Bobby Deerfield is a 1977 film based on the novel Heaven Has No Favorites ("Der Himmel kennt keine Günstlinge) by Erich Maria Remarque, and stars Al Pacino as the title character.
Plot
Formula One auto racer Bobby Deerfield is a calculating, control-obsessed loner who has become used to winning the checkered flag on the track. But after he witnesses a fiery crash that kills a teammate and seriously wounds a competitor, Deerfield becomes unsettled by the spectre of death.
During a visit to the survivor, Deerfield's world is further set askew when he meets Lillian Morelli (Marthe Keller), a quirky, impulsive woman racing against time.
Critical Reception
Critics panned Bobby Deerfield as over-the-top melodrama with a plodding story line; audiences reportedly laughed at scenes intended to be dramatic. Race-film fans, expecting another Grand Prix or Le Mans, were disappointed that the story didn't play out on the race track; however, the action footage was filmed by racing cinematographers over the course of the 1976 Formula One season and features actual drivers, including Carlos Pace, James Hunt, and Mario Andretti.
Bobby Deerfield was released on DVD for the first time on March 11, 2008. The soundtrack, recorded on the benighted Casablanca Records label, has been unavailable for years.
Remarque's novel on which the screenplay is based is far different from the movie, taking place just after World War II. The Swiss town of Leukerbad makes no mention of the on-location filming that took place there.
External links
Bobby Deerfield at the Internet Movie Database
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