Rush to see F1 movie

Hello.

My name is Peter, and I’m addicted to Formula 1. It’s been one week since I got my last fix, and it was a vintage one... Last weekend we headed into Ambleside to watch the Formula 1 movie “Rush”, directed by Ron Howard. The afternoon could have started better, but a traffic incident and a bent car are all part of living in Cumbria, right?

The film recreates the drama of the 1976 season, where James Hunt and Nikki Lauda battled it out for the title, with dramatic results along the way, including a fiery near-death experience for Lauda, which saw him given the last rites in his hospital bed, before returning to the track just six weeks later.

Although I am hideously old nowadays, I hadn’t even reached double figures when the events flashing by on the screen took place, but my enthusiasm for the heady world of fast cars has allowed me to become pretty knowledgeable on the era, and the look, fashions, attitudes and styles of the period are certainly ones I can relate to from my youth.

Writer Peter Morgan has successfully infused the storyline with drama but, given the nature of the events and characters depicted, that shouldn’t have been too tricky. Howard’s direction, and the talents of actors Chris Hemsworth (Hunt), and Daniel Brühl (Lauda), plunge you headlong into the era, with the assistance of a wardrobe department and hairstylist whose results easily have you believing you can smell the Brut, petrol and fags.

It’s a compelling story, with Hunt’s ‘British hero’ persona both celebrated and deflated by the depiction of his arrogance, womanising, bursts of violence, drinking and partying, plus his natural speed and athleticism on a race track.

Lauda comes across and an up-tight, cold, overtly-analytical man, whose technical brilliance and determination sees him more than willing to be hugely unpleasant to others.

The twist is that both reluctantly envy the other, and Lauda’s attempts to get the German race he is so horrifically injured at cancelled due to the weather, whilst being mocked by Hunt, turns the tables on the all-too-easy Good Brit vs Nasty Austrian tag. The race and crash are thrillingly and terrifyingly played out. Even though I knew what was about to happen, my heart was racing as the drama unfolded. That Lauda even survived, yet alone got back in a racing car within weeks, is truly miraculous.

The finale of the film has been subtly altered by the movie-makers, showing Lauda at the track when Hunt wins the title, when in fact he left the circuit and only discovered his rival had won the title at the airport.

This minor deviation from the facts aside, I can’t recommend this film enough. Even if you aren’t an F1 fan, it’s a thrilling ride into an era long-passed. See it if you can.

Mrs G gets to choose the next film we see. It’s OK to pray there isn’t a new Bridget Jones movie on the horizon, isn’t it?

This post first appeared in my "Thank grumpy it's Friday" column in the North West Evening Mail on the 11th of October 2013, where it was retitled "Film provided Formula 1 fix". A bit literal, but hey. You can view the version used by the paper here although it seems to be lost in their Archive section, without the usual photo and credit.

29 words got edited out by the paper, including my reference to the car crunch we had on the way there, which was an easy edit as it was entirely unrelated, really!

Not sure if I'm cut out to be a film reviewer - maybe I should stick to grumbling about stuff.

The dangers of F1 were brought into sharp focus yesterday by the news that F1 driver Maria De Villota had died in a hotel room in Spain. Badly injured in a testing crash last year, she had made a remarkable recovery, and was about to release her autobiography. It seems fate decided her time here was up for definite this time. Rest in peace, Maria.

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