Yeah, it was very good. The Italian "bad guy" thing was a little bit childish in its implementation, but many very good scenes
and fantastic cars. For me just perfect, sportscars from '64 - "73 are the best - for my money anyway...
The Steve film of course is the only true film about racing... my little connection with it: when I made my film about
the Opel GT 10 years ago, I filmed Hans Herrmann for it. He lives a mile away from my house and was a
test driver for the GT in 1967. He ALSO won Le Mans for the very first time for Porsche the very year Steve
made the movie there, 1970! His red Porsche #23 now is an icon, a holy grail here in Stuttgart
.
However, for Hans the 69 race was even more meaningful (as a competing driver...), because it was sooo close: after 24 hrs Ickx GT 40
won by 100 meters! (a year later Hans / Attwood won predominantly).
That year I also made my book on Steve McQueen, so I tried to get something out of Hans, but he wouldn't
tell me why he didn't participate in the film (almost everybody from the 1970 race stayed and worked on the movie,
loaning their cars, driving too... well paid...). Anyway, a great man who used to know my own father (1935 -1971)
who had raced himself a little bit and died in a car wreck, as so many did in those years of racing dangerousely: Herrmann
had promised his wife that he would quit if would win in 1970. And he did! Still kicking now at 91 and still driving
his monster racers from the 50's & 60's at the local Solitude revival festival, right here where I live...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiVgAlPtfNk
Show Posts
