A French Kiss with Death: Steve McQueen and the Making of Le Mans

Product Details

This spine-tingling title and the "King of Cool's" intense headshot telegraph the excitement to be found under the book cover. Keyser's observant and engaging storytelling weaves together screen legend Steve McQueen's rugged, individualistic life, his love affairs with motorcycles, cars, racing, partying and women, along with a story of exceptional filmmaking, including the breakthrough, Oscar-winning cinematographic techniques used to capture the visceral essence of racing's most famous event for the silver screen.

Throughout 464 highly charged pages, "A French Kiss with Death" dazzles the reader with the "King of Cool's" roller-coaster life of adventure and accomplishment. The book contains more than 725 photographs and illustrations, most seen for the first time and many shot during the actual "24 Hours of Le Mans." Providing an unforgettable ride, "A French Kiss with Death" pulls readers rapidly into the exotic, heady, cutthroat world of international sports car racing. Keyser's longtime friend and ex-racer Jonathan Williams also contributed to the book.

Product Reviews

(5 stars) - Very interresting Book
Very nice book. Many Thanks to Mickael Keyser to have writen this book !
Very interresting photos.

(4 stars) - A fantastic look into the world of movie making!
First of all, this book is a great and easy read. I read it within one week. The photos are fantastic. The stories about Steve are wonderful. In saying that, the book is not just about the making of the movie. That's only part of the story. This book gives you a brief history of the following: movies about racing; a small history of the Le Mans race itself; a history of the teams involved in the film - Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lola, Matra, and Porsche; followed by a brief history of the Daytona and Sebring races (featuring Steve); and finally it all comes together in the making of the movie. The personal anecdotes of the drivers involved are quite interesting. For lovers of the movie, the race, and the man himself, this book won't let you down. The photos themselves are worth the purchase price. Plus, this book will look great on your coffee table!

(4 stars) - Interesting companion to the movie
This book covers the making of the movie, "LeMans" as well as could be done. It is an intermediate sized paperback with photos in black and white. The descriptions of the details and characters is informative and very interesting for a fan of the 24 hour race or of Steve McQueen the actor, producer and racer.

(3 stars) - Illuminating Insight into Steve McQueen
LeMans was and is a great racing movie but the real insight of this book is into the character of Steve McQueen. You may judge for yourself; in my opinion he comes off as extremely insecure and childish beneath his famous "cool".

(5 stars) - Gets better with every re-reading
I've owned the original hardcover since 1999 so I have had some experience with this book over the years. Prices on eBay were getting so high for the hardcover that I was tempted to sell it. Fortunately, this softcover came out so I'm keeping the original. General auto racing fans should stay away. Steve McQueen and Le Mans fans should jump in head first! A real treasure!

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