The classic 1972 gran torino pictured above is now starring in the latest clint eastwood movie by the same name, gran torino. With sue at his side, thao manages to verbally confront them to no avail. Feb 1, 2012 these cars are so iconic, so cool, or so absurd that they claimed starring roles in a movie. Walt kowalski is the main protagonist of the 2008 movie gran torino. The teen rascal tries to steal his neighbours pride and joy until he meets walts rifle. Dave beckett, from monett, looks over a gran torino he first purchased in 1972. T he ford gran torino earned its footnote in pop culture history when a ketchupred 75 model with a white racing stripe was featured every week in. It is at the heart of a lot of what happens in the movie. As penance, thaos mother makes him work for walt for a week, who has him do odd jobs around the. Son owns foreign car, walts patriotism is challenged, represents patriotic roots but highlights how people are beginning to deviate from this. Walt interrupts the robbery, pointing a rifle in thaos face and forcing him to flee.
The website submitted by the corrector is for a 1971 torino, the wrong year of the car in the movie. The gran torino was an itermediate size car built by the ford motor company from 1972 to 1976. Gran torino 2008 clint eastwood as walt kowalski imdb. Of the hmong cast, five, including bee vang, one of. This coupe is identical to the one seen in the gran torino movie starring the now89yearold actor, who owns the original model seen in the film. The car was named after the city of turin torino, in italian, considered the italian detroit. People who couldnt get their hands on an official ford starsky and hutch edition car were just as apt to find a gran torino at a dealer and convert it themselves. As ive pointed out before, the car is 1972 gran torino sport. Fords gran torino relives musclecar heyday wardsauto. In the movie its clint eastwood pride and joy because he has kept it in mint condition.
Bee vang, actor and secondyear student at brown university, and dr. No one makes movies like gran torino any more, and mores the pity. Small screen hero, world phenomenon it didnt take long before car aficionados were hot on the tail of the gran torino. Gran torino actor reveals behindthescenes racism the. The gran part of gran torino didnt start until 1972.
He owns a 1972 gran torino, and take a deep breath ethnic gang members target it. The car in the movie is one of 92,033 topoftheline 72 gran torino sport, twodoor fastbacks produced and is magnificent in 4q dark green metallic. The ford torino is an automobile that was produced by ford for the north american market between 1968 and 1976. With clint eastwood, bee vang, christopher carley, ahney her. The car was once owned by cassville businessman jim craig and made cameo appearances at the dogwood car show and the cassville christmas parade before it made its big screen debut.
Gran torino is a brilliant movie from start to finish, i cant believe i waited so long to watch it, its completely different to what i expected, two thirds of the film had a very light tone at. Behind the scenes at the rick lorenzen muscle car museum. An interview with don ripple, who was the picture car mechanic on clint eastwoods film gran torino. The car is strongly associated with walts long term career in. Gran torino ar en amerikansk dramafilm fran 2008, regisserad av clint eastwood som aven spelar huvudrollen. The car is special to him, and a lot of others also prize the car, but others see it more for what its worth in terms of money rather than the more personal connection. Like dirty harry, eastwoods new movie provokes, and gives political correctness the finger. In fact you could talk about a construction job you just came from and bitch about your girlfriend and your car. I found this movie to be long and boringclint eastwood is just a grumpy old man i could find anyone his age to act in this movie and pull that offthe only good part was this movie inspired me to go to hertz and rent a gran torino and run this dvd over until it was totally wasted like my time from watching this movie. Crusty ol man on the precipice of the final retirementswears a lot, loves to throw down, etc. Clint eastwoods hit movie gran torino is resurrecting interest in a ford motor co. The first and most obvious is the gran torino, the car itself, representing the theme of life. The website given also doesnt specify which models were built at which factory. Gran torino was a ford product sold in the late 1960s.
The torino midsizer debuted in 1968, and an allnew version called gran torino hit. Son of a bitch, i just got my brakes fixed and eeehmm those son of bitches really nailed me, i mean they screwed me right in the ass. Gran torino 2008 cast and crew retired auto worker and korean war vet walt kowalski clint eastwood fills emptiness in his life with beer and home repair, despising the many asian, latino and. Thats the 197276 coupe body sport 2door with bright red paint accented by a white stripe running from the roof down to the doors and forward to the lights in a hockeystick shape. Gran torino is an action drama produced and directed by the legendary clint eastwood who plays the major role of a retired korean war veteran marred by the anguish of losing his wife. Now all you need is some long sideburns, maybe a mustache, and a wool knit sweater, and youll be ready to take down any wouldbe neerdowells in.
Gran torino is a 2008 american drama film directed and produced by clint eastwood, who also. Walt kowalski, the character played by clint eastwood, worked on the ford assembly line making a car called the gran torino. Themes such as confession for sin, loving ones neighbor, and the gift of sacrifice for those close to you. A look at the 1972 ford gran torino sport from the clint eastwood film. Our first glimpse in the movie of walt kowalski s prized possession, his 1972 ford gran torino sport. However only 92,033 were gran torino sport models, like the one featured in the movie. A variety of gran torinos were provided by ford for use in the filming of the series, ranging from 1974 to 1976 models. Along with the large underlying theme of life and death throughout the film i think it also has many biblicalreligious themes. The following is a list of significant characters who feature in the 2008 film gran torino, directed by clint eastwood casting calls were held in fresno, california, detroit, michigan, and saint paul, minnesota, from which eastwood selected ten hmong american lead actors and supporting actors. Are you into fast cars, old men and awkward interracial barbeques. The movie also has been praised by critics but failed to receive an oscar nomination.
Vehicle used a lot by a main character or for a long time. People simply could not get enough of the striped tomato. Gran torino is a 2008 american drama film directed and produced by clint eastwood, who also starred in the film. If you are looking for a great piece of car history, and a super cool muscle car that not everybody owns, then this is the car for you. Thaos initiation is to steal walts prized car, a 1972 gran torino sport. The story focuses on walt kowalski, an angry, widowed war veteran, and people from the hmong community. What year gran torino was used in the movie gran torino. Eventually, a korean family moves next door to him, and he has difficulty accepting them due to his past experiences he is portrayed by famous actor clint eastwood, who also played william. Dont listen to the answers that advise against seeing this movie. The truth of the matter is that gran torino is really about walt learning about how to be a father, s. The gran torino emerged to become just as important as the main characters of starsky and hutch. There were 496,645 torinos produced by ford in 1972. In most peoples minds, the gran torino is instantly recognizable in one body style and one nonfactory paint scheme. Gran torino is a recent melodrama directed and starring clint eastwood about a man befriending a hmong family and saving them from the gang life ahead of the teenage hmong boy.
He is a retired polishamerican assembly line worker and korean war veteran, who has recently been widowed after 50 years of marriage. What other figure in the history of the cinema has been an actor for 53 years, a director for 37, won two oscars for direction, two more for best picture, plus the thalberg award, and at 78 can direct himself in his own film and look meaner than hell. The car, featured in the clint eastwood movie gran torino, is now on display at warner brothers studios. Who owns the gran torino in movie gran torino answers. It was a competitor in the intermediate market segment. Eastwood the director, eastwood the actor, eastwood the invincible, eastwood the old man. Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene. Louisa schein, hmong media expert, discussed the truth of what happened behind the scenes of the movie gran torino. Eastwood plays walt kowalski, who owns a 72 gran torino sport stashed in his garage in highland. Gran torino is a tale with many facets to it,such as the loss of male identity that was orginally brought about by working in skilled bluecollar employment which eastwoods character didhe was a ford auto worker in the movie and the male characteristics and bonding that this employment developed,and the repercussions regarding the decline and. Disgruntled korean war veteran walt kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, thao lor, a hmong teenager who tried to steal kowalskis prized possession. The torino was initially an upscale variation of the intermediate sized ford fairlane, which ford produced between 1962 and 1970. The film costars christopher carley, bee vang and ahney her.
Gran torino is a film about racism, mentorship and overcoming the demons of our past. Clint eastwoods gran torino is about a racist old man named walt who overcomes his prejudice by helping his teenager neighbor thao. The film is about racism in modern america and how we can combat racism in the face of it. Gran torino does get points for trying to talk about race and class at a time when too many mainstream films ignore and shun tackling such tough realworld concerns. Walt does come to know, understand, and like some of his hmong neighbors. The torino nameplate debuted in 1968, and an allnew version called. This movie works because eastwood is as virile as ever, both in speech and sheer prowess, and proves yet again hes a bad mamma jamma. Gran torino is an awardwinning 2008 american drama film, directed and produced by clint eastwood. Its not about the car, nor is it about clint eastwoods funny lines or confessing your sins, or how to be a badass.
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