In recent months, my motorsport interest has centred on sportscar racing as much as Formula One, and particularly the period 1968-1972. This era took in the tail end of the Ford GT40's shelf-life, the struggles between Porsche and Ferrari, and the fitful exploits of Alfa Romeo and Matra.
Perhaps the most enduring fictional document of this "golden age" of sportscar racing is Steve McQueen's 1971 movie, "Le Mans", much of which was filmed at, or around the time of the 1970 edition of the legendary endurance classic. I recently watched this film in its entirety, and thought it worthwhile to post some of my thoughts and observations here.
The plot of the film centres largely on McQueen's character, Gulf Porsche's star driver Michael Delaney, and his attempts to win at Le Mans. Delaney had been involved in an accident in the previous year's race, which had cost the life of Ferrari's Piero Belgetti. The return to Le Mans of Belgetti's widow, Lisa, forms a central strand of the narrative.
McQueen delivers a restrained performance, and simply allows his own charisma and persona to do much of the work. Being a racer himself, McQueen would have had some insight into the mindset of the archetypal driver. The character of Delaney possesses tunnel-vision and drive, and is quite mono-syllabic! Throughout the movie he comes across as awkward and ill-at-ease outside the racing car, and in social situations generally. An example of this is the stilted small talk which occurs when he is with Lisa Belgetti.
In some respects, Delaney reminds me of the Pete Aron (James Garner) character in "Grand Prix-The Movie". An outsider, dispassionate and cynical, particularly in dealings with the media. It is interesting to note that, even in a mainstream film, the producers resisted the temptation to make the central character a "comic book" racing driver type.
Inevitably, some compromises were made with realism, but these were largely excusable. The manner in which several cars caught fire after accidents was dubious, as was the constant stream of information conveyed by the circuit PA system. The latter, however, assisted with the narrative, and was not totally implausible.
Turning to the mood and tone of the film, at times I detected an almost "documentary" feel, with some scenes almost redolent of "cinema verite". At very few stages does "Le Mans" descend into cliche, like most other racing movies. It seems to have been made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. The human interest elements are not permitted to totally obscure the "anoraky" technical aspects.
The supporting characters were also constructed with some thought. Stahler, the Ferrari team leader, belying outdated national stereotypes, comes across as more human, warm and likeable than Delaney.
David Townsend, the Porsche team manager, appears to be a composite of various real-life motorsport personnel of that era. He is a combination of British stiff-upper-lip and more modern ruthlessness.
One of the more under-rated parts of the film is the night-time sequence, particularly where the lonely and pensive Lisa wanders through the jolly crowds, emphasising the contrast between her emotions and the more straightforward pleasures of the racefans.
After his accident, Delaney is recalled to take over Ritter's car, but there is no corny fairy-tale ending, as he does not win the race, merely helping team-mate Larry Wilson to do so in the sister car. Also, despite hints of an intimate bond, McQueen does not really "get the girl". None of this left me with a sense of anti-climax, as it was in keeping with the realism of much of the film overall.
Unfortunately, after the cold reality of the race's outcome, the final scene is something of a schmaltz-fest, with lingering slow-motion, soft-focus glances exchanged between Lisa and Delaney, and some distinctly cheesy music! However, this is a small criticism of a technically well-made movie, which has aged much better than the majority of other racing films.
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