On Any Sunday

On Any Sunday is a 1971 American sports documentary film about motorcycle racing. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It showcases the unique talents required for the various forms of racing. For example, the motocross racers were typically depicted as free-spirited types while desert racers were generally shown to be loners. In addition, Bruce Brown showed widely differing personalities such as Mert Lawwill's business-like approach to racing compared to David Aldana's carefree approach in which he is known for.
 * 2) It features appearances from various motorcycle racers from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Steve McQueen and Malcolm Smith.
 * 3) High-level artistry in achieving footage of the motorcycle races which includes extreme closeup slow-motion segments of the Grand National races, 24-volt batteries in 12-volt film cameras instead of high-speed cameras (due to budget restrictions), and a helmet camera on some of the racers (which wasn't universal at the time due to bulk cameras being the norm).
 * 4) Brown uses a unique filming method where for example, he wanted to film a muddy motocross race and show the riders covered in mud. He and the crew had to be at a motocross race when it rains before finding a good location to film. They attempted to get that particular shot and nailed it though, for a while, they thought it would never be executed.
 * 5) It doesn't bother viewers with the technical details on how the filming was done.
 * 6) It is responsible for changing the public perception of motorcycle racers as bad guys to heroes.
 * 7) Awesome title sequence which depicts a group of boys involved in a bicycle race inspired by motocross racing. In fact, it was responsible for popularizing BMX worldwide as previously it had only been observed in Southern California.
 * 8) Hilarious moments such as one sequence involving a man teaching another man to ride a motorcycle only for the latter to falter real badly with the former chasing after him whilst sped up and another sequence involving a man imitating a motorcycle engine with his lips.
 * 9) Catchy theme song.
 * 10) Cool ending that depicts McQueen and two other motorcyclists having fun riding their motorcycles on a beach at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.