Jalopnik weighs in on the question of historical accuracy:
Is Ron Howard’s Rush Taking Artistic Liberties With Racing History?
For his James Hunt/Niki Lauda biopic, Rush, director Ron Howard appears to be recreating a 1970 F3 race that helped shape the legend of Hunt, the mercurial 1970s Formula One champ and shag-o-lator. Of course, Hunt's arch-rival Niki Lauda was there too. Or was he?
It was the 1970 Daily Express Trophy Final at the UK's Crystal Palace. Spectators and TV viewers (at least those who stayed with it until the very end) caught one of the most heated battles for second place ever fought on a racetrack. The only problem in using the race as a plot point for Rush is that the on-track fireworks weren't between Hunt and Lauda. They were between Hunt and driver David Morgan...
Will Howard extend the Hunt/Lauda rivalry into the realm of dramatic fantasy by making Lauda the subject of Hunt's shove? That remains to be seen...
How do you think racing nerds will take to Howard exercising his creative license this way?
If the racing scenes are engrossing and the shots of Olivia Wilde are long and lingering, they'll probably be fine with it — although the most detail-obsessed may want to sit out the movie altogether. We'll know more when the film debuts in 2013...
I'm fine with it.
