"Le Mans" came at a time when McQueen's career couldn't be higher. He was dying to make a motor racing picture but arriving for the Le Mans, Frankenheimmer was making "Grand Prix" with James Garner. Undeterred McQueen worked elsewhere but no reasonable script, long production woes, race car disasters, his own conflicts with directors, and budget problems caused a great deal of angst and anxiety, as the star actor saw writers, studio execs, and directors at odds with his vision. McQueen didn't want a romantic or melodramatic plot to get in the way of his passion, so a script built around what he wanted fell by the wayside. Included are audio thoughts and recollections from the man himself, details by racecar drivers, his ex wife, those involved in the film, and his son which coincides with behind the scenes footage of "Le Mans" making for quite an extraordinary experience if you are fascinated with McQueen. His cheating with other women, including wrecking the car while out with an actress starring in "Le Mans", his being on Manson's death list (he was supposed to be at the Sharon Tate home as buddy Jay Sebring asked him to come by the night of the Tate-Lobianco murders!), letters typed and signature signed by him read aloud during key moments in the doc, and the loving portrait of racing and how he tried to beautify it make this a must-see. Only problem: some of McQueen's captioned words and the explanation of chapters for the film are way too small.
Review of Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans
