Corrie Fraser

Interesting to read the reviews here and see that diehard Schumacher fans rate this film highly and say how it showed all sides of the man and really helped the viewer get to know what made him tick. I feel completely the opposite was true. Having watched F1 avidly throughout the 80s 90s 00s and beyond I felt I knew a lot of Schumacher the racer good and bad. I knew also of the family man and the public image he portrayed. What would have been Interesting and engaging would have been to find out more about what was behind the facade of the actual man. What he really felt about various incidents in his career and perhaps a different take on the well trodden brand Schumacher bs, especially as he is now living such a different life. I always got the sense with Schumacher that there was something hidden, some element of the disingenuous when he was interviewed. Even in his most emotional public moments I was always left wondering to whose benefit these were. This may be totally wrong, but this film does nothing to answer any lingering questions and feels nothing more than stage-managed. Yes he was a brilliant driver, talented and charismatic, yet deeply flawed and mysterious at the same time and it is the latter element that the film does nothing to address. This is a man who, despite his undisputed brilliance, was also happy to win under any circumstances fair or otherwise. The film glosses over his deliberate crashes with Hill and Villeneuve and makes no mention of Barrichello's assistance in numerous Schumacher wins, or his special treatment with regard to tyres at Ferarri or illegal driver aids at Benneton. It is this side of Schumacher that made him interesting however and therefore the film not so much. It was very telling to see Schumacher as a teenager explaining that he had entered a race under the Luxembourg flag as he would have a guaranteed position with no competition. It never seemed to faze him even then that to be seen to be competing and winning fairly were not important to him in the slightest. Ross Brawn says it is difficult for us to judge his misdemeanours, probably the most preposterous line from all the interviewees apart from Mark Webber who looks and sounds like he is being held hostage as he treads all too carefully when talking about MSC. It is clearly tough to talk about the negatives in front of a family so affected by his current condition but that unfortunately makes for a bland account. It is of course his and his family's prerogative to have total privacy if that is their wish and that is the biggest question raised. What then, is the purpose of this documentary if it is simply career high and lowlights with no new insight given by the slightly reverential and sycophantic talking heads? Why do the family feel it is important to remind everyone of brand Schumacher right now? I think they should either have made a really telling and insightful documentary such as the one about Frank Williams which gave a real picture of the Williams family, or just leave well enough alone. That certainly doesn't mean fishing for voyeuristic intrusions on his current condition which is all too easy to imagine without the video evidence some feel a negative review of the film is calling for, but just something that comes across as honesty from anyone being interviewed. If they want privacy then let people YouTube Schumacher and his well known high profile career. Some touching music and slowmo shots don't make up for the fact that this film is just an advert for how great Schumacher was and doesn't tell the audience anything new.