Like many people, my strongest recollection of Formula One icon Ayrton Senna is that he died while competing.
But having never been an F1 fan, and being just 12 years old when he passed away, I knew little about the Senna story. All I could remember was the outpouring of grief and the strong, tragic element to his death suffered on the track on May 1, 1994.
So when I entered the cinema to see Senna, the self-titled documentary based on his life, I came into it with an open mind.
The film had been recommended to me by friends in both Australia and overseas who raved about it, and had also received critical acclaim.
As a lover of sports documentaries, I can see why. Senna is a fanastic film.
Filmmaker Asif Kapadia has created an incredible piece of content through years and years of painstaking research and dedication. The film utilises Senna’s home movies, newsreels, old interviews of the Brazilian driver, race footage and unbelievable shots from inside his car to illustrate the complete story.
The viewer is given the entire picture of his life, from privileged background in Brazil to onto the European go-karting circuit, to F1 star and international icon, and eventually slain driver.
You hear interviews with key figures in Senna’s life – colleagues, family members, racing officials, journalists, rivals like Prost – but you never see them. The film is treated like a live action event, not something from the past, and that is one of its many strengths.
The footage taken from inside Senna’s car as it flys around the track both is thrilling and illuminating. You quickly respect the skill he had, particularly in the wet, and the danger that all drivers put themselves in.
It is through Kapadia’s immense attention to detail that we learn about Senna’s battles with Alain Prost, his dramatic races in Japan and his conflict with the F1 administration.
We also learn about Senna the person, his love of speed and also his fear of death. This is a well-rounded documentary that presents the Brazilian in a positive light but not as a saint.
As a F1 novice, I was thrilled with the drama, passion and emotion of this story and the sport itself.
I had new-found admiration for racing drivers and couldn’t help but be moved by the plight of Senna’s life.
He didn’t chase death, as some have suggested, but he chased perfection and showed concern for his fellow injured drivers.
Arguably one of the best things about this documentary is the way it doesn’t focus purely on his death. There is more to the Senna story than that fateful day at the San Marino Grand Prix 17 years ago.
At a time when the NRL and AFL semi-finals are raging and the Rugby World Cup is dominating sports pages, this film probably hasn’t received the attention it deserves.
But you will be hard-pressed to find a better sports documentary made in recent years.
I urge every sports lover, F1 nut or not, to see Senna on the silver screen while you still can. You won’t be disappointed.
Jim Boyce
Guest
I am not into Grand Prix racing but I was interested in the film. I thought it presented a detailed view of who Senna was and I found it compelling. The film did a great job in presenting the full personality and it did try to visualise as to what Senna thought was a career after racing. The fact was he didn't and going fishing was never going to be it. The image I found most distressing was at Imola when he was still in the car and maybe alive at that time but no-one was rtrying to talk to him. That footage could well have been after he was pronounced dead but then a shroud or something should have covered him. That was a nice response by Senna regarding what he considered pure racing and his admiration for Fullerton. Unfortunately there was not more to that.
Dale
Guest
A friend took me to see this as a surprise, and it changed the way I thought about Senna. He died when I was 24, and at the time I thought that he drove so aggressively because he thought he had a special co-pilot. It was a real shift to realise that he was incredibly brave and not just reckless. I loved it.
Greg
Guest
Senna is a fantastic movie, not sure a disservice is done to Prost, it shows him as a pall bearer at Senna's funeral and notes he remains a trustee of the Senna foundation. They had an intense rivalry at the time, which made F1 into the hit it remains today.
Mals
Guest
John, it looks a great movie, thanks for the review.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
I'm so glad you enjoyed the movie John! It really is quite an achievement, if for nothing more then recreating the awesome sense of speed you get from watching a car in the flesh. The footage from the inside of corner 1 at Suzuka when he, Berger and Mansell all headed in at full speed was simply breathtaking, as indeed was most of the in car footage. I apporached this film from a slightly different angle, having been a 17 year old F1 nut at the time, and distinctly remembering every moment shown on the screen. Some of the footage was eye opening to say the least, especially the fly on the wall driver meetings. My only disappointment in the film is how it maligns Alain Prost, who was nothing like the ogre or whiny little prat he was presented as. The guy had a very legitimate gripe in the way Senna was driving, he had started his career burying his friends who had been killed in the sort of incidents that Ayrton seemed to invite with his ruthless driving style. Prost is considered today to be with Senna, Fangio, Clark and Schumacher as the five greatest drivers to have ever raced. The pleasure of seeing him and Ayrton racing in the same car was a real treat. I agree, Any Sports Fan would love this film, and I'm very glad you took the time to see it! Great article and thanks for the rave!