Senna
Got to see Senna last night 
For a bit of context, I only got into F1 around 1990-1 and am far from a dedicated fan now, so I was only vaguely familiar with a lot of the early stuff and didn't know the details of the Senna/Prost rivalry. So I don't know if a huge fan might have different views, but I thought this film was about as good as it could possibly be
It's told exclusively through stock footage, with voices over the top. There is a lot of interview footage with Senna himself - which is fascinating stuff, lots of it very philosophical. Otherwise it is modern interviews, including with his sister and the F1 doctor who was a close friend and was first to treat him in San Marino. A few races are featured, with the sense of speed and skill required portrayed really well, even with old footage. There is also some incredible 'behind the scenes' footage such as extended shots of the drivers' pre-race meetings, including in Japan the year after Senna's disqualification, when he storms out, and talking about safety the week of the San Marino grand prix.
There are some amazing sequences: one of his early races in Monaco when he describes his driving perfection as like driving 'as if in a tunnel' / his victory in Brazil where he drove with only sixth gear for several laps and is in immense pain afterwards, but still forces himself to lift the brazilian flag and the trophy / the closing 20 minutes or so set over the San Marino race weekend.
Highly recommended, would be interested to hear what anyone else thought of it
Got the DVD of this on Monday. Great film about a great racing driver who met a very sad end. I was on holiday in Spain when he died and did not know until the following morning when I hired a bike to cycle along the beach. I just happened to look over at the news stand and I will always remember the headline it read. Death of a champion. I fell off my bike and landed in the sand.
I have just finished watching it an hour ago. Listening to the 'lost' radio interview on disk 2.
I have just finished watching it an hour ago. Listening to the 'lost' radio interview on disk 2.
What did you think Chebby?
I am going to watch it again with my wife tomorrow. (She is also an F1 fan).
At this point I think history has been 'massaged' somewhat. I need to see it again to decide how much.
At the time my attitude was 'a plague on both your houses' towards Senna and Prost (I was a Mansell fan) and I don't remember Senna being such a 'saint' as the film makes out (especially with the over-emphasis of his religiosity).
The only person who gave some clarity was Jackie Stewart when he confronted Senna with the stark statistics of his lamentable collision record. This was countered with vigorous denials of course. My memory tallies more with what Jackie Stewart said. I recall Senna being a 'dirty' racer although - undeniably - superbly talented.
Interesting 
It's certainly very one-sided in terms of the Senna v Prost rivalry, and no doubt that isn't entirely accurate. I don't take it as a straightforward factual documentary, it's more cinematic than that and takes a definite directorial stance. I guess it's debatable whether that's an appropriate thing to do with this sprt of subject matter, but it certainly makes for a dramatic film. I heard an interesting interview with the director on the Kermode / Mayo film review; IIRC the approach was to trawl through all the archive footage / audio and find the most dramatic, so possibly the progression of the film was pinned to that, rather than vice versa.
Interesting what you say about the overplaying of his religiosity (I don't know enough to comment) as one of the criticisms I've hears from several sources is the lack of attention on 'Senna the man' rather than 'Senna the driver', in particular his charitable activities. Personally I think that would have detracted from the 'plot' of the film. Certainly it seems to capture the reciprocal god-like devotion the Brazilian public had for him, best summed up in that Brazil win.
The Jackie Stewart interview was certainly revealing. I don't think his will to win and consequent risk taking was much different from Schumacher and Hamilton, but of course they too are controversial characters. The Stewart interview had the additional insight of seeing Senna fight his corner and defend his style and tactics. The film overall was clearly pro his style, but he was definitely capable of putting his own view across, so the film could have had more of this.
I was watching that Imola race on TV when it happened, still have it on VHS tape somewhere. Although I wasn't such a great Senna fan (I also liked Prost almost the same), I did like him for his cheekiness and relentless desire to win.
One thing he has to be respected though, apart from his driving skills, is his lead towards improving drivers' safety when not many of his colleagues would stand up and tell the organisers what rubbish they thought of the track safety.
The first ever F1 race I went to watch was Imola GP in 1990, the last was Abu Dhabi in 2009 and though some will say that the sport has lost some of the excitement over the years, it is undeniable that the safety of the drivers has come a long way.
Imola 1994 was a very sad weekend indeed (let's not forget Ratzenberger who died the day before!). As of today, Senna was the last driver who died in F1, this alone tells a great deal about his legacy.
Senna and all other great and less great late drivers will live long in F1 fans' memory. I liked the movie and will watch it again.
Interesting post, I am going to see it next week and cannot wait. Senna was such an incredible driver and I am delighted that this film has been produced.
'A sittin' here la la, waitin' for my ya ya'
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