Cinema Poster Le Mans Steve McQueen Porsche Ferrari

Original vintage movie poster for the classic American car racing action film Le Mans "Steve McQueen takes you for a drive in the country. The country is France. The Drive is at 200MPH!" directed by Lee H. Katzin and starring Steve McQueen in the lead role with music composed by Michel Legrand. Great illustration by the American graphic designer and movie poster artist Thomas Jung showing Steve McQueen standing by the side of the racing track in the foreground, waving to the crowd of spectators as cars drive below, the title text on the side in blue and red letters. Litho. in U.S.A. Horizontal. Good condition, light staining on top and bottom margins, backed on linen. Le Mans was filmed on location on the Le Mans circuit between June and November 1970, including during that season's actual 24 Hours of Le Mans race in mid-June. McQueen had intended to race a Porsche 917 together with Jackie Stewart, but the #26 entry was not accepted. Instead, he is depicted as starting the race in the blue #20 Gulf-Porsche 917K driven by Jo Siffert and Brian Redman. The race-leading white #25 Porsche 917 "Long tail" was piloted by Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens, Jr.. The Porsche 908/2 which McQueen had previously co-driven to a second place in the 12 Hours of Sebring was entered in the race by McQueen's Solar Productions, complete with heavy movie cameras capturing actual racing footage. Additional footage shot after the race used actual Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512s, in competition liveries. In the crash scenes comparatively expendable technologically obsolete Lola T70 chassis were fitted with replica Porsche and Ferrari bodywork. Though depicted as the factory-backed Scuderia Ferrari team, the 512's used were borrowed from Belgian Ferrari distributor Jacques Swaters after Enzo Ferrari balked at supplying cars due to the script's Porsche team victory. Steve McQueen and Director John Sturges long worked on the project and originally had the film set up at Warner Bros. as "Day of the Champion". But with Warner Bros selling the studio to Kinney National Services, Inc., McQueen's multi picture deal with the studio was cancelled. After securing a deal with Cinema Center Films and National General Pictures the project was reborn "Le Mans". After a troubled pre-production and partial production Sturges quit the film and the studio took over the project. Lee H. Katzin was brought in to finish the project. Country: USA, year of printing: 1971, designer: Tom Jung, size (cm): 55.5x71.5