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:

One of the stunt drivers lost a leg when his car crashed while filming a stunt. The driver, David Piper, received a special thanks "for his sacrifice" at the end credits.

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:

David Townsend: Michael, I want you to drive flat out. I want Porsche to win Le Mans.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Steve McQueen: The King of Cool (1998) (TV)

The Best Racing Film Ever

I am no great fan of Steve McQueen, but I am a great fan of auto racing. If you are too, this is the best auto racing film you will find (Yes, yes, I know - "Grand Prix". While Frankenheimer is fantastic at capturing the essence of cars in motion - see his "Ronin" in this regard as well - the surrounding movie is soap opera drivel.). If you aren't a hard core racing fan, this film will likely be a giant bore - there is no plot to speak of, and precious little dialog. What there is, is a documentary-like glimpse of sports car racing as it existed in the early 1970s. Watch it for the cars, and the drama inherent in the race, and you won't be disappointed.