Sunday in Hell, William Fotheringham

William Fotheringham's latest book, Sunday in Hell, tells the story behind the making of the famous film of the 1976 edition of the Paris-Roubaix classic of the same name. Along the way he paints fascinating portraits of the professional racing scene of the era and some of the biggest names in cycling, with the bonus of an education in Danish avant-garde film-making to boot.

Before 1976, Jørgen Leth's films had in the main been highly experimental short pieces, mainly aimed at, he admits, 'turning everything upside down'. They were nearly all short pieces on a diverse range of subjects, but Leth was always fascinated by the story-telling possibilities held by cycle racing, and included in his early films one called 'Eddy Merckx in the Vicinity of a Cup of Coffee...', which included hand-held footage he had shot at the 1970 Tour de France.

In 1973, he made 'Stars and Watercarriers', a feature-length documentary about the Giro d'Italia. The action is shot on a single camera, but filmed over the entire duration of the event. 'A Sunday in Hell' was an altogether more ambitious project – an attempt to capture the entire narrative of a one-day Classic, bringing together the various aspects of the event – the organisation, the support crews, the spectators, the media and, of course, the riders. In the end, more than 30 cameras were used, including some ground-breaking helicopter shots using image-stabilising technology for the first time in the coverage of cycle racing.

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I was wondering if I was in for a rather ponderous read – after all, the thought of a book which has to cover the business of making a grant application to the Danish Film Institute hardly sets the pulse racing, even if the subject is cycle racing. In reality, I was soon absorbed in the fascinating back-story to one of cycling's – and possibly sport's – most important documentaries.

Fotheringham has made an excellent job of tracking down and interviewing the surviving main players, including cyclists Ole Ritter, Francesco Moser, Freddy Maertins and Roger de Vlaeminck. Jørgen Leth himself makes a substantial contribution to the book.

In the end, it made me want to watch the film again (and 'Stars and Watercarriers' for good measure), which has to be taken as a sign that Mr Fotheringham has done a great job.

Verdict

Fascinating both as an insight into the making of 'A Sunday in Hell' and the state of professional cycling of the era