Le Mans (1971) - How is this not the greatest movie of all time? It has Steve McQueen and race cars. It is one of the greatest auto racing movies of all time.
OK, it's NOT the greatest movie of all time. But it is a stunning racing movie.
The first thing you need to know is that this movie isn't about the people in it. The first line by any of the major characters comes 37 minutes into the film. There's not a lot of other dialogue prior to that either. Mostly background chatter and the race announcer (which, if you know little about racing and especially Le Mans, is incredibly educational) but nothing that is vital the plot.
The story is very simple. Michael Delaney (Steve McQueen) was involved in an accident last year at Le Mans that resulted in the death of a Ferrari driver. This year he must not only compete with the other drivers but must deal with the demons of that accident and the presence of the Ferrari driver's widow Lisa (the stunningly beautiful Elsa Andersen). The only other story line is with one of the other drivers (Ritter played by Siegfried Rausch) who is contemplating making this Le Mans his swan song.
The rest of the movie is about the racing. If you're one of those people who watch races waiting for the crashes there are a couple of spectacular crashes. (and if you are one of those people you're a cretin)
This is old school racing. Safety harnesses had been introduced less than a decade before, the race tracks lacked modern shock absorbing barriers and run off areas. Le Mans is a different kind of racing than most Americans know. This is endurance racing. Now before some Indy 500 fan or NASCAR fan starts yapping about their 600 mile races think about this. Le Mans winners routinely log 3,000+ miles in 24 hours of driving. All at speeds well in excess of 100 miles per hour. In the end speed is not the essence of the race. The technical name for this race is The Gran Prix of Endurance and Efficiency. The goal is to endure. 24 hours with only the shortest breaks, 3 drivers rotating through the race, every system of the car stretched to its utmost.
If you're an auto racing fan this is a must have, ***** rating movie.
Rating - **** Recommended
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