50 years ago, the crash of the film Le Mans with Steve McQueen

Long before the success of "Le Mans 66", theatrically released at the end of last year, Hollywood had already tried 50 years ago to capture the myth of the 24 hours with the film "Le Mans", whose main actor is Steve McQueen, critical and financial disaster.

Shot in August and September in a natural setting on the Manceau circuit, the film had at the time attracted the sharp comments of specialists who did not find the light of June, the month during which this legendary event is traditionally run.

But this year - as in 1968 due to the events of May - the coronavirus has forced the event to be moved, which will therefore find the bronze lights of the Hollywood peplum of 1970.

Flop in theaters on its release, and suddenly financial disaster, the film had seriously tarnished the image of Steve McQueen, who died in 1980, then at the height of his glory after hits like "Bullit" and "The Thomas Crown Affair" .

However, it is considered today as a real documentary on motor racing thanks to the monstrous Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 of the time that it stages driven by real drivers.

McQueen had also filmed in June, during the real test, scenes of races and showing the public, then edited in the film to make it more "real".

“Steve McQueen thought other motorsport films like Grand Prix in the 1960s lacked authenticity and he thought it was essential in recreating the excitement of driving.

It was the basis of his vision for Le Mans ”, underlines Gabriel Clarke, author of a documentary on the set of the film entitled“ The Man and Le Mans ”.

A budget of six million dollars, considerable at the time

The problem was, if he had assembled an impressive body of cars and drivers and rented the circuit for several weeks, McQueen was missing one essential element: the script.

“His vision was that of a documentary, that's what he wanted Le Mans to be.

But his popularity and his aura at this point in his career were such that he was able to muster a budget of six million dollars, which was enormous at the time, ”recalls Gabriel Clarke in an interview with AFP.

“The studio wanted a fiction and a story above this vision”.

A too light scenario

Result: after several weeks and miles of film showing cars and accidents from every angle, the shooting is interrupted and Steve McQueen has to accept a romance story between a pilot, Michael Delaney played by himself , and the widow of a pilot killed the previous year in an accident in which he was involved.

The amourette is punctuated by the music of Michel Legrand.

By way of dialogues, we especially hear the howl of the twelve German and Italian cylinders launched at full speed in the straight line of the Hunaudières, which was not yet cut off by baffles.

The movie poster released in 1970.

Long scenes also show the public, in the famous funfair of the 24 Hours, participating in the open air mass on Sunday morning or even pressing into the main stand opposite the stand and the theater of a carnage among the spectators during an accident in 1955. In 1970, the event still attracted nearly half a million people.

This year, the circuit will be completely empty.

The coronavirus epidemic has forced the organizers behind closed doors, for the first time in the history of the event, of which it will be the 88th edition.

“Some scenes where you see the cars ready to hit the track, others that show the gigantic nature of the event are incredible,” says Gabriel Clarke and recall how close the audience was to the track and “were part of the race ".

Proof that the film did not meet the canons of Hollywood at the time, the hero does not win, just like in "Le Mans 66" besides.

He finished second but with honors since he is ... Steve McQueen.

After "Le Mans", the American actor will never again deal with motor racing cinema, despite his passion.

It was Paul Newman, another Hollywood star, also a racer in his spare time, that the glory of competing for real in the Le Mans race and finishing it in 2nd position in 1979 will return.

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