Senna - Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

This is not a dramatisation of Ayrton Senna, it is more a documentary than a feature film as it is 100% true, uses real footage throughout, and contains voiceovers from various people who are seen throughout the movie from the world of motor sport and sports journalists too. I expect that hardcore Senna fans will have seen a lot of this before, via places such as YouTube but for someone like me, 98% of the footage was unseen and new, so that was good. Being that the footage mainly dates from the late 1980's to mid 1990's, it isn't the best quality but even on the large cinema screens, its more than watchable and looks very good on screen. Yes, it's grainy but it just adds to the time and authenticity of the piece, and I think it comes across very well. Some of the footage is better than others, but its just atmospheric, and I liked the unpredictability of it in that sense. The documentary really aims to look at the man behind the racing driver name of Ayrton Senna that a lot of people know. We see Ayrton speak a lot about his religion and God, and how important it is to him to respect that and how much of a part that played in his life and his career. He was a deeply philosophical man, yet had the grit and determination to succeed whatever the cost in his job. However, the film does show a more "human" side to the driving machine that is Senna. A great example is when his car flips and lands him head-first in the gravel pit, serving as a stark reminder to Senna he is just as likely to get hurt as anyone else in the sport, but it takes him having a relatively serious accident to fully comprehend this fact. Senna's facial expressions speak a thousand words, and watching him, you can almost feel every emotion, his face gives everything away and that in turn adds a whole new level to the film - I've never seen Senna in this light before, and the movie really highlights what kind of man Senna was - kind-hearted, determined, giving (he gave a lot of money to charity at home in Brazil) but most of all ambitious and determined to succeed. The rivalry between Senna and Prost takes up a lot of the early movie, mainly because that is what helped to shape Senna's career in Formula One. When he joined Maclaren and partnered Prost, everyone knew that both men desperately wanted to win the World Championship title again, but nobody could forsee just how far these men would go to fulfill their dreams. We see footage of both men speaking about each other, the effect this had not only on them, but the teams and the sport as a whole too. The vitriolic words that come from Prost about Senna are quite shocking but goes to show how deeply the men were entrenched in their dislike for each other and determination to out-do each other on the track. Senna, however, always seems careful never to completely bad-mouth, doing it in a more clever and roundabout than Prost delivers! As well as looking at this rivalry, the movie does take a look at the behind-the-scenes politics of Formula One, from the awful FIA director Jean-Marie Balestre and his shocking decisions regarding the disclipling of Senna, and other questionable areas behind the scenes at Formula One. I don't normally mention a sound track when I am reviewing a film unless a particular song really moved me, but on this occasion I have to applaud the entire musical score. It is mainly composed by Antonio Pinto, someone I had not heard of until I googled his name for the purpose of this review, but the man is a genius when it comes to the soundtrack he has created for this movie. He captures the raw emotion, the excitement, the thrill of the race, and the tragedy of Senna's death in a few instrumental pieces of music that enhance every single scene they appear in. It was a joy to listen to this soundtrack accompany this film, and I certainly hope the film-makers look to release this fantastic musical score at some point as I am sure anyone who has seen this film will be interested in hearing it again and again. The film goes through Senna's career at Formula One, and eventually hits on the fateful day on 1st May 1994, at Imola, where Senna is to race his final race and tragically end his life. There was something very odd about watching a clearly troubled man on-screen, with the audience knowing what is going to happen to him, yet he has no idea. Yet, I couldn't help but feel watching this that Senna did have a sense of foreboding about this race, and this just added to my unsettled feeling. I almost didn't want to watch but found myself glued to the screen, heart-beating fast. I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear over this whole section of the movie, it's incredibly moving, and when you have spent almost 2 hours getting to know Ayrton Senna in a way you probably haven't before, the now infamous crash takes on a very different stance when watched in this context.. it feels incredibly sad and the entire cinema seemed on edge and moved by what they saw. Something that spelt out to me the power this movie had was the credits. Usually, the moment the credits roll on a film , 99% of the audience is on its feet and rushing for the door. When the credits rolled for this film, no one moved. We all wanted to watch the repeated scenes from the film playing alongside the credits, and it took the lights eventually going up and the Vue advertisements beginning on the screen again for us to begin to vacate the cinema. The film definitely had an effect on us, and hours after watching it, I am still thinking about the things Senna said, and the turmoil he was going through at the Imola race weekend, and wishing he had decided not to race, as Frank Williams had fully expected him not to. I cannot recommend this film highly enough, whether you are a motor sport fan or not. As I mentioned, I'm certainly not but I was glued to the screen for the duration, which is just over 2 hours long. The audience in my screen were laughing along at some of Senna's funnier moments which did come quite frequently, and one perfect scene involving Alain Prost walking in front of a Brazilian crowd after Senna's first home grand prix victory with the most perfect subtitling (I shan't spoil it for you here!). We all held our breath as the on-board camera on Senna's car shows us his last moments around the Imola track, and shed a tear at the moving funeral footage, his sister Vivianne clutching Senna's helmet being one of the most moving images of the lot. There isn't as much race footage as some may expect, instead focussing on interviews etc, but for me the balance was just right. This is a superb documentary, and for once, I don't mind admitting Jeremy Clarkson was 100% right when he branded this unmissable. Truly fantastic.

This is a great docufilm, it really touches on some of Sennas greatest and most controversial moments in Formula 1, from his stunning performance at Monaco in 1984, his epic 1st victory in the pouring rain of Estoril to those 3 monumental Japanese Grand Prix races in 1988, 1989 & 1990. It also gives you an idea on just what a massive sporting icon Ayrton Senna was all around the world. For me however the best part of the film was the rare footage of the drivers meetings before races, I've never seen these before and that for me alone was worth the purchase of this DVD. It showed how Senna wore his heart on his sleeve at all times fighting for what he thought was right and just how badly he was treated by Jean Marie Balestre, the then president of the FIA. Another feature on the main disc is that there is a complete commentary in English from the makers of this docufilm. Its certainly worth listening to their thoughts and views on Senna and how they went about making this film and using the best and most poignant footage that they possibly could. Also included is a 2nd bonus DVD disc which contains interviews with F1 race commentators from the 1980's along with insight from Ron Dennis and Alain Prost. Some of the comments are absolutely spell binding and are certainly worth watching. You also get your usual cinema trailers from Japan and other places around the world. Going back to the docufilm itself, the only negative point I could find is that in my opinion it could do with being about 45 minutes longer! Some of Sennas later battles were not really covered (eg Monaco in 1992 with Nigel Mansell or that race at Donnington in 1993 where he literally destroyed the whole field). As mentioned by the previous reviewer the subtitles on the main DVD are only available in Italian, its a shame as quite a few of the interviews are spoken in Portugese so unless you can read Italian you dont really understand what's being said. Then again I suppose thats my fault for purchasing the DVD from Italy and not waiting until its officially released in the UK! Luckily you can change the film's language to original (ie English) instead of Italian dubbing over in the options screen so its not all bad. The bonus disc isn't an issue as you get the choice of chosing English text right from the beginning. Nevertheless I cant rate this double DVD highly enough and if you are a Senna fan get it as soon it comes out or take a trip to the cinema in June. I really cant wait to see it on a big screen :0)

Despite never being that interested in Formula One, I have to say I found this absolutely riveting. Director Asif Kapadia and writer Manish Pandey have structured this documentary about the legendary driver to play in the style of a conventional movie. It consists entirely of private, media and race footage but with occasional voiceovers from new interviews. This is not a biopic per se, since it concentrates on Ayrton Senna's professional life. It begins with his announcement as a talent to be reckoned with in Monaco, 1984, where he went from 13th to 2nd in a wet-weather race before it was stopped. This is where the seeds of his great rivalry with Alain Prost were sown. Although the pair ultimately ended up as team-mates at McLaren, their fierce competition resulted in many a spat on (and off) the track. No more so than in Japan, where for three consecutive years the winner of the F1 Championship was decided by the outcome of dramatic incidents on Suzuka Circuit. The Grands Prix themselves unfold with some extremely well-edited material, including the pre-race drivers' meetings, which provide an engrossing insight into the politics of Formula One. Ironically, it's Senna's overriding concern for driver safety that frequently comes to the fore. His fearlessness behind the wheel notwithstanding, Ayrton Senna was deeply spiritual. It's because such a complete picture of the man is presented that his death, as shown here, is sudden and affecting but nonetheless handled with sensitivity. The picture quality is obviously as good as it can be, given its origins. As well as an audio commentary, bonus features include 53 minutes of traditional 'talking head' interviews that can be viewed within the original version if desired, making it an epic 2 hours and 42 minutes overall. Theatrically-released documentaries have become something of an art form in recent years and this can be counted with the best of them.

I share the thoughts of others about the quality of the movie and the story it tells. However, I was disappointed with the Digital Copy. I bought this version so I could load it onto a NetPC connected to my TV (which has no DVD drive). I authorised and transferred the file via another PC, but could not play it on this netPC - being told it had already been viewed too many times! (even though this was the first time). It appears that the restriction on Windows Media Player means you can only play it on the PC you authorised it on. However, I did have more success when using Itunes, as that would let me view it on the NetPC. When I tried to contact Universal Support, I found they did not even list the movie in the drop-down list of titles you had to select from - hoping the narrative explained which title I was referring to, as I had to use another title at random. However, their response was based on the random title I had had to use - and they told me they no longer supported that title - clearly not having read what I'd written !

an unbelievable natural talented guy. RIP buddy

I bought this DVD for my son aged 21 because he is mad keen on F1 and also wanted to learn about Senna's life - he also has a book on Senna which is good he said. We recently watched this DVD together and it brought back many memories for me of the way motor racing used to be. I remember a time when we were always hearing about a serious and often fatal crash and was astonished to realise how long it is now since there has been one due to the changes made after Senna's death to make this sport much safer even though there are those who say today its not as exciting. That may be true sometimes but as its peoples lives at stake then better safety has to be a good thing. The DVD shows footage of races obviously but also tracks through the sort of person Senna was, his family, sort of racing driver he was, his passion and drive - no pun intended - for his chosen career and particularly as to his often acrimonious arguments and disputes with Prost. Prost gives his version which is interesting also. It is, of course, sad at the end when they show Senna's last race and his fatal crash and I have to admit to tears in the eyes as it made me recall that fateful day. However for anyone who is an F1 fan of today and interested in motor racing of the past as well as those, like myself, who are older and remember how this all was in earlier years you will, I hope, find it extremely ineresting to watch. Certainly it is interesting alone to see how the racing cars themselves have changed over the years, one forgets so easily as time goes over.

Watching this film took me back to my childhood and early teens, it was great to see some of the behind the scenes footage related to the Prost incidents. I did think it was a shame Murray Walker was not interviewed but we do hear a short excerpt of his commentary. Its a very emotive subject and both my wife and I were very moved, you can't help wondering, what if? Its a very skilled documentary and opens up more about Senna's personality, private life and the effect he had on the Brazilian population. I can recommend this documentary without hesitation. As far as being on Blu ray, I'm not sure you really gain anything over the DVD format since most of the footage is not high-def as it was filmed 20-30 years ago.

A wonderful film, that takes you through the life and career of Ayrton Senna, by mostly using his own words from interviews, documentaries, family videos etc., and making the film present as if it was a directed movie, with Senna playing himself. Also a lot of the best and most spectacular racing scenes from his impressing career. Too bad only that he was denied his '89 championship, being treated in a hostile manner by the Formula 1 management at that time, who enforced a truly questionable disqualification after Senna won the race at Suzuka. Every objective motor racing fan knows, that Senna won the world championship four times in a row: '88, '89, '90 and '91 - only Balestre and his allies gave away the '89 victory to Prost, who was of course also one of the greats of Formula 1 racing history. Looking back, I doubt that even Alain Prost wanted it this way.

Je dois avouer que je pensais avoir acheté un DVD, uniquement un DVD. Quelle a été ma surprise quand j'ai vu qu'il y avait un livre autour... Avec de belles photos, d'intéressants témoignages. Des pages sans texte, d'autres avec beaucoup de textes, une alternance intéressante qui allège la lecture. Senna est mort alors que j'avais 16 ans, je connaissais un peu la F1, mais pas plus que ça. Le livre permet de comprendre, sans voyeurisme, ce qu'était la vie de Senna, quel être exceptionnel il était. Le DVD est très intéressant, un documentaire pas du tout tourné vers le sensationnalisme, le dramatisme ou comme un film catastrophe. Un documentaire qui vaut une bonne bibliographie, avec des vidéos de très bonne qualité (pour l'époque). J'ai pu réaliser à quel point la F1 a changé ces dernières décennies. Le DVD fait vraiment ressortir le côté très humain de Senna, avec de nombreux interviews où on l'entend parler. C'est un livre et un DVD "hommage", un livre et un DVD qui se complètent, qui ne se copient pas. J'ai été très ému. Bravo aux auteurs!

Eine Zeitreise durch das viel zu kurze Leben einer Legende, des wohl besten Rennfahrers aller Zeiten. Der beeindruckende Dokumentarfilm von Asif Kapadia erzählt in 101 Minuten die bewegende Lebensgeschichte des legendären brasilianischen Rennfahrers, der mit nur 34 Jahren viel zu jung starb. Der Film konzentriert sich dabei auf die Zeitspanne zwischen 1984 (Großer Preis von Monaco) und 1994 (Großer Preis von San Marino). Kaspadia zeigt einen verletzlichen, nachdenklichen und tief gläubigen Senna, der die Unfälle einiger Fahrer miterlebt, aber auch einen emotionalen und selbstbewussten, genialen Fahrer Senna auf und neben der Rennstrecke, der wegen seines unnachgiebigen und kompromisslosen Fahrstils bei seinen Kollegen oft aneckte, was zu einer jahrelangen Rivalität mit Alain Prost führte. Das tief bewegende Ende des Films widmet sich dem tragischen Schwarzen Wochenende von Imola. Im Qualifying am 30.04.1994 verunglückte zunächst Roland Ratzenberger tödlich, was Senna sichtlich mitnahm. Einen Tag später starb Senna selbst. Die Dokumentation zeigt zahlreiches und teilweise bislang unveröffentlichtes Filmmaterial aus Sennas Privatleben sowie Ausschnitte aus seinen wichtigsten Rennen und Fahrerbesprechungen und Interviews mit Formel 1- Größen, mal spannend und dramatisch, mal ruhig und sentimental aneinandergereiht. Die Filmausschnitte werden zum Teil mit späteren Kommentaren von Zeitzeugen wie Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart, Gerhard Berger, Frank Williams sowie der Familie des dreifachen Formel 1-Weltmeisters und einer dezenten Hintergrundmusik unterlegt. Man sieht atemberaubende Aufnahmen der Bordkameras, die die Geschwindigkeit und das Gefühl des Rennfahrens damit geradezu greifbar machen. Dass einige Bilder dabei verwaschen sind und nicht dem heutigen HD-Standard entsprechen, ist klar und sollte den geneigten Zuschauer nicht weiter stören, da das Gesamtwerk phänomenal geworden ist. Man mag sich gar nicht vorstellen, wie viele Stunden Archivmaterial aus den achtziger und neunziger Jahren für den Film gesichtet worden sein müssen. Beim renommierten Sundance Filmfestival 2011 wurde 'Senna' zu Recht mit einem Publikumspreis ausgezeichnet.

Top 5 documentary for me. Didn't know much about Senna before seeing this doc. Now he's a member of my all-time "this guy's the man" roster. Looks like availability is diminishing. Would recommend buying if you think this is a rewatch for you.

The best F1 driver that ever existed, Senna was amazing, love his story 💜

"SENNA" è un film sulla biografia del grande pilota brasiliano Ayrton Senna, uscito nel 2010 e della durata di circa 106 minuti, diretto da Asif Kapadia. Il cofanetto contiente 2 DVD. Il film è un documentario biografico sulla carriera di Ayrton Senna, dal suo debutto in Formula 1 fino alla sua morte prematura sul circuito di Imola nel 1994. Il film è ricco di immagini d'archivio e interviste esclusive. Il film racconta in maniera dettagliata la vita del pilota e della sua intensa rivalità con il suo rivale Alain Prost. Film per tutti: I contenuti del film potrebbero non essere adatti ai bambini o adolescenti vista la presenza di scene molto forti. Consiglio quindi la visione del film in presenza di un adulto. Conclusione: In conclusione, consiglio di guardare il film in quanto risulta molto coinvolgente sulla biografia di un personaggio straordinario, come lo è stato Ayrton Senna. Personalmente, ho apprezzato molto la ricostruzione della vita di Senna e ho trovato il film avvincente ed emozionante. Le scene d’azione sono spettacolari, in particolare quelle sul circuito di Monaco. Il film non annoia dall’inizio alla fine. Ho regalato anche una copia del film a un amico, ed è rimasto molto contento del regalo. Ottimo il rapporto qualità/prezzo. Ho avuto fortuna a trovarlo ad un prezzo davvero competitivo qui su Amazon, pagato circa 12€. Il mio voto a questa recensione è di 5 stelle su 5. Il film vale la pena di essere guardato, ne consiglio l'acquisto.