Senna

[kevinknapman]

Having just got back from a press screening of this, I'd like to tell you what I thought of it but I can't as I had to sign an embargo form. Fairly frustrating for a film that has already had reviews in several magazines.

[superhero]

These embargos are pretty much a joke (like the super injunctions)

[kevinknapman]

These embargos are pretty much a joke (like the super injunctions)

There's a public preview tomorrow night at the BFI where people will presumably be allowed to say what they like afterwards. It's just a way for the distributors to control when reviews go live. They'd rather they went out in the week of release so that they're not forgotten about which is understandable I guess but slightly pointless when so many print reviews in magazines are already published.

[Beate]

Would they really punish you in some way if you just gave a thumbs up or down here? I am not expecting a full-blown review or anything.

[alythonian]

They interviewed Bruno Senna (nephew) on BBC1 at the Spanish Gran Prix at the weekend and he said he'd seen it at a screening in Brazil with members of his family and had enjoyed it. From what I could gather I think DC and Martin Brundle had also seen it.
I'm really looking forward to it, but seems I'll need to use one of my stash of free tix as no screenings in Scotland.

[kevinknapman]

Well if you find yourselves outside the Brixton Ritzy on Sunday morning you could do a lot worse than pop inside.

[raj101]

ahh, come on, KK, spill those Brazil nuts.

mm ok just kidding, i wouldnt want you 'embargoed'.

[kevinknapman]

Just a quick review, then I'll post my full one when it goes live tomorrow.

Absorbing, compelling and moving, Senna is an excellent watch.
What immediately impresses about Asif Kapadia’s documentary is how he’s managed, along with his editors, to get a manageable and coherent film out of about 15,000 hours of footage (much of it never seen before) from the Formula 1 archives along with family home movies. From in-car footage to the driver’s pre-race meetings you get a sense that you’re seeing a side of Formula 1 rarely seen before and it’s extraordinary to watch.

So Senna is perhaps better on the public and professional persona than it is on the private and is not quite the fully rounded portrait that one would have hoped for but it is an essential watch for anyone interested in understanding why Ayrton Senna is considered by many as one of the finest racing drivers Formula 1 has ever had. Also like the best sporting documentaries (When We Were Kings, Hoop Dreams, Murderball), you don’t need to be a fan of the sport in particular to appreciate what’s on screen. I have little interest in F1 myself but found the film compelling. It took me a little while to get into it, but by the time the Senna/Prost rivalry is in full flow, I was hooked.

Hopefully we’ll get to see the 3hr version that Kapadia had cut at some point in the future but it’s well worth catching this on the big screen while you can.

[redgrant]

Just come back from Brixton's Ritzy. I thought Senna was excellent, exceeding all my expectations as I don't have any interest in F1.

It was very well edited which I think was part of the trick. But it also taught me a thing or two about the sport which I love in a film - the duel of personalities between the "cavalier", exciting, (almost reckless?) Senna versus the bland, safe "Professor" Prost, the dark forces behind F1 politics and technicalities, the new age of electronic steering and how relaxing the rules might have led to Imola. A definite watch...

[rawsalsa]

Went to see Senna this morning at the Ritzy, which was full.
I'm really not that into Formula One so I expected a basic documentary, but what I got was so much more.
I've just read the review that "thedude" kindly posted and I couldn't agree more.
I went through so many emotions watching it and it was incredibly heartbreaking yet uplifting.
One of the best films (out of 40) I've seen this year!