IS IT BOLLOCKS?

Buff investigates the facts behind outlandish movie plots.

Q Is Gran Turismo really based on a true story?

Sony’s Gran Turismo starts by telling us that it’s based on a true story, and while the story itself – that of Jann Mardenborough, an obsessive video-game player who was handpicked by Nissan to drive professional race cars – has some basis in reality, a key moment in Neill Blomkamp’s retelling has proven controversial. In Gran Turismo, Mardenborough’s car catches a pocket of air while racing the Nürburgring, leading to his vehicle flying off the track and ultimately killing a spectator. In the film, the event paves the way for Mardenborough to step onto the podium at Le Mans during the final act. While the Nürburgring incident is depicted accurately, it actually happened two years after the racer’s team came third at Le Mans. Various publications have since argued that using the tragedy as a piece of character development is tasteless, though others have remarked that it makes sense on a cinematic story level. Other untruths: David Harbour’s charismatic trainer is almost completely fictional, though potentially inspired by sports psychologist Gavin Gough, while Orlando Bloom’s marketing man Danny Moore isn’t real, but instead based on former Nissan executive Darren Cox, who also happens to have a producing credit on the film alongside Mardenborough.

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ON LOCATION

REEL SPOTS BEHIND THE CAMERA

WHAT? In Niagara, duplicitous Rose Loomis (Marilyn Monroe) uses a resort’s carillon bell tower to communicate with her lover as they plan her husband’s murder at the Falls.

WHERE? Rainbow Carillon Tower, 5702 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

GO? At the Canadian entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, which spans the Falls and connects Canada and the US, the 1947-built tower still plays its 55 bells three times a day. Just don’t ask for Kiss...