No Poster

Le Mans 1952

Visit website

7.0/10 • 1

1952-01-010h 32m

Documentary

A BAFTA award nominated documentary showing highlights from the Le Mans 24 hour race won by Mercedes-Benz.

Directors
Bill Mason

Top Billed Cast

View Credits

    Reviews1

    View Reviews
    CinemaSerf Avatar

    CinemaSerf

    Jan 5, 2025

    7/10

    I'm not sure we needed quite such intrusive music to accompany the start of the narration here, but with some insightful in-car and helicopter footage around the Tertre Rouge, Mulsanne and Arnage we take a quick tour of the 8½ miles circuit. Then we are off for the official, and meticulous, inspection of the cars before the race can get under way. It's not just the drivers who've descended on the place, but the bistros and bars are packed with fans eager for the race to start. Italy, Britain, Germany, France and the USA are amongst those represented. Gardini, Talbot, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar and Mercedes are all here too with the likes of Stirling Moss, Darnell, Simon, Thomson, Lang, Reiss, Ascari, 'Levegh' and even a youngster in a pedal car taking the wheel as the 20th race gets underway for the 57 cars taking part. They're off to the sound of roaring and revving engines that remind you of WWI aircraft as brakes squeal round the tight bends. A couple of well placed fixed cameras manage to capture a good deal of the action, albeit statically, and they enable us to follow the race quite effectively. Bustling crowd noises go hand in hand with this quite excitingly narrated report as the cars have around 2000 miles to go in just short of 24hrs hours at speeds of over 107 mph. As cars lose their places, there's the risk of a near miss or two and engines are already starting to overheat. Desolate looks ensue... With only two hours gone, some famous names are already watching from the bar then night falls and the race starts to separate the wheat from the chaff as the engines start to give up and the track starts to make it's presence felt as dawn breaks in a veil of thick fog. Hectic pit work keeps thing competitive as the race heads to it's exciting climax... It's standard Shell Film Unit stuff with their cumulative photographic and audio expertise delivering a compelling package of race highlights peppered with some local flavour and plenty of jeopardy. If you are into your archive motor sport, then this is a must. If not, then it's still entertaining giving a feeling that this is a day out for everyone - petrolhead or not.

    Media

      Recommendations

      • Thief of Damascus main backdrop

        Thief of Damascus

        5.8

      • Hancock main backdrop

        Hancock

        6.3

      • Dangal main backdrop

        Dangal

        7.9

      • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 main backdrop

        Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

        8.1

      • The Godfather main backdrop

        The Godfather

        8.7

      • Annihilation main backdrop

        Annihilation

        6.4

      • Arrival main backdrop

        Arrival

        7.6

      • Bridge of Spies main backdrop

        Bridge of Spies

        7.2

      • Saving Private Ryan main backdrop

        Saving Private Ryan

        8.2

      • Toy Story 2 main backdrop

        Toy Story 2

        7.6

      • Kill Bill: Vol. 1 main backdrop

        Kill Bill: Vol. 1

        8.0

      • The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) main backdrop

        The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

        6.5

      • The Nice Guys main backdrop

        The Nice Guys

        7.1

      • Nymphomaniac: Vol. II main backdrop

        Nymphomaniac: Vol. II

        6.7

      • Roma main backdrop

        Roma

        7.6

      • Mulan main backdrop

        Mulan

        7.9

      • The Killing of a Sacred Deer main backdrop

        The Killing of a Sacred Deer

        7.0

      • Split main backdrop

        Split

        7.3

      • Beauty and the Beast main backdrop

        Beauty and the Beast

        7.0

      • Tarzan & Jane main backdrop

        Tarzan & Jane

        6.0

      Status
      Released
      Original Language
      English
      Budget
      --
      Revenue
      --
      Keywords
      No keywords have been added.