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
Hal Hamilton	...	Chris Barnett
Jonathan Williams	...	Jonathan Burton
Peter Parten	...	Peter Wiese
Conrad Pringle	...	Tony Elkins
Erich Glavitza	...	Josef Hauser
Peter Huber	...	Max Kummel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jocelyne Jeanssen	...	(uncredited)
Karine Lafabrie	...	Second reporter (uncredited)
Jacques Mayar	...	Third reporter (uncredited)
Alan Rossett	...	First reporter (uncredited)
Nathalie Vernier	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Lee H. Katzin

Writing credits
Harry Kleiner		(writer)

Produced by
Alan Levine	....	associate producer
Jack N. Reddish	....	producer
Robert E. Relyea	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michel Legrand

Cinematography by
René Guissart Jr.
Robert B. Hauser

Film Editing by
Ghislaine Desjonquères
Donald W. Ernst
John Woodcock		(as John M. Woodcock)

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Phil Abramson

Costume Design by
Phil Abramson
Ray Summers

Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne	....	makeup supervisor
Marie-France Seyrat	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Hubert Fröhlich	....	production manager (as Hubert Foehlich)
Robert L. Rosen	....	executive in charge of production
Peter Samuelson	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gus Agosti	....	first assistant director
Louis Pitzele	....	first assistant director: second unit
Jack N. Reddish	....	second unit director
Les Sheldon	....	assistant director

Art Department
Nikita Knatz	....	visual designer
Donald B. Nunley	....	property master (as Don Nunley)

Sound Department
David Dockendorf	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jack A. Finlay	....	supervising sound editor (as Jack)
John W. Mitchell	....	sound mixer
Jim Bullock	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Richard Oswald	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Sass Bedig	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Nikita Knatz	....	visual effects designer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
René Astarie	....	key grip
Alex Barbey	....	camera operator
Michel Bouyer	....	camera operator
Christian de Cortanze	....	camera operator
André Marc Delourmel	....	still photographer
Elie Fontanille	....	gaffer
Claude Mousset	....	camera operator
Gaylin P. Schultz	....	camera mounts (as Gaylin Schultz)
Mel Traxel	....	still photographer
François About	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Yves Agostini	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Ronnie Fox Rogers	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shelly Levine	....	costumer: men (uncredited)

Music Department
Gene Feldman	....	supervising music editor
Michel Legrand	....	musical director (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Han Akersloot	....	driver: racing cars
Richard Attwood	....	driver: racing cars
Claude Ballot-Lena	....	driver: racing cars
Christian Baron	....	driver: racing cars
Jurgen Barth	....	driver: racing cars
Derek Bell	....	driver: racing cars
Edgar Berney	....	driver: racing cars
Paul Blancpain	....	driver: racing cars
Arthur Blank	....	driver: racing cars
Jean Pierre Bordin	....	driver: racing cars
Guy Chasseuil	....	driver: racing cars
Andre de Cortanze	....	driver: racing cars
Hugues de Fierlant	....	driver: racing cars
Vic Elford	....	driver: racing cars
Nanni Galli	....	driver: racing cars
Erich Glavitza	....	driver: racing cars
Masten Gregory	....	driver: racing cars
Pierre Greub	....	driver: racing cars
Jean Pierre Hanrioud	....	driver: racing cars
René Herzog	....	driver: racing cars
Toine Hezemans	....	driver: racing cars
Peter Huber	....	driver: racing cars
Jacky Ickx	....	driver: racing cars
Jean Pierre Jabouille	....	driver: racing cars
Helmut Kelleners	....	driver: racing cars
Gerard Larrousse	....	driver: racing cars
Herbert Linge	....	driver: racing cars
Steve McQueen	....	driver: racing cars
John Miles	....	driver: racing cars
Silvio Moser	....	driver: racing cars
Herbert Muller	....	driver: racing cars
Mimmo Neccia	....	driver: racing cars
Robin Ormes	....	driver: racing cars
Michael Parkes	....	driver: racing cars
Aldo Pessina	....	driver: racing cars
Teddy Pilette	....	driver: racing cars
David Piper	....	driver: racing cars
Brian Redman	....	driver: racing cars
Jean Sage	....	driver: racing cars
Jo Siffert	....	driver: racing cars
Rob Slotemaker	....	driver: racing cars
Dieter Spoerry	....	driver: racing cars
Rolf Stommelen	....	driver: racing cars
Jonathan Williams	....	driver: racing cars

Other crew
Andrew Ferguson	....	head of racing department
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Michael Parkes	....	racing consultant
Vincent Tubbs	....	unit publicist
Ralph M. Leo	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cinema Center Films
• Solar Productions

Distributors

• National General Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Centfox (1971) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)

Other Companies

• Glen Glenn Sound  sound

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)

Discovering racing was never more fun. Speed Thrills!

This film has excellent footage of the Porsche 917's that made some fine racing history in the early 1970's. The car did what cars never did before. This film had the best edited work I have seen. The plot was slow and buried in the flow of the race drama. The slow motion crash scenes of this film were ultra-entertaining. It was sad that Actor Steve McQueen went bankrupt creating this film and had to sell off his interests in this film to climb out of debt. Some scenes from this film have been borrowed for use in other high speed entertainment, such as Hardcastle & McCormik.

The Porsche 917's were tops in their day. Only McLaurens F-1's approach the caliber of the 917 in performance. Here are the 917 car's stats: H-12 turbocharged; 1100 BHP; 0-60 in 2.3 seconds; 0-100 in 4.3 seconds, and a top speed exceeding 238 mph - right out of Guinness Book of world records-1971/2. If you would like to discover racing and see how racing teams are coached, and high speed competition is managed, this film is for you.