A Sunday in Hell (original title: En Forårsdag i Helvede) is a 1977 Danish documentary directed by Jørgen Leth. The film is a chronology of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix bicycle race from the perspective of participants, organizers and spectators.
Paris-Roubaix is the most famous and usually the most dramatic of the spring classics. Much of the latter portion is over narrow, cobbled tracks that choke with dust on dry days and become slick and muddy in r...
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A Sunday in Hell (original title: En Forårsdag i Helvede) is a 1977 Danish documentary directed by Jørgen Leth. The film is a chronology of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix bicycle race from the perspective of participants, organizers and spectators.
Paris-Roubaix is the most famous and usually the most dramatic of the spring classics. Much of the latter portion is over narrow, cobbled tracks that choke with dust on dry days and become slick and muddy in rain. For the riders it's a challenge to keep going without puncturing or crashing.
The film captures not just the events of the 1976 edition but the atmosphere of a professional race. It begins by introducing the contenders: Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck (the previous year's winner), Freddy Maertens, and Francesco Moser, each with their supporting riders (the domestiques), who are charged with helping their team leader win. The film gives views of the team director, protester (the race is halted for a while), spectator, mechanic and rider....
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