Senna (2010)

A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.

Director:

Asif Kapadia

Writer:

Manish Pandey

Stars:

Ayrton Senna, Reginaldo Leme, John Bisignano

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 18 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ayrton Senna	...	Self (archive footage)
Reginaldo Leme	...	Self (voice)
John Bisignano	...	Self (voice)
Neide Senna	...	Self (voice)
Richard Williams	...	Self (voice)
Mili Okada	...	Self, Fuji TV (archive footage)
Ron Dennis	...	Self (voice)
Viviane Senna	...	Self (voice)
Alain Prost	...	Self (voice)
Pierre Van Vliet	...	Self (voice)
Vera Lucia Caixeta	...	Self (archive footage)
Arnaldo Jabor	...	Self (archive footage)
Xuxa	...	Self (archive footage)
Jean-Marie Balestre	...	Self (archive footage)
Martin Donnelly	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

The story of the monumental life and tragic death of legendary Brazilian motor-racing Champion, Ayrton Senna. Spanning the decade from his arrival in Formula One in the mid 80's, the film follows Senna's struggles both on track against his nemesis, French World Champion Alain Prost, and off it, against the politics which infest the sport. Sublime, spiritual yet, on occasion, ruthless - Senna conquers and transcends Formula One to become a global superstar. Privately, he is humble, almost shy, and fiercely patriotic, donating millions to his native Brasil and contemplating a life beyond motor-racing. Yet he is struck down in his prime on the blackest weekend in the history of the sport, watched live on television by 300 million people. Years on he is revered in Formula One as the greatest motor racing driver of all time - and in Brasil as a Saint.

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Plot Keywords:

formula 1 | speed | speeding | tarmac | automobile | 

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Taglines:

No Fear. No Limits. No Equal.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and disturbing images

Did You Know?

Trivia

The documentary is consisted of a few videos shot privately by the Senna family on vacation.

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Goofs

When the caption introduces the scene as "Monte Carlo Grand Prix, 14th of May 1988", the onboard footage from Senna's McLaren is infact from the same race two years later. (1990) This becomes apparent when Senna is seen lapping the Brabham car driven by Stefano Modena, who in 1988 drove for the Eurobrun team. Static interference appears to cut the clip short to indicate Senna's race ending crash at Portier. There is then a cut to the aftermath of the accident which is footage from the 1988 race; the camera we were watching the onboard from has now vanished, because the MP4/4 that Senna drove in 1988 didn't actually have an onboard camera, unlike the MP4/5 of 1990. Also noteworthy is that the Hugo Boss logo on the side of Senna's helmet inverts from being black text on a white background during onboard footage (1990) to white text on a black background when Senna climbs out. (1988)

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Quotes

John Bisignano: There's only one word that describes Ayrton's style, and that is "fast." He would take the car beyond its design capabilities. He would brake later, fly into these corners where the car was just over the edge, and somehow he could dance a dance with that car to where it stayed on the track.

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Crazy Credits

While the credits roll, we see home movies by the Senna family.

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Alternate Versions

UK blu-ray edition includes extended version at a running time of 162 minutes

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 3 June 2011 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Manolo Fone
From the motion picture "Cronicas"
Written and performed by Antonio Pinto
Courtesy of Omnilife

User Reviews

An Exotic Tale of a Truly Unfathomable Legend

People could be forgiven for not remembering Ayrton Senna De'Silva. Almost 20 years after his death, the true intricacies that embroiled his career and personal life have yet to be unraveled, however this movie does a hell of a job connecting the two in perfect harmony. A bitter sweet taste is left in the mouth of the viewer as they watch a film with subtle undertones of competitiveness and strong hues of emotion. A soulful film, you really find yourself unraveling the charisma and Jues De Vivre that is Senna.

From the offset of the movie you find yourself in a somewhat cheerful, unknowing state, as it lightly unravels his early career in Formula 1, whilst hinting at the precursors that led him there. The hard, pressing, and very tight competition of him against Proust is another aspect that the viewer will find to be nail biting, as you truly begin to see the emotional aspect of Senna open at this point. Thus, the ending could come to a heartbreak to someone who had never heard of Senna. But alas, the legacy that lasts, transcends all documentaries, and all books. For the truly afflicted car/racing fan such as myself, you feel torn, and yet very motivated to be the best you can be.

To the regular viewer, you feel emotionally attached to a man who affected the lives of millions positively in his home country of Brazil. A perfect mix of a movie, in which you can watch as either an auto-racing fan, or someone who has never heard of Senna; It delivers on a highly emotional level, surrounding you in the warmth that he brought to many.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English Portuguese French Japanese

Release Date:

25 May 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

Senna

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$73,497, 14 August 2011

Gross USA:

$1,612,430

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,197,661

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1