Le Mans (film)
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Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung
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| Directed by | Lee H. Katzin |
| Produced by | Jack N. Reddish |
| Written by | Harry Kleiner |
| Starring | Steve McQueen |
| Music by | Michel Legrand |
| Cinematography | René Guissart Jr. Robert B. Hauser |
| Edited by | Ghislaine Desjonquères Donald W. Ernst John Woodcock |
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| Distributed by | National General Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7.6 million (est.) |
| Box office | $5.5 million (North American rentals) |
Le Mans is a 1971 film depicting a fictional 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race starring Steve McQueen and directed by Lee H. Katzin. It features actual footage captured during the 1970 race held the previous June.
Released in June 1971 and given a G rating, the film was a flop at the box office in the United States. However, unlike the similar but much more successful 1966 film Grand Prix (for which McQueen had turned down the starring role, given afterwards to James Garner), LeMans remains popular today as an historically accurate depiction of its era, albeit focusing on racing at the expense of both plot and dialogue.
Top flight LeMans racing driver Michael Delaney spots former rival Piero Belgetti's widow Lisa buying flowers in the days before the fictional 1971 race; he then drives to the scene of the accident which killed her husband the previous year. He has a flashback of Belgetti losing control of his Ferrari, forcing him to crash as well.
Like many others, Lisa appears to feel Delaney was responsible, at least in part, for the accident. At the race she is understandably downcast while working through her emotions. In an awkward scene, Delaney looks for a place to sit in the crowded track commissary, only to ask Lisa if he may join her. There is obvious tension between them, but also respect and a hint of mutual attraction.
After 13 hours of racing, Erich Stahler spins his Ferrari 512 at Indianapolis Corner, causing teammate Claude Aurac to veer off the track in a major accident. Dodging the flames of Aurac's car, Delaney avoids a slower car but collides with the crash barrier and goes off the track, totaling his Porsche 917. Both survive, but Aurac's injuries are extensive and he is medevaced to a hospital by helicopter. Lisa appears at the track clinic where Delaney is briefly treated. She is distraught at his near crash, which stirs up emotions from Piero's passing she had been seeking to put in the past. Delaney consoles her and rescues her from a horde of reporters. After he puts her in a waiting car, a journalist asks Delaney whether his and Aurac's accident can be compared to the one with Belgetti in the previous year's race. Delaney merely stares him down.
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Wikipedia