Senna Movie (DVD)
Discussion
Hi
I know the movie was discussed when it was released but thought since the DVD is now available with the extras that it might be worth starting another thread about it.
I'd not the seen the film at the cinema, so this was my first view of it.
I'm not sure what i expected from it but I didn't really come away thinking that was a great documentary.
Yep i got a little emotional about it. And the Imola build up made we feel slightly sick of what was about to come. But I really don't think the director was a racing fan. I don't think he knew who Senna was until he came upon this project. It just wasn't the insight that I thought that it might be. There's gaps and a lack of detail - OK we all probably know alot more about Senna then most people so I could fill the gaps in but I wonder what a casual fan or a non motorsport fan would think ?
Anyway I did learn a little about the politics at the time. I certainly knew about Balestre's antics but seeing him "in the flesh" was interesting. And seemingly not much has changed with the politics and money in F1 since.
Overall, I think it's a disappointing effort. My biggest criticism is that the film is too short and doesn't explore anything more than a snap shot.
I'll watch the extras tomorrow and see if there's any redeeming features on that.
Just as a footnote - I had a look at the director (Asif Kapadia) other work - nothing of note and mostly shorts. Just a really bad choice of people to make such a documentary. Upon reflection it's just poorly made with the director giving us his view on Senna rather then letting us make our own mind up.
I know the movie was discussed when it was released but thought since the DVD is now available with the extras that it might be worth starting another thread about it.
I'd not the seen the film at the cinema, so this was my first view of it.
I'm not sure what i expected from it but I didn't really come away thinking that was a great documentary.
Yep i got a little emotional about it. And the Imola build up made we feel slightly sick of what was about to come. But I really don't think the director was a racing fan. I don't think he knew who Senna was until he came upon this project. It just wasn't the insight that I thought that it might be. There's gaps and a lack of detail - OK we all probably know alot more about Senna then most people so I could fill the gaps in but I wonder what a casual fan or a non motorsport fan would think ?
Anyway I did learn a little about the politics at the time. I certainly knew about Balestre's antics but seeing him "in the flesh" was interesting. And seemingly not much has changed with the politics and money in F1 since.
Overall, I think it's a disappointing effort. My biggest criticism is that the film is too short and doesn't explore anything more than a snap shot.
I'll watch the extras tomorrow and see if there's any redeeming features on that.
Just as a footnote - I had a look at the director (Asif Kapadia) other work - nothing of note and mostly shorts. Just a really bad choice of people to make such a documentary. Upon reflection it's just poorly made with the director giving us his view on Senna rather then letting us make our own mind up.
Edited by woof on Saturday 8th October 18:37
As I've mentioned before, I know both the director and the writer of this.
Asif Kapadia admits he was not a racing fan before he came to this but Manish Pandey certainly was, and is encyclopaedic in his knowledge of Formula 1, both past and present.
When I first saw this movie at the back end of last year I mentionedto both of them that I thought that there were various things that I didn't agree with or that I beliefs had been missed out, most notably The portrayal of Prost and the lack of Gerhard Berger.
They were open and honest in that there were many things that they would have liked to have included but time and budget constraints meant this wasn't possible, they made a 10 hour version and then a 5 hour cut, both of which still exist.
On the subject of Prost, there was one cut of the movie where people came out of a pre-screening liking him more than Senna... They also had to choose an arch for the movie, and as it was the biggest human story ofthe era, along with the the fact it was probably the defining relationship (or at times lack of)
of Senna's career in F1, they chose to focus rightly or wrongly on that.
I enjoyed it, it certainly brought back memories, and know of quite a few ofthe Schumacher and beyond generation who have had a chance to see what some of us old duffers keep banging on about.
Asif Kapadia admits he was not a racing fan before he came to this but Manish Pandey certainly was, and is encyclopaedic in his knowledge of Formula 1, both past and present.
When I first saw this movie at the back end of last year I mentionedto both of them that I thought that there were various things that I didn't agree with or that I beliefs had been missed out, most notably The portrayal of Prost and the lack of Gerhard Berger.
They were open and honest in that there were many things that they would have liked to have included but time and budget constraints meant this wasn't possible, they made a 10 hour version and then a 5 hour cut, both of which still exist.
On the subject of Prost, there was one cut of the movie where people came out of a pre-screening liking him more than Senna... They also had to choose an arch for the movie, and as it was the biggest human story ofthe era, along with the the fact it was probably the defining relationship (or at times lack of)
of Senna's career in F1, they chose to focus rightly or wrongly on that.
I enjoyed it, it certainly brought back memories, and know of quite a few ofthe Schumacher and beyond generation who have had a chance to see what some of us old duffers keep banging on about.
thanks for the insight 
I know there's a balance between making a commercial successful film and making a great documentary (that may bore the pants off most people).
(I've not got around to watching the extras yet)
I know there's a balance between making a commercial successful film and making a great documentary (that may bore the pants off most people).
(I've not got around to watching the extras yet)
miss10penceshort said:
As I've mentioned before, I know both the director and the writer of this.
Asif Kapadia admits he was not a racing fan before he came to this but Manish Pandey certainly was, and is encyclopaedic in his knowledge of Formula 1, both past and present.
When I first saw this movie at the back end of last year I mentionedto both of them that I thought that there were various things that I didn't agree with or that I beliefs had been missed out, most notably The portrayal of Prost and the lack of Gerhard Berger.
They were open and honest in that there were many things that they would have liked to have included but time and budget constraints meant this wasn't possible, they made a 10 hour version and then a 5 hour cut, both of which still exist.
On the subject of Prost, there was one cut of the movie where people came out of a pre-screening liking him more than Senna... They also had to choose an arch for the movie, and as it was the biggest human story ofthe era, along with the the fact it was probably the defining relationship (or at times lack of)
of Senna's career in F1, they chose to focus rightly or wrongly on that.
I enjoyed it, it certainly brought back memories, and know of quite a few ofthe Schumacher and beyond generation who have had a chance to see what some of us old duffers keep banging on about.
Asif Kapadia admits he was not a racing fan before he came to this but Manish Pandey certainly was, and is encyclopaedic in his knowledge of Formula 1, both past and present.
When I first saw this movie at the back end of last year I mentionedto both of them that I thought that there were various things that I didn't agree with or that I beliefs had been missed out, most notably The portrayal of Prost and the lack of Gerhard Berger.
They were open and honest in that there were many things that they would have liked to have included but time and budget constraints meant this wasn't possible, they made a 10 hour version and then a 5 hour cut, both of which still exist.
On the subject of Prost, there was one cut of the movie where people came out of a pre-screening liking him more than Senna... They also had to choose an arch for the movie, and as it was the biggest human story ofthe era, along with the the fact it was probably the defining relationship (or at times lack of)
of Senna's career in F1, they chose to focus rightly or wrongly on that.
I enjoyed it, it certainly brought back memories, and know of quite a few ofthe Schumacher and beyond generation who have had a chance to see what some of us old duffers keep banging on about.
cragswinter said:
I was hoping for a directors cut which would be longer & more for fans on the DVD/br release, is there one? I've noted a 300 quid version on eBay that seams to come with a toy jps lotus?! 
There's an extended version on the Blu-ray version, apparently.I saw the DVD version yesterday - Indigo Starfish delivered a bit early.
I thought it was a bit disjointed in parts, and Mansell/Berger barely got a mention (and why was the footage of Senna saving Comas relegated to the small side-screen running alongside the credits?), but it was powerful stuff at times. I could hardly bring myself to watch the in-car footage from the moments before the crash that ended his life. Incredible the scenes in Brazil both before and after his death, too.But all in all, some fascinating insights into both the racing driver and the man himself.
I watched this yesterday, and CD 2 with some very interesting interviews, especially with Prost and Ron Dennis.
I thought the film/ documentary was Very well done, Senna was born the same year as myself, and he was the only F1 driver I ever considered “my Hero”.
A lot of the footage I had never seen before, I watched all the races at the time, and I am still certain Prost deliberately drove into Senna at the chicane in Suzuka. Watching again this incident, if Senna had not been “in the way” Prost would have cut the chicane completely across the inside, he still denies this.
As for Balestre, I always thought he was a prick, the film just confirms it, the pathetic excuses for disqualifying Senna from the same Japanese GP were, and still are pathetic, But, it made for, and did then, good TV.
Senna comes across Very well in the film, as I pretty much remember, and whilst Prost is obviously a bit of a villain, he also comes across well in the end, I found it Very touching hearing him talk about What Senna said to him before that fatal Imola GP.
Obviously we all know that the film does not have a happy ending, but I thought this part was handled with great delicacy, just enough footage to move you to tears.
I remember watching that Race live on 1/5/ 94 vividly, my wife at the Time had left me 3 days before, so I was feeling Very low. I looked forward to the GP as I still look forward to GP’s now, when he died, I wanted to join him, thankfully, I got over it.
Well worth watching, I found it compulsive viewing, and Very tastefully done.
I thought the film/ documentary was Very well done, Senna was born the same year as myself, and he was the only F1 driver I ever considered “my Hero”.
A lot of the footage I had never seen before, I watched all the races at the time, and I am still certain Prost deliberately drove into Senna at the chicane in Suzuka. Watching again this incident, if Senna had not been “in the way” Prost would have cut the chicane completely across the inside, he still denies this.
As for Balestre, I always thought he was a prick, the film just confirms it, the pathetic excuses for disqualifying Senna from the same Japanese GP were, and still are pathetic, But, it made for, and did then, good TV.
Senna comes across Very well in the film, as I pretty much remember, and whilst Prost is obviously a bit of a villain, he also comes across well in the end, I found it Very touching hearing him talk about What Senna said to him before that fatal Imola GP.
Obviously we all know that the film does not have a happy ending, but I thought this part was handled with great delicacy, just enough footage to move you to tears.
I remember watching that Race live on 1/5/ 94 vividly, my wife at the Time had left me 3 days before, so I was feeling Very low. I looked forward to the GP as I still look forward to GP’s now, when he died, I wanted to join him, thankfully, I got over it.
Well worth watching, I found it compulsive viewing, and Very tastefully done.
Been discussed fairly well on numerous threads on PH over the past few months - why can't the mods work out a way to merge threads?
Amazingly, I found the 45 minute documentary made by the BBC a few days after Senna's death was far more insightful and accurate in its portrayal of the man and the events of his career.
The major plus of the new movie was the various sequences showing the driver briefings and some post race footage (particularly after Brazil 1991) that I had never seen before.
Amazingly, I found the 45 minute documentary made by the BBC a few days after Senna's death was far more insightful and accurate in its portrayal of the man and the events of his career.
The major plus of the new movie was the various sequences showing the driver briefings and some post race footage (particularly after Brazil 1991) that I had never seen before.
DiscoColin said:
miss10penceshort said:
they made a 10 hour version and then a 5 hour cut, both of which still exist.
Find out when they will be made available then 
x2I'm going to buy it tonight and see if it is better than when I saw it in the cinema - I arrived 6 minutes late. At the time, I only gave it 7/10 because it missed important relationships and racing events e.g. Piquet, Mansell and Berger and focused entirely on the battle for supremacy with Prost. There's so much more to the story if you want to please an ardent F1 fan IMO. Although I admit that this film wasn't meant for the likes of thee and me.
I've just had a quick look at it in HMV and as far as I can see the only difference between the DVD and Bluray is that the extra hour of interviews can be watched as part of the movie on the Bluray. As I'm assuming that the original footage is mostly shot on video (so no improved picture quality in HD) what's the benefit of buying it in Bluray form? Are there extras I've missed?
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