'Senna' a fitting tribute to the man
Senna
(Cert E, 102 mins, Documentary)
On Sunday May 1, 1994, at the San Marino Grand Prix, three-time champion Ayrton Senna’s car left the track after the Tamburello corner, colliding with a concrete wall.
The Brazilian driver died soon after.
Made with the blessing of Senna’s family and the co-operation of Bernie Ecclestone, Asif Kapadia’s documentary pays glowing tribute to this handsome and charismatic sportsman.
Painstakingly constructed from hours of race footage, photographs, interviews and archive material, Senna celebrates the life of the iconic Formula 1 driver, whose death sparked a radical overhaul of safety procedures.
Kapadia’s film opens in the late 1970s with 18-year-old Senna burning rubber in a go-kart.
He quickly moves up divisions, making his debut in a Formula 1 car in 1984. Senna comes second in Monaco in appalling conditions and would have overtaken leader Alain Prost, had the race not been called off.
Thus begins an intense rivalry with the Frenchman, the reigning champion, who reacts angrily to one tactical collision: “Ayrton has a small problem. He believes he cannot kill himself. That’s a danger to everyone.”
The love and attention lavished on every frame are apparent, from the intimate home movies of the family together to the candid testimonies of the people who were there, including the trackside doctor who watched Senna take his final breath.
“He sighed and his body relaxed. I’m not religious but I thought that was the moment his spirit departed,” the medic recalls.
A limited edition DVD and Blu-ray box set, packaged with a detailed 1:12 model of the Lotus 97T that took Ayrton Senna to his first F1 victory is also available.
Rating: 4/5.
