Senna

Who would have thought that Winnersh's Showcase cinema - bastion of the mainstream and champion of Holywood's 3D stylings - would sell out a screening of a documentary about a Brazilian racing driver? On a Tuesday. Well it did, which meant I ended up having to go to Bracknell's 'cinema' instead. Bracknell's an uninspirational enough place without the zombie fortress that is the Odeon at 'The Point', with its disinterested staff, neon lights, 'premier' seats, escalator straight on to the street and open air bus shelter ticket office. Bah - bah and humbug I say!

'Senna' is a documentary about the life of Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna. Thought by many to be the greatest natural driving talent of his generation (possibly ever), Senna was killed in May 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix when his car flew off the road at a fast corner. A portion of his car's suspension hit him in the head and wounded him fatally. This film tells the story of his life in F1, and though it largely skirts around his upbringing and personal life it paints a picture of a man intensely committed to what he did who represented hope for the Brazilian nation. I don't think that this view is necessarily over-sentimental or rose-tinted, at the time of Senna's death the outpouring of emotion from the sporting world was overwhelming. Brazil is a nation of extremes that idolises its sporting heros, so I can't accuse the film of using hyperbole when portraying Senna as representing more than just a racing driver.

The film is very simply put-together. By using archived F1 footage, television spots and Senna home movies the film effortlessly shows us the life of Ayrton Senna without the need for dramatisation or talking heads and with a minimum of voice-over. The film faithfully tells the story of the battles between Senna and Prost (this is definitely told from a pro-Senna viewpoint) and builds an emotional momentum towards the fatal day in Italy. Senna is painted as a man outside the F1 establishment who felt wronged by the authorities (who favoured Prost) and who's natural talents were reined in by advances in technology.

Though there is no overt implication, I felt like the film was implying that Senna (and Roland Ratzenberger) was killed by the inexorable progress of technology in F1 - and the lack of accompanying safety procedures. I felt that though there was no accusation of intent to harm, the Williams team were somewhat culpable. Their drive towards computer control and automisation in their cars is subtly blamed for affording drivers less control and turning them into passengers en route to their own demise.

This is a superb documentary that presents archive footage and allows a viewer to make up their own mind about Senna the man and the circumstances around his death. The box office takings for this film have been very high for a documentary. We're a long way from the awards season at the moment, but I would expect this to be in contention come next year.