In honour of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend (and a follow-up to our De Niro post last week) here’s Demaras Racing’s review of Al Pacino in the romantic Formula 1 film Bobby Deerfield. Directed by Sydney Pollack, it features surprisingly few racing scenes for a movie about an F1 pilot. But apparently the ladies think ’70s era Pacino is gorgeous, so at least the movie has that going for it.
Pacino is Deerfield, a cool, controlled American racer competing in Europe in Formula 1. During the opening scene, Deerfield witnesses a terrible crash that takes the life of his teammate, and seriously injures a rival. The fear of death grips Deerfield, as he embarks on a quest to find out what really happened. Was there something on the track? Perhaps a mechanical failure? Bobby cannot accept that driver error cost his friend’s life.
While visiting his fellow F1 racer in the hospital, Deerfield meets Lillian Morelli (played by Swiss actress, Marthe Keller). It’s intentionally unclear what she is doing there, and the audience is lead to believe she is also visiting a patient. But the next day, while cool cat Pacino is driving away in his Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT, Morelli hitches a ride with Deerfield and we follow the two as they fall madly in love (he is kind of good-looking) and travel through Europe together.
Deerfield drives for the Brabham Alfa Romeo F1 team. This isn’t a make-believe movie brand. This was a real team that competed in the 1976 Formula 1 Championship with drivers Carlos Pace and Carlos Reutemann.
The film was partly filmed during the 1976 Formula 1 season when the team was owned by Bernie Ecclestone (who later became the boss of F1 and friend of Vladimir Putin). The BT 45 race car is resplendent in red with Martini livery.
All that romance stuff aside, fans went to see this movie for the incredible Formula 1 machinery. There’s a Wolf-Williams FW 05 in black with a Canadian flag on the nose, the iconic red Ferrari 312 T2 driven by Niki Lauda, and the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 that raced only in 1976 before being banned. The movie also featured superstar drivers of this dangerous era including James Hunt, Tom Pryce, and Mario Andretti.
To be quite frank, it’s exactly the same idea behind the Sylvester Stallone movie Driven from 2001. Use proper movie cameras to capture the excitement of open-wheel racing, and throw in a big-name Hollywood actor. Oh, and plot. Add in some plot.
Bottom line, this is a love story between Bobby and Lillian, with racing as the canvas for their story, and it’s important to view it that way. Yeah, maybe it isn’t Serpico or Dog Day Afternoon but the cars are incredible, the performances are believable and Pacino is just so adorable.
Editor’s Note: While researching this movie, we stumbled across the Al Pacino-inspired album ‘Bobby Deerfield’ by Nila released in 2023. Who thought the movie had such an impact on people! Listen to the title track on YouTube.
Yes, Chris, yes the ladies do.
Going to come back to this one later, what with my newfound appreciation of all things car racing. Also looking forward to checking out the album by Nila.
*Niia
Who would have thought that one of Pacino’s least-loved 1970’s movies would inspire an album nearly 50 years later.
.
He must have been really, really, really good-looking.
I’ve been listening to it this morning and I’m curious to go back and watch the movie. It is fascinating that someone was inspired 50 years later! By such an obscure film!
I have decided to report you to the powers that be for “Excessive Excellence in Recommendations.” i mean, how do you do this?
This Niia album is absolutely fire. Never even heard of Niia before this morning.
Perhaps the excellence is just a function of your Canadianness. I don’t know. It’s just really something else.
watched bobby deerfield tonight. my notes:
crosses by drivers names in credits — have they passed?
I thought his first lady was a mannequin
no subtitles boo hoo
BOBBY and LEONARD are BROTHERS
Everything is more sweeter when you take a chance
you spend your whole life trying not to die
it’s not just the face. it’s the shirt and the shoes and the eyes and the smoldering presence
choosing to ride or not in a hot air balloon. he gets pissed off way pissed off
a hot air balloon goes where the wind takes it
he is trying not to die and is afraid to live
ah the good old days of marlboro’s flag flying at the track and 50 banners on the stands
look through a glass darkly
such a 70’s theme. death comes to the one he loves who has made him come alive
Wow girl, you paid SO MUCH more attention than I did.
It’s kind of morbid that there are crosses next to drivers’ names in the credits (if that does mean they dies). I know that F1 racing was extremely dangerous in that era.
.
Bobby is a bit of a control freak, so I just couldn’t see him getting into that hot air balloon and letting the wind decide where to go. No way!
I had to go back to figure out what you meant by Bobby and Leonard are brothers. Is that the name of the brother that meets him in the cafe, and knocks Pacino’s cool-cat sunglasses off?
.
I thought you mean Leonard Cohen. That Leonard Cohen looks like Bobby Deerfield’s brother.
.
https://scontent.fyto1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/77268703_3394230930617068_4672024493550469120_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=U0YSO8fwFNYQ7kNvgHsiH2X&_nc_ht=scontent.fyto1-1.fna&oh=00_AYDMvewbDwhz6ytEKaAkG4R-gcMLhAbgtovu01Hjvj_DlA&oe=669B24BA
the idea that the two of them came from the same parents struck me as a bit ludicrous but all in all good fun kind of way
Did you click the link to the Pacino VS Cohen VS Hoffman picture? It’s almost spooky how similar they all looked!
yes i did. i know!