Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans Premiered in Cannes

The documentary about Steve McQueen’s driven pursuit to make the Le Mans racing movie premiered in Cannes.

Legendary actor and racing nut Steve McQueen is at the center of a new documentary titled Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans. This is a must see documentary for Steve McQueen fans and wearers of Tag Heuer Monaco watches. Tag Heuer is also a partner of the movie.

The documentary traces Steve McQueen’s passion for car racing with images from his now legendary movie Le Mans and unpublished archive footage made available by his son Chad. The documentary Steve McQueen is wearing a Heuer racing jumpsuit and on his wrist the famous Monaco, the square-shaped automatic chronograph that had just been launched back then and has since become an icon of the brand. 

When filming began in 1970, Steve McQueen insisted on wearing the same racing jumpsuit as racecar champion Jo Siffert, a friend of Jack Heuer who at the time was consulting on the movie. At the time, Jo Siffert was the Ambassador of the Heuer watch company. This kind of endorsement was a new concept in the industry then.

Chad McQueen, who nine years ago survived a racing accident on the Daytona Speedway, said when the lights went on after the premiere screening: “The film is authentic. It really captured the essence of what my father was trying to achieve with the Le Mans movie. I want to thank the two Directors Gabriele Clarke and John McKenna for doing such a great job”. 

The Steve McQueen documentary was directed by Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna. Steve McQueen wanted to make the ultimated car racing movie, but fliming became a disaster. Steve McQueen had been removed from the controls and another director has finished the movie. It is a miracle that Le Mans got finished and released in 1971. It flopped at a box office, but it is still a classic movie.