44 replies to this topic

[jonpollak]

Anyone know details about this Steve McQueen bio pic?

 

http://www.themanlemans.com/

 

http://blog.themanle...The-Man-Le-Mans

 

Jp

[275 GTB-4]

This don't bode well for a successful outcome...

http://screenrant.co...een-ross-10130/

[GRiddle7]

Hi Guys, 

 

Great to see some interest in McQueen: The Man & Le Mans! I'm actually currently working on the promotion of the film itself, which is a documentary following the multi-layered backstory behind the filming of the 1971 racing epic!

 

To break ir down for you: MCQUEEN: THE MAN & LE MANS is the story of obsession, betrayal and ultimate vindication. It is the story of how one of the most volatile, charismatic stars of his generation, who seemingly lost so much he held dear in the pursuit of his dream, nevertheless followed it to the end.

 

We're aiming to release the film in autumn, so please let me know if you have any other questions - failing that, you can take a look at some of the McQueen archive here: http://blog.themanlemans.com

 

Alternatively if you are interested, sign up to the mailing list to see more of whats happening behind the scenes: http://www.themanlem...iling-list.html

 

Hope this helps,

Genevieve 

Edited by GRiddle7, 07 January 2015 - 11:23.

[275 GTB-4]

Thank You Genevieve,

Having learned that John Sturges clashed with Steve over Race Film/Love Story...I have always found the love story part slightly irritating, it seems to go on and on forever and slows the tempo reached earlier. This wandering diversion into arty racing shots intermingled with some serious love interest discussion almost killed the movie IMHO.

I wonder if Steve had total control over the script?

and will these aspects be covered in your film?

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 09 January 2015 - 06:16.

[GRiddle7]

Glad to see the interest in the film's backstory, I must admit it's all very exciting! Yes, this and several different aspects will be covered in the film. I'd stay tuned via our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and have a little look at the teaser for the movie: http://blog.themanlemans.com

 

Genevieve

[275 GTB-4]

Glad to see the interest in the film's backstory, I must admit it's all very exciting! Yes, this and several different aspects will be covered in the film. I'd stay tuned via our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and have a little look at the teaser for the movie: http://blog.themanlemans.com
 
Genevieve

Genevieve, please confirm to all the enthusiasts here that you will be using more authoritative information sources than some that can be found bleating on social media!

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 12 January 2015 - 10:40.

[GRiddle7]

Be assured I am in constant contact with the directors (Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna) and production team who are working on the film, including Motorsports broadcaster Andrew Marriott, who actually devised the original concept for the film, and Richard Wiseman who is the archive producer.

[jonpollak]

Hey Miss Riddle

Thanks for coming on here and letting us in on the ground-ish floor.

Allow me to apologize for the very 'Bernie-esque' approach some of the old toads here take as a default regarding 'social media'

Your Facebook page offers a good insight to what's going on.

 

I wish you all the luck in the world with this film and expect a ticket to the world premiere as recompense for defending your marketing approach.

 

Cheers

Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 12 January 2015 - 17:46.

[Doug Nye]

Am I alone in considering so much interest invested in a middling-to-mediocre 'seventies movie to be misplaced - over decades a triumph of hype over substance?

 

And another thing... Having just got around to watching 'Rush' in its entirety I cannot conceive why it has been as generally well received as it has. I thought it was a load of twaddle and unconvincing CGI (though far superior to 'Pearl Harbo(u)r' in this respect. Its first 20 minutes or so are just dire, and what little was quite good scarcely compensates.

 

I watched 'Captain Phillips' that same day - over Christmas - and the contrast was stark. Its direction, acting, photography, storyline, pace, tension, drama, sheer quality and even its historical accuracy (being similarly flawed) are far superior. Yes - I thought the Phillips movie was pretty good, though its motor racing content doesn't amount to much... 

 

DCN

[Emery0323]

Am I alone in considering so much interest invested in a middling-to-mediocre 'seventies movie to be misplaced - over decades a triumph of hype over substance?

 

 

 

I think motor racing movies as a genre are mediocre as movies, - The scripts are inevitably overcooked with "Life-and-Death-Melodrama" ® in order to be accessible to a general audience.

 

I think the cult around the Steve McQueen LeMans move has mainly do with the high-quality action footage of the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512s being driven at more-or-less full chat.  Take the race footage away, and there's not much there.  The race footage makes it a great document of endurance racing in one of its golden periods.  I usually skip over the dialogue and skip the the race sequences when I view my dvd copy.   The film's troubled gestation, and lack of a script, as well documented in A French Kiss with Death,  a very good book with a horrible title.

 

As for Rush,  there seemed to be potential to rival LeMans for race-sequence footage, but the film suffered horribly from the choppy, fast-cut editing techniques that are all-too-often used to manufacture on-screen excitement nowadays.  I thought a Hollywood veteran director like Ron Howard would have been able to do better, perhaps insurance and risk-mitigation limited what he could do.  

Edited by Emery0323, 12 January 2015 - 19:57.

[mfd]

I'd agree with Emery - what was captured was "a moment in time" and an evocative one at that. Real cars being driven realistically without resort to CGI. Certainly the storyline is thin but in some ways that added to the noise, colour, action. I can't think of a film that starts & runs without dialogue for ten minutes relying on the images to "paint" the story using what have become iconic cars.

 

McQueen is also seen as a movie icon, so apart from our informed interest, there's a lot of movie fans who aren't too knowledgeable about racing & will wonder how he came to make a film like Le Mans.

 

So there's interest in an actor with dead hero/cult status & his personal (mad) idea to make the film in the first place. A massive interest in the cars - more exposure for the blue and orange and ever climbing values of the mighty 917.

 

At least it's not Rush or Senna

Edited by mfd, 12 January 2015 - 20:16.

[GreenMachine]

I think that Emery has nailed it, for me anyway, regarding the film.

I am curious about whether this will simply add to or reinforce the mythmaking about the man, or will it provide some insights into his life and what made him the person he was. Having read a couple of the bios of Steve and his wives, I will be interested to see how his chronic rutting is handled in this film, and his involvement with the cancer quack at the end.

[jonpollak]

Am I alone in considering so much interest invested in a middling-to-mediocre 'seventies movie to be misplaced -

 

DCN

Well Doug, It wasn't, until your good self came along and interest was then piqued.

Before that it was just myself, the Sydneysider and the marketing rep..

 

Jp

[GreenMachine]

That is a low blow JP, but I will let 275 do the formal correction ...

[275 GTB-4]

Hmmmmmm...so people with the knowledge, prefer to keep stumm, snigger and snipe and let a filum about a motor racing icon (like it or not) lack the research or convincing content because they are "above" that sort of thing...

Do I have that right?

[mfd]

Not me! I spotted a couple of errors on the blog & sent a message. They asked questions, for an explanation & amended accordingly. All very pleasant.

[jonpollak]

That is a low blow JP, but I will let 275 do the formal correction ...

Is Sydneysider a derogatory remark..or did I get it wrong?

Let me know so I can attempt to remove foot from mouth !

Jp

[275 GTB-4]

Is Sydneysider a derogatory remark..or did I get it wrong?
Let me know so I can attempt to remove foot from mouth !
Jp

To someone from Melbourne, Sydneysider could be used in a derogatory sense and often is...

I think its all about you assuming posters locations and about you being geographically challenged 

[GreenMachine]

Actually, I thought you were neither ...   Moved?

[jonpollak]

To someone from Melbourne, Sydneysider could be used in a derogatory sense and often is...

I think its all about you assuming posters locations and about you being geographically challenged 

I've been called a lot of things in my life but geographically challenged isn't one of them...'till now.

PS. Your Profile says Sydney.....

[911]

 

Hi Guys, 

 

Great to see some interest in McQueen: The Man & Le Mans! I'm actually currently working on the promotion of the film itself, which is a documentary following the multi-layered backstory behind the filming of the 1971 racing epic!

 

To break ir down for you: MCQUEEN: THE MAN & LE MANS is the story of obsession, betrayal and ultimate vindication. It is the story of how one of the most volatile, charismatic stars of his generation, who seemingly lost so much he held dear in the pursuit of his dream, nevertheless followed it to the end.

 

We're aiming to release the film in autumn, so please let me know if you have any other questions - failing that, you can take a look at some of the McQueen archive here: http://blog.themanlemans.com

 

Alternatively if you are interested, sign up to the mailing list to see more of whats happening behind the scenes: http://www.themanlem...iling-list.html

 

Hope this helps,

Genevieve 

 

 

Hi, Genevieve:  

 

Please check your PMs.  Thanks!

[275 GTB-4]

I've been called a lot of things in my life but geographically challenged isn't one of them...'till now.
PS. Your Profile says Sydney.....

and that's close enough for the geographically challenged...

However, what is far from clear is whether you or DCN were being specific to any particular poster, assuming knowledge of posters likes/dislikes and/or generalising!

Posted 14 January 2015 - 00:37

Doug Nye, on 13 Jan 2015 - 05:20, said:

Am I alone in considering so much interest invested in a middling-to-mediocre 'seventies movie to be misplaced -

DCN

Well Doug, It wasn't, until your good self came along and interest was then piqued.

Before that it was just myself, the Sydneysider and the marketing rep..



Jp

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 18 January 2015 - 22:04.

[63Corvette]

Am I alone in considering so much interest invested in a middling-to-mediocre 'seventies movie to be misplaced - over decades a triumph of hype over substance?

 

And another thing... Having just got around to watching 'Rush' in its entirety I cannot conceive why it has been as generally well received as it has. I thought it was a load of twaddle and unconvincing CGI (though far superior to 'Pearl Harbo(u)r' in this respect. Its first 20 minutes or so are just dire, and what little was quite good scarcely compensates.

 

I watched 'Captain Phillips' that same day - over Christmas - and the contrast was stark. Its direction, acting, photography, storyline, pace, tension, drama, sheer quality and even its historical accuracy (being similarly flawed) are far superior. Yes - I thought the Phillips movie was pretty good, though its motor racing content doesn't amount to much... 

 

DCN

Doug while I totally agree with you..............................have you seen the (documentary) movie "1" yet? It is available on DVD from Amazon.

[tjmann]

AMR worked on the predecessor to this film about F1 -  'Day of the Champion' - they shot about 1 million feet of film before binning it as James Garner's Grand Prix had come out. Somewhere we have a copy of the script... We also did a little bit of pre-production on Le Mans but AMR had shut its doors by the time the filming started.

 

McQueen's house was located above James Garner's in LA and apparently McQueen used to periodically throw cherry bombs at his roof whenever he was feeling particularly piqued.

[SEdward]

"I think the cult around the Steve McQueen LeMans move has mainly do with the high-quality action footage of the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512s being driven at more-or-less full chat. Take the race footage away, and there's not much there."

 

I agree with Emery0323. I regularly watch the sequence between the heart-beat start and the point when the rains come, which I find absolutely thrilling. Apart from that, the film is pretty dire.

 

Edward

[Glengavel]

"I think the cult around the Steve McQueen LeMans move has mainly do with the high-quality action footage of the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512s being driven at more-or-less full chat. Take the race footage away, and there's not much there."
 
I agree with Emery0323. I regularly watch the sequence between the heart-beat start and the point when the rains come, which I find absolutely thrilling. Apart from that, the film is pretty dire.
 
Edward

That's a bit like saying, take away all the gangster stuff in 'The Godfather', and there's not much left.

[john aston]

I loathe the ridiculous adolescent cult which McQueen worship has become ; his race suit sold for about the cost of a new Porsche 918 and the pages of Octane etc are full of silly adverts for McQueen regalia to make their owners look even more tragic. He was an average actor blessed with terrific looks whose films were never much more than ok . But for some reason the Great Escape  now occupies the same part of the Brit psyche as World Cup 1966 , Zulu and the Italian Job .It's risible  .

 

That said, the car chase in Bullitt was magnificent but who credits the director Peter Yates ? Le Mans is my favourite racing film but that isn't saying much as they are all pretty dire . The 512 and 917 make it - and the moody 911 shots I like too. Who needs much plot when you've got a Vee or Flat 12 singing at 8000rpm ?

[Tim Murray]

I loathe the ridiculous adolescent cult which McQueen worship has become
...

Couldn't agree more. It pisses me off, going to race meetings or shows such as Race Retro, to find that the majority of the stuff for sale on the clothing stands has McQueen's face on it instead of being racing-related.

[mfd]

I'm not questioning the qualities but don't you think it's because the guy died "too soon"? The same deification has happened to certain drivers.

[john aston]

That helped to create  the myth sure; the weird thing is that at the time Bullitt was just another film with a good car chase , as was The Italian Job . Thanks to his early death and lazy ,lazy journalism McQueen is now (retch ) a global brand and cynically pimped around to sell any old automotive tat.

[Tuboscocca]

According to my TNF friend Parkesi, this documentation will be shown at the Cannes Festival this coming weekend....

 

Source speedweek.

http://www.speedweek...-in-Cannes.html

 

Michael

Edited by Tuboscocca, 11 May 2015 - 15:57.

[GRiddle7]

According to my TNF friend Parkesi, this documentation will be shown at the Cannes Festival this coming weekend....

 

Source speedweek.

http://www.speedweek...-in-Cannes.html

 

Michael

 

You're right about that Tuboscocca! It will be premiering at Cannes on the 16th. Have you checked out the new poster for the film? link: http://blog.themanle...-on-deadline-in

 

Hope you guys like it! 

 

Thanks for all the support

 

Genevieve

[Tuboscocca]

You're right about that Tuboscocca! It will be premiering at Cannes on the 16th. Have you checked out the new poster for the film? link: http://blog.themanle...-on-deadline-in

 

Hope you guys like it! 

 

Thanks for all the support

 

Genevieve

Genevieve..and the release for the cinemas??  Can't make it to Cannes .In the article they told something of November (i.e.in Germany??)

 

Michael

Edited by Tuboscocca, 11 May 2015 - 16:38.

[GRiddle7]

Genevieve..and the release for the cinemas??  Can't make it to Cannes .In the article they told something of November (i.e.in Germany??)

 

Michael

Yes, not to worry!

 

The film will be released in cinemas later this year. We haven't received an exact date as of yet, but if you've signed up to the newsletter you'll be kept in the loop of whats happening with the film!

 

Genevieve

[Doug Nye]

 

DCN

[Tuboscocca]

 

DCN

Sorry Doug, I know, I know--at least you know  now , how to save two hours and some quids...

 

Michael

[jj2728]

I am looking forward to it as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie  'Le Mans'.

Edited by jj2728, 12 May 2015 - 21:08.

[Tuboscocca]

I am looking forward to it as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie  'Le Mans'.

You will never get a signed book from DCN!!!

Michael

[ensign14]

And another thing... Having just got around to watching 'Rush' in its entirety I cannot conceive why it has been as generally well received as it has. I thought it was a load of twaddle and unconvincing CGI (though far superior to 'Pearl Harbo(u)r' in this respect. Its first 20 minutes or so are just dire, and what little was quite good scarcely compensates.

 

 

 

The problem is that it's impossible to go back in time and experience the 1976 season as it was.  So a film about it has to be impressionism.  Exaggeration and wild effects and so on to get across that visceral thrill.  Doing it with normal footage would be so passe - we've all seen it, we've seen astonishing things since, we can't look at it through fresh eyes.  It's like listening to "Rock Around The Clock" now.  It sounds so tame.  But to get back as it was, spend a year listening to nothing but Johnnie Ray, Doris Day and Perry Como, and then try again. 

 

What both Rush and Le Mans show is that the current way of covering Grand Prix racing is almost calculated to turn people off.  Nobody's thought of a new way of doing it.  That first lap of Le Mans in the film is something you can feel.  It's all around you.  The rumble, the noise, the edge.  Compare that to the first lap of an F1 race now.  Longsight shots carefully calculated to showcase Bernie's signs as a few Scalextrics pootle along quietly in the middle distance.  When you can get a dozen angles on your Playstation why would people be captivated by F1's antediluvian coverage?  Even Ski Sunday has had comparative lines for a decade or more.

 

Anyhoo, only came on to put a link to the Indie here.

[mfd]

I truly feel the film was made with passion rather than logic or on a quest to make a fast buck. It is unique & captured a moment in time ie the 917/512S era. You'll never see the like again

[IanWegg]

Just noticed this article in last week's Independent: 

 

Steve McQueen's 'Le Mans' project: New film features remarkable unseen footage and outtakes

 

 

~iw

[Tuboscocca]

Just noticed this article in last week's Independent: 

 

Steve McQueen's 'Le Mans' project: New film features remarkable unseen footage and outtakes

 

 

~iw

Ian thanks--archeological digging--very good!!

 

Michael

[MCS]

Ian thanks--archeological digging--very good!!

 

Michael

That's the same link as Ensign's.

 

Here is another one: http://www.hollywood...-le-mans-796259

[Jack-the-Lad]

Doug while I totally agree with you..............................have you seen the (documentary) movie "1" yet? It is available on DVD from Amazon.

1 will be shown again tonight on NBC Sports Network.

[312f1]

Off topic but...

"Longsight shots carefully calculated to showcase Bernie's signs as a few Scalextrics pootle along quietly in the middle distance."...

Perfect description of current GP "racing" and its coverage.