Formula 1 and Movies. The camera loves the racing tracks
The mixture of the Adrenaline rush, drifts and the drama based on the racing arenas has always been favorable to movies enthusiasts.
Racing movies in general and Formula One, in particular, had their share in the theaters with many films that appealed to the audience.
* Formula 1 movies: How was it starts?
* Movies about Formula 1: Top 3 documentary films
* Formula 1 movie "The Driver"
* Formula 1 racing movie "Rush"
* Formula 1 movies on Netflix
The first Formula 1 movie. The Grand Prix
In 1966, John Michael Frankenheimer directed his Oscar-winning masterpiece, The film had all the elements, from the love trio that was pictured with the background of the roaring engines and the racing footage, to become a reference to all the Formula one movie that came after it.The film won three Oscar Academy Awards for its technical achievement
The Grand Prix success paved the way for many attempts to show the epic battles of the racing tracks, they were divided into Biographical, fictional and documentary movies.
Documentary movies showed real footages of the races and the drivers. Thus, they are considered to be taped archives to Formula one history.
Top three Documentary Formula one movies
№ 3- weekend of a champion ( 1972)
One of the greatest and first attempts to produce a documentary on Formula one was the 1972 movie " weekend of a champion"Roman Polanski who was the best friend of the F1 driver Jackie Stewart filmed the British driver's effort to complete the 1971 Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. The film received good reviews as it didn't only show the racing scenes or the continuous efforts of the F1 drivers, but it also showed the stardom side of the drivers at that time and how they were treated like kings in the streets of Monaco.
№ 2- Senna
Senna is considered, by many film reviewers, to be the best documentary ever made on Formula One.The film pictured the life and death of the Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna.
The Movie sheds light on the driver's controversial career from his debut in 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix covering his time with toleman and lotus before joining the British team Mclaren which led him to become a world champion.
Senna had an unforgettable rivalry with his teammate Alain Prost which was massively portrayed in the film. The movie ended with the dramatic accident in 1994 San Marino Grand Prix that led to Senna's death.
№1- 1: life on the limit (2014)
The success of Senna encouraged Paul Crowder to produce a movie that had been in shade for 25 years, the movie emphasized the development of safety measurements and its development in Formula One.
The movie was made upon a time where drivers used to start the race not knowing if they would finish it … alive.
The glamour of Hollywood on the wheels
Away from the documentary films, Hollywood fans have always been lovers to cars movies and they seem to enjoy imagining themselves on the road even if it is for just two hours, whether the movie was about a criminal running from justice with escape scenes and slow-motion crashing or simply a contest with different motives and dreams on the racing track."The driver" is considered one of the prominent movies to include the cars rush in its main plot. The thriller/action movie was played in the cinemas back in 1978, written and directed by Walter Hill and starred by Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, and Isabelle Adjani.
The film was so popular as it showed a fascinating driver who made his living by stealing fast cars and using them as getaway vehicles in big-time robberies all over Los Angeles.
The film was characterized by the recurring cat and mouse chase between Detective Bruce Dern and the skillful Driver.
The film opened the door to many films with the similar plot, and probably the most famous film of this category is the blockbuster series " Fast and furious"
Another plot that was filmed multiple times in Hollywood is the Competition plot which includes two major figures with contradictory personalities; add-on that the fury of the races and you will get another blockbuster.
Probably, the most famous film on that category is " Rush" which made a huge impact when it was played in 2013.
Christopher Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl introduced the legendary rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt in the seventies to the big screen. The film was immediately popular with the fans because of the interesting plot and the touching scenes of the terrible accident that happened to Lauda at Nürburgring.
The film showed how both drivers were ready to give their lives for the victory.
Ron Howard directed the movie and he also produced it along with Andrew Eaton, Eric Fellner, Brian Oliver, Peter Morgan and Brian Grazer.
A true Formula one enthusiast is probably wondering right now" where can I see all of these movies and more? And the answer is pretty clear…..
Netflix and chill
The home of top rated movies and also the hidden gems, Netflix is proud to have the variety of movies that are very popular especially with young menHere are some suggestion of F1 movies to watch on Netflix
- Red Bull: Return to Millen Mountain (2011)
- Le Mans
- Williams
- Ferrari: Race To Immortality
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There is no doubt that Hollywood and Movies enriched the Formula 1 business and helped its spread and popularity but at the same time, it is very misleading to gain all the information and facts about F1 from Movies alone, except documentary, as The movies are often marked with exaggeration and dramatic plots that contradict the reality.