DVD Review: Hell On Wheels

Review: Hell On Wheels
by Pepe Danquart

I’ve been checking out cycling books and films from the Albany Public Library. Tonight I watched the 2004 documentary Hell On Wheels, filmmaker Pepe Danquart’s look at the grueling, exhausting and enthralling spectacle of the Tour de France. The film has no narration. Instead, it relies on extended interviews — conducted throughout the 2003 Tour — with the riders of the T-Mobile team, including Eric Zabel, Rolf Aldag, Andreas Kloden and Alexandre Vinokourov.

The riders — particularly Zabel — are surprisingly candid about their hopes and fears. Zabel is a veteran of the Tour and rides with an observant eye, not always able to master his demons. Most of the interviews are conducted while the riders are being massaged by Eule, a sage/masseur who’s seen it all and reveres the Tour at the same time as he understands its reality.

Hell On Wheels also features footage from Tours of the early years, along with commentary by several journalists on the Tour’s connection with France and French culture.

I’d never even seen a cycling race until last year, when I watched the Tour for the first time. It proved to be quite a year, as more and more riders left each day due to doping, including Vinokourov, who’s featured in Hell on Wheels. While I can’t say I’m a passionate fan of the sport yet, I do enjoy watching it, and I appreciated the look behind the scenes provided by Hell on Wheels.

If you’d like to pick up your own copy, buying it via this link will help support RocBike:

Possibly Related (Automically Generated)

• No Related Post