Leo Turrini
“I hope it’s an Oscar-winning movie waiting for a world-class Red in Formula 1…” Piero Ferrari will be on the red carpet (that’s right…) on the Venetian Lido tonight for the premiere of “Ferrari,” a Hollywood film dedicated to his father, the dragon Maranello. A biopic, as the good folks say, directed by the great Michael Mann, director of Heat and Bail, to name but a few of his masterpieces.
“Mann is a longtime friend of mine,” explains Piero, 78, vice president of the world’s most famous Italian brand. – He had long pursued the dream of a film dedicated to my father, he showed me a draft of the script for almost a quarter of an hour. centuries ago, it’s good that he finally crossed the line.”
What is this movie?
“I saw it exclusively in Los Angeles, at a private showing. In Italy, it will hit theaters around Christmas.”
Sentence?
Well, I’m not a film critic. And I am also a participant in the case, because on the set I am represented as a child. Having said this…”
In light of the above?
“I really liked the movie. He does not pretend to tell the whole story of my father in two hours, that would be an exaggeration. Instead, Mann made a different choice.”
Which choice?
“He made a bet on a specific moment, on a special year. 1957 Dad just lost Dino, his eldest son, a brother that, unfortunately, I never knew. And the tragedies of racing are intertwined with this terrible spasm of personal pain, the massacre of the Mille Miglia, the anxiety for the future of the plant, which at that time still belonged to him, the agreement between Gianni Agnelli and Fiat was still far away … “
How does Adam Driver, the last Star Wars Jedi, handle his role as a father?
“Well, Driver is Italian for pilot, even better! And then, that the cinematic son of Layla Skywalker and Han Solo personifies my father, I find it promising. Jokes aside, Adam is very good. The wonders of makeup make him physically very similar. to my father. And Penelope Cruz is great as Laura, the mother of my brother Dino. But can I add something?”
Please.
“The whole film was shot on our lands, in Modena, in the kingdom of my father Ferrari. It was a staging choice that filled me with pride. You see, apart from the promotional effect the film will have on tourism, “I am happy when the roots of the myth are remembered. The legend of my father is a story first from Modena, then from Emilia, then from Italy, finally global.”
Is it true that for cinematographic work all extras were selected on the spot?
“Yes. Just think that Massimo Bottura, the chef the world is jealous of, also has a cameo. He plays the role of a doorman in a hotel right in the center of Modena.”
Piero, is it easier for a Michael Mann film to win an Oscar or a Ferrari to win the Formula 1 World Championship?
“The question is biased. The next Oscar will be awarded in the spring of 2024, the championship in single skating will end in the fall. Who knows, maybe we’ll do it once or twice in the name of dad …”