"Champions Forever" on Speed

[Liz]

Just finished watching a 1973 F1 special called "Champions Forever" which was titled in the USA "The Quick and the Dead." The version they ran was heavily edited as it was deemed too gruesome for television, so by and large it was two hours of nothing much. Nevertheless, it was chilling to see Francois Cevert and Peter Revson chatting away and know that the clock was ticking for them both. And they did show the Tom Pryce accident and the Roger Williamson fire with poor David Purley trying to be an entire rescue squad while the marshalls seemed to stand idly by and the other drivers just kept driving.

In fact, except for Jackie Stewart, everyone featured in that film is now dead.

Have you seen this version or the original version? What do you think?

[Speed]

"Champions Forever" on Speed...

On me ?!?

[Liz]

The channel formerly known as Speedvision. And now known as NASCRAP Unanimous.

[Mania]

I missed it. I just got back home. Maybe they'll show a re-run.

[Lee Janotta]

The re-showing is at 2 AM.

I was really dissapointed, there should have been much more racing footage. Too much of a focus on the part of the filmmakers on the most dangerous parts, as well as showing the worst of the American fans at the Glen. And what was with that long psychadelic sequence towards the end?

And leave it to Jackie Stewart to make a lap of the Nurburgring boring.

The Williamson fire was just heartwrenching... That shook me, and it's nearly 30 years after... You can see the frustration and anguish poor David was going through. It's incredible how incompetent marshalls used to be... Performing _under_ what you'd expect from a complete novice! Rally spectators today are far more useful than those marshalls were.

Was that Tom Pryce's death shown at the start, where a car hits a marshall carrying an extinguisher at Kyalami? Gah... <shudders>

But there's no such thing as bad vintage footage. This tape's a keeper.

Now can we _please_ have a film about the '61, '79 or '82 season?! :confused:

[Neil C]

I thought it was OK. It was eerie to see Cevert, Revson being so nonchalant in their best 70's style. I'll bet Jackie's description of the Ring isn't boring to anyone that's ever driven it. I got the chills hearing his description of going airborne on a wet track with nothing but trees and spectators to catch you if you fall off.

I can deal with the gruesome aspects. It was a very dangerous sport then, and I don't think there's anything wrong with showing it, although the opening sequence seemed gratuitous, unless it was due to the editing done after.

I thought there were plenty of extended race sequences. Watching, without sound, the cars of that day go airborne and land on what is now considered soft suspension was fascinating. Even the psychedelic sequence seemed compelling after it droned on so long I became mesmerized. Maybe I was having a flashback. Heeaaaavy dude.

Also, don't blame the Marshal's at the Williamson fire. Purdy was wearing Nomex, remember, and the couple of Marshals that tried to help were driven back by the heat. Fortunately that aspect of the sport is much more professional now.

Don't beleive the commercial that says the tape is not available from anyone other then them. I saw it in my local Blockbuster store a year ago, under it's original title: "The Quick and the Dead"

[Liz]

Personally I don't think I need to see accidents that are too gruesome to be shown on television. I've seen the Bandini fire on video, and Gilles' and Pironi's crashes (the one that ended his career and served him right), and Ronnie Peterson's accident. But that Williamson fire is the worst I've ever seen. What ever happened to Purly?

David Hobbs did a nice job of narrating too. And I feel the same way as he did about the Watkins Glen swamp people being offered as examples of race fans.

I used to adore Francois Cevert. And I have to confess that I found the little voyeuristic look at him getting into his pretties rather interesting. I didn't realise they had such skimpy y-fronts back in those days .... [I have a similar video of Senna but his undies are very conventional.] And I am VERY glad that they didn't go back to show Cevert's final accident. That is something I hope I never see.

I watched part of the show again this afternoon, and somehow it made the current version WWF1 look irrelevant.

[Lee Janotta]

Originally posted by Neil C
Maybe I was having a flashback. Heeaaaavy dude.

Generational thing, I guess. My attention span is... Wait, what were we talking about?

On a second look, it wasn't a bad film... I was just hoping for more. Shots of on-track overtaking, the Nurburgring at speed in-car. It just seemed to make the same mistakes so many other films about racing make, focusing on the culture, the danger, the motivation of the drivers, and not enough on the racecraft.

I think I'd have enjoyed it more were I not so far removed from this generation of drivers, Fittipaldi was the only one in this film who I really have any attachment to, and he was in the film for all of a few seconds. I have _nothing_ but respect for these drivers (except maybe for Stewart, most of my exposure to him is as the overzealous safety advocate he would become), but it's hard for me to feel a connection to them, or even recognize them. So yeah, it probably does have a lot to do with age.

I do have to blame police and marshalls for the Williamson tradgedy, though. You can't justify not saving a man's life because your hands could get burned. Some started walking away after less than a minute, one was even on his radio! They just seemed to give up on poor Roger. And there was a huge crowd across the track ready to rush into action and right the car, but were held back by police and their dogs.

Oh well, I've said more than my fair share on this subject. When I make a racing film you can all feel free to rip it to shreds.

[DNQ]

Liz, I believe Purley died in 1987.

[bugeye]

I rented "The Quick and the Dead" years ago and turned it off part way through. We all know how gruesome racing can sometimes be, especilly in the '70s. We don't have to be reminded so graphicaly how some of our heros met their ends.
For a general television audience the edited version is quite enough.

[bugeye]

David Purly's driving career ended after a bad crash in his Lec F1 car. He recovered from severe injuries and made a comeback of sorts, just enough to prove to himself that he could still do it.
He was killed years later in a flying accident while practicing aerobatics.