Miguel Sánchez
PHOTOS: FORD MOTORSPORT ARCHIVE / 20th CENTURY FOX
Released in 1971 Le Mans is the quintessential film when it comes to the most legendary endurance race of all time. His narrative rhyme is probably not the best. Nor will we say that the script in which the piloting sequences are stitched is very elaborate. We are still going to defend the show with enthusiasm but ... To this day it is still the reference.
Why? Well, because it is impossible to match those sequences recorded in one of the golden ages of Le Mans. They were made without special effects. Everything is authentic. The cars, the situations, the drivers, the speed ... And if not ask David Piper, who lost half a leg recording a sequence that was even included in the final cut.
That mutilation was yet another of the charges that fate took during the filming of Le Mans. Since then the prestige of Steve McQueen before the directors of Hollywood it was ruined. He had done something advanced, excessive, megalomaniac. An experiment that laid the foundation on how to shoot high-octane scenes while melting the patience of the members of the shoot.
Almost 50 years later, neither cinema nor careers are the same. Today, the action on the track and on the screen is played more in the algorithms of a computer than in the hands of bold pioneers. It is because of that It will be better to leave behind the comparisons and enjoy fully with Le Mans '66. At the end of the day this film has had some first-rate material for the script: Ford's battle against Ferrari at Le Mans in the sixties.
COUNTING THE WORLD FROM THE AMERICAN PRISM
Even consulting the sources that drop the figure is chilling. Russia claimed 27 million lives along the way during WWII. After her, the second country with the lowest casualties was China, with some 15 million deaths. However, when you think about the contest the first thing that usually comes to mind is the image of American soldiers landing in Normandy.
At the end of the day, we carry in our genes to make our vision of the world based on the stories they tell us. And today, no one counts them like American industry. On D-Day John Ford was handheld at the Omaha Beach landing. The same place where, despite certain resentful revisionists, Robert Capa undoubtedly launched himself for some of the best snapshots of war journalism.
Following in the wake of all this, it will be necessary to see how Le Mans '66 is planned. In the preview that we have seen, there is no doubt that visually it will be very attractive. Y the script looks great as it draws on the magnetic personalities of Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles to guide the story. Anyway, the truth is that what the film narrates was developed from a single idea: Henry Ford II's desire for revenge and humiliation against Ferrari.
NARRATING A REVENGE WITHOUT LOSING THE GOOD TASTE
The story is well known. At the beginning of the decade, the American giant tried to buy the house in Maranello. Enzo Ferrari let himself be loved. However, and at the last minute ... Everything fell apart when the Commendatore He refused to give up control over his competition Scuderia. Obviously the proud Henry Ford II was enraged. His revenge would be to humiliate Ferrari at Le Mans, whatever the cost. Well, not another thing, but Ford had a well-stocked checkbook.
In how elegant the way in which he treats this desire for revenge with the blow of the wallet is played the fate of the film. At least for us. Will it be a visual spectacle with a script full of sentimental country of all hundred? Or will it have a narrative where prime the audacity of men who gambled much more than money in developing the cool Ford GT40?
After seeing the scarce two minutes of the advance we believe that the dilemma is going to incline towards the second option. Reasons? The first is the fact that Henry Ford II is portrayed as an office braggart. The second is to have chosen Ken miles as the main character. In fact, this is possibly the best idea of Le Mans '66: rescuing the martyr of the GT40.
RESCUING THE MEMORY OF KEN MILES
Ken Milles was central to the birth of the Ford GT40, and also its greatest martyr. Who spent hundreds of hours on the Riverside circuit developing the prototype as race chief at Shelby in 1964? He. Who led the '66 Le Mans race until Henry Ford II forced him to downshift for a promo photo? He. Who died engulfed in flames while testing the Ford J What inspired the aerodynamic improvements applied to the GT40 Mk IV? He.
At almost 50 years old, he could - and should - have become the first Le Mans champion in a Ford GT40. But by Henry Ford II's promotional wish the three GT40s that led Le Mans '66 had to enter together. Finally, and Although Ken Miles was the one in the lead, he was forced to reduce until the others came to his side. They entered together, but since Bruce McLaren had come out 20 meters behind him… The organization gave the victory to the McLaren-Amon combo.
Two months later Ken Miles died working the Riverside circuit. While the Ford GT40 became a motorsport legend by raising drivers like Dan Gurney or Jacky Ickx ... The memory of Ken Miles was only etched in the memory of those curious to know how and who created that magnificent racing car. If Le Mans '66 serves as a tribute to this driver, and also to the English (especially Lola), who carried a large part of the development of the car on his shoulders… Welcome to him. We are already waiting for its premiere in November. We won't miss it, even if it's to see if it beats Steve McQueen's.
