Ferrari Movie: Forza Enzo, Forza Laura
Impeccable Ferrari Movie Portrays the Often Overlooked Might of the Man
Enzo Ferrari is often portrayed as a stone-faced bastard who cared little for much beyond racing success. Director Michael Mann through lead Adam Driver however casts a rather different Enzo through the incredible new movie, Ferrari.
Sure, Ferrari was stone walled, and the film wastes no time to tell you why. The Old Man learned to deal with the dead friends and rivals at a very early age. But what Ferrari does best, is out the man behind the mask as far more rounded and compassionate, rather than just the troubled tyrant his myth may have come to suggest. And much more, too.
Wife Laura Ferrari, played just as brilliantly by Penélope Cruz comes across just as splendidly, as the powerhouse behind her husband, while Shailene Woodley similarly stars as mistress Lina Lardi. The film flicks between their turbulent lives, the rigors of racing, the ecstasy and the agony through that short but severe spring of ‘57.
The Tumultuous Spring of ‘57
It was a tumultuous time. The Ferraris, still reeling from the recent loss of son Dino, face the realities of bankruptcy and a world changing at every level. In reality, 1957 would prove Ferrari’s first winless year in Formula 1 since ’51. The team may have found sports car success, but the tragedy of that final Mille Miglia becomes the cornerstone of the film.
Ferrari is about far more than just racing. So many magic moments, from how and where the entire Scuderia times rivals Maserati testing, to the many bedroom, kitchen and workshop scenes that define Enzo’s relationship with Laura, Lina, their son Piero, his mother-in-law, Scaglietti, Chiti and the rest of his team and rivals bring a laugh as much as they do tears.
Brilliant racing scenes, all of them excellent, strike fear in the viewer. Mann has done a mighty job to supremely portray the cars in action. From the French Grand Prix to depict the Mille Miglia from the pomp of Piazza Vittorio to the speed and drama across the plains and Futa Pass to Rome and back, the mix of cars fast and slow, and so much more.
Don’t Miss the Ferrari Movie!
The Ferrari movie does fudge it a bit. Maybe it overplays rival Maserati driver Jean Behra’s part in that season. While completely ignoring his great world champion teammate Fangio. The French Grand Prix, after which Enzo so criticizes his team, in reality happened after the Mille Miglia in ’57. Also, those Fiat and Ford facets are a decade too soon.
None of it matters though. Ferrari captures Maranello and Modena’s tumultuous spring of ’57 as brilliantly as it portrays Enzo Ferrari as the considerate, caring, and confused man he was behind the mask. Drake’s affairs with his wife and mistress, his sons, and drivers, dead and alive, his team, rivals, and the media, make giggles as much as they do fear. And tears.
If you’re a car enthusiast, a race fan and especially a Tifosi, don’t miss Ferrari. It is quite plausibly the finest racing flick ever made. Forza Ferrari. Forza Enzo!
Images: Ferrari Movie
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