Main Cast: Bruce Brown, Steve McQueen, Mert Lawwill, Malcolm Smith
Release Year: 1971
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
Plot
With narration by co-producer Steve McQueen (who also races in some of its segments), director Bruce Brown (best-known for his poetic surfing documentary, Endless Summer) takes us into the incredibly varied and physically demanding world of motorcycle racing. Shot during a two-year period and edited from over 150 hours of footage, the film sets a new standard in motorcycle racing photography, and the film's action is enhanced by Dominic Frontiere's musical score. Along with other types of racing, Moto-Cross racing from the wilds of northern Canada (where wheels have two-inch steel spikes for traction in ice) to the Mojave desert is shown. While some European motorcycle racing is shown, such as the English Trials, most of the film concentrates on the American racing scene. Footage of the day-to-day life of McQueen, sportsman Malcom Smith and champion Mert Lawwill, as they participate in the racing circuit, helps to tie the film together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Bruce Brown - Director, Don Shoemaker - Editor, Dominic Frontiere - Composer (Music Score), Bob Collins - Cinematographer, Nelson Tyler - Cinematographer, Mark Zavad - Cinematographer, Don Shoemaker - Cinematographer, Bruce Brown - Screenwriter, Brian King - Assistant Editor
On Any Sunday is often credited as the best and/or most important motorcycle documentary ever made. Roger Ebert says it "does for motorcycle racing what The Endless Summer did for surfing". Ebert praises the film's high level of artistry in accomplishing the impressive footage of motorcycle races (which he says are difficult to film), and he also credits the film for not bothering viewers with the technical details of how the filming was done.[2]
Impact
During the opening sequence, children are seen riding their bicycles on a dirt track, in imitation of motorcyclists. Thanks to this scene, On Any Sunday is thought to have popularized BMX biking across America; previously it had only been observed in Southern California.[3]
