LE MANS (Steve McQueen, Elga Andersen 1971)

   McQueen actually drove the car in which he's portrayed during the 1970 Le Mans race in France, and the film in a way is simply a documentary of that event.  Coverage of the race in fact begins at sunrise with candid shots of maintenance workers, tourists and campers, motorcycle police and ambulance medics, pit mechanics and local carnival crowds that ride roller coasters between checking lap results.   When the race begins, there's a thin plot connecting the characters which helps with understanding the motivations of real drivers but which doesn't detract from the main experience: the sensation of speed (this film being an early example of extensive use of car-mounted and helmet-mounted cameras).  As a bonus, McQueen's character gives a rationale for the driving profession in a side comment; he asserts that for the thing that one does better than anything else, "everything else is just waiting".

 

6/15/2008