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Alex Connelly

Professor Alshabasy

ENG160

17 October 2019

Senna Review

Often times when I watch films about motorsports, there is an apparent notion that you must have prior knowledge on the subject to get the most out of it. When watching Senna(2010) directed by Asif Kapadia, it feels as if the barrier between racing fanatics and someone who has never watched a race before is somewhat broken. This is a breath of fresh air for someone like me, who is a fan of racing, because having a film like this gives exposure to one of my favorite sports in the world, Formula One racing. This documentary takes a historic look at the incredible career of Ayrton Senna, which spanned from 1978 to 1994, in a very gripping and emotional fashion. Ayrton Senna is one of the most special and beloved drivers in the history of Formula One. He was known for his unmatched talent within the car and his charming personality that brought lots of exposure to the sport and his home country of Brazil. This film delves into all of the extreme highs and lows of his career, with a large focus on the sport itself, the people involved with his success, and also touches upon the impact he had on his home country of Brazil and motorsports as a whole. However this film leaves me wanting to know slightly more of what Ayrton was like outside of racing. All footage used in the documentary was taken directly from newsreel, the Formula One archive, and Senna’s family home videos and all of the dialogue/commentary was taken from those who were involved or were interviews that occurred during that time. This gives the whole documentary an authentic feel. This documentary expresses an emotionally gripping, informative, and slightly hagiographic look into Ayrton Senna’s story through the use of relevant and cinematic footage, dramatizing soundtrack, and an insightful commentary and dialogue selection.

Ayrtons career was filled with many moments of brilliance as well as serious controversy as he became a national idol of Brazil and underwent a fierce and unsympathetic rivalry that shaped his career, before it came to a disastrous end. It all started by vaguely showing his early days in go-karting and how he worked his way into Formula One. It generally ignores the stages he went through to work his way up the latter which was disappointing. The film really begins at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix where he had an astonishing performance driving an underpowered Toleman car where he only lost due to a technicality in torrential rain in his rookie season. The thing that set apart Ayrton from the rest of the field was his unrelenting speed, desire to win, and his specialty of driving extremely well in the rain. The film traces over his steady rise over the next 10 years showcasing his charisma and professionalism, as well as the few serious controversies he was involved in. Over these years Ayrton accumulated 3 world championships and 41 race wins. It showed how much he did for the sport as a whole and also touched upon how he donated to and became a national idol and a source of inspiration for the troubled nation of Brazil. Much of the film examines the fierce rivalry between himself and his teammate for many years, Alain Prost. It was very gripping watching them start as friends and true partners in racing, and develop in to fierce and bitter rivals who had no sympathy for each other. These two were involved in multiple controversies that makes the audience question the ethics of both drivers and the governing body of the sport, the FIA. The story comes to a tragic end at the disastrous 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Two lives were claimed that weekend, that of Roland Ratzenberger on Saturday qualifying, and Ayrton Senna’s during the Sunday race, the only deaths in that generation of racing. The most troubling and disturbing fact of Ayrtons incident, is that the crash is said to be caused be a mechanical error within the car. The film finishes off with his funeral and shows the streets of his hometown Sao Paulo lined with over a million fans as they watched his parade. This film is more than a biography, it is a celebration of his life.

In my opinion, Senna breaks the mold of its genre by showcasing elements that are not present in movies of the same genre. Unlike the documentary Vintage Motorsport: Rally Cars, directed by Harold Kim, which is an informative but also very bland look at the rich history of Rally, Senna finds a way to dramatize the events its portraying while also captivating and informing the audience. This film informs the audience on the facts of the sport in a clear and concise manner, but also includes the emotional and dramatic effects that make a film a memorable experience. When a documentary lacks these elements it can seem to drag on and thats its purpose is solely to inform and not to entertain, I believe Senna excels in this area.

There are many elements that contribute to making a documentary a gripping and entertaining piece of film. One of the elements that I enjoyed the most throughout the entire film was the utilization of the soundtrack. I feel many of the songs in the film really captured the mood of what was happening. Whether it be the intense on track battles that were taking place or the celebrations when he was at the peak of his career in 1991, the music always felt perfect and really elicited an emotional response at some moments. The music greatly contributes in keeping an audience engaged because it can make a scene or segment much more dramatic and impactful and I think this film nailed that. It was slightly repetitive to see one of the songs repeated a few times though. One unique element I enjoyed and helps grip the audience is the inclusion of the home videos from the Senna family. This element helps to aid in one of the areas that the film is lacking. Throughout the film I found myself wanting to know a little bit more of what Ayrton was like outside of racing, and these segments partially satisfied that desire, but I was still left wanting a little more. Another thing this film did that I believe makes it much more captivating was the selection of footage used. Kapadia didn’t just use the race broadcasts to tell the story but he used a wide variety of platforms such as interviews, newsreel, footage from the many meetings and conferences that transformed the sport, and some surprisingly cinematic pieces of footage from the Formula One archives, much of it previously unseen. Showing the conferences that took place showed how ridiculously political the sport was at the time and makes you have sympathy for how unfairly Ayrton was treated at some points, and I believe they really help capture what the sport was like in this time period. “The best decision is my decision,”(Senna, Kapadia) said president of the FIA, Jean-Marie Balestre, when disregarding the safety concerns of the drivers while discussing chicanes in a drivers conference.

However, I do believe this film missed the mark with some of its depictions and lack information in certain areas. The soundtrack, while very good, was a bit repetitive at certain moments, mainly during the exciting on track battles. Another critique I have is that segments showcasing what Ayrton was like outside of racing were few and far between. Although there were some moments where I got to know him better as a person, I was left wanting a bit more. Another flaw that was mentioned by Alain Prost himself, was that the depiction of the relationship between him and Ayrton was not accurate as in the final months of Ayrtons life, they became good friends, and that was mostly ignored in the film(Collantine 1). However, they did show Alain attending Ayrtons funeral. Other than these few errors, I struggle to find much else wrong with this movie. Many things about this movie were done extremely well. This film currently stands at a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and has won multiple awards including the BAFTA Best Documentary and Best Ending, Los Angeles Film Festival Best Documentary, Sundance Film Festival Best Documentary, and a few others. There is no denying that this is perhaps one of the best sporting documentaries out there. “The film is two things: a discreet hagiography of the handsome, soft-spoken Senna, … and a compressed, esoteric slice of Formula One history during his 10-year ascendance” (Holden “A Spectacular Rise and Fall”).

Senna really hits the nail on the head in many areas, with an emotionally engaging style that greatly complements how informative and accurate this time period in the sport was depicted. This all thanks to the impressive editing and selection of footage used, captivating soundtrack, and very insightful pieces of dialogue and interviews used. I highly recommend this film to motorsport enthusiasts and average movie watchers alike. This film does so much to help bring exposure to the world of motorsports and to celebrate the life of one of the most talented and legendary Formula One Drivers to ever live.

Works Cited

Holden, Stephen. “A Spectacular Rise and Fall.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 Aug. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/movies/senna-documentary-on-racecar-driver-review.html.

“Senna.” Netflix, 1 Oct. 2019, www.netflix.com/title/70170051.

Collantine, Keith. “Prost Explains His Objections to Senna Film · RaceFans.” RaceFans, 13 Oct. 2013, www.racefans.net/2012/07/12/prost-te-senna-film/.