111 replies to this topic

[Cappo]

Prompted by the various discussions on the recent movie on the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari, and other motor sport movies (based on true events) such as Rush, I thought it might be an interesting challenge to see what the knowledgeable community that lurk on here would like nominate as to a suitable dramatic story for a Motorsport movie blockbuster!

I'll start it off by suggesting

1. Helle Nice - motor racing, nude dancing, millionaires, downhill skiing, Nazi spy's and a tragic ending. Oscar winner?

[sabrejet]

Jean-Pierre Wimille, Robert Benoist and William Grover-Williams; triumph, tragedy and heroism.

[E1pix]

VIVA!

The story of a madman snowmobile racer living out of a station wagon to work his way towards driving Badass blood-red cars every which way but straight.

[john winfield]

HAMILTON!

 

A sung-and-rapped through version of the six times world champion's glittering career.

[Sterzo]

Jean-Pierre Wimille, Robert Benoist and William Grover-Williams; triumph, tragedy and heroism.

Definitely, but we'd all say: "It's not as good as the book."

[Pascal]

The Zanardi story.

An inspirational tale of speed, tragedy, and triumph over adversity that would make Niki Lauda's comeback look like a walk in the park.



Chasing the Rondeau.

How in the 1980 edition of Le Mans the mighty Jacky Ickx in a race-proven Porsche faced the unexpected challenge of trying to catch up with an artisanal car driven by its maker and a veteran driver, and ultimately failed.

[Alan Lewis]

The Ottorino Volonterio Story?

(This may not be an entirely serious suggestion)

[LucaP]

The real Lanier-Whttington story

[Jack-the-Lad]

The Porsche family.

[Gary Davies]

• Richard Seaman.

• The 1958 Grand Prix season.

• The rise and fall of Colin Chapman.

• The life and times of William Grover-Williams.

 

Well that's a start anyway. 

[10kDA]

Jim Hall

[Bikr7549]

Dan Gurney

[rudi]

Sportscar Heaven 1957

[GazChed]

'Our Nige' . Drama all the way !

[Glengavel]

Indy '65

with Martin Compston as Jim Clark and Michael Sheen as Colin Chapman.

[Henri Greuter]

Indy '65

with Martin Compston as Jim Clark and Michael Sheen as Colin Chapman.

With in mind the books about those years, Indy '64 and '94 may be more interesting with more stunning plots.


Edit: as for '94 it is of course the story about the secret Ilmor 265E engine and all that happened to make that happen that would make most of the story.

Edited by Henri Greuter, 26 November 2019 - 09:19.

[1969BOAC500]

'Mon Ami Mate'. Almost impossible to recreate the racing scenes with conviction - but there wouldn't be a dry eye in the house.

[sabrejet]

Archie Scott-Brown's story would make a cracking film and with a wide audience, if done well.

[RobertE]

Archie's tale was optioned by an Anglo-American production company, heavy discussions, castings, budgets, etc., but the Company went bust during the financial unpleasantness of 2008. All rights were reverted back to me, as the writer. Oddly enough, I had originally conceived the project not as a book, but a film!

 

But I didn't know how to do that. I still don't, in fact and I marvel at those who know that market...

[Michael Ferner]

A Musical Comedy about the rise and fall of the Silver Arrows.

[Regazzoni]

Thirties. Top driver at the height of his career meets the wife of a teammate and they fall for each other. Scandal on the newspapers and newsreels. She introduces him to drugs, he is caught into a downward spiral, until forced to abandon his racing career.

 

Fast-forward a couple of years. The guy is rehabilitating, also thanks to the care of his new girlfriend, who is in fact an old flame. He resumes his racing career, starting from scratch. No more silver cars, he has to settle for an old and underpowered red car in GP racing.

 

End of July 193…. War impending over Europe. German GP on the Green Hell of the Nordschleife. Day of days looming. Everything is set for the greatest victory of the silver cars, in front of the dictator in attendance.

What can possibly happen…?

 

Silver cars

Red cars

Drivers

Team manager silver cars (not a caricature)

Team manager red cars (not a caricature)

Realistic racing scenes

Totalitarian officials (not caricatures)

Sergio Leone would have been ideal

 

If made, I want my royalties…

[Vitesse2]

A Musical Comedy about the rise and fall of the Silver Arrows.

Kind of been done, Michael. Have you not seen the propaganda placements cameos of Messrs Lang, von Brauchitsch and Caracciola and three W125s in Es leuchten die Sterne? Go to 9'25".

[D28]

VIVA!

The story of a madman snowmobile racer living out of a station wagon to work his way towards driving Badass blood-red cars every which way but straight.

A project by well known Quebec producer Kevin Tierney on the Gilles story is on hold due to disagreement on story line with the family. Tierney was working on a story of the early years, up to the call from Maranello. Joann is reported to now favour an international  TV series. But stay tuned, there was enough drama in Gilles life for 3 or 4 movies, something is likely to be produced.

[Charlieman]

1. Helle Nice - motor racing, nude dancing, millionaires, downhill skiing, Nazi spy's and a tragic ending. Oscar winner?

 

 

Jean-Pierre Wimille, Robert Benoist and William Grover-Williams; triumph, tragedy and heroism.

Both optioned and never produced, I believe.

 

The Connew story wouldn't stand a chance of production. No way that happened.

[Glengavel]

With in mind the books about those years, Indy '64 and '94 may be more interesting with more stunning plots.


Edit: as for '94 it is of course the story about the secret Ilmor 265E engine and all that happened to make that happen that would make most of the story.

 

No human interest story though. And the general public wouldn't understand what all the fuss was about. I have problems myself (!) - Ilmor saw a loophole and exploited it, and everyone else gets a fit of the vapours? I thought it was just us Brits who said "dash it all chaps, that's not cricket".

 

As for Indy '64, that would be in my narrative - near victory in 1963, failure in 1964 and then 'third time lucky'.

[Doug Nye]

Without doubt the inspiring, compelling but ultimately tragic story of Dick and Erika Seaman...

 

DCN

[sabrejet]

Thirties. Top driver at the height of his career meets the wife of a teammate and they fall for each other. Scandal on the newspapers and newsreels. She introduces him to drugs, he is caught into a downward spiral, until forced to abandon his racing career.

 

Fast-forward a couple of years. The guy is rehabilitating, also thanks to the care of his new girlfriend, who is in fact an old flame. He resumes his racing career, starting from scratch. No more silver cars, he has to settle for an old and underpowered red car in GP racing.

 

End of July 193…. War impending over Europe. German GP on the Green Hell of the Nordschleife. Day of days looming. Everything is set for the greatest victory of the silver cars, in front of the dictator in attendance.

What can possibly happen…?

 

Silver cars

Red cars

Drivers

Team manager silver cars (not a caricature)

Team manager red cars (not a caricature)

Realistic racing scenes

Totalitarian officials (not caricatures)

Sergio Leone would have been ideal

 

If made, I want my royalties…

 

...or a film about Nuvolari. 

[BRG]

'Our Nige' . Drama all the way !

Oh yes, the lengthy monologues about how difficult each race had been would be the highlights.  Perhaps Jasper Carrott to play the lead?  A proper Brummie accent - take that Christian Bale!

 

A Musical Comedy about the rise and fall of the Silver Arrows.

With an ensemble song and dance number "Scraping the paint off a car" as the finale?

[D28]

...or a film about Nuvolari. 

Excellent idea, with Varzi as a foil!  Still, all those P3 Alfas and other vintage cars would be a bit pricey to replicate for the racing scenes.

[Henri Greuter]

No human interest story though. And the general public wouldn't understand what all the fuss was about. I have problems myself (!) - Ilmor saw a loophole and exploited it, and everyone else gets a fit of the vapours? I thought it was just us Brits who said "dash it all chaps, that's not cricket".

 

As for Indy '64, that would be in my narrative - near victory in 1963, failure in 1964 and then 'third time lucky'.

 

Does a movie have to be a human story? How about the people who made it all possible, working in secrecy and planning all kind of tricks ans situations to keep things secret? Or the men who had to come up with brilliant solutions preferrably `yesterday`?

 

No offence intended because I am a Clark fan as well if hit comes to his Indy career. But the '65 race was so much of a boredom event while in practice also little happened, the '63 and '64  events had way more history and events that happened even for Lotus and Clark themselves. It makes that your so called climax event is a near letdown and making the movie fizzle out and die out after all the best parts had been in the first half.

[E1pix]

'Our Nige' . Drama all the way !

You'll be proud to know it's what I call the Missus when she veers towards the dramatic. 

[Bikr7549]

Does a movie have to be a human story? How about the people who made it all possible, working in secrecy and planning all kind of tricks ans situations to keep things secret? Or the men who had to come up with brilliant solutions preferrably `yesterday`?

 

No offence intended because I am a Clark fan as well if hit comes to his Indy career. But the '65 race was so much of a boredom event while in practice also little happened, the '63 and '64  events had way more history and events that happened even for Lotus and Clark themselves. It makes that your so called climax event is a near letdown and making the movie fizzle out and die out after all the best parts had been in the first half.

 

To me that is really the most interesting part of a story, and was one of the best parts of the Lotus 72 DVD that Gary C recently released-the actual hands on people who made it happen were there talking about how they made it happen. The wrench turners, the drivers, the procurement department-all the functions needed to make up a functional group. But that level of minutia bores most people unfortunately and would hamper a big screen release.

[Michael Ferner]

 

With an ensemble song and dance number "Scraping the paint off a car" as the finale?

 

Something like that, yeah. But not as the finale, I think there's no way this could work w/o a big ballet of the NSKK honchos and henchmen.

[Michael Ferner]

'Our Nige' . Drama all the way !

 

 

Oh yes, the lengthy monologues about how difficult each race had been would be the highlights.  Perhaps Jasper Carrott to play the lead?  A proper Brummie accent - take that Christian Bale!

 

Excellent idea! The Drama Queen in Cinemascope and Dolby Stereo!! But I would keep the focus on his suffering during or after the races, remember, the knife edges on the trophy, the pinched nerve in his back etc. Like, "... and now to the race where his head fell off..."

[Regazzoni]

...or a film about Nuvolari. 

It's not about Nuvolari. The point is a story that works on its own to represent the possible themes of the film: the troubles and overcoming of a driver, to recreate and represent the atmosphere of an era for example like the Thirties with all (a lot) that went on, and so on. The story, plot and themes must capture the attention and be realistic enough to held the suspension of disbelief, exactly without thinking all the times "that one is Nuvolari and the other is Varzi", when one knows already how they actually looked like. And the racing realistic all along to enjoy the scenes.

 

If I wanted a biopic - which I really don't, I'd rather a well-made documentary - I would have stated it explicitly. Like someone else on TNF has said, me too I don't have taste and time for motorsport fiction films purporting to show what actually happened. Even less for hagiographies like "Senna".  I have never watched Rush, precisely because the "rivalry" Hunt-Lauda I watched it live on TV and followed it week-by-week on the magazines. For me Lauda is exactly the person he was, likewise Hunt. An actor impersonating them would never work for me, it would look a caricature.

 

I presume and have assumed the thread is about ideas for a fiction movie, with an original story, not a documentary.

 

EDIT: only to add that "your mileage may vary". Needless to say.

Edited by Regazzoni, 26 November 2019 - 19:19.

[Henri Greuter]

Thirties. Top driver at the height of his career meets the wife of a teammate and they fall for each other. Scandal on the newspapers and newsreels. She introduces him to drugs, he is caught into a downward spiral, until forced to abandon his racing career.

 

Fast-forward a couple of years. The guy is rehabilitating, also thanks to the care of his new girlfriend, who is in fact an old flame. He resumes his racing career, starting from scratch. No more silver cars, he has to settle for an old and underpowered red car in GP racing.

 

End of July 193…. War impending over Europe. German GP on the Green Hell of the Nordschleife. Day of days looming. Everything is set for the greatest victory of the silver cars, in front of the dictator in attendance.

What can possibly happen…?

 

Silver cars

Red cars

Drivers

Team manager silver cars (not a caricature)

Team manager red cars (not a caricature)

Realistic racing scenes

Totalitarian officials (not caricatures)

Sergio Leone would have been ideal

 

If made, I want my royalties…

 

 

I read a lot of Rudolf Carraciola in all of this.....

[Regazzoni]

Sergio Leone would have been ideal

Someone "operatic" like Luchino Visconti.or David Lean, or Leone.

 

Anyway, it's all a joke. I want to see great racing and sporting drama - and current F1 is not the place for that.

[SKL]

For anyone in the PHX area until next March you can see Helle Nice's Bugatti type 35 in all its glory at the PHX Art Museum along with an unbelieveable collection of historically important race cars...  (how about Clark's Indy winning Lotus,  the big Eagle's Spa winning Gurney/Weslake + many more)

[chr1s]

I've always thought David Purley's life would make a great film.

[john winfield]

A Musical Comedy about the rise and fall of the Silver Arrows.

With an ensemble song and dance number "Scraping the paint off a car" as the finale?

I think Mel Brooks may have covered this in Springtime for Hitler but, sadly, it never made the final cut.

[E1pix]

FOYT: Just Try Beating Me

[JacnGille]

FOYT: Just Try Beating Me

How bout:  FOYT: I'm From Texas. I Don't Kiss Men!  

[ellrosso]

Pedro and Seppi in 917's. You could do one just on the Rodriguez family actually........

[Stephen W]

Emerson Fittipaldi's rise to become World Champion

[arttidesco]

 

 

The Connew story wouldn't stand a chance of production. No way that happened.

 

So long as Hollywierd was left out I am convinced this would make a brilliant film, nothing a like a triumph over repeated adversity to warm the heart. Must dig out and re examine my Connew documentary notes ;-)  

[BiggestBuddyLazierFan]

Peter Gregg

[retriever]

I would like to see a movie where an audience of TNF members sit around a table for 90 minutes discussing whether car no 8 or car no 11 won the 1966 Le Mans race!

[Glengavel]

I would like to see a movie where an audience of TNF members sit around a table for 90 minutes discussing whether car no 8 or car no 11 won the 1966 Le Mans race!

 

12 Grumpy Men?

[R.W. Mackenzie]

I'm not grumpy. I'm cheerfulness-challenged.

[404KF2]

+1 for Gilles, but it can't be called Viva.  No no no.