NFB Collection
Mysteries in the Archives: 1955 Tragedy Strikes Le Mans' 24 Hours
200825 min 53 secFilm: Documentary
Direction: Julien Gaurichon
Production: Florence Fanelli
Co-produced by ARTE France and Institut national de l'audiovisuel with the participation of Centre National de la Cinématographie, in association with YLE Teema - Ritva Leino and RTSI-Televisione Svizzera, and with the participation of the National Film Board of Canada.
This title is an acquisition.
On June 11, 1955, between 200 and 300 thousand people are attending automobile racing’s most celebrated endurance event: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Like every year, Le Mans attracts important media attention and this 23rd edition boasts the sport’s most elite race cars. But at the 147th minute, a Mercedes crashes and explodes. Eighty spectators die, and 140 are injured. In only seconds, Le Mans is the scene of the deadliest accident in automobile racing history.
How did the catastrophe take place? Why were there so many victims? And why did the organizers allow the race to continue despite the tragedy?
Subject categories
- History > Historical PerpectivesWorld History
Credits
- idea
- Serge Viallet
- Cédric Lépée
- series director
- Serge Viallet
- director
- Julien Gaurichon
- editor
- Catherine Minier
- assistant editor
- Clarisse Gilbert
- Bertrand Amiot
- graphic design
- Cédric Babel
- Stéphanie Mée
- historical research
- Cedric Gruat
- assistant
- Armelle Jayet
- musical illustration
- Niels Poux
- image masking
- Alexandre Auque
- dressing conception
- Alexandre Auque
- credit sequence design
- Philippe Truffault
- credit sequence production
- Philippe Truffault
- credit sequence editor
- François Labat
- colour correction
- Rémi Berge
- translator
- Dana Burns Westberg
- narrator
- Dana Burns Westberg
- documentary research
- Marie Bessi
- Pascal Lebeurier
- sound design
- Myriam René
- mix
- Myriam René
- post-production manager
- Rita Lourdemarianadin
- post-production technician
- Daniel Ricard
- broadcast mastering
- Vincent Legrain
- image restoration
- Emmanuel Laroche
- video transfer
- Eric Queille
- Marc Grandhomme
- production manager
- Thierry Ippolito
- production assistant
- Vincent Encontre
- commissioning editor
- Elisabeth Hulten
- administrator
- Françoise Tsitsichvili
- Yasmine Boucherat
- producer
- Florence Fanelli
- head of production
- Xavier Marliangeas