Weekend Playlist #4: Danger

Danger.

Some shy away, run away, get as far from it as possible—and some live their lives on the edge of catastrophe. This weekend, we’re taking a look at some of the best films and video clips to gain insight into the personalities and machines that are put into extreme situations.

From a must-see full-length Canadian documentary called The Devil at Your Heels that profiles stunt driver Ken Carter to small vignettes featuring classic feats performed with classic cars, prepare yourself for thrills and spills!

The National Film Board of Canada says, “This feature-length documentary introduces viewers to Ken Carter, a Montreal-born stunt driver who made a living by risking his life. The film shines a light on the intense preparation that led to Carter’s first attempt to jump a car across a mile-wide stretch of the St. Lawrence River—a 5-year period during which the dare-devil raised a million dollars, erected a 10-storey take-off ramp and built a rocket-powered car.”

We’d like to add: the car was a bright yellow Lincoln that was as aerodynamic as a file cabinet.

The Saab Stunt Team has been doing wild things with cars for years, but in eight minutes of film, nothing comes close to this film set to classical music, called Saab Suite. Don’t miss the finale!

We can’t talk about danger without Evel Knievel, and present this quick clip about his fateful and traumatic Caesar’s Palace jump with no further comment.

There’s nothing like selling a line of toys based on death-defying stunts, but hey, this is Evel Knievel we’re talking about!

Here in North America, it’s the “Wall of Death”. In India, it’s the “The Diamond Maruti Car Circus”

Rémy Julienne is one of the first stunt drivers to take to the roads, stairs, and sky in European cinema, a point literally driven home by Fiat in this hard-to-find commercial. Remember…this is before CG and green screens!

A three-wheeled Messerschmitt KR200 conquers all in this on-two-wheels driving competition in Holland—the crowd’s reaction is awesome! Wait for it…wait for it…

Cover Image Source: rediff.com