Watched the Senna film last night, I thought the film would show the great man in an over complementary manner, which in some ways it did, but it also revealed he was emotionally vulnerable, some might say flawed, but not me, scarily competitive, intensely dedicated and very generous. He obviously needed considerable mental support and reassurance, this he sourced through his belief in God and itâs this faith that ultimately, I believe, what led Senna to drive beyond the limits of the Williams car that fateful day at Imola. There is no shadow of doubt he was the ultimate car controller of his era, this he proved on many occasions, not least when he finished just behind Prost who was asking for the race to be stopped, at Monaco, in the rain, in a Toleman, incredible. Me, Iâm not a religious person and find it difficult to understand why a man of Sennaâs unique ability and self belief in his own capabilities would have needed such spiritual and abstract reassurance. Also he was a purist, and consequently a perfectionist, he did not support electronic driver aids, but rather preferred just four wheels, a chassis and engine, the driver being the most important component, much as in his karting experience, he would have much preferred this configuration being carried through to F1. His perfectionist traits always mean he would be in constant conflict with something, be it , himself, the car, his team, and obviously teamates and the FIA, as many a genius, Senna found himself up against the establishment and suffered from not being politically aware, as was the wily Prost who actively sought out results other than by driving. There are many other things I could say about Ayrton Senna, but for the time being I will recommend this film to anyone who is remotely human and a motor racing fan, you wonât leave until the credits have finished, brilliantly done.
Good post. I haven't seen it yet but intend to soon. I think he's overrated as a driver, but he was undoubtedly a very enigmatic and intriguing character and from what I've seen and heard about the film it looks excellent.
Why haven't I seen this film yet?! When it first came out, I was planning to see it but I never did! Definitely got to see it as it has had excellent reviews. Does anybody know if it is available on DVD yet?
I haven't seen it either, but should see it soon. Looks good from the trailers though, and in my opinion he is the best of all time.
We struggled to find a Cinema showing the film, QUAD Derby, it does not feature much amongst the mainstream picture houses, maybe it will be out on DVD soon. But not to be missed, for sure.
When me and my brother saw this at Bluewater we were laughing and taking the piss of the trailers as you do. But when the movie ended me and him, like the rest of the viewing crowd were left stunned and silent while walking out. That aura was like that for around 3-4 days, never has a film done that to me before, EVER!
Silver: Yes the same effect happened with us, strange melancholy mood, nobody wanted to leave the Cinema or speak, has remained with me all day. It brought back the sad memories of that fateful weekend.
Went to see it with my aunt as a birthday present, she knows nothing about F1, but she was very struck by the film and I think this shows how powerful the film is. It affects all who watch it, not just the F1 fans like us. Top film
I saw it in the cinema and was slightly underwhelmed, though this may be because my companion decided to go to the loo just as Senna was on his fateful final lap, which totally wrecked the tension! Or maybe it was excessive hype before its release; I'd been looking forward to it for too long. Either way, I'm looking forward to the DVD as, apparently, it's a much longer cut of the film. It did feel a bit rushed in the cinema edit. I kept having to explain to my non-fan friend what was going on. Anyway, I think Ernie has hit the nail on the head: it wasn't tyres, the steering column or bottoming out that did for Senna, it was God's fault, definitely
Saw the film earlier this year - totally riveting. The one part of the film that I'll never forget was the close up footage of him sitting in the car before the start of the fateful Imola race. There was a haunting look in his eyes - as if he knew something dreadful was going to happen.
I couldn't agree more, both generally speaking and in Senna's case. I think it was a very perceptive point you made about his faith.
Yes Maxi, it dawned on me during those closing moments of the film, he may still be alive if he Erred on the side of caution instead of trusting in God who obviously was not paying attention on that day.
For those of you that couldn't catch it at the cinema/theatre and cant find the DVD(heard it wasn't released in all contries) This is the full extended DVD version(2h42m), 1 hour longer than at the cinema, with english subtitles on the brazilian parts. Everyone who didn't see this, weather you are a fan or not, don't miss this one, it gives a great history lesson of the sport if nothing else. Senna Part 1 with English subtitles Senna Part 2 with English subtitles You need the divx webplayer installed to watch this and the buffer time takes several hours but better than nothing ey And those that have problems with divx you can watch This version that should run on most machines without an installation. This is also the extended version but unfortunately it is without subtitles so I only recommend this if you know Brazilian as that is what about 50% of the movie is in and you'll miss out on too much. And yes I bought the DVD and hope everyone do the same even if you already saw it. Enjoy!
Finally... It's just been announced that it's going to be shown in a local independent cinema here in October. Can't wait!
