Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans shows his drive for perfection
Many of us have made the roadtrip to Le Mans. Some do it every year, and I’d wager that plenty are fuelled by watching Le Mans, the movie that attempted to capture the essence of motor racing.
Steve McQueen: The Mans and Le Mans leaves you in no doubt that McQueen was one stubborn son of a bitch. Not because he was Hollywood’s ultimate hotshot, a man who could walk into any major studio and name his price, but because he’d raced to the very highest level on two wheels and four, and had a rare understanding of what drove men - and it was mostly men, then - to risk their lives in the pursuit of winning.
The documentary dates back to 2015 but was recently screened on BBC4 and will be available to watch on iPlayer until mid May. It’s essential viewing, not only for petrolheads and motorsport enthusiasts, but for anyone who wants to glimpse behind the scenes of a Hollywood production and see how someone as passionate as McQueen dug in his racing boots and held out for authenticity at all costs.
And what a cost. The Le Mans production went more than $1.5 million over budget, a big deal in 1970, directors walked, scriptwriters came and went, producers smashed up their trailers and racing drivers were seriously injured, all because McQueen was determined to capture the allure of racing.
McQueen and his production company, Solar Productions, were riding high after the success of Bullitt. They decamped to Le Mans, planning for McQueen to take part in the 24 hour race, with Jackie Stewart, following on from a successful Sebring 12 hour race, earlier that year, where McQueen and the talented Peter Revson drove to an impressive second place in a Porsche 908/2. However, insurers, already nervous after McQueen bust his ankle in a motorcycle race, vetoed the idea of the star racing at Le Mans. So he had to weave his own driving footage together with actual footage captured during the race, using both a camera car and units on the ground.
Directed by Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna, the documentary hears from McQueen’s former wife, Neile, his son Chad, the drivers that took part in filming, McQueen’s personal assistant, his mechanic and studio executives from the time. The picture it paints is one of a perfectionist battling against the practicalities and realities of production schedules and budgets, and nervous studio executives who are hearing all manner of rumours on the grapevine. These rumours sat against a steady dripfeed of bad news, such as racing driver David Piper losing half his leg, after crashing a Porsche 917 during filming, or Derek Bell narrowly escaping with facial burns after a Ferrari 512 burst into flames during a take.
John Sturges, the director, was driven to despair. The pair had worked together successfully on The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. But as Sturges later said, "We had the star, we had the drivers, we had an incredible array of technical support. We had everything. Except the script." Regardless, McQueen pressed on, and Sturges walked off set.
During the production, which lasted until early November - so long that leaves had to be painted green for some scenes - McQueen’s marriage disintegrated like one of the delicate, spaceframe racing cars hitting a crash barrier. But as we all know, the movie survived.
“They still are not able to capture what we captured inside those cars with the real drivers, today,” remarks Les Sheldon, the assistant director on Le Mans. “Steve McQueen, he had no fear.”
As the documentary reveals, McQueen’s affinity and respect for the racing drivers ran deep. It was what drove the film in the first place. And it was the only thing on his mind afterwards. Set aside an hour and a half and see for yourself.
