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I had never heard of this film, and now it has been re-edited and released, and you can stream it on Netflix.
Weekend of a Champion is a documentary about Jackie Stewart that was made by Roman Polanski (yes, the guy who has been banned from the US for decades), in 1971. The framework is the few days leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix that year, but it is really a biography of Stewart, and a fascinating snapshot of F1 back when it was still more accessible, terrifyingly so.
If you track your car, you absolutely will not believe what these drivers, crew and managers dealt with at that point in time. They raced V8 Forumla 1 cars through city streets with square curbs, painted crosswalks, and manhole covers, through unlighted tunnels, in the rain. Absolutely crazy. Stewart said if you raced a five year period in F1 in the 60's, you had a 66% chance if dying! Not only that, but there were NO pit walls at Monaco. The pits were just a stripe painted on the side of the street. The crowd stood right on the curb. Crazy.
There are a few segments of Stewart giving lessons on driving to Polanski that are fascinating. There are some in car shots of Stewart driving at Monaco, and in car shots of the same course in a modern car. Awesome to see the differences.
At the end of the film, there is a segment shot just a couple of years ago of Stewart and Polanski reminiscing about that period, and all of the changes since then. Stewart is still an incredible personality today.
Five stars, don't miss it.
Weekend of a Champion is a documentary about Jackie Stewart that was made by Roman Polanski (yes, the guy who has been banned from the US for decades), in 1971. The framework is the few days leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix that year, but it is really a biography of Stewart, and a fascinating snapshot of F1 back when it was still more accessible, terrifyingly so.
If you track your car, you absolutely will not believe what these drivers, crew and managers dealt with at that point in time. They raced V8 Forumla 1 cars through city streets with square curbs, painted crosswalks, and manhole covers, through unlighted tunnels, in the rain. Absolutely crazy. Stewart said if you raced a five year period in F1 in the 60's, you had a 66% chance if dying! Not only that, but there were NO pit walls at Monaco. The pits were just a stripe painted on the side of the street. The crowd stood right on the curb. Crazy.
There are a few segments of Stewart giving lessons on driving to Polanski that are fascinating. There are some in car shots of Stewart driving at Monaco, and in car shots of the same course in a modern car. Awesome to see the differences.
At the end of the film, there is a segment shot just a couple of years ago of Stewart and Polanski reminiscing about that period, and all of the changes since then. Stewart is still an incredible personality today.
Five stars, don't miss it.
