A Man & His Movies: Review of Life Itself

Life Itself

Director: Steve James

By Alex Watson

There is no doubting just how much influence that the reviews of Roger Ebert have had on the film community and his admirers have stacked up over the years. As a critic his opinions were often hard but always correct and that blunt approach was what made him so influential and his death in 2013 robbed us of probably the greatest person of his field. It is fitting that Hoop Dreams director, Steve James this year brings us a tribute with the full support of Ebert’s family in his documentary, Life Itself.

Narrated by Steve James, this movie documents the life and times of Roger Ebert, from his upbringing in the mid-west to his notable tenure writing for the Chicago Sun Times- where he became a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. It also carefully analyses his legendary movie review pairing with Gene Siskel where the pairs love/hate relationship always guaranteed fireworks. Ebert also gives James full access to the last months of his life in unflinching detail.

There is a lot of love expressed throughout Steve James’ movie and Life Itselfis a perfect and touching tribute to life of Ebert. The scenes documenting his final days suffering from cancer and unable to speak (Ebert had to have his entire lower jaw removed) are the ones that hit home the most. But through the pain and intensely difficult physical therapy, he is always able to retain his unique sense of humour. They also show just what a fighter that Roger was until the end.

His career as a writer for the Chicago Sun Times and brief foray as a screenwriter maybe glossed over a little too quickly, but his relationship with Gene Siskel certainly is not. As two very strong willed gentlemen, their opinions frequently differed as to what made good movies and at times there was an intensity to their battles. The outtakes on show ably demonstrate just how heated things could get! But the pair always greatly respected one another and Siskel’s death at only 53 greatly affected Ebert. However we soon learn that relationship off screen was perhaps closer than many of realize and together, the pair were the best possible match.

His marriage to his strong willed wife Chaz marks a real cornerstone in the film because it marked an important transition in his life. The man on camera at time comes across as very unlikeable and almost arrogant of himself. But the Ebert behind the scenes was a very different man and Chaz helped shape into a loving and caring man who was passionately committed to his family. But it’s her description of the day of Ebert’s death that will guarantee tears as it was something so tragic yet so beautiful.

Steve James makes no secret of his admiration of the man in Life Itself and it shared by a bunch of notable peers such as Werner Herzog, Errol Morris and Martin Scorsese (who co-produces). Scorsese in particular gives a loving eulogy to the man as he was the first critic to really promote his early work and his words would pave the way for a whole new audience. He could be harsh in his analysis, but only because his love for the big screen was so large- he hated seeing it tarnished!

Life Itself is by far 2014 best documentary and Steve James gives the most poignant and everlasting memorial to Ebert’s work and by the films end, it is impossible to feel the same way. As a fellow critic, his work has been a big influence on myself and many others before and after. Roger, I hope this is one review you would have approved of!

Family History: Review of Stories We Tell

Stories We Tell

Director: Sarah Polley

By Alex Watson

Families are always full of different tales; normally ones that make us cringe with embarrassment, particularly when my family gets together! But often there are some family tales that really takes us by surprise and through these deep secrets are often revealed and on occasions lives can change forever. Canadian director/actress Sarah Polley this year returns to our screen to give us a unique insight into her own past and the events that helped shape the person she is in her compelling documentary, Stories We Tell.

In this film Sarah Polley documents her family past through the assistance of her own family members and other treasured acquaintances from down the years. Along the way many shocking and surprising revelations are put into view as her family recalls their past and their feelings towards the mother and father who raised them.

To begin with I would like to say that we will not find a greater documentary this than Stories We Tell and Polley’s examination of her own family life is a tale that truly needs to be heard and it will both warm and devastate your heart at separate points. The recollections of her English father Michael provide us with some of the film’s most funny and poignant moments as he speaks with great fondness about her mother Diane Polley, other family members are initially hesitant at first, some joking about why people should care about this? But ultimately as the stories go on, we are enchanted by Sarah’s family and their live is one of the most interesting tales we will see in a while!

Her mother is a shadow that looms over the movie and people speak about her with such touching affection and her father’s stories of how they first met are the stuff that romantic comedies would die for- his confession that he lied about having a Mercedes to make her go home with him is guaranteed to make you chuckle!   But through the footage Polley has available, her mother Diane is a figure that Sarah is still getting to know (she died when Polley was 11) and she looks to her other family members to give us a better idea of the real person behind the wordless scenes.

Through her showing of old super 8 family movies, witness testimony and her reconstruction of old family events we feel like we are spying on private family moments, but Polley through her assured direction has nothing she want to hide and instinctively digs into one key in her past which begun with the smallest of rumours from one of her brothers. From here I will stop recalling the plot line because there is a jewel of a revelation here that you need to witness for yourself on screen and for this I would urge you to ignore all search engines until you step out from the film because the after effect is one that will stay with you for the coming days!

But in Stories We Tell, refreshingly Polley leaves it to her father to narrate proceedings and through his words we get a profound sense of love, loss, doubts to finally being able to embrace life. Here however there are no lengthy explanations about the various storytellers on show- they are all people who have played a significant part in her life and she relys them as key tools in her narrative and through this trust a fascinating tale is born.

For this movie I will leave you these words, I URGE YOU TO GO WATCH THIS-  Stories We Tell is one of the best discoveries you will make all year. Sarah Polley is one of the budding talents we have in the film world and after her excellent film Take This Waltz last year we have yet more proof that not only she is not only capable of producing some the most emotionally real work but she is fast becoming a favourite on Closer to the Edge. When this is over, look into your own past because you may be amazed by what you find there!

An Inconvenient Truth: Review of West of Memphis

West of Memphis

Director: Amy Berg

By Alex Watson

Making a great documentary is no easy thing because you have to pick your subject carefully, but sometimes the hardest hitting documentaries are the ones that make us sit up and pay attention. Werner Herzog’s film Grizzly Man gave us a heartbreaking eye view at man who loved animals whereas Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine homed in on a nation’s obsession with gun violence and Kevin MacDonald’s Touching the Void gave us a harrowing story of survival for two mountaineers! But at the end of last year, director Amy Berg along with Peter Jackson (yes that Peter Jackson) showed people a tale of the West Memphis Three and one the most shocking cases on injustice in US legal history in West of Memphis.

After the gruesome murder of three young boys, the authorities quickly arrested teenagers Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley and Damien Echols and on questionable evidence, the trio were each sentenced to life imprisonment. But in the years that followed, a re-examination of the case was opened and what followed not only proved their innocence but also exposed one of the worst cases of police incompetence! But many people never gave up hope on their innocence, but their freedom came at a price!

West of Memphis is simply one of the most spellbinding and scandalous films you will ever witness, and its subject is one that continues to shock through. From the very beginning when the story of their arrest is recounted, the three boys are presented as highly unlikeable to the jury due to their apparent lack of emotion for committing the crime and were convicted due to their obsession with dark arts and heavy metal music. But when it is presented to us that one of them had the mental age of an 8 year boy yet apparently ‘confessed’ to this crime- our presumptions swing completely!

From here there is a wave of shocking revelations such as false testimonies, incorrect evidence and a medical practitioner who wasn’t qualified to testify, yet whose statement ultimately helped seal the boy’s fate! The police and public procescutors are put in the spotlight as their desire for a quick conviction becomes apparent and their lack of moral compass in achieving this is painfully exposed!

But yet despite all the evidence clearly absolving them of blame as well as three excellent HBO documentaries on the subject, the three remained behind bars! Their case however gained many supporters such as Eddie Vedder (who appears as a talking head), Johnny Depp and of course Peter Jackson, who played an integral part in helping finance this appeal.

However, against all the odds there is a bittersweet resolution as the trio were finally released after 18 years behind bars, but it wasn’t all straightforward because although there were no longer prisoner, they still remained guilty of the crimes committed and the law to this day still refuses to acknowledge their innocence. Because of this it leaves a hallow feeling after such a long and hard journey and the thought that the killers of the three boys is still free as a bird will leave you seething.

But the most stunning aspect of West of Memphis comes in the later stages as the guilt is shifted across to Terry Hobbs who was the stepfather of murder victim Steven Branch, who in the beginning stages was persistently campaigning for justice- but when his dark past is revealed along with an apparent ‘confession’ to one of his distant nephews, another suspect rolls into view and Berg here seems determined to give him the trial that he never had! But is the man really guilty? This answer is left up to yourselves!

West of Memphis is a film that passed many people when it was released in the UK over Christmas, but now I would urge you to seek this doc out because it is an experience that will rarely be equalled and although it wowed Sundance, it was shamefully ignored at this year’s Oscars! So please watch and let your eyes bulge with disbelief because this is a Peter Jackson film you will never forget!

2012: A Year in Review

2012: A YEAR IN REVIEW

By Alex Watson

It has been an interesting year for film, and we have seen all kinds such as Tom Cruise belting out Bon Jovi in Rock of Ages and climb the Burj Khalifa single handed in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. We’ve also been witness to a magnificent viral campaign for Prometheus where the result didn’t properly match the hopes for Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien Universe and we’ve also delved into dark territory in Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss. There was a sad end of one saga in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and the triumphant beginning of another in Avengers Assemble. But overall there has been some magnificent viewing in 2012, here is my end of year review.

 

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012

1.   Argo (USA/Dir: Ben Affleck): This year the former Bennifer truly shed his past and delivered us the most exciting and nerve jangling thriller of the year. Set against the backdrop of hostile 1979 Iran, this gave us the story of one man and his bold idea to make a fake movie so real, it would save the lives of six others. Thanks to Affleck’s stunning direction we had a movie with a heart and determined soul!
2.  The Raid (ID/Dir: Gareth Evans) The combination of Welsh director Gareth Evans and Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais gave us the most entertaining and pure thrilling action film of the year. When a team of cops in Jakarta become trapped in a drug lord controlled tower block, they discover all 30 floors are filled with blood thirsty killers, the adrenalin rush goes into overdrive and this never relents. We have a fascinating new pairing on our hands.
3.    Sightseers (UK/Dir: Ben Wheatley): Up and coming British director Ben Wheatley gives us the most raw and funny picture this year and through the brilliant naturalistic performances of star Steve Oram and Alice Lowe we were given the British equivalent of Badlands, just remember who you tick off when visit your next campsite- it can be fatal!
4.   The Imposter (USA/France Dir: Bart Layton): This film was 2012 most shocking documentary and we were given the story of a French con man who out of desperation pretended to be the missing teenager of an American family and was readily accepted! Watch it and let your jaw hang loose while this unbelievable tale is played out!
5.  Shame (UK/Dir: Steve McQueen): The first film ever reviewed on Closer to the Edge was also the most explicit and heartbreaking of the year. With great performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, director Steve McQueen gave us a powerful example of  a sex addict who is struggling with his compulsions and gradually his perfect world is coming apart.
6.  Silver Linings Playbook (USA/Dir: David O Russell); Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper both give charming performances in one of 2012 most offbeat comedies. David O Russell skilfully masterminds the theme of mental illness and gives us a brutally funny and also heart warming tale of two troubled folks who find love in the strangest possible circumstance!
7. 7.       Skyfall (UK/USA Dir: Sam Mendes): Of all the blockbuster’s filmed this year, Daniel Craig’s return as 007 was the most entertaining of them all and gave us some the year’s best action set pieces (including a thrilling opening ride through Istanbul). But of all the recent Bond film this one had the most emotionally driven core and we got to see Bond at the crossroads of life. With a great Baddie turn from Javier Bardem, this made for compulsive viewing.
8. Rust & Bone (FR/Dir: Jacques Audiard): One of the year’s top foreign films boasted a stunning central turn from Marion Cotillard as a woman whose live is changed forever and find solace in the most unlikely man possible. With top support from Matthias Schoenaerts and Jacques Audiard’s brilliant directing, we are given one of the years strongest films and contains a passionate love theme that pulls our heart strings hard.
9. Looper (USA/Dir: Rian Johnson): The hype about Rian Johnson’s follow up to Brick was one that was truly worth it, because the man has produced the most intelligent and thought provoking sci-film of this decade so far, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis excel as the junior and senior versions of the same man who are both trying to atone for past and future mistakes they have made. This will require numerous viewings to understand its concept and they will all be worth it because this one of cleverest films your likely to find.
10. The Master (USA/ Dir: P.T Anderson): After a long wait, PT Anderson finally made his return to the screen and along with him so did Joaquin Phoenix- and it was worth the wait! Anderson brings us one of the most stunning visual films of 2012 about a disturbed man trying to find his way, and ultimately falling into the wrong crowded. With superb performances by Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, it was a welcome return for Anderson!

BEST OF THE REST

• The Dark Knight Rises (USA/UK Dir: Christopher Nolan) The finale of Chris Nolan’s Batman saga was a truly worth one and featured Christian Bale at his very best and also gave him a tough test in Tom Hardy’s hard as nails villain Bane. The thrilling battle of Gotham finale presented us a blood pumping last act! I wish the best of luck for the next man who is brave enough to reboot this series!
• Marley (UK Dir: Kevin MacDonald): A fascinating view of the life of one of music’s best loved stars, Bob Marley. Your knowledge of the man is regardless because we are given a brilliant account of his hard up bringing in Kingston, Jamaica and his rapid rise to top of music. If you’re not singing ‘No woman, No Cry’ by the end credits then hang your head in shame!
• Avenger’s Assemble (USA/ Dir: Joss Whedon): Another of the yea’rs most entertaining films and a pure fanboy’s delight as Marvel’s finest came to together to stop the tyrannical evil of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo among others made an awesome team- come back soon fellas!
• The Hunger Games (USA /Dir: Gary Ross): Jennifer Lawrence shines in the Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ beloved children’s novel. Be warned- Twilight this film isn’t and the theme of a society desensitized to violence as kids from different districts fight for survival is as shocking as it is entertaining. This is probably the closest we’ll get to a western Battle Royale.
• Anna Karenina (UK / Dir: Joe Wright): The adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s 864 page novel could have been one of years hardest viewings. But instead we are given a visual stunning and heart rendering film, with a star turn from Keira Knightley as the doomed Anna as she sets tongues wagging in Imperial Russia as her sordid affair with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Vronsky plays out.

 

MALE STAR OF THE YEAR- TOM HARDY: This year the British actor took centre stage and delivered us a series of memorable turns in This Means War, Lawless and became Bruce Wayne’s biggest problem in The Dark Knight Rises. With his roughish charm, Hardy is an actor of multiple talents and has a presence of screen that is undeniable, it would seem we have a new star in waiting.

FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR-JENNIFER LAWRENCE: With her stunning and tough performance in The Hunger Games and her bizarre yet endearing turn in Silver Linings Playbook are evidence enough that this woman is the most exciting young female talent in film today and this year she has stolen our hearts. No doubt the awards season will see her name mentioned numerous times and in future this will be a name to get used because Lawrence is going to be a woman to beat!

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR- GARETH EVANS (THE RAID): The Welshman grabbed our attention for all the right reasons with his breathtaking execution of Indonesian film The Raid and his skilful handling of proceedings gave us one of martial arts’ future classics. His next film can’t come soon enough and you have to wonder what him and star Iko Uwais are capable of next?

Scene of the Year- Stephanie Connects with her Killer Whale (Rust & Bone): The simplest yet heart rendering moment of 2012 came as Marion Cotillard gestured to an orca whale. Action here spoke loudest of all and the longing for Stephanie to return to her former life broke our hearts in two!

Welcome Home Son: Review of The Imposter

The Imposter

Director: Bart Layton

By Alex Watson

Some stories you hear are just utterly hilarious and can make you laugh until your sides hurt, other stories you hear can make you feel all emotional which can lead to a variety of different scenarios occurring. But there some tales that you hear which make your jaw hit the floor, and this year director Bart Layton has brought his documentary, The Imposter, which tells the story of a con man who out of desperation brought us real story so shocking it would make even Jerry Springer faint upon hearing it!

Back in 1997, Frenchmen Frederic Bourdin was found in Spain posing a juvenile runaway, but when he was found the Spanish authorities informed him that unless he could prove his identity they would finger print him, scared for what they may find Bourdin claimed to be missing US teenager Nicholas Barclay, a boy from San Antonio, Texas missing since 1993. Even though there was a great physical difference, the family of the missing boy was convinced that Bourdin was their missing son and welcomed him home. Soon the Frenchman found himself over his head living a lie gone too far!

The Imposter is unlike so many documentaries of recent years because it gives us a story that is almost too good to be true, in some ways it is in the same vein as 1988 shock doc The Thin Blue Line! The fact that one man went to such dramatic length to escape an inevitable jail sentence heightens the drama from the very outset. What intensifies the experience is just how accepting the family was of this outsider- despite a number of forensic experts and an FBI agent repeatedly telling them this man is not their son because of the overwhelming obvious fact that they looked nothing alike.

Frederic Bourdin (nicknamed The Chameleon) is heavily involved in recanting the events and his eager attitude drives the documentary forward as he describes the elaborate scheme he used to convince all involve he was Barclay, including creating a compelling backstory where he told that he had been kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery involving high ranking Spanish army officials! Director Layton does not entirely condemn his actions and instead treads a very fine line and allows the man to tell his side of the tale and in the end the audience can have its judgement.

Some might say that he pulled off the biggest con of all time and it wasn’t even to gain riches or get even with someone who had wronged him. The man simply wanted to escape jail and the more he tells us, the more our eyes bulge with disbelief!

But even Bourdin himself expresses concern over just how willing the family took him in. Here Layton gives The Imposter another fascinating twist because a shadow then falls over the Barclay family and from this we wonder was it just hard desire to have their boy back or were they in denial over something a little more serious? Even though many family members testify to their innocence, we can’t help wondering if they perhaps know more about their boy’s disappearance than is let on!

Even though The Imposter has been released for some months now, I still felt it was one film this year that deserved a mention and you will be hard pressed to find a more stunning and bewildering documentary this year. Bart Layton gives a truly unbelievable tale and a person whose one lie tore some many lives apart. I urge to see this film but warned your heart may just stop while watching it!

Music & Lyrics: Review of Marley

Marley

Director: Kevin MacDonald

By Alex Watson

Everywhere you go; it is guaranteed that you will see Bob Marley’s face on a t-shirt. His music and character has reached legendary status and has touched many different generations. Through his songs No Woman, No Cry, One Love and War helped bring the reggae music scene to worldwide attention and he is considered to be the Godfather of this sound. His premature death at 36 from Melanoma robbed the world of a true great who was at the peak of his talent.  But unlike his music, the man and his origins have new been fully documented. So now director Kevin MacDonald gives the full story behind the music, here we delve deep into Bob Marley’s past and we see the people, the events and the sounds that inspired his journey. No stone is left unturned in Marley.

In Marley we see Kevin MacDonald tell the full story of Bob Marley’s life, from his birth into utter poverty in St Anns, Jamaica and the difficult early years where he was shunned by members of the community for having a white father. We then s meeting and performance with the music group The Wailers in Kingston. In this we see the influence that his music had worldwide, through his American and European tours and how it helped play a role in ending civil unrest in Jamaica.  Also MacDonald interviews many of the important people in Marley’s life, from his family members, former lovers and the band mates who shared his life.

MacDonald’s documentary is a wonderfully crafted piece and in this we get an insightful look into the man behind the music. Like his excellent documentary Touching The Void this a film that truly matches its quality.  Through his interviews with his former friends and family it helps un-mask an unknown side to Bob Marley. In this we learn of the anger he felt when he was rejected by his father and it helped influenced some of his early recordings. His acceptance into the Rastafarian culture is also one of the key points of his background, because it gave his music a new spiritual side and would eventually pave the way for his music to make a major impact.

One of the more interesting points of Marley is the documentation of the civil unrest that broke out between supporters of the Jamaican Labour Party and People’s National Party. Bob Marley played a key role in helping stop the violence from escalating. But it wasn’t without great cost and through MacDonald we see the genuine horror of his friends and family as they recant when Marley was nearly killed by a gunman when he about to play a free concert to help his country!

This scenario caused Bob Marley to go into self imposed exile in London. This section breaks the originally peaceful view of Jamaica that is given to us and instead we see a country of the verge of breaking apart and one man’s efforts to bring back to normality. But there is an uplifting feel as Marley takes to the stage despite his injury and for a brief time his performance captivates a nation!

The music that is the real driver of the film; and as Marley progresses we witness first-hand how his sound brought people together. The concerts scenes demonstrate this as we see sell out crowds of both black and white people. His music brought people together no matter what the politics or religion involved and wherever he performed everyone felt his vibe on stage. Here MacDonald lets the lyrics speak for themselves and this allows the audience to sit back and be taken in by the legend himself.

Marley will no doubt be one of the top documentaries of 2012. Bob Marley is a true great of the music scene and in this we are given a story that the world needed to hear. Once again MacDonald comes out on top and right now he is one of the up and coming filmmakers in the world. For anyone who doesn’t know Bob Marley this is the place to start. No doubt the t-shirts will keep on selling for years to come.

Crime and Punishment: Review of Into The Abyss

Into The Abyss

Director: Werner Herzog

By Alex Watson

When going to see a Werner Herzog film the audience should be prepared for anything. Over the last three decades the German director has not only baffled us with his films such as Heart of Glass and Stroszek, but also shocked us with tales of on-set tension in Fitzcarraldo and threats of death whilst making Aguirre: the Wrath of God (both starring Klaus Kinski) to finally tugging at our heart strings with his documentary Grizzly Man. Herzog is one of the more unique directors in the world today and he is never afraid to tackle a subject, no matter how controversial. In his new film he returns to documentary and poses some difficult questions on the subject of death and accuracy of the legal system in new film, Into the Abyss.

Into the Abyss shows Herzog travelling to Conroe, Texas to examine a triple homicide that occurred in 2001 when young men Michael Perry and Jason Burkett were convicted for brutally murdered a 50 year old woman and two young men in order to steal a car! In this film Herzog speaks to people on both sides of the event, from the families of the deceased, to the men inside the system that not only convicted them but eventually kill one of them, to finally the killers themselves. But all the while asking the big question, why do people kill and why does the law feel compelled to do the same thing?

Herzog’s film stays away from the usual shock doc clique’s and delivers us a haunting depiction of people who have paid a terrible price with their lives at the cost of murder.  As we meet the men for the first they come across as almost likeable. In Herzog’s conversations with Michael Perry (who was executed in July 2010), we see a man who is more or less still a boy. But in a few short days after his interview his life will be terminated.

Another surprising element is the absence of Herzog from the screen. In his previous efforts we have always seen him interact with the camera and at times seen the effect the subject has on himself. For instance in Grizzly Man when the viewer saw first-hand how disturbed the man was when he listened to the tape of Timothy Treadwell’s death. But with Into the Abyss, Herzog takes a back seat to proceedings and lets the images speak of themselves.

Into the Abyss treads a fine line and Herzog’s never portrays the men as neither guilty nor innocent.  He leaves the big questions to the audience themselves and here we ask ourselves what any man’s breaking point can be?

All the way through there is a haunting feeling hovering over the film.  As we see the killers sat behind the glass in jail we see men who have been stripped of a life before it has really begun. In one interview, Herzog speaks to Burkett’s father who has spent a life incarcerated. Here he reveals that he gave a testimony at his son’s murder trial and in doing so might have spared his son from Death Row.   His life behind bars has alienated him from the world and as a result, he has never truly known his family. So this one gesture meant so much to the man and through his tears we see his regrets in life.

The most fascinating element of the Into the Abyss is Herzog’s interactions with the men within the system itself. This segment will leave the audience with a heavy heart as we see men who are troubled by the ghosts of dead inmates and in some ways are struggling to cope.

A prominent example of the emotional struggle faced is when Herzog interviews a former captain of a Death House (the last place a convict spends before being executed). The man talks of a female prisoner who simply thanked him for his kindness. After this he experienced a minor break down and was unable to do this job anymore. The Death House graveyard shows us grave stones with contain no names, just numbers. We are shown that some prisoners upon death are just statistic of the state rather than people.

Into the Abyss is one of the more powerful messages of the year because it asks intelligent questions on the accuracy of the capital punishment system and if taking a life for a life is really the answer we seek. Herzog is a great director and although this might not hits the emotional height of Grizzly Man, it’s certainly another interesting and ghostly picture.

The Wild One: Senna Review

Classic from the Vault

Senna (2011)

Director: Asif Kapadia

By Alex Watson

Ayrton Senna was a true legend of Grand Prix racing. From 1984 to mid-1994, Formula One fans were treated to some of the greatest driving ever witnessed on a race track. Senna’s talent was his ability to combine raw speed with pure driving skill. Through this he was able to elevate a car beyond its design limits and set the standards for other drivers. His name has become a legend over time and until last year there was no film to document his life and career. Step forward director Asif Kapadia, who has given us a worthy homage to a racing great in his 2011 documentary, Senna.

Senna follows the great Brazilian’s F1 career from its beginning at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, to his first world title with McLaren in 1988 and the dominance that followed it. It concludes with his tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, where a heavy crash ended his life. The documentary also focuses on his fierce rivalry with team-mate Alain Prost and his desire to beat him by any way possible. His off-track life is also well documented, including Senna’s devout Catholic faith and how it spurred him on to greatness as well as his efforts to make F1 a safer sport: a cause for which he would later die to prove that change was needed!

The greatest quality of Kapadia’s documentary is that it paints a very neutral portrayal of Ayrton Senna. His driving skill is celebrated unanimously by a variety of motorsport personalities. Through their perspectives, we see famous examples, such the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Senna drove a car to victory which had lost three gears and caused him great pain! But this skill made him as many enemies as friends. Senna’s recklessness caused some controversial moments in his career. For instance his decision to win the 1990 world title by crashing into main rival Prost at the first corner of the Japanese Grand Prix! The great man was a racer through and through and his view was always: “If you no longer go for a gap, you’re no longer a racing driver.”

Senna’s relentless battle with Prost is one of the main themes of Senna. It could be viewed as the pretender against the master – one critic described this film as ‘Amadeus on wheels’. This section of the story really spurs Kapadia’s film into life as he delves into the psychology of the two men and the lengths they were willing to go to in order to come out on top. This view is demonstrated when his Prost says in voice over: “He didn’t want to beat me… he wanted to humiliate me!”

Prost is the closest thing to a villain that Senna has. Although this somewhat unfairly as the man was never a controversial figure in F1 and got to the top by being technically excellent. But as both men were head-strong, what started as a friendly rivalry turned to all-out war by their second season! Prost’s close relationship with motor sport boss, FIA President Jean-Marie Ballestre, is closely scrutinised. The battle between Senna and Ballestre to make F1 safer is also a major talking point. The two were always constantly in a war of words and at times it looked like it would boil over.

Kapadia gives the audience a first-hand look at this conflict: one memorable scene shows Senna leading a driver revolt over his nemesis’s decision to replace tyres with traffic cones at corners before one race! By the end you feel like standing and applauding Senna for his brio!

The racing footage speaks loudest of all in Senna, as it gives the audience a brilliant demonstration of the man’s talents. Watching him fly around the track leaves you open-mouthed at the driving skill he brought to motorsport. It is to the credit of Kapadia that this film has been appealed to such a wide audience, and hasn’t just tried to sell itself to the motor sport-only crowd. Ayrton Senna as a subject is one worth of any audience, regardless of how many grands prix watched, and has been recognised by a BAFTA and film festival wins.

Senna was top of my list for 2011 and while some might think it slightly premature to include it on my ‘Classic from the Vault’ list, I firmly believe this film, like the legend it portrays, has already reached iconic status! If you don’t know who Ayrton Senna is or was, then start by viewing this top-class documentary because it is a fitting tribute to a true master of the track!