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2011, 08-15:
Review of film: “SENNA” = A Documentary on Race Car Driver AYRTON SENNA
On March 21, 1960, a male child named AYRTON SENNA was born in an area of Sao Paulo, Brazil to the wealthy landowning family of Milton and Neide Senna da Silva (who are shown at points in the movie). This documentary is the story of Ayrton’s life...
... When Ayrton was quite young, he grew to love cars and going FAST. He started racing GO-KARTS at 13, & when 17, won the South American championship in that sport...
... At the age of 18 (in 1978), he was thrilled to go to EUROPE to enter some GO-KART races (as shown in some old “home” movie footage in this film)...
... Altho it’s not detailed in the film, he in 1981 moved to ENGLAND & started doing SINGLE-SEATER racing there. Around that time, he decided to start using his mother’s maiden name SENNA, since “Silva” is a very common name in Brazil...
... He soon started racing in “FORMULA” events in Europe, & in 1983, was entering FORMULA THREE races...
... In 1984, Ayrton was entering Formula ONE races around the world. As shown in the film, Ayrton did exceptionally well driving in WET conditions at the MONACO Grand Prix, and he had his 1st Formula ONE PODIUM appearance, coming in 2nd behind French driver ALAIN PROST...
... Ayrton tended to do things “HIS” way in life & racing...
... He was quite religious, & quite disliked the way “POLITICS” seemed to often intrude on the races & how the rules were interpreted & “handled” by those in “charge” (feeling that the racing body’s French leader used “favoritism” with French driver ALAIN PROST & the like) ...
... Ayrton was angry that he wasn’t allowed to race in the 1984 Italian Grand Prix because he hadn’t informed his TOLEMAN team BEFORE he’d accepted an offer to race for LOTUS in 1985...
... The film covers numerous competitions over Ayrton’s career, including showing a number of actual races from the viewpoint of a CAMERA mounted on various of his cars...
... He was such a fast driver, that helped him win loads of coveted “POLE” positions (tho he at times argued over “where” that should allow him to start in competitions)...
... In 1986, he’d started a tradition of carrying a Brazilian flag around the track when he WON races (which, naturally, endeared him to people back home)...
... We see various “side” issues in the racing, such as COMPLAINTS from fellow drivers NIGEL MANSELL (angry over being bumped by Ayrton’s car) & ALAIN PROST (who commented on how it was “very DANGEROUS” the way Ayrton at times drove as if he felt he couldn’t kill himself with his “reckless” driving)...
... Ayrton won various races around the world as he competed... He was rated with the 3rd greatest number of Championship points in 1987...
... In 1987, the WILLIAMS team had better cars than those run by Ayrton’s LOTUS group (tho both outfits used very powerful engines made by HONDA, which Ayrton liked)...
... Ayrton was so displeased with the cars HE had to use, that he LEFT the Lotus team & joined the McLAREN group in 1988-- with the approval of ALAIN PROST, who ALSO drove a car for them. Those two drivers often competed with each OTHER for winning championships for the team...
... At the PORTUGUESE Grand Prix in ’88, Alain was livid at the way he’d nearly been forced to run into a PITWALL by how Ayrton had swerved to block him during the race. He complained, & Ayrton was issued a “WARNING” from the FIA racing group...
... Ayrton later apologized to Alain, & the two of them ended up winning 15 of 16 races in their McLaren MP4/4 cars in 1988. Since he’d won 8 races, Senna that year was presented with his 1st WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP in FORMULA 1 racing...
... In 1989, there was lots of TENSION & DISTRUST on & off the tracks between Senna & Prost, & the latter (Alain) won that year’s FORMULA 1 World Championship (after Ayrton collided with him at the year’s last race, the SUZUKA CIRCUIT in Japan)...
... Ayrton exchanged bitter words with the FIA’s JEAN-MARIE BALLESTRE when a large FINE & temporary SUSPENSION of his Super License were instituted against him for the way he’d used a “chicane” escape road & for using the pit lane entry in trying to continue the race AFTER his collision with Alain in Japan...
... In 1990, Alain joined the FERRARI team... He & Ayrton were very CLOSE in points as they neared the end of the races for the Championship...
... Once again, the year’s last race was in JAPAN— and once again, there was a COLLISION, caused by Alain’s being aggressive in turning “in” at the first turn, which resulted in Ayrton’s car hitting the rear wheel of Alain’s Ferrari at 170 mph (= 270 km/h)...
... BOTH cars had to pull off the track & QUIT the race after that, which resulted in the World Championship being decided on who was “ahead” in points BEFORE that race. That meant that AYRTON won his 2nd such World Championship...
... AFTER the race, Ayrton explained he’d been promised before the race that the “POLE” position (which was his as fastest qualifying driver) would get the left-hand “CLEAN” side of the track, whereas he was forced to use the “dirty” RIGHT-hand side in Japan...
... At a meeting Ballestre was having with drivers, Ayrton said he had a “right” to the “corner” position, he’d never YIELD that (due to “rule” interpretations & politics), simply WOULDN’T STAND for the unfair treatment he’d twice received from the FIA (in 1989 & ’90)-- & he walked-OUT of the meeting...
... In 1991, due to engine-improvements made by Honda at his insistence, Ayrton won his 3rd World Championship (with that, once again, being settled by the season’s final race in JAPAN!)...
... “Active suspension” was the “big deal” in Formula One race cars in 1992, & Ayrton was very displeased that his car DIDN’T have it to start the season (putting him at a disadvantage compared to cars that had it)...
... At a Grand Prix race in BELGIUM, driver ERIK COMAS (from France) CRASHED during the race. Ayrton quickly got out of his OWN car & ran over to try to offer ASSISTANCE to his competitor (despite the risk to his own safety in doing so)... He finished 4th in points in that year’s Championship...
... Honda QUIT the Formula 1 racing circuit at the end of 1992... Ayrton called Alain a “COWARD” at a press conference after Prost VETOED his being his teammate at the WILLIAMS team in 1993 (tho Ayrton had offered to drive for FREE)...
... Hesitantly (because he initially doubted the quality of the car that was being used), Ayrton agreed to return to the McLAREN team... When the “tweaked” car proved to be GOOD, Ayrton STAYED with the team on a race-by-race basis...
... For the first time, in 1993, Ayrton won the Grand Prix in BRAZIL, thrilling his countrymen...
... At one point, he was asked about various of his girlfriends, & Ayrton admitted that yes, he'd had at least one tell him to go “FASTER”...
... A race in DONNINGTON was one of his best-run races, & he won at MONACO for a record 6th time... He won in Australia & Japan, but came in 2nd to ALAIN in that year’s Championship points...
... In 1994, Alain reluctantly decided to STOP his own racing career. Ayrton then JOINED the team of (Rothmans) WILLIAMS – RENAULT, which had the BEST CARS on the circuit...
... However, their FW-16 car (which had been forced by the FIA to remove its traction control & active suspension) was difficult to drive (as Ayrton himself commented)...
... In a race in Brazil, Ayrton “pushed” his car too much & it spun out & stalled, allowing SCHUMACHER to win...
... In Aida at the PACIFIC Grand Prix, Ayrton’s car was HIT by MIKA HAKKINEN, & then also hit by NICOLA LARINI. Schumacher (who won the race) was ahead of him by 20 points in their first races for the year’s Championship...
... In Australia, Ayrton stood on the podium as WINNER of the Grand Prix race there...
... At the SAN MARINO Grand Prix, Ayrton got the pole position (as fastest driver) for a record 65th time...
... But he was deeply upset that a fellow Brazilian, his protégé RUBENS BARRICHELLO, had been badly INJURED in a qualifying race there (when his car became airborne & had to LEAVE the contest)...
... The very next day, in another qualifying race, ROLAND RATZENBERGER (from Austria) was KILLED... Tho the FIA didn’t want him to do it, Ayrton went & visited the site of the crash, & was tearful when found by Professor SID WATKINS, the Medical Chief of the FIA...
... Sid urged him to STOP racing (which Ayrton felt he couldn’t do)...
... Ayrton worked to urge his fellow drivers to make efforts to INCREASE SAFETY in Formula One... During the start of the actual race in San Marino, there was another CRASH & a delay at continuing it...
... It was finally RE-STARTED at Lap 5, & Ayrton was in the lead... On Lap 6, at the Tamburello corner, his car suddenly LEFT the track & hit a concrete WALL (at around 135 mph = 217 km/h)...
... The Formula One cars are akin to sitting like a “SARDINE” inside an unprotected can, & it was very difficult to get Ayrton EXTRICATED from the vehicle... Sid & his Medical team rushed to try to aid him, & even did a tracheotomy on him...
... Ayrton was taken from the track in a helicopter... It was discovered that seemingly a bunch a “FREAK” things had happened during the disaster [including a steering column failure that supposedly “caused” the problem, + attendant things triggered by the accident itself that further injured Ayrton]...
... The racing world, & especially Brazil, were devastated when it was announced that Ayrton had DIED from the crash on April 21, 1994...
... The public turned out in millions for the FUNERAL of their beloved star...
... ALAIN was one of the PALLBEARERS at the funeral, & even joined the Board of a FOUNDATION (Instituto Ayrton Senna) formed in Ayrton’s memory to help the poor children of his nation (to which Ayrton had previously secretly given MILLIONS of his fortune)...
... Many people have called Ayrton the GREATEST race car driver of all time... As Ayrton himself said (used as a sort of “epitaph” in the movie), “Pure driving – THAT’S what makes me HAPPY!...”
... Overall, the movie is EXCELLENTLY done, thanks to the use of stills & MOVIE footage of his FAMILY life (including happily riding motorcycles & swimming), his actual RACES, & footage involving his living in the “WORLD” of racing (such as talks with Frank Williams & Sid Watkins & others)...
... The film’s director, ASIF KAPADIA, sent an exclusive letter to the Filmclub members of the LANDMARK theatre chain, in which he astutely said the following in part (with the emphasis being mine):
“ ... Ayrton Senna was the perfect character to make a movie about; he is intelligent, eloquent, charismatic, good looking, charming, spiritual, passionate and most of all a winner. Ayrton stood up for what he believed in and he fought politics and corruption...
“ ... Everyone has the chance to see why Ayrton’s inspirational story is so cinematic, so visceral and dramatic and why it is a film for all; men, women, young and old, racing fans and importantly people who cannot stand sport or racing of any kind, because Ayrton Senna is a genuine star who transcended sport...”
“ ... Everyone has the chance to see why Ayrton’s inspirational story is so cinematic, so visceral and dramatic and why it is a film for all; men, women, young and old, racing fans and importantly people who cannot stand sport or racing of any kind, because Ayrton Senna is a genuine star who transcended sport...”
... Ayrton comes across as a good & CARING man, & you thus especially feel the LOSS of his presence on the planet...
... I’m rating this film (which won the AUDIENCE prize as Best World Documentary at the 2011 SUNDANCE Film Festival) at 8.75 out of 10 stars...
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