Ferrari: An immortal myth, the review: successes studded with tragedies

Ferrari

In the 1950s, motor racing such as Le Mans and Formula 1 Grand Prix became so important that drivers became real celebrities around the world. A victory in any competition guaranteed immortality in the Olympus of sport although, often, the fear of dying exceeded dreams of glory. In fact, from 1950 to 1959, 39 drivers died during various races due to technologies and efficiencies indirectly proportional to speed. The one who, however, really knew the risks and success was Enzo Ferrari and Daryl Goodrich's documentary Ferrari: An Immortal Myth explores precisely the most tragic and happy aspects of the years from 1955 to 1958, when the Ferrari team of Formula 1 was celebrated as one of the most successful teams in history. Here is our review to celebrate the arrival of the documentary on Sky Documentaries.

Ferrari: An immortal myth, a human story far beyond the “simple” Ferrari

Ferrari: A myth immortal focuses, showing footage, audio and stock interviews, on the unique partnership of British drivers Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, who called themselves “mon ami mate” and shared their race victories equally. Their Machiavellian boss Enzo Ferrari even came to suspect that their great friendship was blunting the very will to win races. The documentary was presented in 2017 on the occasion of Ferrari's 70th anniversary, but does not claim to be a complete story of the illustrious Italian brand. It mainly concerns the period roughly enclosed between the traumatic 1955 Le Mans race in which Hawthorn won (driving a Jaguar on that occasion) despite the crash that killed more than 80 spectators, and the death of Collins and the victory of the championship. Hawthorn with Ferrari, both of which took place in 1958.

Director Daryl Goodrich conceived and directed the docufilm as an elegy to a golden, yet incredibly dangerous era in which bold young men puffed up with dreams and hopes, laughed bitterly at the terrifying mortality statistics of this sport (there is a small clip that reinforces this concept and sees some pilots during the second world war exalt themselves as they climb into their Spitfires while aware of their probable destiny). This creates a slight sense of confusion, as we immediately understand that the narrative is not entirely Ferrari-centric, however Goodrich compensated by wrapping his film with sumptuous and spectacular vintage footage, most of it in color and of amazing quality. In this way you get stunning scenes of sunny Monte Carlo with historic racing cars whizzing under palm trees through its winding streets, but also images of the racing circuit basking under the bright skies of Florida, vintage footage from Monza , Silverstone and the terrible Nürburgring and much more.

An Enzo Ferrari imperative in the intimacy of the documentary

These heart-pounding images are interspersed with clips of private and intimate films of drivers and friends who socialize happily, seemingly without worrying about the world and these give a remarkable intensity to the entire production. The sense of a lost heroic era is also amplified by the way cars of the 1950s, especially bright red Ferraris, were seen as handcrafted mobile works of art quite different from the more technical and computerized creations of those designed. in the present day.

The commentary of the voiceover, which takes its cue from the theme documentary par excellence, Senna, is provided, albeit with an accentuated and sometimes annoying redundancy, by veterans of automotive journalism and pilots of yore including Stirling Moss, Phil Hill and Alfonso de Portago. Hawthorn's ex-girlfriend Jean Howarth and Collins' American widow Louise King are also not missing, who have given a personal touch to the whole story. King is particularly impressed with the way she cheerfully celebrates her short year and a half of marriage to Collins and remembers how they always refused to talk about the possibility of dying. It was precisely the death of Collins, at the age of only 26, that prompted Enzo Ferrari himself to comment that "the era of gentleman drivers is over". It was this event and a series of similar ones that led Enzo to remark darkly that “we must continue to work continuously. Otherwise we only think of death ”.

Enzo Ferrari fulfills the role of a super partes presence on these personal and human events with lapidary, cynical, but acute and brilliant declarations. Despite the serious events, in fact, he has always managed to resist a life made of curves and mocking destinies. After all, Formula 1, as well as most of the high-level dangerous sports, in history has shown how men can pass, but the legends remain indelible in the books and in the minds of fans.

Conclusions

Ferrari: An Immortal Myth is a touching and technically excellent homage that puts a light on a by now vanished era made up of colorful drivers, gentlemen and with enormous courage even in the face of the fear of death and the unknown. It's a shame that Goodrich overdid it by elevating his production with an overly pompous or painful soundtrack, as the visuals and story speak for themselves. The 89-minute duration goes on at a brisk pace that eliminates any downtime or useless and heavy digressions, but unfortunately they also leave a bad taste in the mouth for some stories that could have been better explored perhaps looking beyond the events of the 50s (such as for example the dramatic events that always happened in the terrible Nürburgring circuit). In any case Ferrari: An Immortal Myth was conceived as a home documentary that anyone who cares about the history of Formula 1 and motorsport in general will surely find irresistible and unforgettable.