[CDs & Music] "Le Mans" - The OST (CD)

[Aysedasi]

For the Le Mans fan who has everything.

I've been waiting for a CD release of the soundtrack of 'Le Mans' for years and I spotted this, quite by chance on Amazon a few days ago, ordered it immediately and it arrived yesterday. I've just put it in the pc's player and it is sending goosebumps up my spine just listening to it.

Le Mans Soundtrack

Nice gatefold Digipak presentation with a little booklet with some good photos and Legrand's explanation of his involvement with the film. Also includes the soundtrack of another film, 'The Hunter' (Le Chasseur) for which Legrand apparently did the OST.

I've watched this damned film so many times (at least hundreds) since I first recorded it in 1985 off the TV (I still have the very tired video!) that I just love the music (despite the fact that I'd never normally listen to music like this) - particularly the opening credits piece. I can see the traffic queues and the guy getting off the train with his Union Jack even now as I write this...... (Very sad I know...... )

The one incongruous thing is that the front cover of the Digipak, aside from a small shot of the film poster, is a shot of the main straight at Reims (at dusk or dawn), with decaying grandstands..... Obviously whoever put the cover together thought that shot was more appropriate than a period photo of the real circuit!

[Andy77]

LOL when I saw the front cover at amazon I imediatly thought "Man , this could be the backside of the Autodrome book cover

[Aysedasi]

Exactly - my thinking too!

[markpde]

Maybe I should post this on the 'YouTube videos' thread (I suppose I still could), but I thought you'd be interested to see it if you haven't already. Seems 'old 024' - the 917 which 'won' Le Mans in the movie then went back to Jo Siffert, followed the hearse at his funeral, disappeared for years and has just recently resurfaced and been restored - is still a movie star!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xv4ova...eature=related

Like you, I'd never otherwise listen to this sort of music, but it so enhances this video; it was evidently put together before the 'Le Mans' OST became available and uses Michel Legrand's soundtrack from 'The Thomas Crown Affair', but it's marvellously atmospheric. Spooky, though - the video is more like a dream than a movie - but great fun!

[JP Sarti]

The other night, clear sky, Miata, top down, country roads (rural Westchester) and the CD playing.

Cool....

[markpde]

Originally Posted by JP Sarti

The other night, clear sky, Miata, top down, country roads (rural Westchester) and the CD playing.

Cool...

Never had the privilege of driving an open car at night, but a story Derek Bell told about racing at Le Mans: he said he always preferred to drive a car with an open cockpit there (as opposed to a coupé), particularly at night, because on a clear night he would be pounding down the Mulsanne Straight at over 200mph, he would look up at the sky… and the stars weren’t moving!!!

A story you never forget...

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by markpde

Maybe I should post this on the 'YouTube videos' thread (I suppose I still could), but I thought you'd be interested to see it if you haven't already. Seems 'old 024' - the 917 which 'won' Le Mans in the movie then went back to Jo Siffert, followed the hearse at his funeral, disappeared for years and has just recently resurfaced and been restored - is still a movie star!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xv4ova...eature=related

Like you, I'd never otherwise listen to this sort of music, but it so enhances this video; it was evidently put together before the 'Le Mans' OST became available and uses Michel Legrand's soundtrack from 'The Thomas Crown Affair', but it's marvellously atmospheric. Spooky, though - the video is more like a dream than a movie - but great fun!

That's really excellent! Thanks for the link. Now the question is, can I race those cars at the Ring in rFactor yet?

[markpde]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

That's really excellent! Thanks for the link. Now the question is, can I race those cars at the Ring in rFactor yet?

Sorry, you've picked the wrong person to ask! Haven't a clue about stuff like that, although there will be plenty of folk on the forum who will, of course. You could even ask the lad on YouTube who created the video.

Fascinating 917 chassis histories in this link - 013, 017, 022, 024 and 042 featured in the Le Mans movie - compiled by a great bloke called Franco Varani (helped, I believe, by Ronnie Spain, who did the GT40 histories). Everything you ever wanted to know about every 917 ever built - an absolute treasure trove. The site has only been up since July and relies on donations and contributions for its continued existence (although I'm skint - isn't everybody! - so I can't just now, but they surely deserve to survive) - SUBSCRIBE! as they say on YouTube...

http://chassis.ultimosystems.com/por.../917-index.htm

(Click on the chequered bars to return to the index pages - the site also covers GT40, Lola T70, Alfa T33 and Matra 600 series, etc.)