Very appealing glossy 10.25 x 8 photo of Steve McQueen and Elga Andersen as they appeared in the 1971 racing film Le Mans, signed in blue felt tip by McQueen, and in black felt tip by Andersen, who adds a sentiment in German. In fine condition.
Accompanied by a glossy 9.5 x 7.25 photo of Siegfried Rauch as racecar driver Erich Stahler from the film, signed and inscribed by Rauch in German in red felt tip; and by 18 additional unsigned photos from the production of Le Mans, ranging in size from 7 x 7 to 10.25 x 8, and featuring subjects like director Lee H. Katzin, actor Angelo Infanti, various views and crew-members from the set, and several images of McQueen, which show the actor riding a motorcycle and driving a racecar, talking things over with British racing legend Derek Bell, and working next to co-director John Sturges. Included is a contact photo featuring 12 different images of McQueen relaxing near the racetrack with his wife Neile Adams, and a photo McQueen in his racing gear, which bears a facsimile signature inherent to the original photo.
In spite of its poor box office response, Le Mans was an important project for McQueen, himself an avid motorcycle and race car enthusiast who routinely performed his own driving stunts. However, when McQueen wanted to drive a Porsche 917 with Jackie Stewart in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, the film's backers threatened to pull their support if he did. Faced with the choice of driving for 24 hours in the race or driving for the entire summer making the film, McQueen opted for the latter. McQueen later purchased five racecars used in the film, and in 2015, a documentary called Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans examined the actor's quest to create and star in the 1971 auto-racing film.
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