Like Hearts of Darkness, this documentary follows the making of a movie on which more than a million feet of film was reportedly exposed, but sadly Le Mans is no Apocalypse Now. Revered by motor-sports fans for its race-track footage, Steve McQueen’s unwieldy vanity project lacked a coherent script, a problem that a plethora of writers were unable to solve. Ample on-set and out-take footage allows for plentiful illustration of McQueen’s search for authenticity even as original director John Sturges walks and replacement Lee H Katzin takes over. McQueen is heard in late-life audio-tapes that have little of the personal insight of the Brando archive recently unveiled in Listen to Me Marlon.
