When Le Mans first came out, my buddy and I would drive anywhere in San Luis Obispo county to see it; often it would be at a drive-in. When the movie was over, it was quite an adventure to drive out of the theater as most everyone was jazzed by the spirit of the movie and its amazing cinematography.
As other reviewers may mention, the characters in the movie and even the plot are secondary to the pure action portrayed. From my memory, I recall that some scenes were shot with a moving camera platform alongside the race cars at 150 mph.
In this day of computer-generated crowds, it is to be noted that the crowds in the movie were authentic; that is, it was filmed very shortly after an actual running of the 24 Hours of LeMans and the movie people invited the crowds to return to be in this movie. I am quite sure that no one in the crowd was paid; showing the fans' devotion and love for the sport and the show.
For the time and with the "technology", it is an amazing work.
As other reviewers may mention, the characters in the movie and even the plot are secondary to the pure action portrayed. From my memory, I recall that some scenes were shot with a moving camera platform alongside the race cars at 150 mph.
In this day of computer-generated crowds, it is to be noted that the crowds in the movie were authentic; that is, it was filmed very shortly after an actual running of the 24 Hours of LeMans and the movie people invited the crowds to return to be in this movie. I am quite sure that no one in the crowd was paid; showing the fans' devotion and love for the sport and the show.
For the time and with the "technology", it is an amazing work.