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Behind Le Mans – The Film In Photographs

Behind Le Mans – The Film In Photographs

By Michael Keyser

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8 1/2″ x 11″ – 196 pages
192 Duotone Black & White Images

SKU: 444. Category: .

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Product Description

Shipping & Handling – 4 pounds
USA – $10.00 U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail
Canada – $20.00 U.S. Postal Service Priority International Mail
All International – $30.00 U.S. Postal Service Priority International Mail

Click HERE for information on the Behind Le Mans DVD.

Produced and distributed exclusively by: Autosports Marketing Associates, Ltd.

Reviews

  1. As seen in Motorsports Marketing Resources

    This week a package containing a book of images landed on my desk. The book, “Behind LE MANS” is comprised of 195 black and white images. Like most motorsports fans that have seen the movie Le Mans and read the behind the scenes stories about how it was made, I was intrigued. My first pass through the book satisfied my “need to know” what it was all about. A book of pictures is not War and Peace. I put the book aside, got back to my pressing issues and picked it up again later for a closer look.

    Most of the images are by Nigel Snowdon, who I learned, played himself in the film. He was the photographer doing in the film what he did in real life, shooting pictures of what was happening. Those pictures, shot during the filming of Le Mans add yet another dimension to our knowledge of the making of the movie, a story with a far more interesting plot than the one contrived for the film. (If you haven’t read Michael Keyser’s “A French Kiss with Death”, you are missing a riveting read).

    On my second pass, I took more time to read the captions and to appreciate the settings and people other than the principals who populate each picture. Three things stuck out. One is that movie stars and race car drivers of that day were physically attractive people. The drivers suits of the time were positively virginal compared to the billboards worn by today’s heroes. So the driving suits, the young fit men, the cars of different colors and shapes and the pits or straights of Le Mans all contribute to creating an idyllic image of what real sports car racing was all about. The images of the support people and the film crews seem pedestrian and out of place, as well they were, when contrasted with the complete Le Mans racing scene.

    The technical aspects of racing cars and photography at that time were both quite mechanical when compared to today’s computerized versions. The book’s images of the blending of the two disciplines, the required daily maintenance of the race cars and cameras and the effort to which the film people went to successfully capture the feeling of racing at Le Mans is very impressive.

    The other notable fact is that a number of the people in the images are no longer with us, notably Steve McQueen, Juan Manuel Fangio, Masten Gregory, Mike Parkes and Jo Siffert. But sad as that is, candid shots of them and Derek Bell, David Piper, Brian Redman, Richard Attwood and Jonathan Williams, all interacting with Steve McQueen, the film crew and each other are hugely satisfying.

    I have a few favorite pictures; Steve positively beaming in conversation with a bemused Fangio. Opposite that page is a picture of Steve, down on one knee and grimacing into the sunlight and camera while standing behind him and looking down are four nuns. No one in the picture seems particularly comfortable.

    So if you are a Steve McQueen fan… buy the book! If you can’t get enough of images of Porsche 917’s, Ferrari and Lolas… buy the book! And if you believe, as I do, that this period and these cars and people were the last hurrah of racing’s great age, buy this book and keep it handy. You will never cease to be entertained at what you find in the background and the details of these images.

    Peter Bourasa – Motorsports Marketing Resources
    Click here to go to Motorsports Marketing Resources

  2. As seen in Victory Lane

    The Steve McQueen film Le Mans is an iconic presentation of the Le Mans 24 hour race and the Porsche 917 vs Ferrari 512 rivalry in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s which most of our readers have seen again and again. Some have purchased and viewed Michael Keyser’s $29.95 DVD about making the film which, by the way, is excellent.

    Michael, a winning driver, a photographer and journalist, presents a collection of dramatic full page photos of moments in the film production. There are actor and actress photos, discussion photos, racing photos, staged racing photos, crash photos, technical film technique photos and more. A fascinating book to enjoy and a great companion to the actual movie and the DVD about making the movie all of which would be a great addition to every vintage racers media collection.

    Click here to go to Victory Lane

  3. As seen in Vintage Racecar

    Arguably one of the most influential racing feature films of all time, Steve McQueen’s Le Mans did not enjoy critical or financial success when released in the early ’70s, but it has gone on to become a cult classic for racing fans ever since.

    In “Behind Le Mans,” Michael Keyser has assembled a fascinating behind the scenes look at the making of this film utilizing photographs taken on the set by renowned photographer Nigel Snowdon, as well as those taken by cast members such as Derek Bell and Jonathan Williams.

    Each of the 200 pages features a single 10″ x 7.5″ black and white image richly reproduced on gloss paper. The reproduction quality is fantastic, but even more interesting are the behind the scenes images of McQueen and a veritable Who’s Who of 1970s racers who were used as stunt drivers and extras in the film, drivers such as Dickie Attwood, Jo Siffert, Derek Bell, Masten Gregory and David Piper, who sadly lost part of a leg during a crash while filming. With images depicting how the pioneering in-car camera shots were achieved, or how the many crash sequences were staged, this book provides a unique glimpse into a film that has morphed over the decades from Hollywood flash to racing history.

    Casey Annis – Vintage Racecar
    Click here to go to Viintage Racecar

Sample Pages – Click on image to enlarge