Wheels on Reels: Le Mans

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Wheels on Reels. The MFAH exhibition Sculpted in Steel: Art Deco Automobiles and Motorcycles, 1929–1940 inspires this series of classic movies that celebrate memorable cars and their drivers.

Le Mans

Directed by Lee H. Katzin
1971
USA
109 minutes

An accomplished auto and motorcycle racer off-screen, Steve McQueen brought his passion for speed to this brilliantly photographed film in the role of Michael Delaney, an aging driver for the Porsche team who battles Ferrari rival Erich Stahler (Siegfried Rauch) at the famed 24-hour French race.

Sidelined after a crash, Delaney falls for Lisa Belgetti (Elga Andersen), the widow of a driver killed in an accident in which Delaney was also involved a year previously. With the Porsche fortunes beginning to dim, Delaney returns behind the wheel, dueling Stahler to a surprising finish.

Be sure to catch the new documentary Steve McQueen: The Man and “Le Mans,” screening Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 18–20!