Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari teaches his son that when things work well, they are pleasing to the eye. Michael Mann follows the same maxim. Ferrari, another of his portraits of an obstinate professional in an existential crisis, is a joy to watch thanks to its narrative cohesiveness and the fact that it rhythmically fires on all cylinders. During practically every shot in the exposition, we learn some important information that will be put to good use later in the film. At the same time, the exposition introduces the governing stylistic technique consisting in the use of duality and contrasts (e.g. light scenes with Enzo’s mistress vs. dark scenes with his wife). Slower scenes regularly alternate with faster ones, movement alternates with motionlessness and the melodramatic (and utterly operatic in one scene) exaggeration of certain emotions, particularly sorrow, which both spouses deal with, each in their own way. Mann follows the example of classic Hollywood directors like Hawks and Sirk and lets the mise-en-scéne tell much more of the story than other contemporary directors would allow. At the same time, he defies the conventions of classic biographical dramas as he focuses only on a brief period of Ferrari’s life and, instead of creating artificial conflicts, he superbly dramatises everyday encounters and ordinary business operations (paying wages, signing documents, concluding agreements with investors). This feel for detail also contributes to the believability of the fictional world. Ferrari’s work always clashes – either constructively or destructively – with his personal life (Ferrari finds common ground with his son thanks to his work, but he also loses his wife because of it). The lion’s share of emotion and excitement is typically found in the cinematically brilliant scenes of races, which represent Ferrari’s greatest passion. Unlike other sports movies, however, such scenes do not bring catharsis, but rather recall the fragility of life (thanks in part to the excellent sound design, the race cars of the time really do not seem safe) and recognition of the fact that however hard you try to have everything under control, certain events cannot be foreseen and you ultimately have no choice but to accept them and somehow incorporate them into your life story. 90% (07.01.2024)

Die erste Viertelstunde des Films stellt meisterhaft die Hauptfiguren, ihre inneren Schmerzen, Konflikte und Lebensmotivationen vor. Vor allem die Figur von Enzo Ferrari, des Fabrikanten und Ingenieurs, der ein eiserner und prinzipienfester Mann mit einem beschädigten Familienleben ist. Adam Driver wurde für diese Rolle geboren, die Energie und der Ton des Films bauen mehr auf ihm als auf den Autos. Die schicksalhafte und energische Musik von Daniel Pemberton, teilweise durch Gesang ergänzt, verleiht dem Film eine Seele. Die Retro-Stilisierung des Milieus und der anderen Figuren ist großartig, jeder Nebendarsteller besitzt die nötige Persönlichkeit. Prägnante Dialoge, die die tödliche Gefahr der Rennfahrerleidenschaft sowie die schwierige Position von Ferrari und seinem Unternehmen in dieser Branche beleuchten – die Verantwortung für Leben in der Jagd nicht nur nach Prestige, sondern auch nach dem Fortbestand des Firmen-Business. (07.01.2024)

The omission of Penélope Cruz in the Oscar nominations is completely incomprehensible to me. Adam Driver is fine here, he doesn't try to overact with "Italian-style" expressionism, even in tense scenes his acting is nicely decent, and I even believed that grey hairpiece on his head, but the main star for me is Penélope. Not the cars, about which I know nothing, not the races, but this woman, tormented by emotions and doubts, fights an internal battle throughout the film, only to capitulate at the end, because the family business is above all. And related to this is Michael Mann's intention, he doesn’t try to approach Enzo Ferrari's life with some boring biographical description and ticking off the years, but to bring the marital discord of a prominent family to life in a short period of time. And the races are just a nice addition, though the production is nicely polished and the cinematography nicely dramatic. I'd have perhaps only two criticisms, I don’t think it’s necessary in a non-English speaking setting to adapt the English of the actors into some sort of accented pidgin, as happens here, and I would have preferred not to see those CGI cars flying through the air in such a nicely old-fashioned film. (23.03.2024)

Michael Mann tells the story of one short period in the life of the owner of the famous car company. And unfortunately he tells a story that is not very attractive or engaging. In addition, Adam Driver plays a distant, cold professional who keeps his emotions in check, resulting in a rather dull film. This changes in the last part, when the racing starts and Mann shows that he's still good at directing action, even if he can come across as somewhat old-fashioned. Overall, though, Ferrari is a pretty uninteresting film about people struggling with a personal crisis and a once-in-a-lifetime loss, only that one of them happened to be a car designer. (17.01.2024)

Michael Mann returns after a long time with the stiffing biopic Ferrari, and it's fine, although more was expected. It seems to me that all the big directors, except for Nolan, have disappointed and failed to fully realize their potential this year. Those who expect another Ford vs Ferrari, Rush, or Gran Turismo from Ferrari will be slightly disappointed because the you won't get to enjoy many races. Even the final race lacks drive, tension, and atmosphere. Mainly, I didn't understand the rules, so it doesn't give you proper satisfaction, and the fact that the racers themselves are uninteresting and the rivalry with Maserati could and should have been tangible and impactful is also to blame, but when I consider that Michael Mann mainly wanted to shoot a film about Enzo Ferrari and his personal life and problems, and the race itself is just there, so to speak, I'm fine with it. Because when it comes to acting, it's top-notch quality. Adam Driver is excellent, I liked the dialogues and his performance, he's just an interesting personality. Penelope Cruz also skillfully supports him, portraying a pissed-off woman perfectly. These interactions between them are nicely intense. The retro visuals and the atmosphere of post-war Italy are also well done. Surprisingly, Mann manages to keep the viewer's attention and I wasn't bored, which is rare for these kinds of films. In conclusion, I have to highlight one shocking scene that shook every viewer in the audience! There is one uncompromising and brutal scene that even includes gore! Severed limbs, intestines, split bodies, I really didn't expect that in such a film, so a big PLUS! If Mann had captivated me with the final race and there had been a business meeting with Fiat, which seemed attractive (too bad there wasn't enough time for it), maybe I would consider giving it a full rating, but like this, it has to settle for a pleasant four out of five. 75% (29.12.2023)

Michael Mann chose to film a period in Enzo's life that would have made most people into quivering, weeping wrecks in bed. He starts by outlining a relationship situation, a value scale, and lets someone die. Masterful exposition with an absolutely spot-on Adam Driver and a terrifying Penélope Cruz. A story strong in detail. A harrowing family drama of a disaster-stricken factory worker, interspersed with an equally gripping racing inferno that, if you don't know what was going on in the Mille Miglia at the time, will chew you up with a minor detour into the life of an Italian family. Erik Messerschmidt pulls you right in between the roaring cars, Mann also keeps an eye on the sound so the engines roar and the sheet metal squeals like a cowpoke. Add to this Enzo's brilliant tactics – lying and twisting reality, tailor-made for each of the racers. The attention to detail shows the strength of Mann's filmmaking, and I hope we won't have to wait as long as we did for Ferrari for another such tidbit. (08.01.2024)

The opposite of Le Mans in many ways. In terms of time narrative, it is a small, intimate racing film, a study of the tormented genius of Enzo Ferrari from the surprising perspective of a family drama, not a flashy driving symphony of speedsters. It's not that there's no driving, and it even has a nicely retro tone with an extreme dose of realism and physicality (except for those awful digital flying cars), but Enzo's living room, bedroom and office are the primary focus. Michael Mann has made a dream come true, in a largely un-Hollywood, non-mainstream way. It's going to be hard to make a lot of money with this film, but the production values are solid. It's not the genre we're used to with Mann, and some of his traditional trademarks are not and can't be here, but he hasn't disgraced himself. (03.03.2024)

Eine großartige Show, genau solche Lebensläufe mag ich - sie wählen aus dem Leben einer Persönlichkeit ein wichtiges Kapitel aus und wenn sie gut geschrieben und gefilmt sind, schaffen sie es, alles Wesentliche zu sagen. Aus dieser Perspektive ist Ferrari jedoch noch raffinierter – er kann sowohl von Enzo als auch von Piero handeln, er kann von beiden gleichzeitig handeln, aber mit größter Wahrscheinlichkeit handelt es sich um den Namen Ferrari und seine Träger. Michael Mann beherrscht dies von der Schwarz-Weiß-Anfangsszene mit der auffälligen Rückprojektion über leise und laute Dialoge und die großartige Szene im Theater bis hin zu den Rennszenen mit einer verdammt niedrig positionierten Kamera und den Unfall-Szenen (die hässliche Trick-Aufnahme aus dem Trailer ist im Kino zum Glück nicht mehr so hässlich). Dennoch sind es nicht die donnernden Motoren, die Ferrari vorantreiben, sondern die hervorragenden Leistungen von Adam Driver, der wieder jemand ganz anderes ist und jede Szene für sich klaut, von der temperamentvollen Penélope Cruz und von Shailene Woodley, die ein perfektes Gegenpol bildet. Die gut funktionierende Musik von Daniel Pemberton und die wunderschöne Kamera vervollständigen und unterstreichen das Erlebnis. Wieder einmal ein echter Film für die große Leinwand. (06.01.2024)

Nach vielen Jahren hat sich Michael Mann seinen Traum erfüllt und macht dies mit Ehre. Ich denke aber, dass der Film wesentlich mutiger gewesen wäre, wenn er ihm bereits in seiner goldenen Ära in den 90er Jahren Zeit gewidmet hätte. Dieser Film über die schnellsten Autos in der damaligen Zeit ist nämlich nicht besonders schwungvoll. Überraschenderweise vor allem auf der Rennstrecke. Was das italienische Zuhause der Ferraris betrifft, ist es dank der teuflischen Penélope Cruz um zwei Gänge besser. Abgesehen von den familiären Auseinandersetzungen bekommen wir jedoch bei einem vergleichbaren Budget mit dem 4 Jahre alten Le Mans 66 - Gegen jede Chance in Ferrari wesentlich weniger in Bezug auf Maßstab, Spannung und Action (die angedeutete Rivalität mit Maserati ist ungefähr so bedeutend wie diese Klammer). Ja, Mille Miglia war eine völlig andere Motorsportveranstaltung als Le Mans, aber das Drama wird immer noch von den Rennfahrern selbst geschaffen. Und die sind in Manns Darstellung fade. Angesichts der sonst historisch turbulenten Entwicklung dieses Rennens ist das sehr schade. [Viennale 2023] (29.10.2023)