I was fortunate enough to be sent the review of ‘Senna – the Movie’ by reviewer Anthony Howard, one of the world’s more erudite motoring journalists. With his permission, I present a few paragraphs from his review. He begins with, “Take at least one extra hanky – or even ten if you are anything like me – when you go to see this amazing piece of cinema.
“Senna has taken years of spadework and huge persuasion to bring to the screen. However, it has the advantage in this instance of truth being stranger – far more spellbinding – than fiction. You couldn’t have made it up and, if you had, no-one would have believed you.
Senna – the Movie
“In early 2006, writer and executive producer Manish Pandey and fellow executive producer James Gay-Rees visited Sao Paulo to pitch to Senna’s mother and sister. Who better to outline this ripping yarn than Pandey? He says: ‘Senna is the true story of Brazilian Ayrton Senna, who many believe was the greatest racing driver who ever lived. At the age of 24, he exploded onto the Formula 1 scene, in the deluge of a street race in Monte Carlo, then spent the next decade as the sport’s brightest star, shattering records, living life on the very edge and fighting the off-track politics which kept him from what he most loved: ‘pure racing’.
“In his quest to establish himself as the best, Senna engaged in an intense rivalry with world champion Alain Prost, which became the stuff of motor-racing myth and culminated in several high-speed on-track incidents which could have cost either man his life.
“By the age of 31, Senna was a triple world champion, the world’s biggest sporting icon and had the status of a god in Brazil.
“But Formula 1 can also be a cruel sport and, at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994, hundreds of millions of people watched tragedy unfold at the blackest weekend in the sport’s history – culminating in the death of Ayrton Senna – and an outpouring of grief that is reserved for heads of state.
“Sixteen years on and Senna is a legend in Formula 1 and a saint in his native Brazil.
“Returning to the film, it includes insights from John Bisignano (American pit lane reporter for ESPN), Reginaldo Leme (Brazilian journalist and TV commentator) and Pierre van Vliet (Belgian sports journalist and TV commentator, who hit it off with both Senna and Prost).
“Also reminiscing are Professor Sid Watkins (distinguished British neurosurgeon, leader of F1’s on-track medical team – 1978-2005, president of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, close friend of Senna), Frank Williams (British founder of the final F1 team for which Senna drove) and Richard Williams (British author of The Death of Ayrton Senna and chief sports writer of The Guardian). Neyde Senna (Ayrton’s mother) and Viviane Senna (Ayrton’s sister) make brave contributions too.
Ayrton Senna in his WilliamsF1
“Remain alert throughout, and you’ll be rewarded in all sorts of ways. At one point the loveable mouth of motor racing Murray Walker bursts out of the soundtrack – ‘Oh, my goodness, this is fantastic!’ – only to be tempered by a more suave observation – ‘I think we are watching the arrival of Ayrton Senna, a truly staggering talent.’ – from James Hunt. What good company they both were.
“And, in another quick cut, I think, my god, that’s Fangio embracing Senna up there on the podium. I catch my breath as I recall locking eyes with the quiet-spoken bright-eyed Argentino, five-times world champion, while I interviewed him in his mid-70s. Such courtesy, clarity, recall, enthusiasm, engagement: ‘And women rule our lives, don’t they?’ Juan-Manuel Fangio would have been 100 years old this year.
“Four-times F1 champion driver Alain Prost won more titles than any other driver except Fangio and Michael Schumacher, and Prost’s record 51 victories were only overtaken by Schumacher in 2001.
“Noted for his smooth style, conserving tyres and brakes, Prost nevertheless was drawn into feuds with rivals, including Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell and most notably Ayrton Senna with whom he had a series of contentious skirmishes.
“After three seasons with Team Lotus, Senna joined Prost with his blessing, at McLaren in 1988. In Portugal, Prost made the better start but Senna pushed past him onto the first corner. When Prost retaliated and went to pass Senna at the end of the lap, Senna moved to squeeze him into the wall at 180 mph/290 km/h. However, Prost stuck to his guns and went on to win.
“Come the penultimate race at Suzuka, Prost led the championship with 72 points to Senna’s 60. Though Senna was on pole, Prost made the far better start and increased his lead to six seconds in the first half. Then a new set of tyres enabled Senna to begin closing on Prost, catching him by lap 40. On lap 46, through the 130R ultra-fast left-hander, Senna was poised to overtake and began to do so into the chicane.
“Prost moved across to block Senna, and neither would give way. So the two slid to a halt, engines stalled and wheels interlocked, in the chicane escape road. Prost – thinking game over – climbed out of his car while Senna cadged a bump-start from marshals, called at the pits for a new front wing, and pressed on to win the race.”
(Thank you Anthony. I believe you can download Senna – the Movie through the internet. Undoubtedly a prodigious talent, and now recorded for posterity. Dr. Iain.)
