Motorsport Subjects that would make Awesome Films: Alex Zanardi

As I write this article in the middle of February we are right in the middle of awards season for the film industry, with the Oscars themselves taking place on the 22nd of February, the same day of course as the Daytona 500, making it somewhat apt for this motoring and television based blog. Whilst I am somebody who does have more time for the Academy then the some more skeptical and invertedly snobbish peers of mine I am the first to recognise a particular character type that comes to the forefront in the best actor and actress category, for the males it comes in the form of an actor portraying an eccentric, pioneering and/ or heroic figure who had to face extreme adversary to succeed in his field against the odds, often with a tragic underside he has to balance. Whereas for the women it is essentially any role played by Meryl Streep.Baring this in mind it made me think of the sort of figures that would prove ideal for this kind of Oscar bait role, and arguably anybody who chooses to risk their lives at 200 miles an hour would have to be considered a hero, but a story like that needs for the adversity a driver to face to be unlike anything the sport has seen, and in my eyes the story of Alex Zanardi is one that would be incredibly difficult to top.

Prior to 2001 the perception of Alex Zanardi as a racing driver was heavily divided depending on which side of the Atlantic you were on. To most Europeans Zanardi was seen largely as an underwhelming journeyman who failed to showcase his potential across two disappointing spells in Formula One, whereas in America Zanardi was lauded as one of the best in the business, a driver who walked the fine tightrope between bravery and recklessness and with a Latin charisma that was wholeheartedly embraced by the showbiz conscious American media and fan base.Zanardi was one of the CART series' biggest fan favourites, which made his crash at the 2001 German 500 at the Lausitzring all the more shocking to view, leading the race with 13 laps to go Zanardi spun whilst exiting the pit lane following his final pit stop of the race, spinning up onto the track itself and straight into the path of an oncoming Alex Tagliani. The horrifying impact saw Zanardi lose both of his legs and if not for the quick work of the track's medics very nearly his life.

Such an incident would prove difficult to overcome for any person, but for a racing driver whose entire lifestyle is based around high adrenaline and physical performance the impact would be even more profound, and would surely end any kind of further career in the sport. That was the thinking however until Alex Zanardi came along, showcasing a drive, desire and willingness to overcome adversary which has seen him emerge as one of the sport's most beloved figures. In a third of the time it took a normal amputee patient Zanardi had learned to walk again, and just two years later against the wishes of doctors and industry experts returned to competitive motor sport in the European Touring Car Championship, defying critics by not only competing but regularly challenging for victories before retiring in 2006. His greatest achievements however would be yet to come, where still feeling the competitive bug Zanardi turned his attention to hand-cycling where at the age of 45, well above the average for most competitive cyclists he won a gold medal at the London 2012 games, the ceremony taking place aptly at the Brands Hatch Circuit he graced so wonderfully as a driver.

Alex Zanardi's story is one of inspiration, drive, desire and an unwillingness to give in regardless of the obstacles in your way, and in the hands of a strong actor would prove to be the awe-inspiring role which would showcase to the casual fan just why racing drivers are such heroic figures.

Motorsport Subjects that would make Awesome Films: The 2007 F1 Season

 In my most recent blog post I made the suggestion that after years of trying Hollywood had finally been able to get their heads around the concept of the motorsport movie, and part of me would like to think that the blog has played a part in inspiring Hollywood in some way, as just days after I posted the article news spread that the actor Patrick Dempsey, himself a keen petrol head and racer, expressed an interest in adapting the Michael Cannell book The Limit into a potential TV series or film, the book in question focusing on Phil Hill's rise from Californian mechanic to 1961 Formula One Champion. And it got me thinking about many of the other great motorsport moments, personalities or races that too would be perfect adaptations for Hollywood films. This is a purely subjective list and I understand there will be disagreements, but it's more to showcase the great depth of intrigue that this sport that I personally love has in droves.

1) The 2007 Formula One Season
On paper 2007 doesn't seem like a season which is particularly that interesting, certainly I think a lot of casual viewers would struggle to remember many great races during the season, but where the sport maybe lacked in terms of on-track activity it made up for off track, helping to create one of the most controversial and divisive season's in the sport's history in a tale of espionage, paranoia and at it's core a team divided.

It also has at it's heart three ambiguous characters within a hard-fought title campaign, neither of which taking an outright protaganistic role which makes the story all the more intriguing to the viewer. In Fernando Alonso we have arguably the best figure in the sport making a move to at the time the best team in the sport in what on paper appears to be a dream partnership almost certain to guarantee the Spaniard a third straight championship, but the cold corporate attitude of the McLaren is a distinct contrast to Fernando's Latin temperament, and when rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton begins to match and surpass the performances of the Spaniard Alonso begins to grow increasingly paranoid at what he sees as preferencial treatment to Hamilton, very much in the corporate mold McLaren look for, leading Fernando's behaviour on and off the track to grow increasingly desperate to top his rookie rival. Hamilton however is not devoid of blame himself, hired as a blatant number 2 driver to a double champion Lewis takes matters into his own hands seeing himself on an equal footing with his more established rival with a brash and cocky demeanor that leaves him as a divisive figure for the Formula one community, and as the prospect of becoming the sports only true rookie champion beckons the tension soon begins to take it's toll, add to this the season also sees an espionage storyline involving the McLaren team with Alonso instigated in the controversy, further adding to the scandal and paranoia surrounding the team, all I stress whilst the team is trying to earn itself a driver's championship away from Kimi Raikkonen and the Ferrari team. The story for me would work incredibly well in Hollywood largely because of the multiple ways in which the actions of the two teammates can be interpreted, is Fernando in the wrong for calling out behaviour largely out of paranoia, or is Lewis in the wrong for breaking team orders due to his own brashness? It would divide a film audience in the same way it divided the F1 community, and add in the espionage scandal I honestly don't feel it can be topped.

Whiplash Review

 JK Simmons and Miles Teller impress in the film that’s more Full Metal Jacket than Fame

Nearly two hours of drumming, screaming and homophobic insults; on paper not the most appealing concept format for a feature length Hollywood film, and yet in the space of 12 months Whiplash has seen itself transform from a short story into one of the surprise packages of the festival and awards season, and certainly from my own viewing of the film it is easy to see why, a pulsating, tight and at times disarming drama which will grip you to your seat and keep you there through every clashing symbol.

The film’s plot revolves around 19 year old Andrew (Miles Teller), a drumming prodigy at a New York music school desperately looking to attract the attention of the fiercely competitive music teacher Trevor Fletcher (JK Simmons), a tyrannical figure who considers the two most damaging words in the English language to be ‘good job’. Under Fletcher’s drill sergeant thumb, Andrew finds himself pushed to his physical and mental limit, succumbing to thrown chairs, aggressive taunting and playing for so long and so hard that his hands begin to bleed. Much more Full Metal Jacket then Fame you can certainly say.

JK Simmons has always been known throughout his career for some great scene stealing performances, yet for Whiplash he pulls off the proverbial Great Train Robbery. His Fletcher character oozes a sinister and masochistic streak, the perfect antagonist channelling every kind of authoritarian schoolyard figure, but yet with a charisma and aura about him that leaves you enamoured by his presence every time that he is on screen without ever crossing the strict line into anti-hero territory. Almost akin to a R. Lee Ermey figure, he is domineering with an appeal largely in how cold and masochistic the character can get at times. Simmons’ performance has rightfully earned strong kudos from Hollywood and of the five Oscar nominations that the film has earned it is Simmons’ best supporting actor award that would be most deserved.

That is not to say however that the rest of the film suffers from any kind of short-comings, far from it in fact. This is a pulsating film that at times wanders from that of the traditional protégé and master setup more akin to that of a sports movie but with the psychological trauma and tension comparative to that of Black Swan, another film which, like Whiplash, managed to take the traditionally sedate world of the art house and turn it into a physically and mentally draining bloodshed. The tension is reflected brilliantly also through the direction of sophomore director Damien Chazelle. Himself a part time drummer, Chazelle has managed to encapsulate this brilliantly on screen with clever cinematography and a real feeling of physical anguish that manages to completely change the view of a musical figure in the drummer often seen quite derogatorily within the music industry.

 That isn’t to say, however, that the film is without flaws. Whilst Miles Teller’s Andrew is impressive enough in the battle between pupil and master I was left feeling at times that the sympathy we as an audience felt for his ordeal was less through his own merits and more through his role as a plot device, and that the moments of personification that the character did have either fell flat or were within the context of the film relatively pointless, the subplot revolving around a one-dimensional love interest played by the underused Melissa Benoist being the most prominent example of this.

Whiplash certainly doesn’t match up in terms of stature and star power against some of it’s more established rivals come the awards season, but what the film lacks in those fields it shows what can be done with originality, tension and intelligent film-making, and for that reason alone it is a must watch for any aspiring film-maker. Much like the drum solos throughout this is one that going to stay in your head for a long time to come.