Weekend of a Champion (1972)

Directed by

Frank Simon, Roman Polanski

Genre

documentary film

Country

United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 20m

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 14 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows Jackie Stewart during the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Roman Polanski films Stewart as he prepares for and competes in the race.

intimateobservationalnostalgiccasualreflectivecalmgrounded

What happens

Weekend of a Champion (alternately titled Afternoon of a Champion) is a 1972 British documentary film that captures the effort of British Formula One racing driver Jackie Stewart to compete in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Stewart's friend Roman Polanski produced the film and shadows him throughout the weekend of the race. The film premiered at the 1972 Berlin Film Festival and— after a small theatrical release in Europe— was unscreened for 40 years. The archive in possession of the negative contacted Polanski, inquiring as to whether they should keep the film or throw it away. Polanski then restored the film from the original print, remixing and slightly recutting it. An approximately 15-minute epilogue was added, showing Polanski and Stewart reminiscing in present-day Monaco, having a conversation about their friendship, the evolution of racing safety, hairstyles, and life in general. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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