Watch The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix For Free

How sad is this?

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

To many Norwegians, this is perhaps one of the most important movie the country has ever produced. Even those who refuse to acknowledge Norwegian film industry tend to have a soft spot for this movie. I am Norwegian myself, and I have grown up with this - so obviously this review will be a bit biased. But I firmly believe it would not have gotten its place in Norwegian culture, had it not been for it being such a high quality movie - in all respects.The story is simple, but great fun. Reodor (en: Theodore) is an inventor that lives in a small village (Flåklypa/Pinchcliffe) with his two animal companions. Solan (en: Sonny) is an overly optimistic magpie, while Ludvig (en: Lambert) is an overly pessimistic hedgehog. Reodor discovers that an man who used to work for him has stolen the design of a car component, and used it to become a racing champ. Reodor (kind of) decides to make his own car, and it all ends in a race. This over-arching storyline is not so important though, as it is only a device used to show of the characters, the settings, the moods, the dialog, and the beautiful naive spirit of the movie. As a Norwegian, it's easy to point at it and say that he captures the Norwegian spirit - but I'm sure most countries has the same curiosity, the same strange characters and the same way of looking at life.As a fan of animation, the stop motion work in this movie is at times incredible. Especially in some of the scenes in Reodor's garage, and during the unveiling of the car. The amount of work that would have had to be put into creating all that movement must have been astounding. There's also other small touches that are very nice. When ever a character is jumping, it's so seamless that you don't think about the amount of work being put into it looking natural. Now, all of this said, there are also some sequences where the animation is clunky. The use of back projection is obvious in many scenes (especially in the HD version), and you can also tell at times that they are using smaller models than in the rest of the film. All in all, it's a great piece of craft.The other highlight of the movie is the music. The Danish composer Fabricius Bjerre has managed to make tunes that sound so Norwegian that many assume that they were old folk tunes. You'll find yourself whistling some of the themes long after the movie is over.One part of the movie that has not aged so well, is the Arab oil sheik. He is an obvious caricature, based on stereotypes. In today's political climate, you could not have a character like him. That said, it's never a mean spirited caricature, and throughout the film, it feels more they are poking fun at him as royalty, not as an immigrant or anything like that. It's definitely "kicking upwards".And a last aside: I was fortunate enough to be able to see this with some non-Norwegians who were not that acquainted with the movie, and they pointed out a fun detail that I had never thought of: the narrator gives the post man as long an introduction as the main characters. My friend was surprised by this, as the postman is barely in the movie at all. For some reason, to me, it's always just made sense for the narrator to introduce the post man - because he just happens to be there the morning the narrator decides to talk about the gang.

An inventor enters a race to challenge the champion who stole his invention. The champion, knowing that he cannot win honestly, decides to cheat. Who is more potent, the honest creator or the dishonest thief?The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix is a stop motion-animated feature film directed by Ivo Caprino. The movie is entirely made by a team of 5 including all scenes and props. It is the biggest success in the history of Norwegian movies selling 5.5 million tickets in a country of only 5 million. One reason for the movie's success and enduring appeal is the choice of a subject and theme that are engaging to the general public, featuring a hero who honestly fights for justice with his brilliant mind as his main weapon. This is very different than the intellectuals' favored social realism which dominates Norwegian and European movies.The movie's basic philosophical premises are akin to the romantic realists of the 19th century. The team behind the movie had previously made series of short films of Norwegian folk tales of the late 18th and the early 19th century, featuring the basic philosophy of that time: a belief in industrial progress, reason, individualism and honesty.The story is carefully and skillfully constructed with a good pacing. The build-up is logical with emphasis on consistency and realism. What happens in the movie are logical consequences of the previous events leading to the logical conclusion, quite different than the modern main-stream action movies. The story is tight with props and scenes included that contribute to the subject, theme and plot.Viewers of the movie should be aware of its oddities, however. The universe is based on Kjell Aukrust's comedic and satirical writings. This gives the movie a slight tongue-in-cheek feel, which is unfortunate. Also, the characters and props are truly unique, original and slightly eccentric. However, the movie's strengths outweigh these problems.Skillfully and wonderfully crafted, accompanied by a beautiful score and an engaging story that carries you along, the movie deserves the highest praise and recommendation, a true masterpiece and accomplishment.

This is simply a masterpiece. It is the most seen Norwegian movie ever, seen by 5,5 million people in a country of only 4,5 million. It is considered to be the best Norwegian movie ever, and with reason. I've seen it around 20 times, and I can't get enough of it. It's one of very few movies out there which can appeal to a five-year old and an eighty-five-year old at the same time, on different levels.Caveat: it is doubtful, however, that one can truly appreciate the ingeniousness of this movie without being brought up in a traditional Norwegian way. This movie reflects in many ways Norwegian culture, and partly makes fun of it. If one doesn't know Norwegian culture by heart, this aspect is lost.

I was reading through the comments, and I really couldn't find one negative one! Not even the American who said it was nothing special didn't say it was bad... I guess it's not your typical US type humour, but that absolutely not a bad thing. Jokes don't have to slap you in the face to be funny. I think this is a good example of Norwegian humour, a bit dry and silent and playing on details. That's probably why people see it again and again. And again. And... You get the point.It's true what they say, this is a classic here in Norway and I doubt anyone can grow up here without seeing it a few times. I know I'm going to tape it when they show it for Christmas and take it back to England with me. (I study there) Just too bad I can't really show it to anyone there. One last thing: Disney, eat your heart out!!