Le Mans (1971)

Director:

Lee H. Katzin

Writer:

Harry Kleiner (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sport

Tagline:

Steve McQueen takes you for a drive in the country. The country is France. The drive is at 200 MPH!

Plot:

Almost in breadth and depth of a documentary, this movie depicts an auto race during the 70s on the...

Plot Keywords:

Le Mans | Driver | Accident | Car | Endurance

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Steve McQueen	...	Michael Delaney
Siegfried Rauch	...	Erich Stahler
Elga Andersen	...	Lisa Belgetti
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	David Townsend
Fred Haltiner	...	Johann Ritter
Luc Merenda	...	Claude Aurac
Christopher Waite	...	Larry Wilson
Louise Edlind	...	Mrs. Anna Ritter
Angelo Infanti	...	Lugo Abratte
Jean-Claude Bercq	...	Paul-Jacques Dion
Michele Scalera	...	Vito Scaliso
Gino Cassani	...	Loretto Fuselli
Alfred Bell	...	Tommy Hopkins
Carlo Cecchi	...	Paolo Scadenza
Richard Rüdiger	...	Bruno Frohm

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | New Zealand:G | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Le Mans, Sarthe, France

Company:

Cinema Center Films

Trivia:

The TAG Heuer Swiss watch McQueen insisted on wearing throughout this shoot, was reissued in 2009 in commemoration of its 40th anniversary. The latest (4th) update is a replica of the 1969 original Monaco model, complete with automatic self-winding movement and red chronograph hands. RRP: £3,500.

Goofs:

Continuity: While the track announcements are given in both French and English at the beginning of the race (and movie), throughout the rest of the movie they are in English only, which would not occur at Le Mans.

Quotes:

Lisa Belgetti: When people risk their lives, shouldn't it be for something very important?
Michael Delaney: Well, it better be.
Lisa Belgetti: But what is so important about driving faster than anyone else?
Michael Delaney: Lotta people go through life doing things badly. Racing's important to men who do it well. When you're racing, it's life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in O Cheiro do Ralo (2006)

The best racing film ever

The best racing film ever! Steve Mcqueen is so believable in this film which is nearly a documentary of the 24 hours of Le mans and the drivers who race in it. He portrays the American Michael Delaney who goes head to head with the champion German driver Erich Stahler in a battle between two race car manufacturers- Porsche and Ferrari. This film Gives great insight of a drivers life and what he goes through before, during, and after the race. And it seems so realistic, but that is because it is- nowadays nearly all of these shots would be computer animated or green screen or CGI- but they really did this, in fact a stuntman was killed in the making of it, and the fact that these are real cars at real speed lends to it's authenticity. If you like cars and haven't seen this movie- go see it.