Oftentimes Steve McQueen found himself playing characters very different from himself. A rebel punk from the streets, he found ways to make himself convincing as a soldier, a cop and a polo-playing socialite. "Le Mans", a film he produced himself, gave McQueen the chance to play something more true to life.
Before Paul Newman, Steve McQueen was Hollywood's resident automobile racing enthusiast. He entered the 12 Hours of Sebring and acquitted himself well. It was said that he tried ferociously hard to prove to the racing establishment that he was one of them, and not just a dilettante from the film colony.
"Le Mans" reflects McQueen's fascination with the world of sports car racing. The event itself is the story, with his own and other characters' misadventures mere filler. A mixture of race-shot footage from the 1970 event and months of stunt work on the rented Le Mans racecourse, "Le Mans" achieves McQueen's goal of presenting a documentary of the racing scene within the context of a believable story.
Before Paul Newman, Steve McQueen was Hollywood's resident automobile racing enthusiast. He entered the 12 Hours of Sebring and acquitted himself well. It was said that he tried ferociously hard to prove to the racing establishment that he was one of them, and not just a dilettante from the film colony.
"Le Mans" reflects McQueen's fascination with the world of sports car racing. The event itself is the story, with his own and other characters' misadventures mere filler. A mixture of race-shot footage from the 1970 event and months of stunt work on the rented Le Mans racecourse, "Le Mans" achieves McQueen's goal of presenting a documentary of the racing scene within the context of a believable story.