]

I love it. The 25 minutes 13 episodes in fascinating black and white are more motor-racing documentaries than anything else: the "actors" are Bob Bondurant, Johnny Servoz-Gavin, Mauro Bianchi, José Rosinsky, Jo Schlesser etc. The location: Reims, Rouen, Charade, Magny-Cours, Monza, Targa Florio, Montecarlo, Nurburgring, Sebring etc.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

[pluto]

other infos (in Italian)

http://www.michel-va...it/telefilm.htm

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by pluto
I love it. The 25 minutes 13 episodes in fascinating black and white are more motor-racing documentaries than anything else: the "actors" are Bob Bondurant, Johnny Servoz-Gavin, Mauro Bianchi, José Rosinsky, Jo Schlesser etc. The location: Reims, Rouen, Charade, Magny-Cours, Monza, Targa Florio, Montecarlo, Nurburgring, Sebring etc.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

And Amazon.fr will ship it free to the UK for a very reasonable €22 or so. I think I'm going to have fun with this one! (then again I grew up with dodgily dubbed European kids' shows - Robinson Crusoe, anyone?;))

[pluto]

Please note that apart from Bob Bondurant everybody else in the series speaks in French...

[Rob29]

Originally posted by pluto
Please note that apart from Bob Bondurant everybody else in the series speaks in French...

No doubt the reason it was never released in UK or USA.? Think I must have this if only for Reims F3 racing.

[ensign14]

Back to the odd verbs thread? Is there a French infinitive 'bondurer'?

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Rob29
No doubt the reason it was never released in UK or USA.? Think I must have this if only for Reims F3 racing.

I'd be surprised if that was the reason we didn't see it, there was a minor cottage industry in dubbing European kids' programmes for the UK market - my generation grew up with black-and-white Euro stuff like Robinson Crusoe (French), the Aeronauts (French), The White Horses (German/Yugoslav!), Belle and Sebastian (French), Heidi (German, I think?)... oh and American stuff like Whirlybirds and Casey Jones.;) Not to mention Oz stuff, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.....

None of this "ishoos-based yoof drama" for us midthirtysomethings - B&W imports, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Tiswas, thanks

[Eric McLoughlin]

Robinson Crusoe had a lovely theme tune though.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by ensign14
Back to the odd verbs thread? Is there a French infinitive 'bondurer'?

Well, given that Bob's written a whole series of books on various aspects of high-performance driving I propose that "bondurer" must obviously be a verb either meaning to drive fast, or to write about it.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Eric McLoughlin
Robinson Crusoe had a lovely theme tune though.

It did, and did you ever see him get off the island? -- it used to be on summer holiday mornings, and I suspect that we always went back to school about 2 days before the ship rescued him.

Fans of classic TV (particularly British) should pay a visit to http://tv.cream.org/ - a site that mixes genuine affection with occasional shocked disbelief at what we used to watch. Loads of theme tunes and screen captures, too. (disclaimer, I've written the odd bit for that site in the past).

[SEdward]

Since things are quiet on the work front, I popped to the Auto Passion shop in Paris this morning and there was the Michel Vaillant double DVD. 13 x 25-minute episodes with various extras thrown in. The shop charges €37.96, which is steep compared with the prices quoted earlier in this thread, but it does include 19.6% VAT, which Amazon probably doesn't.

The chap behind the counter, who is a fairly reliable critic, was very enthusiastic about the DVDs. But since I had just spent €150.00 on two Chris Nixon tomes, I declined his offer.

LCJ Editions & Productions, INA/PLAZZA.

Edward.

[pluto]

Has anyone had the chance to see the series in the meantime?
If yes, any comments?
tks

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by pluto
Has anyone had the chance to see the series in the meantime?
If yes, any comments?
tks

Mine was shipped earlier this week - hasn't arrived here yet

[Rob29]

Diito here

[roger_valentine]

I bought the excellent TV series on VHS a couple of years ago. Could someone please let me know what 'extras' are on the DVD version - also, is it subtitled (in French)?

[HEROS]

Hello Roger,

Among the extras on DVD, the most important are :

- Michel Vaillant the character

- About Jean Graton

- '' Michel Vaillant : A story of families '' 52 mn

- Photo gallery and technical specifications of racing cars

I have the french version in VHS and DVD and it's a great pleasure to watch
them many times ...

[Rob29]

Mine arrived this morning. Just got to the Magny Cours episode,first time I recall seeing the original circuit on film-looks more like a french country lane than the modern autodrome.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Rob29
Mine arrived this morning. Just got to the Magny Cours episode,first time I recall seeing the original circuit on film-looks more like a french country lane than the modern autodrome.

Finally cleared a few hours to watch the first of the two discs today - incredibly atmospheric stuff with (for TV of the time) very high production values. Every racing shot oozes pure nostalgia, and in practice the lack of subtitles isn't a bar to understanding it even if your schoolboy French is rusty! Wonderful fun. Definitely (and very highly) recommended.

[Stefan Schmidt]

Do you know this.. ?

http://forum.virtual...tachmentid=3928

http://forum.virtual...tachmentid=3929

http://forum.virtual...tachmentid=3931

[Tweddell]

the most authentic film of sports-car races in the mid-sixties i have ever seen.
even if you are not common with french, it is a full joy to see these episodes.
it is so fine, because you can have a view inside racing not from the level of the top-teams of those days, because it is really boaring to see the same porsches, ford gt40 and ferraris again and again and again.
here you have a look to the work on the alpine team in the years 1965 and 1966. nearly all races within these seasons are pictured, so 12 hours sebring (the tropic rain desaster) and reims (!!!), monza. lemans, targa florio (what nice it was), 1000km nürburging........
you see srcuteneering, practice , race and departure, just the whole package, as it should be.

did you ever have a passensers seat with bondurant in a daytona coupe, here you can have.
and watch carefully the fire-prooving of grandsires overall, you won´t believe it, if you have not seen it.
watch all the fine cars like chaparral, bizzarini, lancia, , cobra, see again the rare ones like corvette grandsport, diva valkyrie and 10f. martini bmw, ats , serenissima, marcos ....and....and...and not at least the fine alpine a 210 long tail, even when testing on an air-field somewhere in france. see the drivers running to their cars at the lemans start at the ring or at lemans, have a view at the busy working mecanics , beating deformed body-panels in shape or refilling water into cooking radiators..... by the way, even the sound of the cars is true and NOT a common rediculous re-mix , .....finally have an ear and eye at really racing in those days.

[Ruairidh]

...........and I kinda enjoyed the 2003 movie too (mind you Diane Kruger may have had a little to do with that enjoyment ) ......I'll have to track down the 1960s series

[Hieronymus]

I just got hold of the 13 episode series on DVD. Watched the first two episodes last night and am already mighty impressed with what I saw. OK, I'm Alpine biased but somehow that terrific 60s racing atmosphere creeps under you skin. Apart from Grandsire also nice to spot other racing drivers like Leguellec, Mauro Bianchi, José Rosinski and even a quick shot of a very young Henri Pescarolo. Toto Roche, naturally, also fills the screen on footage from Reims.


Look forward to see what finds the remaining 11 episodes will deliver...

[taruffi57]

How can I get these DVD's in USA format.

Joe Dunlap

[sonar]

I was watching a video on YouTube when this came up: http://www.youtube.c...feature=related
I have never before seen a clip from this tv series so I was pleasantly surprised.
I have yet to find the series on dvd, however.
Can anybody help me find it in the Netherlands?

[Formula Once]

I've got it and it is really nice actually. Bought it in Italy years ago, never seen it on sale in Holland, though.

[RS2000]

Michel Vaillant turns up on Forum Auto every so often (this time next to a number of other unrelated photos hijacked from places like this):
http://www.forum-aut...8102-155365.htm

[john winfield]

Over on Racing Comments the issue was being discussed of whether Michel Vaillant should be included in a list of Top 10 French F1 Drivers. Michel was an all-rounder, as illustrated by this clip of the 1966 Targa Florio, Henri Grandsire playing the part:

 

 

 

Edit.  I think this whole episode is on YouTube, split into several parts. Plenty of authentic footage as far as I can see:

 

 

 

etc.

Edited by john winfield, 22 December 2018 - 13:24.

[Sterzo]

Over on Racing Comments the issue was being discussed of whether Michel Vaillant should be included in a list of Top 10 French F1 Drivers.

Prost merits being on top as he really exists, but the next nine should all be Michel Vaillant.