7 Reasons Why 'Le Mans' Is The Most Realistic Film Ever

‘Le Mans’ is widely considered to be the most realistic driving film ever made. Here’s why.

1. It was the 70’s.

Via blog.themanlemans.com

Aside from flares, sideburns and Led Zeppelin, the 70’s also meant no CGI, no camera tricks and no second takes on set piece stunts. Yup, everything you see on screen happened for real. Right on...

2. Every stunt was performed at full speed.

Via blog.themanlemans.com

Q: What do you do to make sure the driving in your racing film looks great? A: Shoot every scene with the pedal to the metal (Steve McQueen, who clocked up more hours behind the wheel than any other participant, was regularly recorded at speeds of more than 200 mph).

3. The cars were all driven by professional drivers at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

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Over 24 professional drivers were involved in the making of ‘Le Mans’, including Derek Bell, Jo Siffert and Masten Gregory. Oh, and they shot the damn thing on location. The modern day equivalent of this would be the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso closing off the Monaco Grand Prix racecourse one summer to make a movie.

4. There were accidents along the way.

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The sad reality of racing during the 70’s is that conditions were dangerous for drivers - no more so than in the case of Derek Bell and David Piper, who received a badly burnt face and severe leg injuries respectively whilst filming ‘Le Mans’.

5. The cars used to film ‘Le Mans’ were the real deal.

Via blog.themanlemans.com

Roll cages? Pah. Don’t be silly. The cars featured in ‘Le Mans’ were full blooded race cars - and it’s worth noting that cars like the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 were a lot faster than their modern day F1 counterparts.

6. The podium celebration scenes used real champagne.

Via blog.themanlemans.com

And no one even remembered to bring glasses...

7. There’s no dialogue in the film until the 27 minute mark.

Via blog.themanlemans.com

Always keen to keep the focus on the racing, 'Le Mans' eschewed dialogue in favour of racing realism. Which, in Steve's eyes anyway, meant nothing but moody stares and engine noises. Not that we're complaining...

Like what you’ve read so far? Discover a little more about the fascinating backstory to 'Le Mans' by watching the teaser to ‘McQueen: The Man & Le Mans’ here:

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