Highest rated reviews for Tour de France - The Official History 1903-2003

Caught in the front headlights

Dufus from Lancashire , 30/05/2004

What could have been an exciting film, capturing the spectacle of one of the world's most fantastic sporting events, was rendered in coma-vision by the soporific presentation from one of my heroes Sean Kelly and a perfunctory whizz through 100 years of Tours.

Kelly was a great cyclist but a presenter he isn’t and he looks by turns terrified and drunk as he struggles to cope with the autocue at a pavement cafe. He actually comes across like the boring priest in "Father Ted" - and den we ran the electricity off de gas etc.

For anyone with even a basic knowledge of the Tour's history most of the footage will be familiar and even exciting finishes like Lemond v Fignon in 1989 were dull. It really could have done with Phil Liggett and the superb Gary Imlach (who appear all too briefly) and this could have been an excellent document of the race.

As it is it was like watching Miguel Indurain time trial, boring and mechanical! Sorry Sean.

Shame about the presentation

A customer from Dorset, UK , 04/05/2005

As a roundup of the first hundred years of the tour, this has good history as well as giving some idea of the technical and tactical game that pro team cycling is all about. It is also good at covering the main names that have competed and remain great icons of their eras.

I was massively disappointed with the fact that between the entertainment, one had to endure ex-cyclist Sean Kelly. Clearly reading from a board behind and slightly to the side of the camera (he doesn't look into the camera) he looks scared stiff. It is fun seeing him get slowly better as the programme goes on though! Perhaps he should have taken a few gulps of the wine he has in front of him!!

Wooden Sean

A customer from Sunny Telford , 17/11/2005

Great if you're into Cycle racing and especially the TDF. I chuckled as I watched a wooden (and terrified looking), Sean Kelly introduce the Film. I've nothing against Sean, he's one of the greatest ever cyclists, but I just couldn't help it - great stuff!

Great event, appalling record

A customer from Worcestershire, England , 25/02/2007

The Tour De France is an amazing event with a fantastic history but you wouldn't know it from this film.

I can only confirm everyone elses comments on Sean Kelly as a link man- he was a great rider but his presentation is just awful. Unfortunately the rest of the commentry is just as bad; amateurish, flat and tedius.

The film is worth watching for the clips of the early races but the confused editing makes both the history and the story of the individual races hard to follow. While the record of doping in the event cannot be ignored more time is spent dwelling on this aspect than on any of the great riders.

The film gets better with the C4/Eurosport coverage of the Lance Armstrong era, but, ending as it does in 2003 misses his final tours. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of Le Tour would be better off watching the full coverage of the more recent events in the individual films.

One for the enthusiast

A customer from Bealach na Ba, Scotland , 03/10/2006

I think I saw this on French TV and loved it. The footage is fascinating. However, whoever decided that Sean Kelly should introduce each section should be sent up the Alpe D'Huez on a butcher's bike with two flat tyres. That's about how dynamic a ride the viewer gets. Thank goodness for the fast forward button.

presentation lets it down

steveval from chester le street , 20/12/2005

you should not be able to go wrong with 100 years of le tour. yet this is shockingly badly presented and even manages to be quite dull in parts. very amateur links a lack of insight- crap.

very lazily done, skirts over subjects. a real let down

Worth having a look

A customer from Wales , 11/10/2005

Very good coverage and accounts of the race, Although it all appears dated..

Everyone has a go at Kelly, I thought he made the dvd.. I couldn't stop laughing!!

Cycling good but presenting terrible!

Lance Armstrong from Planet Pedal , 28/09/2005

The cycling footage over the years and the information is interesting but why oh why did they get Sean Kelly to do the 'host' slot in between sections. He could ride a bike well but can't do reading an autocue and comes over terrible! Press skip whenever you see him and enjoy the rest of the DVD :-)

A bit of a letdown to celebrate 100 years

A customer from South Bucks, England , 02/09/2005

Really odd DVD. Sean Kelly looks ill at ease outside your authentic French caff and runs through the 100 years of the Tour in a pretty routine way. It picks up when Phil Liggett's commentary on the latest Tours is included but oddly there is no credit for the Channel4/ITV2 team. What is going on? The production seems cheap and the writing is less than inspiring. A missed opportunity but OK for diehard Tour fans. Never going to convince anyone who doesn't follow the Tour that this is truly one of the greatest sporting events in history. Perhaps there is scope for a better version around 90 mins long and updated to include Lance Armstrong's last Tour. But it probably needs a different production company and a bit of creative input.

The Whole 100 years?

A customer from Northampton, England , 12/06/2005

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this DvD but it lets itself down in a few places.

There's far too much coverage of the past 10-15 years. The whole century of TdF deserves more balance. There's some lovely B&W film from early tours but there's far too much recent coverage with a strong bias on the usual pair of American cyclists who base their whole season ( career? ) on the TdF.

The film is introduced by Sean Kelly, a brilliant cyclist who I really admire for his cycling skills. When Sean was racing, he let his legs do the talking. Anyone seeing a wooden Kelly reading an autocue might think that this is some kind of Pythonesque comedy.

Rent it, skip the first 5 minutes and stop the movie after Bernard Hinault. It will make you want to go straight out and ride your bike.