Weekend of a Champion | |
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Directed by | Roman Polanski |
Written by | Frank Simon |
Produced by | Roman Polanski |
Starring | Jackie Stewart Roman Polanski Helen Stewart |
Cinematography | Bill Brayne |
Edited by | Derek York |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Pathé (France) Submarine Deluxe (US) |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes 93 minutes (re-release with postscript) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Languages | English French |
Weekend of a Champion (alternately titled Afternoon of a Champion) is a 1972 British documentary film that captures the effort of British Formula One racing driver Jackie Stewart to compete in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Stewart's friend Roman Polanski produced the film and shadows him throughout the weekend of the race.
The film premiered at the 1972 Berlin Film Festival and— after a small theatrical release in Europe— was unscreened for 40 years. The archive in possession of the negative contacted Polanski, inquiring as to whether they should keep the film or throw it away.[1]
Polanski then restored the film from the original print, remixing and slightly recutting it. An approximately 15-minute epilogue was added, showing Polanski and Stewart reminiscing in present-day Monaco, having a conversation about their friendship, the evolution of racing safety, hairstyles, and life in general.[2]