"LeMans" on TV tonight
One of the great racing movies is on TV tonight. For those of you who don't already have it on a CD this will be a chance to record the full movie uninterrupted by commercials as it is on the Turner Movie Classics channel. Here it is on at 10PM EDST.
Why not
I guess the question I have is why would any race fan not have a copy of that and Gran Prix. The extra with interview are great.
Ed
Have to admit I don't think I've seen it. Is it as good as Gran Prix?
What era?
What era? This one...
Le Mans is FAR FAR better then Grand Prix.
In Grand Prix you have to sit through all the kissy, kissy love boat stuff. GOOD supporting cast though
But in Le Mans, Steve McQueen is either driving the car or, staring off in to space pondering the last corner he took.
P.S.
For those too young to know, Steve McQueen blamed his early death on asbestos in brake linings on his motorcycles and race cars. It was "that era" too.
CREW for Jeff 89 Reynard or Flag & Comm.
Tough call. Both are excellent in their own right, and both are not likely to ever be duplicated - the lawyers would never allow it. Gran Prix (IMHO) is a better "movie" overall, while LeMans does a better job of showing the reality of racing in that era. That's just my opinion - YMMV.Originally Posted by jeff68
Marshall Mauney
Milwaukee Region
Life
"Racing is Life - everthing that happens before or after is just waiting" Or something like.
you'll get a chance to see cars through maison blance ....thats very cool.....
anything Porsche 917 is good for the soul a far as I am concerned... this movie stands out . Don't miss it.
..and turn up the sound.
Caldwell D9B - Sold
Crossle' 30/32/45 Mongrel - Sold
RF94 Monoshock - here goes nothin'
I blame both of those movies on my current obsession and addiction.
My mother took me to see Grand Prix in about 1965(?). It was in Cinarama if I recall. I was 9 years old, and was transfixed. I said was going to do that. Took another 40 years to get a Formula car, and 48 more to get to the Monaco Grand Prix. Even with the safety fences, it is great event.
My father took me to see Le Mans in 69 (?), and that Porsche 911T at the start was the just the coolest car ever made. Took 40 odd years to get the Porsche, but still havnt got to Le Mans. Maybe next year, and a Porsche 917 would be fun to own too.
That's my Dad on the far left with the massive side burns! As a professional photographer at the time he was enlisted as an extra, and managed to squeeze into the movie quite a lot!
Last edited by Brands; 10.28.11 at 7:36 PM.
great movie. The 917 was my favorite car growing up even though the movie was made when I was three. That is my favorite racing era and seeing those cars for the first time at the Chicago Historic races at RA in my late teens was incredible.
Camera Car Was....
A GT-40 that they "chopped about" to make platforms on the front and rear to take the on-track bits.
Imagine standing on a platform on the nose of a GT-40, in the rain, surrounded by other race cars, on Mulsanne at 100-plus mph!
I once saw a "making of" show where they talked about making LeMans.....think race drivers were brave! Heck, I'll sit down in a car, strapped in etc.....but standing on a platform !!???
I really enjoyed the fact that the movie was shot at the real event, with real people, real cars and drivers etc... And to look at the lack of safety on and at the track!! I loved seeing all sorts of people just walking around, the race cars just "abandoned" in parking spaces behind garages, the lack of head restraints in the cars...heck, in a side impact, the only thing that kept you in your seat was your neck!!
And did you notice there was no pit wall? Ya, nothing separating the cars from the pits. No speed limits here!!
And the woman starring opposite McQueen; the one with the great eyes...her name was Elga McDonald or something....never heard of her, never saw her anywhere else....I guess she looked good but had nothing to say.....she had about 5 lines in the whole movie!
ah, the good old days! hehe
Tom Owen
Owner - Browns Lane and Racelaminates.com
Very cool movie. Th era that inspired me. To me now, it was the massive horsepower and speed that made it so exciting. Not only will you never see a movie like this again, you'll never see that kind of horsepower again either.
I am trying to remember, but did they really destroy that 917? Gotta love McQueen's response to the question of what happened; "I screwed up". No excuses.
Bob McCown
Van Diemen RF81 #472 (2008-2013)
Next ?
2009 ARS CF
"I barked twice." - Enzo (the dog)
Honestly, BOTH of these movies are absolutely horrible films. I don't know which is harder to sit through. I can't believe how many people posting here keep calling these "great" films. Terrible acting, ridiculous dialogue and painful music soundtracks fill both of these "movies" between the racing scenes.
Have you guys ever seen a real movie?
When was the last time you actually sat down to watch either of these movies not as background noise in the workshop? It's a challenge to not fall asleep in both of them.
However, as racing fans, they are almost actual documentaries to watch historical motorsports footage. Brilliant camera work and cinematography, amazing stunts, and footage from in-cars really never before done on film. What they did with many of those shots in both of those movies is nothing short of astonishing. Lots of the cinema techniques they developed in Grand Prix and LeMans were used for decades in other movies. Ground-breaking, no doubt.
Spectacular automotive racing footage, yes. Great movies? Not even in just the world of sports movies.
As a movie Lemans has gotten more respect over the last decade or so. TMC started showing it about 10-15 years ago and rated it at one or two stars, last nights TMC guide rated it at three stars(out of four) and the host, Robert Osborne had good things to say about it. BTW, the Porsche 917 that Steve crashed was actually a Lola T70 coupe in 917 body work, you can clearly see a chevy motor in the slo-mo sequence.
I am not sure, but reasonably confident that Grand Prix won 3 academy awards....
Yes—Best Sound Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Not exactly the kind of stuff that qualifies it as a "great" movie.
Grand Prix was a pretty major "hit" movie in its day - and it did win several Oscars. I think that the younger generation - who may not have seen very many films from that era - try to compare these films to today's highly produced CGI-generated works.....and that would be missing the point. Keep in mind that the primary competition in the movie market was tripe like "Beach Blanket Bingo" and "Yellow Submarine".
I will ask this question, though: What would be the best racing movie (or movies) ever made? If you don't care for GP or LM, what else is there?
Marshall Mauney
Milwaukee Region
This 10yo, already a racing junkie, stumbled onto Le Mans on the ABC Thursday Night Movie way back when. I didn't blink for two hours. Grand Prix is very good, with spectacular-for-its-time filmography, but I don't care who's doing who's wife.
I understand Doug's view, but for racing fans who have suffered through Hollywood atrocities to the sport, these two films are treasures. And I'm pretty sure this is as good as it will ever get. Look at Driven; a solid idea at conception, but by the time all the politics were sorted out and a clueless writer and director got through making what they thought the movie-going public wanted to see in a racing epic, it was a piece of garbage. An A-lister bankrupted his production company to make the most authentic racing film he could, with no compromises. Mr. McQueen, for all his personal flaws, kicked ass on a subject that we all share a passion for.
"Thank you, Michael."
Dale V.
No dialogue for about the first 20 minutes ... But loved the race footage.
Camera Car
Way back when the GT40 camera car needed to be put back into its original guise - one of the three Gulf cars (owned by Anthony Bamford). It had sagged in the center however as it was never supposed to run with the roof cut out for the camera brackets and stirrups for the cameraman. I remember having to get new doors to cut to size to make things fit to race in historics when I worked for them part time while at school.
Years later the car showed up on Long Island with its owner wanting me to make the doors fit better without knowing the cars story - only that he was recommended to me as I had GT40 experience.
Back then every old race car was disposable - I had one of the T70 3Bs used in the film in the shop till recently - just another uncompetitive piece rented to the movie makers. I think it was in Martini colors in the movie.
We ran the 494ci big block T70 Gurney Can-am car at Road Atlanta saturday and it gives you a huge respect for the guys back then with minimal downforce , pretty good horsepower numbers and minimal safety.
Phil
Heart Like a Wheel?
Wikipedia has a smartypants answer for anything:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Auto_racing_films
Jim
Best racing films ever made....if you watch these films, you will discover that the key to winning a race is to use full throttle, as opposed to half, or three quarters.
Also, thanks to that wiki link now I need to see this movie. A racecar driver with a Hitler mustache, who is racing stock cars at the Indianopolis 500? Sounds like a winner.
You disappoint me - where is "Stroker Ace"? It ain't racing unless it involves a chicken suit!
Marshall Mauney
Milwaukee Region
Best racing films ever made....if you watch these films, you will discover that the key to winning a race is to use full throttle, as opposed to half, or three quarters.
Also, thanks to that wiki link now I need to see this movie. A racecar driver with a Hitler mustache, who is racing stock cars at the Indianopolis 500? Sounds like a winner.
I'm happy to report that I have not seen any of the movies you've presented here. The Dorf thing might be ok though...
Lemans - French Speed vs. German Muscle
Switching gears, found a great article in the WSJ today on this years Le Mans. Those Diesel TDI's are pretty bad-ass. I can't remember if it was Sebring or Lemans about 2 yrs ago but the diesel's were so dominant there was some discussion about creating a 2nd class.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...DDLE_Video_Top
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