User reviews

Seventeen years after the passing of one of the greatest Formula 1 racing drivers of all time a documentary has been released that examines his ten-year career in the sport. Directed by Asif Kapadia ('Far North,' 'The Warrior') and produced by Universal and Working Title, 'Senna' shows the audience the untapped potential and brilliance of the Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, while also examining the rise of this shy, young Brazillian boy; from go-karting circuits to a televisual audience of millions. 'Senna' is as moving and touching, as it is interesting and captivating.

Born Ayrton Senna da Silva to wealthy middle-class parents in the Santana district of Sao Paulo, he always had a dream of becoming a racing driver and began by driving in the Karting World Championships until he was approached to join Formula 3 for the 1983 season and then Formula 1 for the following season. From his first controversial podium finish in the Monaco in Grand Prix in 1984, two things were born; an intense rivalry with the future French Formula 1 champion (and soon to be team-mate) Alain Prost and a desire to race, dominate and win which would see Senna not only claim three World Championships, but also lose his own life on the track.

Where Kapadia's 'Senna' documentary works is in its ability to appeal to wide array of audience members. For the fans of the Formula 1 racing there is a copious amount of footage documenting select races and the events taking place around his career. Rather than use cutaway segments to show various celebrities and sports men and women discuss their memories and recollections of Senna, Kapadia instead utilises a voice-over to accompany the archive images on-screen. By allowing the voice-over of the various people associated with Senna (most notable this consists of McLaren's team principal Ron Dennis, his mother, father and sister, F1 team Doctor Sid Watkins, and Brazilian commentator Reginaldo Leme) to supplement the footage, it both preserves he power of the on-screen image and provides the audience with additional information regarding the situation or event that is being presented.

While for the casual viewer who may only know of Ayrton Senna in passing, there is the psychological unravelling of a man trapped in a boy's body. Senna is shown not to be ignorant of the politics of Formula 1, but simply uninterested, he was always that middle-class boy from Brazil who only wanted to race, win and repeat. There is also an interesting inclusion of footage of Senna as a modern hero of the Brazilian people, he's shown as the racing driver who transcended the social and political problems of a nation on the edge of poverty and economic instability and provided them with ray of light and joy that was unfortunately extinguished on the 1st of May 1994. 'Senna' is a brilliant and moving examination of a rising sporting star caught up in the whirlwind of politics, rivalries and stardom, when all he wanted to do was race and win by any means necessary, not for the adulation of millions, but his love for sport so close to his heart.

I have just returned home from watching "Senna" and am struggling to recall a time I have ever been moved by a piece of film so much.

What has been created is much more than just a documentary, it charts Ayrton's F1 career and gives the viewer an insight into the man, not just the public face we saw and loved so dearly on the TV.

As a F1 fan I could be biased, but I believe this film will appeal to any film lover, it creates a sense of connection and understanding of the man, and unashamedly tears at your heart when the inevitable scene is played out, even though I knew it was coming I was fighting tears in the cinema, it brought back memories from all those years ago.

It is some feat though for a film to leave you with such an overwhelming sense of optimism despite the tragedy, but nevertheless Asif has done this in my opinion, as Ayrton's humanity and personality are explored, as is the influence that this one man had on his homeland.

I can't recommend this enough for motorsport fans, and anyone who loves film.

I had been a Fan of Ayrton when I was a child. I distinctly remember watching the F1 highlights with my dad. My dad was a seasonal fanatic of sports and kept updating me with the news from the papers/sports magazines and the television.

To relive the moments of Ayrton (the idol) in this emotionally gripping documentary was unbelievably comforting. The script and flow of the events were so flawlessly presented taking one's memory into the Time travel of decade gone by. It was nothing short of Excellence in execution.

The documentary dissects Ayton's persona in a subtle way, making it the most compelling Biography of all times. The back-ground score by Antonio Pinto was Enthralling and Sensual delight.

This is not to be missed, sad that I had been to the cinema only on the final day when it was shown-much regret the delay. Nevertheless, Its a true Masterpiece which portrays the subtle sadness of a legend's demise in a sweet throat stifling moments.

This documentary is flawless, it's narrative perfect, it's thrilling, I could not imagine another way of depicting this awesome history. The soundtrack is great, the documentary flows in such a wonderful way, real drama, marvelous histories, some funny parts as well, it's life in it's beauty and it's true form.

We get to know so many things about the formula 1 politics and internal struggles at that period.

Memorable sentences from the documentary:

Senna: -¨Formula 1 is too much money, too much politics¨

Jean-Marie Balestre (FIA ex-President): -¨The best decision is my decision¨

It's so exciting to see the rivalry between Alain Prost and Senna, possibly one of the greatest duels on the history of sports. There are few movies/documentaries that I would give a ¨11¨ out of 10 and this is one, together with amazing documentary Bus 174, from José Padilha (the director of Elite Squad).

A documentary is good when is true to reality, and is awesome when is great to watch as ¨Senna¨ is, a perfect tribute to such a hero. The history of Senna is so inspiring, he is a true champion by all means, as a professional, and as a human being, that's way this is for sure a "must see movie".

Throughout the movie, you start to see how Senna is much more than a racing driver. senna's passion for his country and his fans are second to none. The movies well balanced makes. for a truly entertaining movie. The sadness surrounding senna's is subtle and delicatly done. Nobody comes out bad in this movie.

The director has not used any cgi or any reconstructions. The material is completely archived and well put together. The movie won an award last year for documentary of the year, which is truly deserved.

On the big screen the onboard cameras add tension and gives a true sensation of speed.

I love this film as it suits all f1 and none f1 fans. Senna was loved and ,admired all over the world. This is evident as the movie progresses.

Truly magnificent film and well worth seeing.

All thats for me to say is go see it.... ENJOY!!!

People could be forgiven for not remembering Ayrton Senna De'Silva. Almost 20 years after his death, the true intricacies that embroiled his career and personal life have yet to be unraveled, however this movie does a hell of a job connecting the two in perfect harmony. A bitter sweet taste is left in the mouth of the viewer as they watch a film with subtle undertones of competitiveness and strong hues of emotion. A soulful film, you really find yourself unraveling the charisma and Jues De Vivre that is Senna.

From the offset of the movie you find yourself in a somewhat cheerful, unknowing state, as it lightly unravels his early career in Formula 1, whilst hinting at the precursors that led him there. The hard, pressing, and very tight competition of him against Proust is another aspect that the viewer will find to be nail biting, as you truly begin to see the emotional aspect of Senna open at this point. Thus, the ending could come to a heartbreak to someone who had never heard of Senna. But alas, the legacy that lasts, transcends all documentaries, and all books. For the truly afflicted car/racing fan such as myself, you feel torn, and yet very motivated to be the best you can be.

To the regular viewer, you feel emotionally attached to a man who affected the lives of millions positively in his home country of Brazil. A perfect mix of a movie, in which you can watch as either an auto-racing fan, or someone who has never heard of Senna; It delivers on a highly emotional level, surrounding you in the warmth that he brought to many.

As a very keen motor racing fan who saw most of A. Senna's F1 races, (including the race where his car crashed at Imola as a result of a serious mechanical failure), I thought the film was very understated and did not do sufficient justice to one of the most outstanding motor racing drivers of the post WW2 era.

I have seen the DVD with the narrated commentary by the makers of the film. It explains why they chose the scenes they did and offers a great deal of explanation of events but none of this information was included in the film. It assumed audiences already knew quite a bit about this man.

The problems with the movie included:

1. Very minimal narration which left audiences trying to grasp what was really happening at times and lost the opportunity to tell the audience a much richer and more complete story.

2. An appearance in the film that he jumped from go-cart racing straight into F1. No one does that and he didn't either. He was driving Formula Fords and then Formula 3 cars successfully over a period of 3 years before progressing to F1.

2. Very, very poor descriptions of the man's amazing results in just 10 full years in F1 including 4 of those years in second rate cars. (see below).

3. Poor reflections of just how he managed - by pure talent - to consistently out drive his competitors so convincingly with only minimal evidence of just how talented he was. There was no reason why the film should have been limited to only 100 minutes when another 10 minutes of footage could have shown and added so much more.

4. Insufficient descriptions of just how committed he was to the safety and well being of other drivers. During the end credits you see a film of a driver stop and jump out of his car during practice and put his own life in danger to sprint back down the track (in the face of other cars) to the aid of another driver that had crashed and was sitting injured in his car across the track. This should have been part of the movie, explained and highlighted because it showed what a magnificent human being that driver was. It was Senna of course. They don't make them like that anymore - at least not in F1.

5. There were massive investigations following the Senna crash at Imola, not to mention court cases but none of this was mentioned in the film. It was clearly established that a major mechanical failure in the car (steering column) had caused the crash leaving Senna a passenger in a car racing at 330 km per hour. None of this was covered in the film (other than one minor speculative comment) leaving audiences (who did not know) wondering what had really gone wrong.

I could go on but I won't. The film underwhelmed me and is found wanting. It could have been just so much better and so much more emotional and heart breaking. A great deal of improvement could have been made with much more factual narration which would not have even added to run time.

The man's achievements at death were amazing but these were never shown to the audience. Here they are and the list is indicative of what a great race driver and champion this guy was:

A. Senna held and in most of cases below still holds the following Formula One records:

• Most wins leading the entire race... 19

• Most consecutive pole positions... 8 consecutive pole positions

• Most consecutive starts from front row... 24

• Most consecutive wins at the same Grand Prix... 5 wins in a row at the Monaco Grand Prix (1989 Monaco Grand Prix–1993 Monaco Grand Prix)

• Most consecutive pole positions at the same Grand Prix... 7 pole positions in a row at the San Marino Grand Prix (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991)

• Most pole positions at the same Grand Prix... 8 pole positions at the San Marino Grand Prix (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994)

• Starts from front row in every race of a season... 16 out of 16 front row starts in 1989

• Most seasons leading the pole-position statistics... 6 (in 1985,1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991)

A. Senna also held the following records at the time of his death:

• Most pole positions... 65

• Most laps led ...2,982

-Longest distance led... 13,672 km

• Most GPs led... 86

• Most Doubles (pole and win, same GP race)... 29

• Most Front Row starts... 87

• Youngest triple world champion... 31 years,227 days

• Youngest driver to score a Grand Slam (pole, win, fastest lap, led every lap) ...25 years, 31 days

A must see for formula 1 and motor-sport fans. Formula 1 used to be different from what we see today and, in addition to this unique insight into Ayrton's life, it also brings a lot of F1's skeletons out of the closet.

I have never watched a documentary so moving. Right from the brilliant on-board footage of the racing cars to very real narrative by Ayrton himself.

Brilliant work. The entire film is made with archived footage, most of which is very rare. The filmmakers do a great job of bringing some of the key characters in F1, and in Ayrton's personal life to the forefront.

I was born and raised in Brazil. Although I'm not a big sports fan (not even soccer!), something I always get made fun of for, I remember vividly the 1st of May, 1994, the day Ayrton Senna died; even though I was only 6 years old. He was indeed a national hero, whether you cared for Formula One or not.

This is a solid, often fascinating documentary about a man's passion; in Senna's case, racing for the win. He won the F1 World Championship three times. His tragic death brings to mind the protagonists of Darren Aronofsky's two latest films: Randy "The Ram" (Mickey Rourke) in "The Wrestler" (2008), and Nina Sayers (an Oscar-winning Natalie Portman) in "Black Swan" (2010).

Still, I wouldn't call this a story about the search for "perfection." Senna's main appeal is its emotional journey. Brazil is a land of so many paradoxes, and so are its people. At the same time we can laugh at our own adversities (poverty, bad politics, crime history, etc.) by seeing the best of everything; Brazilians tend to inherently suffer from low self-esteem and disguised hopelessness which is only defeated at moments of national heroism, often in sports (Pele in soccer, for instance). I'm not saying Senna was a martyr of any sort. I believe he deserved to be called a national hero because of his talent, passion, and the way he entertained and made an entire nation proud. I never personally cared for Formula One, but I still remember the (sometimes annoying, but always nostalgic) friction noise of the racing cars we all saw on TV every Sunday morning. And the victory song that Brazilians will always associate with Senna. This film brings both elements (alongside some great footage) to introduce all these facets of Senna to a larger audience; and for others, like me, to celebrate the life of a true national hero.

I followed most of Ayrton Senna's career intently as he was a brilliant driver with incredible charisma which arguably made him bigger than even F1.

I was though quite disappointed with this movie as I feel there were too many omissions. First of all a large part of the film is not in English, I am assuming Portuguese? I am not sure if some copies are in different languages as F1 is a global sport but one language or the other would make sense.

Moving on though, any Senna documentary would surely require input from the most influential names. Fangio, Murray Walker, Jackie Stewart and Michael Schumacher are/were the most influential names in motor racing to such a degree that you can almost forget most other observers. They have all publicly spoken of Senna's genius yet not a single comment from any of these names was included.

The film does not even make an attempt to set the scene properly. For those that don't know this was a unique time in Formula 1. We had Senna, probably the best driver of all time against Prost, another of the best drivers of all time.

Now lets see what else was missing:

Any mention of qualifying, his qualifying routine involved perfect timing and execution, which was the reason for his staggering number of pole positions throughout his career.

His ability in the rain and on street circuits.

His unique driving style - blipping the throttle through corners and so on. This has been analyzed by other broadcasters in depth.

The very close relationship with Honda, the man and the company. Honda engines were supreme at the time and Honda stipulated that Senna be a McLaren driver due to his immense popularity in Japan. He also provided a lot of input into the NSX.

The Senna line of products such as clothing, watches and bicycles.

The failed early marriage.

Punching Eddie Irvine and being punched by Mansell during the drivers' briefing.

The film was always going to be a stitching together of archive footage yet it follows the various F1 seasons with no real purpose. 1988 is rightly shown in detail as it was his first championship yet the film completely misses the elephant in the room that the McLaren of that year was so dominant that the car won 15 out of the 16 races – a feat still unmatched in the history of the sport. In fact it would have been all 16 if Senna had not been taken-out by a back-marker late in the race.

With no narration we are left to work things out ourselves. The 1993 season was one of Senna's finest even though he did not win the title, but virtually none of it was shown. Also in that year the European GP at Donnington is, many feel Senna's best race ever but not one second of that race was in the film.

There was also a complete lack of statistics which could have gone some way to summarize Senna's career. Finally the period of silence observed at the race after Senna's death was not even shown.

Instead of the above there was an obsession with Prost, of course he was Senna's direct competition for some years but there was just too much of him and Balestre.

I did see a lot of non-racing footage I have never seen before which was interesting however it seems to me that the makers of Senna either ran out of money or just did not have access to some of the better on-track action.

At the end of 1994 Michael Schumacher said he would give his world title to Senna if he could as Senna would have won it. If ever there was a quote that needed to be in this movie it was this one.

I have to say this film goes down as a missed opportunity to tell the story of the greatest driver ever.

First off, I have to say I'm an F1 fan, so take whatever You want from that. Senna has to be the best documentary ever made, It simply tells the story of the great man trough, Mostly. old TV footage. This brings back memory s of late night highlight shows of a race that happened hours before. Its Shocking to see the total unfairness of the sport at that time, Its trilling to see the racing. Its so sad to see senna's Last lap at Imola. Overall It's a peek into the life of one of the worlds greatest sportsmen, a wort's and all account of a good, but sometimes, flawed man. If for no other reason than seeing how well the old footage is spliced back together, Go and see Senna, You will not be disappointed.

The finest film I've ever seen about Formula One, let alone about the genius of Ayrton.

Riveting from the first, this makes you feel like you know the man - both the good and the bad. You see him with his family and his fellow drivers. you hear him talk about what drives him, and what makes him go that one step further than anyone else was brave enough (or good enough?) to take.

The staggering events of the fateful weekend are shown simply and quietly. A fitting way to show a loss that affected millions around the world.

Watch it. It's magnificent, beautiful, painful, and inspiring.

For me, this was an extremely emotional film. At the age of 10, Senna was my idol, and I was fortunate enough to be there to see him take his final victory. Reliving those moments on the big screen was a truly exhilarating (and tear-jerking) experience.

I have consumed volumes of Senna-related material over the years, so to say that this film adds something substantive means a lot. Of course, the stories themselves won't be new to a lot of motor racing fans, but there is something delicious and comforting in the retelling of a beautiful fable. And the film makers are to be congratulated for paring a complex story down to its dramatic essentials, while maintaining the necessary context and without reducing it to a Hollywood narrative. They certainly did a much better job of conveying what Senna was to my girlfriend than I could ever do. The fact that she thoroughly enjoyed the film - and came out of it with a good understanding of many of the nuances of Senna's life - despite being ardently anti-racing speaks volumes.

If I have any criticism, it is the lack of audio/visual sync up in many of the onboard shots. And in one shot there are audible gear changes when Senna is supposedly stuck in sixth gear. For the casual viewer these count for little, but for a racing connoisseur these mistakes are like nails on a chalkboard. It's hard to believe that the film was previewed by anyone with a deep understanding of motor sport. One could also criticize the film for telling only one side of a complex history (Senna's), but given the film's scope that is no fault at all in my opinion.

All in all, this is a beautiful documentary. It is well-paced, with a perfect running time and wonderful score. I highly recommend it, to racing fans and film fans alike.

It's true you know, you really don't have to be a fan of Motor Racing to enjoy, be fascinated by or touched by Senna. Much like Julian Temple's Sex Pistols music documentary encompassed the climate of the times, looked at the press and public reactions to something making waves in the entertainment world, so too Senna is dealing with more than a big name racing driver who tragically lost his life at Imola racing circuit in 1994. Director Asif Kapadi and his team have constructed an in depth and poignant picture that follows Ayrton Senna of Brazil from his humble Karting beginnings, right up to that fateful day on 1st May 94 when a country as one sank to its knees in mourning for the man who was their one joy in a country full of hurt and political confusion.

Ayrton was a genius in the rain.

On the driving/racing side the fascination comes from learning how Senna pushed himself to greatness, a very driven man who was never shy in coming forward. He challenged authority when needed and his on going career spat with Alain Prost often made the news for the wrong reasons, these are insightful and excellent splinters of the film. Incredible feats achieved in the car, like how he finally achieved one of his greatest ambitions, and won the Brazillian Grand Prix with a broken gear box stuck in 6th gear! Things he did seemed like magic to his millions of fans, very religious he felt very close to God, some of his driving had the air of a deity about it! Of course it's all building towards the tragedy, where it hits hard and even there there's a mysticism about proceedings. Foreboding warnings that came when Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed the day before Senna, the Brazillian's reaction unerringly prophetic.

He would take the car beyond its design capabilities.

It's not warts and all, Kapadi has said that the Senna family oversaw production and much of the maverick driver's persona has been smoothed over. It's also worth mentioning that it's no rags to riches story, Senna was no Slumdog about to become a Millionaire. But this is real, a real man with a real interesting story, a story strung together with real clips and real home footage, not some hack job where a number of people from the same field share their own thoughts on a star that no longer shines. The Blu-ray release offers both an extended cut and the theatrical release, the former contains an extra hour but nothing of significance is gained. That cut is probably more for die hard F1 fans. At 1hr 45m the theatrical cut does an exceptional job by always being compelling with not a dull moment in sight. Quite simply this is one of the best sports person documentaries out there. 9/10

I think I started watching Formula 1 around the mid-90's whenever Hill, Hakkinen, Schumacher and Colutard were the big names and I think I stopped as those names started to retire from the sport, so my window of interest was pretty limited and my base of knowledge about the sport was even more so. Senna was only ever a name to me rather than someone I had followed and, although I knew he was a great driver and had tragically died, that was about the end of it and it was the critical praise for this film that brought me to it rather than a specific interest in him or his story. So it is to the film's credit that I was engaged throughout and thought that the story was very well told using only archive footage.

The film is a documentary but rather than filming talking heads relating the events, the film uses archive footage to play out the story as if it had been filmed. Of course the end is known and there is a lot of talking in the past tense but the film delivers a story rather than a reflection. Technically it is very impressive and must have taken ages to go through all the old footage, but the media coverage of the period has allowed this film to pick the footage that they would have chosen to film if they had to make it from scratch. We get the good side of his character, we get the conflict, the controversy and of course a sense of how great he was – all of it is delivered via the footage and makes for a great story. The ending being known doesn't really damage how this story plays out because, if anything, it is well used to add significance to some of the footage that comes before and indeed does give the film a tragic air that is effective and adds to how involving it is.

Senna is a great documentary and it will not only work for those with an interest in the sport or the person, it is such a well-delivered story that it will also engage those with a passing interest. The selection and use of the footage is really well done to play it out and the film benefits from not visually jumping forward in time by using filmed contributions looking back. A tragic story but a really engaging and well-told one.

What a movie! What a driver! What a sad sad ending! I never truly appreciated Senna the way I should have done. In those days I was in the Mansell camp wishing that Senna would stop being so hard to beat and that he and Prost would keep knocking one another out of races. Saying that I also supported Borg when McEnroe was spouting his mouth off in the early 80s and now I appreciate what he did for the game! Obviously with documentaries like this the temptation is to take everything literally. Was Senna treated with the contempt that is portrayed in the movie? Were the thoughts of Senna truly translated when people make claims of how he felt at certain times? All I know is that he is a man who should be remembered as the greatest! Its what these men can do when the cars are not the best..... and with exception to a few successful years with McLaren he didn't have the best (or even close to the best).

Left me in tears as a true genius was taken away from us. RIP

Although I'm a paid up petrol head I put off buying this DVD until I saw it at a knock down price in a supermarket. The reason being I was sceptical it would be anything but an in-depth look at the character of an extraordinary sportsman. That is chiefly because I noted the UK producers were Working Title, a successful British production company, but also one with a reputation of taking non-American stories and americanising them for greater profit abroad. I'm not criticising them for that but it sort of underpins my feelings about this film.

I found it a curious experience watching this film and sort of difficult to explain, but let me try by saying imagine a film about a legendary driver in the US's favourite motor sport NASCAR where say most of the narration was provided by a non NASCAR loving nation say the UK, and the presence of the host nation had been reduced to almost non-existent. Confused? Let me again try to help you out. In the opening sequences and throughout the film Senna talks or is described as moving to Europe to further his driving career. Well since all of the teams he drove for in all formulas were British couldn't they be a bit more specific and say the UK? I wouldn't visit Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Belo Horizonte and say I visited South America, I'd try and narrow it down a bit and say I visited Brazil!

Please don't get me wrong I'm not some flag waving nationalist with union jacks tattooed all over my body but as soon as I heard this I knew where exactly this film was going. In films aimed at mass appeal there is only room for two nations, two warring groups, and since Senna was Brazilian (the good guy) and the French had been chosen as the bad guys there was no need to go confusing things – so Europe it was!

That brings me onto the disgraceful way Alain Prost was treated in the film. He was never my favourite driver, but he didn't deserve this carve up. All that was missing was a black cape and a fiendish moustache! But he is French and so fair game for the majority of the American viewing public. Take the needless scene of Prost being verbally abused by race goers at the Brazilian GP (handily translated into English, just to make sure we all know he is a 'Cheese eating surrender monkey!') Formula One is historically a European and South American sport and we shouldn't treat our former champions like that not even when we are prostituting ourselves for the American audience. I suppose an audience that was assessed as having no interest in learning that by the time the average driver makes it into Formula One they have all stuck knifes into peoples' backs and lots of other dirty tricks besides.

'Saint Senna's' real character was only touched on when in one of the few honest scenes in the film he considers his own mortality after Martin Donnelly's awful crash, but we hear nothing about his 'game of death' with Martin Brundle in a Formula Three season (after one encounter Senna ended up parking his car on Brundle's head!). Or the revealing episode when he vetoed Lotus hiring Derek Warwick because he didn't want the team to split their resources between two top drivers, (surely a dirty trick only those nasty French people would do?). Of course in dramas when establishing character you can't provide a 360 perspective – you've got to have your good guys and your bad guys, but this isn't a drama, it's documentary about a racing drama – so couldn't we have been a little more honest? My biggest surprise regarding this film is the praise it has received from the F1 insiders, but then I got it – it's in their interest to get the US interested in F1.

So all-in-all a disappointing film about my favourite racing driver of the eighties and nineties. Yes Senna was my favourite driver and I'm sure if he was still with us he would view this fawning, selective audience production as an unworthy testament to his genius.