Formula One may not have made the foothold in the United States that it has in many other parts of the world, but you would not know that this weekend in New York City.
When I interviewed Asif Kapadia, the director of the documentary about Ayrton Senna, a few weeks ago for my story about the film – called “Senna” – he asked if I planned to attend the opening in New York.
I told him that I lived in Paris, and he suggested I go anyway, since I had only seen the film on a DVD, and not in a cinema. It will be different, he said, seeing the film in a cinema with other people around. Well, as luck would have it, I was able to make it to Manhattan.
I have been impressed by the presence of the “Senna” film here in New York. The “Time Out” that I bought has a full page review of the film. On Friday, The New York Times also reviewed the film, with a great display on the front of the Weekend Arts section. There was another event linked to the film, with vintage F1 cars on display in New York. And this is supposed to be a non-F1 country! (Aside from the fact that it will have a new Grand Prix in Austin next year and that some people in New York are fighting for another Grand Prix here … )
So what about seeing the film for the fourth or fifth time? First, let me say that I was glad I opted at the last minute to attend the 5 p.m. show, as the 7 p.m. show was sold out. (Apparently it was also sold out in Los Angeles.) This time around, I not only noticed details I had missed before, but seeing it with an audience did, as suggested, make a difference. In fact, it actually brought tears to my eyes. It also made a difference to hear theatergoers respond to certain scenes, like a smart quip Senna makes to Jean-Marie Balestre during a drivers’ meeting, or when Alain Prost flirts with a beautiful British talk show host. But it was during the tragic and emotional moments that you share the sense of collective wonder at the story of this exceptional driver.
I took my hand-held video recording device with me and shot a few little bits and pieces here and there, and I stopped a spectator after the film to ask him what he thought. After all, he was carrying an Ayrton Senna helmet with him that he wears sometimes while riding his motorcycle. So I had to see what he thought. I also recorded the discussion after the film with the writer, Manish Pandey, and with the ESPN presenter who features largely in the film, John Bisignano. The lighting is not very good, but you can still see them and hear them well, and hear the questions from the public. I shot a brief moment of the crowd applauding the film at the end of the film, as well.