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Le Mans (1971)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
6/17
6/17:
Le Mans is a famous bad film in Steve McQueen's résumé.
The movie had no script to begin with. Setting up for an editor's nightmare, the race was shot with a million feet of film
despite the absence of a story. Steve McQueen wasn't allowed to race in the 24 hours of Le Mans because if he did, the funding
for the film would have to be withdrawn.
Virtually granted total control, Steve McQueen wanted every aspect to be perfect yet was more interested in
fucking women and staying high as much as possible.
The Great Escape's John Sturges signed on for the project but
quit midway through due to creative differences with Steve McQueen. A TV director replaced him although he had no experience
with an auto racing film before.
Robert Relyea, the vice-president of Steve McQueen's company Solar Productions, was fired, and they never spoke again. A real
race-car driver lost his leg doing a stunt during the filming, hence the special thank-you at the end for his bravery.
In the midst of it all, the crew went on a strike. Finally, Cinema Center Films stepped in, having zero involvement hitherto,
and shut it down. The execs tried to replace Steve McQueen with Robert Redford, but no dice. Finally, they forced him to
give up his salary, percentage of profits, and control of the film in order to get Le Mans fucking finished.
Eight million dollars later with no story still, the film got put together and released despite not having more than
100 words of dialogue. It was declared DOA because almost nobody in America had ever heard of the race. As a
result, they didn't show up in theatres, causing Steve McQueen to declare bankruptcy.
Solar Productions folded for good, and Steve McQueen's marriage to Neile headed for divorce. He never raced in a car
again for the rest of his life despite finishing second to Mario Andretti. Steve McQueen also made Charles Manson's hit
list and was actually invited to the party which saw his friends Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate murdered but skipped it because
he had a "hot" date that night.
But it's okay. Steve McQueen was still the Cooler King, having rebounded to star in
Junior Bonner, give the
greatest performance of his career in Papillon, and score a new wife, even if it's a temporary sham marriage, and a
big payday for The Getaway. It would be nine years before he passed away from cancer at the young age of 50.
Back to Le Mans, well...it's a bad movie. There are no two ways about it. Not only is the movie bad, but it's also
boring. Yet there's a lot of unrealized potential. I wish the filmmakers viewed it as a strictly racing picture which was
working. But stupidly, everybody was desperate to make the plot work when they should've discarded it.
By focusing on the race, they should pay attention to the mechanics, most especially the nuts and bolts of on-the-spot car
repairs. Film the guys talking about the race; what are they thinking? Get to the heart of racing strategies. Follow the
communication lines. How do the officials keep up with the cars in terms of lap-counting? Show the technical details of the
race. Educate me. By doing them all, they will have a winner.
All in all, as desperate as it was, the art of editing saved Le Mans.