Star vehicles: wheels
that made it big on the big screen
By John
P. Holmes • Bankrate.com
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Herbie
courtesy Walt Disney Pictures
Click image for larger view
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It's one of the most touching moments in "Batman
Forever." Batman, played by Val Kilmer, turns to the lovely Dr.
Chase Meridian, played by Nicole Kidman, and pops the question.
"It's the car, right?"
he asks. "Chicks love the car."
Hey, guys love the Batmobile, too,
along with just about every other car that's ever screeched
across the silver screen. Nowhere is the American affection for
thrills on wheels more consistently visible than in the movies.
Fast
and flashy autos have played key roles in many of our most memorable
motion pictures, often upstaging their human co-stars, whether dashing,
crashing or helping complete a mission from God.
"Cars are such an integral part of everyday American
life that we've formed very strong relationships with them and never
more so than right now, when we're more reliant on the car than
ever before," says Dr. Robert Thompson, a professor of media
and popular culture at Syracuse University. "Cars are our servants,
our companions, even our heroes sometimes, so it's inevitable that
our movies so often seek to capture the many different facets of
our relationships with them."
2005 star vehicles
That trend continues in 2005, with no less than
three very big, and very different, Hollywood films featuring cars
in leading roles. A menacing new Batmobile makes its debut in "Batman
Begins," while the comfortingly familiar (and frequently airborne)
Dodge Charger known as the "General Lee" returns for more
red state rowdiness in a silver screen edition of "The Dukes
of Hazzard." But from the automotive point of view, "Herbie:
Fully Loaded," the latest chapter in the "Love Bug"
series, is the most significant, since the car is actually the star.
The pearly white Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of
its own debuted on the big screen in 1969 in "The Love Bug,"
where it made a champion out of has-been racer Dean Jones. After
several sequels followed by more than two decades in the pits,
he returns with Lindsay Lohan trying to make it in NASCAR.
A classic Volkswagen Beetle could never pass NASCAR's
rigid pre-race technical inspection, but such details don't deter
Herbie. In fact, the vivacious Volkswagen actually mixed it up
with the NASCAR cars during prerace warm-ups last year at the
California Speedway.
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Batmobile
courtesy Warner Bros.
Click image for larger view
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Equally lighthearted is "The Dukes of Hazzard,"
the movie adaptation of the 1979-1985 TV series. The film roars
into theaters starring Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott,
Jessica Simpson and, of course, an orange 1969 Dodge Charger as
the General Lee. The muscle car has won multiple polls as "favorite
TV car" over the years and no doubt will be at the center
of the mindless fun this time around, too.
And Batman rolls into theaters in a buggy dramatically
unlike any we've ever seen. "Batman Begins" is the story
of the hero's early days, its darkness exemplified by the reimagined
Batmobile. It looks like cross between a swamp buggy and an assault
vehicle and possesses the ability to jump put of harm's way.
The new Batmobile, General Lee and Herbie (all scheduled
for June release) continue a parade that stretches back almost
to the origins of the motion picture itself. Here is a highly
subjective view of some noteworthy movies in which cars have been
stars.
Gentlemen, start your engines
Racing films date back to the 1932 "The Crowd Roars,"
which starred Jimmy Cagney dreaming of winning the Indianapolis
500. But only a few take the checkered flag.
"Le Mans" is the leader of the pack. This
scintillating 1971 flick tells the story of an American driver
(Steve McQueen) pushing himself and his Porsche 917 to the limit
in the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans.
A distant runner-up is the 1966 soap opera "Grand
Prix" starring James Garner, earning its place by virtue
of its high-quality racing scenes. It also pioneered the use of
on-car cameras, which set the standard for all future racing films
- and race broadcasts on TV.
(continued
on next page)
-- Posted: Feb. 15, 2005
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