Celebrating the release of new documentary Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (opening today), the IFI will exclusively screen McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans on glorious 70mm on November 30th at 6.30pm.
It’s 1969 and Steve McQueen is at the height of his fame; the enormous success of Bullitt and The Thomas Crown Affair have made him more than a star – he’s an icon, The King of Cool. Eager to solidify his position with a move into production, McQueen set about realising a passion project, to make the ultimate car-racing film centred on the gruelling 24-hour rally in Le Mans. Little did he know he would lose his marriage, friendships and almost his life in the process.
Viewed through the frame of the troubled Le Mans production, McQueen is revealed as a complex personality, alienating friends and colleagues with his unyielding behaviour and refusal to compromise his vision for the film. He is, however, possessed of a genuine mastery of technique when it came to capturing the thrill of the race on film.
On Monday, November 30th, film fans can watch this passion project for McQueen, with its breathtakingly realised, thrillingly kinetic car racing sequences that demand to be experienced in 70mm, at the IFI, the only cinema in Ireland capable of projecting this high-quality sound and vision format.
Tickets for this 70mm screening are €12 and are available now from the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 or online via www.ifi.ie/lemans70mm.
Tickets for the regular screenings of Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans are available to buy now via www.ifi.ie