354 replies to this topic

[Rediscoveryx]

No thread on this topic yet (or am I just worthless at searching)?

 

So Netflix is about to release a documentary covering the life and career of Michael Schumacher. Trailer is out now and can be accessed through the article on Autosport:

 

https://www.autospor...entary/6653148/

 

It all looks very promising to me, although it's a bit too early to tell whether this'll be a true/honest pro/con-type documentary or an hommage a la 'Senna'. 

 

Release date is September 15th. What can be expected of this lil' production?

 

[ConsiderAndGo]

No thread on this topic yet (or am I just worthless at searching)?

So Netflix is about to release a documentary covering the life and career of Michael Schumacher. Trailer is out now and can be accessed through the article on Autosport:

https://www.autospor...entary/6653148/

It all looks very promising to me, although it's a bit too early to tell whether this'll be a true/honest pro/con-type documentary or an hommage a la 'Senna'.

Release date is September 15th. What can be expected of this lil' production?

Tears.

[Marklar]

The trailer looks really cool but the whole "family approved" badge has me scared since Senna

[Nobody]

I hope it is engaging, entertaining and reflects something of me, him and the human condition in general, just like Senna did so well.

Edited by Nobody, 26 August 2021 - 07:08.

[Rediscoveryx]

I hope it is engaging, entertaining and reflects something of me, him and the human condition in general, just like Senna did so well.

 

Yeah, this sounds a bit alarming.

 

Although to be honest, I didn't really mind the uncritical approach that Senna had in so far as that it would be obvious to anyone who knew the story in advance that the purpose of the film was not to give the full objective picture. As an hommage it was a really good movie. But the issue of course is that those who knew nothing in advance got a really skewed view of the whole era (and of Prost in particular).

 

Let's hope that this one will be honest both about his genious and his flaws. 

[pitlanepalpatine]

The trailer looks really cool but the whole "family approved" badge has me scared since Senna

 

I think that has more to do with that Schumacher, like Vettel, predominantly kept his family life internal and generally out of the news entirely, so the approval is more for the familial insight I think. However, anyone hoping for a diatribe on the evulness and mediocrity of Schumacher is better off searching through our forum posts as I doubt any film maker with an ounce of sense is gonna disparage the subject of his film as they're lying, most likely seriously brain damaged, somewhere. Just my 2 cents.

 

I'm looking forward to it. I hope they have footage of some of the promotional nonsense the family has done as well...some of it's hilarious looking

 

[jpm2019]

Trailer looked boring to be honest. Don't expect much. 

[thefinalapex]

I hope as a fan that its an honest portrait, the good and the bad. We as humans all have our flaws, no need to sugarcoat it imo. But after seeing the senna movie i fear for the worst.

[IrvTheSwerve]

Trailer looked boring to be honest. Don't expect much. 

I haven’t watched the trailer before posting, but for some reason I expect it to be a little boring too. Schumacher wasn’t massively charismatic, and hardly ever gave explosive interviews like Senna (if at all!). Depending on how ‘honest’ the film is in terms of Schumacher’s bad side, most of his controversial moments involve him crashing in to people...I wonder how they’ll report on it. Could be some interesting stuff with Villeneuve, but I always felt his rivalrIes with Hill and Hakkinen were fairly tame off-track.

 

I’m sure it’ll do a good job of showing off his achievements, though.

 

Edit: just watched the trailer...my thoughts remain the same.

Edited by IrvTheSwerve, 26 August 2021 - 08:21.

[thiscocks]

Who's going to be the villain. Hill?

[jjcale]

The trailer looks really cool but the whole "family approved" badge has me scared since Senna

 

Would be nice to see the events of the 90s from his side after years of being unwittingly propaganised by UK based F1 media into seeing him as "the enemy" ...

[Nemo1965]

The documentaries on Netflix are 99 percent... shite. Why? Because they have too much money. I know several excellent, price-winning documentary-makers in the Netherlands personally and every movie they make is an enormous struggle for money. Which means that they have to have a very good idea and theme which they can sell to financiers (usually broadcasting-corporations who feel they can broadcast the film to a wider audience after the run in the cinema). So for example a documentary about Michael Schumacher, my film-making acquaintances in advance have to be able to defend why this documentary would be a good idea. Usually, in the true journalistic sense, that the story to be told has a wider social and actual implication than just the bio of the protagonist him or herself.

I bet a crate of fine red wine this documentary will have zero wider reflection of what the life of Schumacher said beyond motorsport and his own fame. Of course they will try, by having some talking head explain how important Schumi was for German sport and German self-confidence, blah, blah, blah. But it will be token social commentary, which has no real red line in the movie itself.

I want to add, that even IF good documentary-makers (like Werner Herzog or Ken Burns) make movies with or for Netflix, the documentaries are not shite, but pretty still bad because they are waaaaay to long. There's so much money, the directors don't have to CHOOSE what to film and what not to film, what to leave in the edit and what to leave out. If you don't believe me, watch Herzogs Lo and Behold. Rave reviews, but in my humble a cluster**** of a televisionseries.

[

Edited by Nemo1965, 26 August 2021 - 10:28.

[P123]

I think that has more to do with that Schumacher, like Vettel, predominantly kept his family life internal and generally out of the news entirely, so the approval is more for the familial insight I think. However, anyone hoping for a diatribe on the evulness and mediocrity of Schumacher is better off searching through our forum posts as I doubt any film maker with an ounce of sense is gonna disparage the subject of his film as they're lying, most likely seriously brain damaged, somewhere. Just my 2 cents.

 

I'm looking forward to it. I hope they have footage of some of the promotional nonsense the family has done as well...some of it's hilarious looking

 

That horse is thinking "I can't go back in the ****ing stables after this!"

[Nobody]

Yeah, this sounds a bit alarming.

 

Although to be honest, I didn't really mind the uncritical approach that Senna had in so far as that it would be obvious to anyone who knew the story in advance that the purpose of the film was not to give the full objective picture. As an hommage it was a really good movie. But the issue of course is that those who knew nothing in advance got a really skewed view of the whole era (and of Prost in particular).

 

Let's hope that this one will be honest both about his genious and his flaws. 

 

We definitely disagree on what this film should be, but also what a documentary film is, as opposed to a perhaps a piece of journalism.

[IrvTheSwerve]

That horse is thinking "I can't go back in the ****ing stables after this!"

There is neigh way!

[JimmyClark]

That horse is thinking "I can't go back in the ****ing stables after this!"

 

Haha, he looks broken in that right hand picture. 

 

Personally, I'm looking forward to this documentary. I think though it will be a bit less partisan than Senna, and more factual, but whether they dwell on controversies or not is another matter. It will be interesting to see their approach. 

[Dolph]

Haha, he looks broken in that right hand picture. 

 

Nah, its the low downforce configuration.

[Spillage]

Looking forward to it. I hope it's not a complete hagiography and does explore the character flaws that led to Adelaide and Jerez. But I'll probably enjoy it whatever happens.

[PlatenGlass]

No thread on this topic yet (or am I just worthless at searching)?

 

So Netflix is about to release a documentary covering the life and career of Michael Schumacher. Trailer is out now and can be accessed through the article on Autosport:

 

https://www.autospor...entary/6653148/

 

It all looks very promising to me, although it's a bit too early to tell whether this'll be a true/honest pro/con-type documentary or an hommage a la 'Senna'. 

 

Release date is September 15th. What can be expected of this lil' production?

 

I couldn't find the trailer in the article. Maybe I missed it but all I found was some crappy video at the bottom that definitely wasn't the trailer.

 

I found this separately though - 

[renzmann]

I'll watch it, but the trailer didn't get me hooked. There have been tons of documentaries like this on German TV over the years. I don't expect anything exciting.

[messy]

I think Schumacher is the only driver in my lifetime, Senna aside, who really stirs the emotions. Maybe it’s because of my age - I’m 36, I fell in love with F1 in an era where he was the genius hacking away at his Ferrari’s wheel trying to beat the Newey cars…..flawed genius is box office. For that reason I really hope this is brilliant. Hopefully they steer clear of anything post 2000, though. He got too good at that point, damn him.

[Astandahl]

The trailer is simply perfect.

 

It starts with him in Monaco on a Ferrari, then there is an emotional segment with his family, followed by a small segment about the team and the hard work. The music goes up till he does the iconic jump on podium then he cuts to black with the title (Schumacher) and then back again in Monaco with only the engine sound. Incredible editing.

[aportinga]

I think that has more to do with that Schumacher, like Vettel, predominantly kept his family life internal and generally out of the news entirely, so the approval is more for the familial insight I think. However, anyone hoping for a diatribe on the evulness and mediocrity of Schumacher is better off searching through our forum posts as I doubt any film maker with an ounce of sense is gonna disparage the subject of his film as they're lying, most likely seriously brain damaged, somewhere. Just my 2 cents.

 

I'm looking forward to it. I hope they have footage of some of the promotional nonsense the family has done as well...some of it's hilarious looking

 

 

More awful then hilarious.

[BRK]

Not expecting anything really moving apart from slick editing and Drive to Survive music, but we shall see. 

[BRK]

I found this separately though - 

 

Quite simply, the greatest. 

[Piif]

I'm in even if we just get to relive those highs and downs with good quality, nice editing and some occasional 'behind the scenes' shots as well.

 

Bring it.

Edited by Piif, 04 September 2021 - 07:06.

[Augurk]

I'm looking forward to it. I hope they have footage of some of the promotional nonsense the family has done as well...some of it's hilarious looking

Interesting sponsor, BRIDGSTONE.

[Marklar]

the horse should take some lessons from the one at the Olympics

[William Hunt]

The trailer is simply perfect.

 

It starts with him in Monaco on a Ferrari, then there is an emotional segment with his family, followed by a small segment about the team and the hard work. The music goes up till he does the iconic jump on podium then he cuts to black with the title (Schumacher) and then back again in Monaco with only the engine sound. Incredible editing.

 

I watched the same trailer as you did and I consider it a cheap propaganda video. I'm hoping this will show the human side and that he will be shown with both his positive qualities and his negative sides and that they won't portray him as some kind of superheroe with no flaws. But that trailer doesn't give me the impression that this is going to be very subtle, let alone objective. A documentary that only non-stop praises the individual is not very interesting, it becomes propaganda then really.

Edited by William Hunt, 10 September 2021 - 00:29.

[Lesky]

It seems the assumption there would be zero news about Michaels health status in the documentary is wrong.

 

 Bild claims Micks biggest dream is to be able speak with his father again.

 

German Bild has seen the documentary and writes that his son Mick Schumacher has a hard time holding back tears when he talks about his father and that he clearly shows how much he misses their conversation:

- I think that dad and I had understood each other in a different way today. Simply because we now speak a similar language. The engine language, he says in the documentary.

the documentary tells Mick that he often thinks that they now had more things to talk about.

- I think it would have been so cool. That would have been it, he says and continues:

- I had given up everything, just for that.

His voice cracks and he becomes very emotional, looks briefly to the side and ends with a "yes" before turning his gaze to the floor.

He goes on to say that he sees many happy memories in front of him when he thinks back on his childhood, when the family runs around with his horses or when he and dad Michael go go-carting.

- These are really images that radiate joy, says Mick Schumacher.

- After the accident, it is of course important that we can not do the same things with our parents as others can, or are there at least fewer such occasions. I think that's a little unfair."

 

 

https://bloggar.afto...ael-schumacher/

Edited by Lesky, 14 September 2021 - 22:24.

[JimmyClark]

The Telegraph have given it a one star review, but mainly because they said more time should have been given to his medical condition and they were disappointed there was not even a picture of him (!!!).

Quite bad taste if you ask me; but it leads me to think this will be a must watch for us actual racing fans.

Edited by JimmyClark, 14 September 2021 - 22:27.

[Redaxo]

The Telegraph have given it a one star review, but mainly because they said more time should have been given to his medical condition and they were disappointed there was not even a picture of him (!!!).

Quite bad taste if you ask me; but it leads me to think this will be a must watch for us actual racing fans.

 

Utter idiots.

[CoolBreeze]

The Telegraph have given it a one star review, but mainly because they said more time should have been given to his medical condition and they were disappointed there was not even a picture of him (!!!).

Quite bad taste if you ask me; but it leads me to think this will be a must watch for us actual racing fans.

 

British media...what were you expecting from them?

[Marklar]

I only saw the first 30 min before I had to dash off for work but so far it's very poor. Way worse than the Senna documentary, which while biased at least didnt pretend that there was no controversy (I'm already passed 94, they completely glossed everything over). It's also editing-wise not particulary good (that's what made the Senna one appear so much better). The only upside so far is old footage from his family, but if I had to rate this on the basis of it being a documentary the telegraph rating isnt far off (so far), but for different reasons.

edit: just read the telegraph review and they agree with me on that point too.

British media...what were you expecting from them?

Well, the Australians have a similar opinion https://www.smh.com....914-p58rk8.html

I havent reached that point yet to judge, but I think it's a fair point (not the one about having a image, but the telegraph didnt exactly demanded that as a condition)

Edited by Marklar, 15 September 2021 - 09:39.

[Ellios]

[player1s]

Am I the only one that can't shake the feeling this docu is a sort of prelude to the inevitable news we're dreading to receive for years now?

 

I could be very wrong and havent seen it yet but all of a sudden this docu is announced and released and his wife suddenly is a bit more open about his condition. Its like we can expect news very soon.

[ForzaFormula]

Looks like it is a big disappointment overall, poor editing and poor documentary overall...poorly directed.

 

Am I the only one that can't shake the feeling this docu is a sort of prelude to the inevitable news we're dreading to receive for years now?

 

I could be very wrong and havent seen it yet but all of a sudden this docu is announced and released and his wife suddenly is a bit more open about his condition. Its like we can expect news very soon.

Not sure but his son opening up more in the doc clearly show's that he cannot talk or even communicate it looks like, so probably the progress has not been good and it is what we all feared, but I am not sure if there will be any news at all in the future about his condition from the family? This doc may be as far as we get information wise, for a while at least, all we can do is wish his family the best hope possible and respect their privacy and wishes to keep him here. 

[NickeF1]

I’ve just watched it and you get all the information you need about Michael’s condition to know what his status is.

[pRy]

Am I the only one that can't shake the feeling this docu is a sort of prelude to the inevitable news we're dreading to receive for years now?

 

I could be very wrong and havent seen it yet but all of a sudden this docu is announced and released and his wife suddenly is a bit more open about his condition. Its like we can expect news very soon.

 

I'm not sure they'd necessarily feel they had to prepare us for that eventuality. Well known people pass away all the time with absolute privacy of their illness. I suspect it's simply a combination of factors. Perhaps they've needed this amount of time to feel comfortable talking about him. It may also be the case that they spent the initial years after the accident hopeful he may make a recovery. Perhaps that scenario is less likely now and therefore they're in a more settled position to talk about him. I'm just speculating of course. I've not seen it either.

[Astandahl]

https://twitter.com/...113226659557376

[kar]

Reviews so far haven't been kind.

 

Frankly have been starved of schumi content for eons so I'll take it. I shed tears at the trailer, the world has been utterly robbed of this man. But most of all his family. *AND* I think that's why this series got made. I suspect the Schumacher's need to try and answer some questions now the kids are old enough. And they need some income because as rich as Michael became, I'm certain the care he's getting isn't cheap.

 

Hopefully one day we get an unvarnished take on the greatest of all time.

Edited by kar, 15 September 2021 - 12:49.

[pitlanepalpatine]

I just watched it. The sentimental and emotional insights from his family are fantastic but by god do they skip through his career so if you're not 30+ you probably won't have a clue what's going on half the time and I'm not just talking about the stuff the "hardcore investigative journalist crowd" were whining about beforehand. 

[goldenboy]

Reviews so far haven't been kind.

 

Frankly have been starved of schumi content for eons so I'll take it. I shed tears at the trailer, the world has been utterly robbed of this man. But most of all his family. *AND* I think that's why this series got made. I suspect the Schumacher's need to try and answer some questions now the kids are old enough. And they need some income because as rich as Michael became, I'm certain the care he's getting isn't cheap.

 

Hopefully one day we get an unvarnished take on the greatest of all time.

You think the did this because they needed income to care for him? Highly unlikely.

[Marklar]

They kinda tried to cover it well till 2000 (well, except that they acted like only Senna's death happened in 94), they probably realized then that they ran out of time and covered the rest in like 10 minutes. If I wouldnt know everything already I would wtf this hard.

They probably could have covered it better (though it probably would have needed a series) had they not have so much fluff and overglorification in there. This simply wasnt a documentary.

[FredrikB]

That was..meh.

 

Quite an uninspiring fast forward through his career.
Not much of an attempt to go in to details about WHY he was so great. Apart from "commited" and "a leader". 

 

I will watch Sennna again. Thats how it should be done.

[Spillage]

Been a while since I saw Senna but I thought that was a real hagiography. IIRC it even claimed (faslely) that pole position had been moved to the opposite side of the grid at Suzuka in 1990 after he took pole, though I could be wrong about that.

 

Haven't seen this documentary yet but it doesn't sound like this is much better. I'm a Schumacher fan but I want to see his faults explored as well as his positive traits.

[Collombin]

IIRC it even claimed (faslely) that pole position had been moved to the opposite side of the grid at Suzuka in 1990 after he took pole, though I could be wrong about that

I couldn't quite remember if they stated this myth outright or merely implied it, but either way it was wrong of them. Senna asked for pole to be moved and the request was denied - which isn't quite the same thing!

[Spillage]

I think the film included a clip of Ron Dennis saying pole had been moved just before showing the footage of the crash. But I could be wrong; it's been a while since I've seen it.

[aportinga]

I watched the same trailer as you did and I consider it a cheap propaganda video. I'm hoping this will show the human side and that he will be shown with both his positive qualities and his negative sides and that they won't portray him as some kind of superheroe with no flaws. But that trailer doesn't give me the impression that this is going to be very subtle, let alone objective. A documentary that only non-stop praises the individual is not very interesting, it becomes propaganda then really.

 

Agreed - Show however (so far) is way better then the trailer.

[aportinga]

I just watched it. The sentimental and emotional insights from his family are fantastic but by god do they skip through his career so if you're not 30+ you probably won't have a clue what's going on half the time and I'm not just talking about the stuff the "hardcore investigative journalist crowd" were whining about beforehand. 

 

Yes the timeline has MANY holes that would make it more well rounded for those in the know and more meaningful for those who did not follow F1 at the time MS was competing.