Motion Pictures Le Mans - Steve "Mr. Cool" McQueen

Comes on tonight at 7:00pm CST on Turner Classic Movies. Possibly THE best auto racing film ever made. The first 17 minutes have NO dialog, just the sights, sounds and emotions of men preparing to race.

While the time period of the film does not meet HAMB criteria, it's got Mr. Cool and, frankly, that in itself qualifies it as a must see.



"A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it... it’s life. Anything that happens before or after... is just waiting."

Michael Delaney (Steve McQueen)

 

Great flick- I got the Blu-ray but I just tuned in ta' TCM.

Edited ta' add:

John Frankenhiemer's Grand Prix changed the way racing movies were filmed and McQueen perfected it....

 

Thanks for posting this, I just set the DVR to record. Also look after those a few other classic car movies. I saw Thunder Road is on tonight too.

I don't think I have seen Le Mans all the way through.

 

I think it's a good show. It got panned by the critics for not enough acting and too many racing/car centric scenes. Perfect!

 

Im getting ready to watch it right now man! Love McQueens movies.

1shot

 

Own it on VHS its a great movie ... Grand Prix with James Garner is also cool

 

I got gran prix on dvd, I found it hard to make it through that whole movie. Loved the cars though.

1shot

 

Thanks, I just came in from working on my car and was looking for something to watch.

 

Dude, yeah.

The Gulf Team Porsches were the shit in those days...

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've got it on now....the wife is out of town and I've never seen it.

 

Dude you've never seen it? You will LOVE it.

And yes the gulf team porsches will make you wet your jeans.

1shot

 

The Indy 500 and the running of LeMans were the only races my dad ever watched. On TV, unfortunately. He liked fast street cars, yet didn't enjoy drag racing. As a kid, I had models of road race cars and airplanes. (my dad was Air Force)

I remember my dad taking my brother and I to see this movie. One of the first movies we watched as "car guys". This movie always brings back good times.

 

I think McQueen's birthday was the 24th.

 

I always liked McQueen,,Le Mans didn't really do it for me,,Bullitt on the other hand was more my speed. HRP

 

I agree fred, LeMans was one of the great racing movies...

 

I just picked up the DVD and watched it last weekend, it is a great movie. A different approach for a movie, but very fitting and gives you a real sense of the event. Also recently read the book "Goes like hell" about Ford's racing program in the 60's and how they went after Ferrari at LeMans, they sort of go together on how it was back then, before all of the safety mandates. It was common to lose driver's frequently at each race..

 

don't know if it has been discussed yet, but Mr. Cool's GT40 set an auction record for an American car:

http://jalopnik.com/5936188/steve-mcqueens-11-million--le-mans-gt40-is-americas-most-expensive-car

 

l really love the endurance racing.
Went to the Glen 6 hours and Can Am series events many times in the seventies.
Always watched Sebring and LeMans.
Yeah this movie is like a religious experience.
Totally awesome movie.
McQueen and Newman were the real deal.

 

First time I watched this it was on tv and I was about 12. My stepfather passed me a lit jay and said "Here, puff on this and hold it."

I remember it felt like I was in that car..

 

Someone tape it for me, can't get that channel with rabbit ears. Beta.

 

Dude...

Thunder Road with Robert Mitchum @ 1AM EDT.

 

Well, the movie that's on now is cool too. "The Crowd Roars" with OG James Cagney. Vintage auto racing '32 style. Fast cars, fast women and NO safety gear! Gotta love those days. Arrive at the track, put on a helmet and a t-shirt and go racing.

I dig James Cagney when he's not playing a gangster. He knows how to slap a woman in her place. No political crap back then. Just the back of yer hand. The womens groups would be in an uproar if they made those movies today.

This movie is NOTHING but vintage tin, Deusenburgs, Millers and flatheads!

 

with ya there Fred...."Winning" is kinda cool one too...both Paul Newman and Steve both raced the cars in real life....have pics of Newman racing around Fair Park and the old wooden roller coaster...

Steve's BD was the other day....think it was said he ran to a 3rd place at Sebring with a foot in a cast....

 

I finally bought this DVD about a month ago and it was sitting on the shelf unopened when I saw this thread tonight. So I told Mrs E to pop it in to finally see what the hoopla was all about.........

We got about 20 minutes in and looked at eachother in disbelief......then switched to a PVR'd episode of The Big Bang Theory.

ZZZZZZZZZ........I'm not sure I could have enjoyed that movie even had we been lit up on weed and acid....

 

I just watched "Le Mans". I haven't seen it in years.

 

I just happen on it earlier, had to drop what I was doing and sit and watch it. What a great movie !

 

Le Mans-the motion picture-is the greatest auto racing film ever. Everything about it was done first class. The movie did have major production problems from top to bottom but those issues never made it onto the screen. Other than the movie "Grand Prix", nothing else comes close. If "Winning" had not speeded the film up on the Indy cars to show the cars going 300MPH into turn-1 it might be considered a good movie.

 

Watched the last half of Le Manns, Then The Crowd Roars. Recorded Thunder Road, skipped Smokey and the Bandit(seen it many times). But then the good movie starts. I hope. SPEED. Staring James Stewart, 1936. The bosses Niece helps a test driver at Indianapolis and the Utah Salt Flats.

 

Especially if you have a nice home theater setup with a good surround system.

 

Dang! I missed all the movies last night. I got to see "Le Mans" and "Vanishing Point" at the 2 movie theaters in town on the same weekend back in 1971. Great fun for a 10 year old.