Le Mans (1971) - movie review

Some time ago, I wrote a blog post about Le Mans, the 1971 movie set around the famous 24-hour race in France, starring Steve McQueen.  Recently I dug out the DVD again to renew acquaintance with the film, and thought that I would share some of my observations.

It is probably fair to say that opinion on this movie has been mixed down the years. Many have pointed to the excellent racing scenes, but poured scorn on the plot and other aspects of the story. Personally I really like Le Mans, but it almost feels more like a documentary in places, and I can readily appreciate how many "laypeople" will find it pedestrian, dull even. Many things are underplayed, which is admirable from an artistic and authenticity standpoint, but people have perhaps become conditioned to expect a racing movie to be over-the-top and hysterical in tone.

The visuals are lovely, the sound impressive and Michel Legrand's music classy and atmospheric. These all help the film to capture the essence of the event and the times. The plot is hardly imaginative, but I feel that it is handled with restraint, by the standards of racing movies anyway. There is less melodrama, or pandering to the base instincts of the audience. Many of the sub-texts are implied rather than outlined explicitly, especially the emotional and "romantic" elements.

The realism of the racing sequences is difficult to dispute, as the footage was shot with real racing cars and drivers, much of it at the time of the 1970 Le Mans race. However, this does make some of the pitlane scenes seem a little "artificial" by comparison, if not excessively so. Another noticeable trait of the picture is the sparsity of the dialogue.  The narrative and the exposition are driven largely by the visuals and the words of the circuit commentators.

A thing which stands out for me in the film is ambiguity in the characters and their attitudes. The awkwardness of Michael Delaney, for example (well suited to McQueen's "underacting" here), an inscrutability which reminds me slightly of Pete Aron in John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix.  Not really cast in the comic-book image of racing drivers, who are not "meant" to be taciturn or reticent.

Of course the story and the characters are fictional, but I don't really blame the film-makers for distilling it down to "Porsche v Ferrari".  The "heartbeat" sequence before the start of the race strikes us now as hackneyed and even corny, but I guess that it may have been innovative and affecting in the early Seventies. The two main crash sequences are well done, evoking the violence and the energy involved.  The slow-motion reply of Delaney's accident has I think become quite iconic in its way.

Apart from McQueen, the cars are the stars, and few of the supporting actors make much of an impression. Ronald Leigh-Hunt is likeable though as the Gulf-Porsche team manager;authoritative but occasionally avuncular. Elga Andersen also has great screen presence as the racer's widow - those eyes!

In its tone and general aesthetic, Le Mans feels more like European art cinema than Hollywood.  We have the obligatory thrilling climax, but even here things are somewhat inconclusive, in keeping with the generally reflective and sober tenor of the movie.

I still think that, for all its faults, Le Mans is a fine document. Technically very good, and the fact that a mainstream audience would assert that as a movie it "happens" only fitfully frankly elevates it in my estimation.

Racing In The Rain - John Horsman

I have resolved to spend more time reading, and in some cases re-reading, lots of books on motorsport history.  One which I never tire of is the wonderful Racing In The Rain, by John Horsman.

The book colourfully but informatively chronicles Horsman's involvement with the motorsport projects of Aston Martin, Ford and Porsche, mainly through his role with John Wyer's organisation.

The early stages of the book evoke a real sense of post-war and 1950s Britain, its optimism and its relative simplicity.  It moves up a gear when we move into the Aston Martin years, and there are some great anecdotes from this era.  It is safe to say that technology had a way to go, and improvisation was often the order of the day!

Horsman's enthusiasm for his work and his subject comes through in every word.  One thing which gives the book some bite is the author's willingness to be frank in his appraisal of mistakes made, and particularly in apportioning responsibility.  There is some exasperation with the politics of the GT40 project, and also with the vagaries of the subsequent relationship with Porsche.  Although the descriptions of these things are candid, they never detract from the book's overall charm.

The early stages of the book in particular are greatly enhanced by the author's own wonderfully evocative and atmospheric photographs.

John Horsman's own detailed technical recollections and data mean that this book should appeal both on a human level, and also for those whose interest is more of a mechanical nature. Some of the descriptions of frantic pre-race preparations and test sessions induce a real sense of "being there".

I would recommend this book to any motorsport enthusiast.  A real gem.

Le Mans 1970-79 - Quentin Spurring

Just a note to recommend this book, which is subtitled "The Official History of the World's Greatest Motor Race".  Here is a photograph of me holding my copy:

Although there is lavish photographic content, this is not just a "coffee table" work. There is admirable concentration on the technical aspects of the racing.

The 1970s are often seen as something of a "lost" decade for Le Mans, and for sportscar racing in general, coming as they did between the classic Ford-Ferrari-Porsche era and the prosperity of Group C. However, as Quentin Spurring capably documents, there was plenty to enthuse about, and some of the most tense racing in the history of the event.

Rather than simply provide a basic review of each race, the author also separately examines the fortunes of various teams and classes at each race, putting developments into their historical context. The level of detail is impressive, and will add to the knowledge of any sportscar racing fan.

As the race organisers sought to respond to global economic conditions and motorsport politics, the regulations seemed to be in a constant state of flux at this time, but this is just adds to the fascination. Even when manufacturer interest fluctuated, the race always seemed to reinvent itself.

Le Mans 1970-79 is an excellent and enlightening read....

Reflections on Steve McQueen's "Le Mans"

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.