Senna the Movie
- Thread starter Chad Stewarthill
- Start date
I've had the extended cut downloaded for some time now, and I finally got a chance to watch it yesterday. This 160 minute version includes a lot more of the interviews with Prost. Maybe this is why I didn't find it as unbalanced as some other people did.
I found the 1989-90 segment the most interesting. The way that Prost, Balestre, and Senna acted during that period doesn't shine a good light on any of them. Paradoxically, there is no doubt that the political machinations that carried onto the circuit were an enormous boon for Formula One's future.
I found the 1989-90 segment the most interesting. The way that Prost, Balestre, and Senna acted during that period doesn't shine a good light on any of them. Paradoxically, there is no doubt that the political machinations that carried onto the circuit were an enormous boon for Formula One's future.
I saw the film this afternoon. It really is an excellent piece of work, tremendously well put together, and touching on pretty much every facet of the career and the man.
There is a lot of footage that I haven't seen before - Balestre's driver briefing at Hockenheim '91 has to be seen to be believed... A fair bit of footage, too, that I haven't seen in 17 years, and hadn't really wished to see again.
Overall I think (as an avowed Prost fan) that Alain is treated fairly. Events are naturally presented from the Senna perspective, but Alain's own press conferences and interviews are interspersed extensively throughout. I suppose the interesting thing would be to know the reaction of someone who didn't follow the racing at that time - knowing a bit more of the 'back story' I could fill in the one or two gaps.
It was educational, again, to contrast Prost's reaction on winning the '89 title with Senna's on winning the '90.
There is a lot of footage that I haven't seen before - Balestre's driver briefing at Hockenheim '91 has to be seen to be believed... A fair bit of footage, too, that I haven't seen in 17 years, and hadn't really wished to see again.
Overall I think (as an avowed Prost fan) that Alain is treated fairly. Events are naturally presented from the Senna perspective, but Alain's own press conferences and interviews are interspersed extensively throughout. I suppose the interesting thing would be to know the reaction of someone who didn't follow the racing at that time - knowing a bit more of the 'back story' I could fill in the one or two gaps.
It was educational, again, to contrast Prost's reaction on winning the '89 title with Senna's on winning the '90.
Keyser Soze
Test Driver
I have now seen this also! FANTASTIC! Prost is not painted as the villian as much as some people have made out....Balestre though - oh my god!!! I was unaware of the political side when I started watching F1 in the early 90s (being 11/12 years old) but then came to know of confornatations etc as I grew older. Especially those of the last decade with Max as they have been highly publicised!
Seeing the drivers briefing/press conferences etc and Balastre's blatent power abuses were real eye openers.
Highly recommended!
Deffo gets 5 stars from me!
***** - Keyser Soze
Seeing the drivers briefing/press conferences etc and Balastre's blatent power abuses were real eye openers.
Highly recommended!
Deffo gets 5 stars from me!
***** - Keyser Soze
landogeorgelewis1
Champion Elect
Wow two brilliant reviews, i definatley will be going to see it now when it comes out in my Area on the 21st June.
Thanks lads
.
Thanks lads
.
Unfortunately the film is not been shown near me anytime soon. I've managed to get a nice HD copy but I'm struggling with the subtitles. It is an .MKV file with subtitles already encoded. I can turn them on or off but I need them on for the Portuguese parts and off for the English parts.
Any ideas?
VanChallis
Points Scorer
I went to see the film on Saturday night at my local cinema, and here's a little review;
Firstly, I want to say that Senna was my idol growing up, and basically still is today, so forgive me if I'm a little biased, but I'll try not to be!
In my honest opinion, it is a fantastic, beautifully made documentary into the life of (arguably) the greatest racing driver in history. The film focusses on key points and races in his career, and goes in depth with some amazing footage from behind the scenes (drivers briefings, home video, etc.)
I expected the film to portray Prost as the "bad guy" in the film, which I know not to be true, but, despite obviously coming from an angle that favours Senna, the film is fairly kind to Prost. The "bad guy" title in the film belongs to Jean Marie Ballestre, who is almost a comedy villain from his appearances in the film. Not diplomatic, very autocratic, but I'll let you make your own mind up about him when you see it.
It was great to see the extra footage from the infamous Suzuka collisions (89 and 90) between Prost and Senna, and the frankly scandalous treatment of Senna after the 89 race, where he was disqualified and had his license suspended for going across the chicane after the crash. These rules were changed in the future, largely thanks to this event. And looking at the footage they found from 1990, there was a lot more to that crash than Senna just deliberately taking out Prost. Ballestre had a part in this too.
There is a great contrast between the interviews he gave in English as opposed to Portugese, and it's great that they have included interviews in both languages so we can make the contrast. I won't spoil anything with the details, but it's brilliant.
The funeral footage was unreal. The sheer amount of people lining every road, filling every window and climbing onto every piece of available space was breathtaking, and showed the effect that he had on the people of Brazil. He was the man who represented Brazil to the world in a positive light, and they loved him like a god. (I cried, I'll admit )
If you're a romantic F1 fan, you'll adore this film. If you never watched Senna, even F1, you'll probably love this film. Pragmatists might not like it quite so much. And I'm sure there will be people who say "Why wasn't this bit in there, " but the film would have been 10 hours long if they included everything. 2 bits I'd like to have seen were the Donnigton GP in 93, one of the greatest drives of his career, and the interview he did a month or so before his death, where he said that Tamburello corner "would kill someone this year." But I'm nitpicking at what is a wonderful film about him. Go and see it, I severely doubt you'll be disappointed
Out of 10 I'd give it a......... 23!
Firstly, I want to say that Senna was my idol growing up, and basically still is today, so forgive me if I'm a little biased, but I'll try not to be!
In my honest opinion, it is a fantastic, beautifully made documentary into the life of (arguably) the greatest racing driver in history. The film focusses on key points and races in his career, and goes in depth with some amazing footage from behind the scenes (drivers briefings, home video, etc.)
I expected the film to portray Prost as the "bad guy" in the film, which I know not to be true, but, despite obviously coming from an angle that favours Senna, the film is fairly kind to Prost. The "bad guy" title in the film belongs to Jean Marie Ballestre, who is almost a comedy villain from his appearances in the film. Not diplomatic, very autocratic, but I'll let you make your own mind up about him when you see it.
It was great to see the extra footage from the infamous Suzuka collisions (89 and 90) between Prost and Senna, and the frankly scandalous treatment of Senna after the 89 race, where he was disqualified and had his license suspended for going across the chicane after the crash. These rules were changed in the future, largely thanks to this event. And looking at the footage they found from 1990, there was a lot more to that crash than Senna just deliberately taking out Prost. Ballestre had a part in this too.
There is a great contrast between the interviews he gave in English as opposed to Portugese, and it's great that they have included interviews in both languages so we can make the contrast. I won't spoil anything with the details, but it's brilliant.
The funeral footage was unreal. The sheer amount of people lining every road, filling every window and climbing onto every piece of available space was breathtaking, and showed the effect that he had on the people of Brazil. He was the man who represented Brazil to the world in a positive light, and they loved him like a god. (I cried, I'll admit )
If you're a romantic F1 fan, you'll adore this film. If you never watched Senna, even F1, you'll probably love this film. Pragmatists might not like it quite so much. And I'm sure there will be people who say "Why wasn't this bit in there, " but the film would have been 10 hours long if they included everything. 2 bits I'd like to have seen were the Donnigton GP in 93, one of the greatest drives of his career, and the interview he did a month or so before his death, where he said that Tamburello corner "would kill someone this year." But I'm nitpicking at what is a wonderful film about him. Go and see it, I severely doubt you'll be disappointed
Out of 10 I'd give it a......... 23!
I saw "Senna" last night, and took Mrs Bones (an F1-phobe) with me.
For the record, I wasn't really an F1 fan during the Senna/Prost years, so I found it utterly fascinating to learn more about the backstories behind some of the most historic incidents I've read/heard about from that era.
Prost isn't painted as the bad guy, he is merely portrayed as Senna's main rival - to be honest I have seen more inflammatory documentaries about their perceived antipathy than depicted in this film.
I found the drivers' briefings scenes mesmerising, particularly Balestre's diatribe at Hockenheim '91 (& his susequent climbdown) - you think Mosely was bad? Balestre looks like nothing more than a mafia villain, and acts pretty much the same (I expect this was intended by the filmmaker), and comes across as way more autocratic than Max ever did.
I found the scene of Martin Donnelly's accident aftermath harrowing (there were gasps from the audience at this point), as too the replay of Roland Ratzenberger's crash - curiously though, I found the aftermath of Senna's crash rather anticlimatic. I wonder if the filmmaker could not bring himself to dwell on it too much, having spent so much time exploring his life?
Some of the footage/commentary combinations were spellbinding - particularly the build-up to Imola from the Williams garage: you could almost feel Senna's discomfort and worry, right up to sitting in the car on the grid.
After the film, even Mrs Bones admitted it was better than she'd expected (she even asked me about the Benneton TC allegations on the way home!).
My verdict - compelling viewing, a must-see for fans & non-fans alike.
For the record, I wasn't really an F1 fan during the Senna/Prost years, so I found it utterly fascinating to learn more about the backstories behind some of the most historic incidents I've read/heard about from that era.
Prost isn't painted as the bad guy, he is merely portrayed as Senna's main rival - to be honest I have seen more inflammatory documentaries about their perceived antipathy than depicted in this film.
I found the drivers' briefings scenes mesmerising, particularly Balestre's diatribe at Hockenheim '91 (& his susequent climbdown) - you think Mosely was bad? Balestre looks like nothing more than a mafia villain, and acts pretty much the same (I expect this was intended by the filmmaker), and comes across as way more autocratic than Max ever did.
I found the scene of Martin Donnelly's accident aftermath harrowing (there were gasps from the audience at this point), as too the replay of Roland Ratzenberger's crash - curiously though, I found the aftermath of Senna's crash rather anticlimatic. I wonder if the filmmaker could not bring himself to dwell on it too much, having spent so much time exploring his life?
Some of the footage/commentary combinations were spellbinding - particularly the build-up to Imola from the Williams garage: you could almost feel Senna's discomfort and worry, right up to sitting in the car on the grid.
After the film, even Mrs Bones admitted it was better than she'd expected (she even asked me about the Benneton TC allegations on the way home!).
My verdict - compelling viewing, a must-see for fans & non-fans alike.
EvilWhippet
Podium Finisher
I missed this thread, but I too saw and adored Senna. My very favourite sports documentary along with When We Were Kings. The unseen footage was fascinating, I'm surprised we haven't seen it before. Everything else has been said though, no film quite captured racing like Senna.
Having watched this film at the cinema last night it was a wonderful film about Senna's life but at the same time I found it very difficult to watch.
Much in the same way as you get the usual cliche in police dramas where one of the main protagonists keeps saying "and at least I can retire next week" which leaves the audience in no doubt who the next character in the film to be bumped off is, you also get that sense while watching Senna. There are many clips where he claims that he is not yet truly complete, how he still has so much of his life to live etc. Another scene I found quite awkward was a scene where he was introduced by a Brazilian TV star on a TV programme (she went on to become his girlfriend). On the programme she kisses him on the cheek and wishes him a happy 1989, she then goes on to kiss him again, saying happy 1990 then 1991 then 1992 then 1993 where she stops. It's the little things like this that really get you thinking.
Of course I wished for more of Senna's time in a Lotus but that is a natural bias there and I fully imagine that when the DVD comes out there will be a great expansion on the number of clips etc.
The scene where Senna challenges Jackie Stewart as they discuss Senna's conduct on the track is quite funny, especially so when an irate Senna calls him Stewart, presumably by mistake.
The 88/89 buisness and the associated politics is fascinating and I found I really wanted to see more of the drivers briefings and the candid F1 stuff that we've never seen before. As for Balistere, I agree with G, it has to be seen to be believed.
As far as Prost goes, I also agree with the view that he doesn't come off as badly as initial reports had made out. It's a documentary based on Senna's life so it isn't likely to be that balanced but Prost comes out of it quite well I thought. The scene of Prost walking back to the pits at the end of the 1991 Brazilian GP with the crowd chanting "Prost you son of a bitch" shows the sort of thing he was up against.
As for the last 20 minutes of the film. I came out of the Cinema pretty sure that I never wanted to watch that again. It really left me with a sick feeling in the stomach. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it or that it was handled in a shocking way. It was just the feeling of knowing what was coming. You were literally watching dead men walking. You look at Rubens' crash and the first thought I had was "how on earth did the F1 authorities let that happen?" I remember it well and recall seeing the kerb act as a launching ramp into a tyre wall only feet from the track. Now I know it used to be bad in F1 for safety but it's clear that by 94 a certain amount of complaicency had set in. Another harrowing moment is a little snippet of conversation with Rolland Ratzenberger to his engineer in the pits. Ratzenberger says something like "I really need to control myself in that car....... I am doing things in that car that no one should....... my god". It gives you an idea of his mindset before that qualifying session. The rest of it I don't really want to say anything about.
Senna is a brilliant film and I really recommend to any of you, if you get the chance, watch it in the Cinema don't wait for the DVD as it won't have the same emotional impact.
I assure you, if you take nothing else from the film, the footage of the climax of the 1991 Brazilian GP will stay with you for a long long time.
Much in the same way as you get the usual cliche in police dramas where one of the main protagonists keeps saying "and at least I can retire next week" which leaves the audience in no doubt who the next character in the film to be bumped off is, you also get that sense while watching Senna. There are many clips where he claims that he is not yet truly complete, how he still has so much of his life to live etc. Another scene I found quite awkward was a scene where he was introduced by a Brazilian TV star on a TV programme (she went on to become his girlfriend). On the programme she kisses him on the cheek and wishes him a happy 1989, she then goes on to kiss him again, saying happy 1990 then 1991 then 1992 then 1993 where she stops. It's the little things like this that really get you thinking.
Of course I wished for more of Senna's time in a Lotus but that is a natural bias there and I fully imagine that when the DVD comes out there will be a great expansion on the number of clips etc.
The scene where Senna challenges Jackie Stewart as they discuss Senna's conduct on the track is quite funny, especially so when an irate Senna calls him Stewart, presumably by mistake.
The 88/89 buisness and the associated politics is fascinating and I found I really wanted to see more of the drivers briefings and the candid F1 stuff that we've never seen before. As for Balistere, I agree with G, it has to be seen to be believed.
As far as Prost goes, I also agree with the view that he doesn't come off as badly as initial reports had made out. It's a documentary based on Senna's life so it isn't likely to be that balanced but Prost comes out of it quite well I thought. The scene of Prost walking back to the pits at the end of the 1991 Brazilian GP with the crowd chanting "Prost you son of a bitch" shows the sort of thing he was up against.
As for the last 20 minutes of the film. I came out of the Cinema pretty sure that I never wanted to watch that again. It really left me with a sick feeling in the stomach. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it or that it was handled in a shocking way. It was just the feeling of knowing what was coming. You were literally watching dead men walking. You look at Rubens' crash and the first thought I had was "how on earth did the F1 authorities let that happen?" I remember it well and recall seeing the kerb act as a launching ramp into a tyre wall only feet from the track. Now I know it used to be bad in F1 for safety but it's clear that by 94 a certain amount of complaicency had set in. Another harrowing moment is a little snippet of conversation with Rolland Ratzenberger to his engineer in the pits. Ratzenberger says something like "I really need to control myself in that car....... I am doing things in that car that no one should....... my god". It gives you an idea of his mindset before that qualifying session. The rest of it I don't really want to say anything about.
Senna is a brilliant film and I really recommend to any of you, if you get the chance, watch it in the Cinema don't wait for the DVD as it won't have the same emotional impact.
I assure you, if you take nothing else from the film, the footage of the climax of the 1991 Brazilian GP will stay with you for a long long time.
I saw this film a while back my respect for Senna has increased, it was a well made documentary, it was quite long on a whole but at the same time you think it's quite short...
It was fairly biased towards Senna but what do you expect? Ballestre really annoyed me, he was like "insert word here" (can't think of a word to describe him.
But I do think Prost comes out quite bad, I went to watch it with my friends and brother, some (mainly my brother who gets brainwashed all the time
) instantly called him names afterwards, I think he did what most drivers at the top would do.
It's a film you want to see, you are glad that you saw it, but you don't want to see it again...
It was fairly biased towards Senna but what do you expect? Ballestre really annoyed me, he was like "insert word here" (can't think of a word to describe him.
But I do think Prost comes out quite bad, I went to watch it with my friends and brother, some (mainly my brother who gets brainwashed all the time
) instantly called him names afterwards, I think he did what most drivers at the top would do.It's a film you want to see, you are glad that you saw it, but you don't want to see it again...
RevMaxPower
Banned
Watched the movie "SENNA" last night.
Seeing Ayrton so desperate to move from McLaren to Williams was proof positive for me - no matter HOW good a driver you are, it's ALWAYS down to the car. Without the right car in F1 you are dead in the water, and very frustrated, because you know you could do better.
Life is full of "If onlys..."
Seeing Ayrton so desperate to move from McLaren to Williams was proof positive for me - no matter HOW good a driver you are, it's ALWAYS down to the car. Without the right car in F1 you are dead in the water, and very frustrated, because you know you could do better.
Life is full of "If onlys..."
landogeorgelewis1
Champion Elect
This is out on DVD tomorrow , loved watching it at the cinema's so gonna get it on DVD now!
, loved watching it at the cinema's so gonna get it on DVD now!
VanChallis
Points Scorer
Out today! Picking this up on my way home today! 
I've deliberately put off watching this film and then my son bought it, so now I've watched it. I really didn't like and I certainly won't watch it again.
Certain parts of it were very exploitative and voyeuristic - there was no need to show the aftermath of Martin Donnelly's accident, I didn't need to see Roland Ratzenburger's crash, I certainly didn't need to see the medical team given Ratzenberger heart massage. I left the room when it got to Senna's accident as I have seen it enough, I sat and watched it the day it happened, I still remember the emotions I went through that day and I didn't need them to be brought back again.
I also struggle with the deification of a racing driver. I'm sure during his life he did wonderful work for various charities in Brazil. Certainly since his death the Senna Foundation has done fantastic work for poor children in his home company.
I was lucky enough to see Senna's career in F1 and really didn't feel this film got into Senna the racing driver. It focused far too much on the Senna/Prost rivalry and, as much as this is a major part of the Senna story, there was much more to the man and the driver than his competition with Alain. The film also portrayed Prost in a very poor way, the problems in the relationship were caused by both men, not just Alain but if you had just landed on Earth and only had this film to base your opinion on your would think Ayrton was beyond reproach and the victim in all of the events surrounding them.
I loved watching Senna race. I will always remember him as one of the greatest drivers of all time and his death was a horrible moment in my life, even though I never even knew the man. This film did not tell me anything I didn't already know and I really didn't see the point of it.
My advice, by the season reviews from 1984 to 1994 and these will tell you much more about Senna, how he got to where he was and what motivated him.
Sorry to put a downer on this, I know many (all?) of you enjoyed it. Just wasn't for me.
Certain parts of it were very exploitative and voyeuristic - there was no need to show the aftermath of Martin Donnelly's accident, I didn't need to see Roland Ratzenburger's crash, I certainly didn't need to see the medical team given Ratzenberger heart massage. I left the room when it got to Senna's accident as I have seen it enough, I sat and watched it the day it happened, I still remember the emotions I went through that day and I didn't need them to be brought back again.
I also struggle with the deification of a racing driver. I'm sure during his life he did wonderful work for various charities in Brazil. Certainly since his death the Senna Foundation has done fantastic work for poor children in his home company.
I was lucky enough to see Senna's career in F1 and really didn't feel this film got into Senna the racing driver. It focused far too much on the Senna/Prost rivalry and, as much as this is a major part of the Senna story, there was much more to the man and the driver than his competition with Alain. The film also portrayed Prost in a very poor way, the problems in the relationship were caused by both men, not just Alain but if you had just landed on Earth and only had this film to base your opinion on your would think Ayrton was beyond reproach and the victim in all of the events surrounding them.
I loved watching Senna race. I will always remember him as one of the greatest drivers of all time and his death was a horrible moment in my life, even though I never even knew the man. This film did not tell me anything I didn't already know and I really didn't see the point of it.
My advice, by the season reviews from 1984 to 1994 and these will tell you much more about Senna, how he got to where he was and what motivated him.
Sorry to put a downer on this, I know many (all?) of you enjoyed it. Just wasn't for me.
Hmmm, I've not seen the DVD version yet but suffice to say, I don't recall seeing the Ratzenberger getting heart massage sequence in the Cinema so it may have been a DVD addition.
I recall watching those scenes live on Eurosport and John Watson being totally shook up as he tried to commentate on what he saw. So seeing them again would not be a great thing.
That said, it still ranks as a fantastic film for many of its other scenes. Senna's victory at the 1991 Brazilian GP being a particular highlight for me.
I recall watching those scenes live on Eurosport and John Watson being totally shook up as he tried to commentate on what he saw. So seeing them again would not be a great thing.
That said, it still ranks as a fantastic film for many of its other scenes. Senna's victory at the 1991 Brazilian GP being a particular highlight for me.
VanChallis
Points Scorer
It was in the cinema version. I remember this because my fiancee buried her head in my arm, crying.
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