Saturday, April 2, 2011

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)
Senna (2010)


Genre: Documentary
Director: Asif Kapadia
Duration: 162 min.
Rating: 8.7

Summary:
The story of the monumental life and tragic death of legendary Brazilian motor-racing Champion, Ayrton Senna.


IMDB
Wikipedia

Senna directed by Asif Kapadia, won the World Cinema Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.  It is an amazingly intimate portrait and tribute to the life of Ayrton Senna and a fascinating tale for everyone whether or not you are a fan of racing.

It's composed using recorded footage, some of which has never been seen before, and interviews with those close to him, including some really personal clips from his famous rival and teammate Alain Prost, discussing their adversarial relationship.

But the most powerful moments come from Senna himself, narrating his own story through archived footage.  Unlike most biopics where you merely watch a story about the person, Senna is so intimately detailed you get the sense that you really know him and that makes watching the ending even more devastating.

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

Senna (2010)

18 comments:

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Glad you enjoyed it!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Great, I'm looking forward to reading it.

Hasidic Plubmer said...

I loved it. I was a big Ayrton's fan. I was so shocked when he died. I couldn't understand it. I was like 8.

Mette said...

I just discovered your blog, and already I'm intrigued.
Perhaps, I'd never have heard of this film - I suppose not - so thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'm going to watch this.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah that's a shame about the Oscar snub.  Shows that the academy is pretty much a joke.

Max Covill said...

Being only eight when the events of the finale of this film unfold, I never knew who Ayrton Senna was until I watched this documentary the other night. Certainly I have some questions of why the events eventually unfolded the way they did, but this was a fascinating documentary. I love how much footage they were able to collect, like the footage from inside the car. I didn't even know that technology existed in the early 90's. If nothing else this will represent a new generation to one of Brazil's greatest national treasures Ayrton Senna. 

Myerla said...

Nice job, for my money this is the best film of the year. it was tense, moving and gripping. I watch F1 (pissed off Sky got the broadcasting rights) and for me the scenes at Imola were horribly tense. I knew what was going to happen and I just sat there waiting. In fear.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I also found it amazing how much footage there was available to construct a film with.  Not just the racing stuff but all the intimate family videos and behind the scenes clips.

Duncan said...

Cannot believe this didn't get an oscar nomination, best film i've seen this year never mind documentary.  They did well to keep up the intensity, it's brilliantly edited to allow seena to tell the story himself.  

The Angry Vegetarian said...

I'm such a documentary junkie it's not even funny. After everything I've seen it's hard to become interested in that many (what with so MANY things they can cover). And even though I'm no fan of racing of any sort this looks very, very good. I'll definitely be watching this.

Hermann Rorschach said...

Is this going to make me feel really bad at the end?

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Be prepared to cry.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

You will definitely enjoy this one.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Welcome Limette!

Hermann Rorschach said...

NOOOO!

The Angry Vegetarian said...

I decided to browse around your blog a bit and came across this again. I completely forgot to come back and tell you I watched this just a few days after being introduced to it by you. You were right with your recommendation. Thank you :)

Guy Movie Blogger said...

Wow, this is the first I've heard of this! My pop and I are life-long F1 fans and he adored Senna. I can't wait to get my hands on this. 

Andrew Buckle said...

I'm going to be completing my review of Senna tomorrow. It is my top film 0f 2011 so far. I  laughed, I cried. Few experiences can match this one. Using entirely archival footage, this is one of the best edited documentaries you will ever see. 

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