A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story

I read Fangio - his autobiography - about 40 years ago and remember seeing him at races and being interviewed and it is difficult to express quite how iconic a figure he was in life as well as in racing history. This film does address that in it's interviews with drivers like Stewart and Prost, but somehow it's coverage of his racing career is bland. Archive footage of 1950's motor sport is somewhat limited, but dressing it up by dubbing on a retro-style commentary didn't work for me and I also found it distracting that not all the clips match the races being described in the commentary. Aspects of his career that were massively significant - his crash at Monza in 1952, the 1957 German Grand Prix and his kidnapping in1958 are covered - although the kidnapping is barely touched upon - but somehow the sum is less than the parts. This guy was an absolute legend, but somehow they've reduced him to a collection of facts.

I want engine noise! All I got was a wall of pointless background music, drowning out both voice and noise. Could not stand to keep watching (hearing) that.

It is kinda sad that when there is good story to tell, had a chance to interview with some special names in Formula 1 history, but there is no storytelling. Time didn't pass while I was watching, several times I checked the bottom bar to see how many minutes to end. In my opinion; unfortunately this documentary is not so successful about reflecting Fangio's legacy. But in otherside, it is good to see the old and original aspects of Formula 1 and motorsport history. If interested, then it might worth see it.

"A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story" is a very captivating film that properly pays homage to one of the greatest legends of Formula One. Archive footage combines in this documentary with expert testimony and comments from Fangio himself; readers can relish both the intensity and elegance of a racing career that has become the watermark generations later. While this documentary on the entire career of Juan Manuel Fangio is first and foremost oriented to appeal to racing fans, it makes his story accessible and inspiring to a larger audience by showing not only his extraordinary skill behind the wheel but also the humble and determined character that made him a champion. Though sometimes the documentary glides over some tricky areas in his life, it is still reverent toward Fangio's legacy and portrays old-school motorsport with a real sense of excitement-for this reason, it's an absolute must-see for any fan of sport and history.

(Flash Review)

Was Juan Manuel Fangio the best F1 driver of all time? He is known as the godfather of F1 as he was the best and most accomplished driver it the early 40s-50s era and held the record of 5 World Championships until Schumacher finally topped him at the turn on the century. He was also able to win championships with several different manufacturers; a rarity. There is some great early racing footage in here. The documentary is straightforward and not creative except from a vague analysis they concocted to pick a best driver over every era. Guess who they picked...?