By : RACHNA TYAGI
MUMBAI :
American writer, Ernest Hemingway, best known for extolling the virtues of “machismo,” called only three sports "real sports" and his famous quote, “There are only three sports bullfighting, motor racing, mountaineering; all the rest are merely games,” has gone down the annals of history. Little surprise then that American car manufacturer, Ford, after being slighted by Ferrari, chose the motor racing route to humble the Italian car manufacturer, at Le Mans, to show them the mettle that they were truly made of.
It is this story that Twentieth Century Fox’s latest film, Ford v Ferrari, tells, and it does so magnificently. Calling the film, Epic, would be an understatement; not only because the film ticks all the boxes for good cinematography, superb story-telling and great sound engineering, but because it does so without being OTT – and this fine balance has been skillfully achieved with just the right dosages of scenes that oscillate between road and track and the boardroom. Oodles of old-fashioned goodness, the kind that never goes out of style, has been beautifully juxtaposed against the evilness of Machiavellian schemers, however, what truly drowns the noises from the boardroom are the sounds of different race car engines, in different states of tune – an aural treat for car lovers, indeed!
Matt Damon who left us mighty impressed with the car chase scene in The Bourne Identity, as he drove a MINI through Paris, plays Caroll Shelby, the driving force behind Ford’s racing GT car. Christian Bale, plays race driver, Ken Miles, who becomes instrumental in bringing glory to Ford at 24 hours of Le Mans in the racing GT40 in 1966. Ken Miles’s wife, Mollie Miles, played by Caitriona Balfe, makes a delightful entry in the film talking what else but cars! Mollie, is no lily-livered bimbette and she shows us her driving skills in an explosive driving scene, as she drives a station wagon, yes, you read that right, at breakneck speed in order to gets Miles to admit what he’s been up to the previous night. Both, Leo Beebe played by Josh Lucas and Lee Iacoca played by Jon Bernthal, minions of Henry Ford II, take turns in moving the story forward ensuring that in the end, it is ultimately company politics that triumphs and that too with a photo finish!
Besides the super cars such as the Shelby Cobras, Chevrolet Corvettes, Porsche 911 and the GT40s (Many of which have been recreated exclusively for the film) there is hardly any glamour in the film, in fact, all the road racing in the film, has been actually shot amidst a lot of heat, dust, and rain, with the car building activities happening in some greasy garages which have the semblance of hangars.
The film has some really cool scenes that stand out such as the one where Ford’s shiny new car arrives at the airport and Miles jumps into it, taking it for a spin. There is another scene when Miles tosses a spanner at an official before the race, breaking the windshield of his car because he cannot have anybody explain “rules” to him. My favourite scene however, is the one shot at the 24 hours of Le Mans final race, where the Ford GT40 and Ferrari 330 P3 are racing next to each other, in a bid to get ahead, and the way the engine sounds of both the cars have been alternated in that scene, showing us the drivers of the cars while simultaneously making audible the distinct sounds of their car engines respectively, (both of which are very different from each other, thanks to their American heritage and Italian pedigree) is simply one of the most outstanding examples of great film editing and some terrific sound engineering coming together for such dramatic effect! Rarely have filmmakers achieved this level of perfection in a motor racing scene.
That Ford managed to win at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 because of a system developed at Shelby American which allowed them a quick change of brakes is well known, in fact, it makes for a rather interesting scene in the film as the Americans toss the rule book at the French and go on to create auto racing history.
Much of Ford v Ferrari is about Ford’s preoccupation with trying to carve a niche for itself in performance motor sports, and about Ferrari, showing no signs of slowing down in the road races. The scene which shows Enzo Ferrari, played by Remo Girone doffing his hat to Ken Miles after Ford beats Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966, is a nice soft touch in a film that is mostly about mean people and mean machines.
Ford v Ferrari is undoubtedly a superb film about how American car manufacturer, Ford, outmaneuvers, Italian car maker, Ferrari, at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. However, to truly enjoy the film, you’ve got to watch it as more of a car lover than a film afficionado. Sure enough, the film entertains with some power-packed performances and some insane motor racing scenes but it is actually the intensity of the dialogues in the film that really stands out and make you ponder. Afterall, it is not everyday that a great motor racing film comes along with exquisite lines such as “At that point, at 7000 rpm, when everything fades and the car becomes weightless........ All that’s left is a body moving through space and time....... That’s where you meet it......That's where it waits for you.... The only question that matters is…..WHO ARE YOU?"
