The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the largest and most highly respected races in the world. Drivers from all around the globe train and dream nonstop to compete in it. Jackie Stewart was one of the most recognized drivers who competed and won the Grand Prix. Roman Polanski’s 1971 documentary “Weekend of a Champion,†released for the first time this year, follows Stewart on his quest towards racing immortality. As the case with any excellent documentary, it’s a prime situation where reality’s drama outweighs anything in the fictional realm.
Polanski spends a weekend with former racing star and friend Jackie Stewart at the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix. Here the film shows us how Stewart prepared for this race. It is astounding how much has changed in racing documentaries since 1971. Where today the majority of the film would be about all the hype going into the race and background on the racer. Here it’s more of personal conversations between two friends. That is where the movie shines the most. The scene with Polanski and Stewart having breakfast in the hotel and talking about how to go about winning Monaco is one of the main highlights of the film. Even though it was just a random conversation.
Another highlight is the race itself. It is true that real life can be more entertaining than fiction. The race is shot in a way that we see the reactions from Stewart’s pit crew and his girlfriend. We also see certain angles in the race that look a lot more entertaining than anything Hollywood has ever made. You can feel the tension of everyone that day. Even the parts where we see other drivers being forced to retire the race due to losing a tire made this scene worth watching.
The scene at the end where Stewart and Polanski reminisce about that day and about how much Monaco has changed throughout the years is very informative and entertaining.The most shocking thing is how many people Stewart knew died in the race. Although that shouldn’t be a shock since the survival rate back then was one in three. Today it’s much higher and the chances of an explosion are lower. We also learn a little bit more about Stewart himself. Him saying he was diagnosed with dyslexia years after his prime makes what the viewer saw in the movie more shocking. He acts like a totally great and interesting guy- one you can talk to for hours.
Where the film does falter is the scenes where there are these lavish dinners with the stars at the time. Even though these scenes are supposed to show how famous Stewart was at the time, they still seem very superficial and not at all interesting. The victory dinner at the end at least has a point.
“Weekend of a Champion†is an interesting and well-made documentary that has been in hidden for over forty years. The events caught on film will keep anyone’s interested and the race at the end will leave you on the edge of your seat. You don’t have to be a racing fan to find enjoyment here.
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