Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
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| Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo | |
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| Directed by | Vincent McEveety |
| Produced by | Ron Miller Jan Williams |
| Written by | Gordon Buford Bill Walsh |
| Starring | Dean Jones Don Knotts Julie Sommars Jacques Marin Roy Kinnear Bernard Fox Eric Braeden Xavier Saint-Macary Johnny Haymer |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
| Cinematography | Leonard J. South |
| Editing by | Cotton Warburton |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Pictures Corporation |
| Release date(s) | 1977 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Herbie Rides Again |
| Followed by | Herbie Goes Bananas |
| IMDb profile | |
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) was the third of a series of films made by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie - a white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.
Dean Jones returns as Jim Douglas, and is joined by 70s Disney stalwart Don Knotts as mechanic Wheely Applegate. Herbie takes part in the fictional Trans-France Race, from Paris to Monte Carlo. This race was (according to dialogue) the first for Douglas in twelve years, and would not be much of a "comeback" if he did not qualify first.
The Trans-France Race was clearly modeled on the world-renowned Monte Carlo Rally, and was apparently run in 1977, although this is not expressly stated in the film. Herbie, the "Love Bug", was one of the 18 cars that started the race (the precise number of competing cars in the race is also open to debate).
Also, two jewel thieves who steal the famous Etoile de Joie hide the diamond in Herbie's gas cap (which was fake, and only used for that film), who, eventually, turns the thieves in. It is also revealed that Inspector Bouchet (Jacques Marin) is the mastermind behind the museum robbery.
In the race, Douglas had three major opponents:
Bruno von Stickle (Eric Braeden): A dark-haired German driver with experience in the "European Racing Circuit". His car was a powerful Porsche 917 clone painted in the colors of the German national flag, and bearing the number 17. In the movie, however, the car was referred to as a Lazer 917 GT coupé. Von Stickle seemed to be a formidable contender prior to and during the race.
Claude Gilbert (Mike Kulcsar): A blond-haired French driver of unknown discipline, although it would not seem unlikely that he was also a regular on the European Racing circuit. Gilbert, known for wearing a full-faced crash helmet, was the driver of an equally power-hungry DeTomaso Pantera. The car was black with white stripes and a number (#66) on the hood and the sides. His dominance in the race seemed like to that of Bruno von Stickle -- until he wrecked in the late stages, in almost the same spot that Grace Kelly's fatal accident occurred in 1982.
Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars): An attractive, young, red-haired woman of unknown nationality, though it is more probable she is from either the United States or Canada. She is the only female driver in the race. Diane is ostensibly a rookie driver, although this is never touched on in the movie. Her car, a powder blue Lancia Scorpion, bore yellow and white stripes, as well as a numeral 7.
In the end, Bruno von Stickle is overtaken by Herbie in the famous tunnel of the Formula One race track - by driving upside down on the ceiling. And as for Diane Darcy and the Lancia, they crash into a watery canal and it is up to Herbie, Jim, and Wheely to save them from drowning (after her salvation from such a horrible fate, Diane explains that she "missed a shift and lost control"). They do so, and Diane urges Herbie and company not to give up in their quest for victory in the Trans-France Race. They eventually manage to pull off the victory over Bruno von Stickle, and Jim and Diane begin to fall in love, as do Wheely and the Monte Carlo trophy girl (Katia Tchenko). Most of all, Herbie and Giselle (Diane Darcy's Lancia) fall in love over again, their headlights blinking on and off.
[edit] Trivia
Several different year Volkswagen Beetles were used for Herbie in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. 1959, 1962, 1963, and 1977 (modified to resemble the 1963 model) models were utilized.
[edit] External link
| The Herbie films |
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| The Love Bug (1968) • Herbie Rides Again (1974) • Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) • Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) • Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) Made for TV: Herbie the Matchmaker (1982) • The Love Bug (TV remake) (1997) |
