McQueen's entrance


That 180-degree shot of Steve McQueen at the beginning has to be one of the most indulgent entrances any movie star has ever been in. McQueen is one of the few people able to pull it off without seeming silly, I think.

What's the spanish for drunken bum?

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I agree. Just seen the movie.

What's the spanish for drunken bum?

borracho vagabundo.

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My take on the beginning of the movie was that it was the benefit of silly little teenyboppers such as myself. Me and all my little girlfriends had totally swooned over McQueen in Bullitt (1968) and The Thomas Crown Affair(1969). And I do mean swooned; McQueen was considered the sexiest male alive at that time. So I think it was a tease for our enjoyment. A little bit of foreplay, if you like, before the full frontal. I rewatched the movie yesterday for the first time since 1971 and it's a fantastic movie, but, at the time, we were disappointed. We didn't want to see a race car movie, we wanted more of McQueen as he was in Bullitt.

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He had to sell the movie. He knew that if he was allowed to make the film his way, it would be mostly car-porn. So the limited amount of Steve-porn had to be good in order to ensure the commercial appeal.

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