TT3D: Closer to the Edge (2011)
Genre: Documentary
Director: Richard De Aragues
Starring: Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson, John McGuinness
Language: English
Duration: 104 min.
Summary:
The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is the greatest motorcycle road race in
the world, the ultimate challenge for rider and machine. It has always
called for a commitment far beyond any other racing event, and many have
made the ultimate sacrifice in their quest for victory. A story about
freedom of choice, the strength of human spirit and the will to win.
TT3D: Closer to the Edge is a documentary from first time director Richard De Aragues. It follows some of the world's top riders and chronicles the weeks leading up to and including the 2010 edition of the annual Isle of Man TT motorcycle race on the Isle of Man in the UK.
Every year, tens of thousands of fans and hundreds of racers gather on a tiny island in the middle of the Irish Sea, to watch and participate in the world's oldest and most exciting motorcycle race. The prestigious Isle of Man TT was first held in 1907, and today remains one of the last popular sporting challenges where the smallest of mistakes can cost the ultimate price.
In a series of races held over the course of a week, at speeds of over 300kph, through narrow, twisting, and bumpy public roads, with no safety barriers or run-offs to speak of, riders risk it all for a small shot at glory; and that's no exaggeration, to date there have been 237 fatal accidents during practices or races on the course, and it's rare that a year goes by without an on track death.
The danger, excitement, bravery and passion for this event is beautifully captured in astonishing detail by Richard De Aragues, who employs the latest high definition 3D, high speed cameras, on-board gadgetry, and sweeping aerial photography to capture the action. He also gets in close with a few of the top riders leading up to the race, finding what makes them tick; and some history is given for those unfamiliar to the TT, using some archival footage in addition to some sparse narration provided by Jared Leto.
The film focuses mostly on one rider, Guy Martin. A popular outspoken and eccentric racer from Northern England, who in his own words has no time for pubs or girls, his sole purpose in life is winning the TT. Martin provides a fascinating human subject for us to see just how someone could be driven to constantly risk it all; and his obsession gives the director a great character to develop tension and drama around as the races unfold.
Although this is a sports documentary, De Aragues does an excellent job balancing it out by developing a human story that everyone can appreciate. There's all the incredible thrilling speed, but also a good dash humor, colorful characters, great suspense, poignant drama, and yes, bitter tragedy that even non racing fans will find compelling, all without exploitation or any of the artificially manufactured drama you might see on reality TV.
One particularly powerful image is of the view from the broadcast booth which provides commentators an overhead perspective of the pit lane, time clock and the massive still manually operated leaderboard; but also of the sprawling cemetery that lies directly behind that same scoreboard. Hidden from the sight of spectators down in the grandstand, but dominating the view from above.
I would have liked to see some greater attention given to some of the other riders, especially the sidecar racers because I think it takes an even greater level of bravery/insanity to compete in those things. Guy Martin is without a doubt an amusing person to watch, but the treatment of the others feels a bit rushed, turning the film a bit like a one man show. Also Jared Leto doesn't really fit here, it's a little odd hearing an American voiceover when all the other voices are not, and his flat delivery fails to inspire wonder or excitement, thankfully he isn't used very much.
Otherwise, this is a very good documentary that provides a wonderful glimpse into one of the craziest events still allowed to take place, and I highly recommend it to all with no hesitation. This is a must see if you are at all a fan of racing or of motorcycles, and still well worth it even if you are not.
Every year, tens of thousands of fans and hundreds of racers gather on a tiny island in the middle of the Irish Sea, to watch and participate in the world's oldest and most exciting motorcycle race. The prestigious Isle of Man TT was first held in 1907, and today remains one of the last popular sporting challenges where the smallest of mistakes can cost the ultimate price.
In a series of races held over the course of a week, at speeds of over 300kph, through narrow, twisting, and bumpy public roads, with no safety barriers or run-offs to speak of, riders risk it all for a small shot at glory; and that's no exaggeration, to date there have been 237 fatal accidents during practices or races on the course, and it's rare that a year goes by without an on track death.
The danger, excitement, bravery and passion for this event is beautifully captured in astonishing detail by Richard De Aragues, who employs the latest high definition 3D, high speed cameras, on-board gadgetry, and sweeping aerial photography to capture the action. He also gets in close with a few of the top riders leading up to the race, finding what makes them tick; and some history is given for those unfamiliar to the TT, using some archival footage in addition to some sparse narration provided by Jared Leto.
The film focuses mostly on one rider, Guy Martin. A popular outspoken and eccentric racer from Northern England, who in his own words has no time for pubs or girls, his sole purpose in life is winning the TT. Martin provides a fascinating human subject for us to see just how someone could be driven to constantly risk it all; and his obsession gives the director a great character to develop tension and drama around as the races unfold.
Although this is a sports documentary, De Aragues does an excellent job balancing it out by developing a human story that everyone can appreciate. There's all the incredible thrilling speed, but also a good dash humor, colorful characters, great suspense, poignant drama, and yes, bitter tragedy that even non racing fans will find compelling, all without exploitation or any of the artificially manufactured drama you might see on reality TV.
One particularly powerful image is of the view from the broadcast booth which provides commentators an overhead perspective of the pit lane, time clock and the massive still manually operated leaderboard; but also of the sprawling cemetery that lies directly behind that same scoreboard. Hidden from the sight of spectators down in the grandstand, but dominating the view from above.
I would have liked to see some greater attention given to some of the other riders, especially the sidecar racers because I think it takes an even greater level of bravery/insanity to compete in those things. Guy Martin is without a doubt an amusing person to watch, but the treatment of the others feels a bit rushed, turning the film a bit like a one man show. Also Jared Leto doesn't really fit here, it's a little odd hearing an American voiceover when all the other voices are not, and his flat delivery fails to inspire wonder or excitement, thankfully he isn't used very much.
Otherwise, this is a very good documentary that provides a wonderful glimpse into one of the craziest events still allowed to take place, and I highly recommend it to all with no hesitation. This is a must see if you are at all a fan of racing or of motorcycles, and still well worth it even if you are not.
— Bonjour Tristesse
8 comments:
I really like Sports Documentary. I'm sure I will enjoy this one very much! I still have to watch Senna though.
The only thing I have in common with this is that I met Jared Leto but I hear some people like bikes!
Very keen to see this. Still not got round to Senna or this. Both sports I'm not too interested in but the reviews have been so overwhelmingly positive and I do love a good doc. This Guy Martin sounds fun but I really want to see this footage from onboard cameras.
I'm not a racing fan.. and I'm definitely not a motorcycle fan.. but this sounds interesting. Not sure if I'll enjoy it as much as you did, but I definitely wanna give it a watch.
Senna is the better film. It's much more focused, and as a character, he was larger than life. But this one is great in it's own way, the racers are basically regular guys who are just a little bit mental, and the footage is simply jaw dropping.
The onboard and aerial stuff is cool, but I think the most amazing footage is actually from stationary cameras placed on the side of the track. Really gives you the sense of just how insanely fast these guys are traveling.
I've heard that somewhere too...
I admit I personally have a bit of a bias towards two wheeled vehicles, but I still think you would enjoy this film, because it's primarily a human story. The same way you don't have to like war to enjoy a war movie...
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