''Ferrari'' is a 2003 Italian

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

based on the book by

Enzo Biagi Enzo Biagi (; 9 August 1920 – 6 November 2007) was an Italian journalist, writer and former partisan. Life and career Biagi was born in Lizzano in Belvedere, and began his career as a journalist in Bologna. In 1952, he worked on the screenpl ...

. It depicts

Enzo Ferrari Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; ; 18 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of Scuderia Ferrari in Grand Prix motor racing, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. Under h ...

's rise from a successful race driver to one of the most famous

entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

of all time. Being interviewed by a fictitious, intrusive young

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

he recalls his setbacks and personal losses. He also expresses his regrets about race drivers who met with an

accident An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not deliberately caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that the event may have been caused by Risk assessment, unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Many researchers, insurers ...

. The film finishes with a dedication by

Piero Ferrari Piero Ferrari (born Piero Lardi, 22 May 1945; later Piero Lardi FerrariRancati, p. 107) is an Italian billionaire businessman and sport personality. He is the second and only living son of Enzo Ferrari, and a 10.48% owner of the Ferrari automoti ...

: "In loving memory of my father and of my brother Dino." Due to its success the original TV

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

was edited for cinema.

Plot

When he is only ten years old, Enzo Ferrari runs to the next village only to watch a car race. Now the direction for his life is set. He starts immediately working on vehicles and as soon as he is old enough to drive a real car, he becomes a race car driver. Soon the young man shows ambitions in finding a racing team. He offers his services to

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

but the team managers turn him down. Yet

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

hires Ferrari and promotes him to team manager. With gusto Ferrari takes his family to the races. His wife objects to the noise and considers this environment inappropriate for little

Dino Dino may refer to: Prefix * dino-, a common prefix in taxonomy, meaning "terrible", "formidable" **Dinosaur ** Dinosaurus People * Dino (given name), a masculine given name and a nickname * Dino (surname), a surname found in Albania and Turkey ...

, but Enzo's

enthusiasm In modern usage, enthusiasm refers to intense enjoyment, interest, or approval expressed by a person. The term is related to playfulness, inventiveness, optimism, zest, verve, and high energy. The word was originally used to refer to a person ...

knows no restraint. He is determined to raise him as his successor. Ferrari's reputation grows and enables him to create his own company,

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...

. When he presents his employees (including

Giuseppe Campari Giuseppe Campari (8 June 1892 – 10 September 1933) was an Italian opera singer and Grand Prix motor racing driver. Racing career Born near the city of Lodi southwest of Milan, as a teenager he went to work for the Alfa Romeo automobile com ...

and

Tazio Nuvolari Tazio Giorgio Nuvolari (; 16 November 1892 – 11 August 1953) was an Italian racing driver. He first raced motorcycles and then concentrated on sports cars and Grand Prix racing. Originally of Mantua, he was nicknamed ("the Flying Mantuan") ...

) to the press, he explains that enthusiasm can be contagious. But when German troops come to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, Ferrari is accused of building weapons for the Italian resistance. Although one of the officers is a former racing driver and a fan of Ferrari and tries to protect him, Ferrari must hide. After the war Enzo Ferrari rebuilds his destroyed factory, and begins pushing himself to his limits. Once he is back in business and has recovered from exhaustion, he finds out that Dino suffers with an especially severe form of

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

. Enzo regrets not having spent more time with him, a thought which will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Cast

Sergio Castellitto Sergio Castellitto (born 18 August 1953) is an Italian film director, actor, and screenwriter. Biography Sergio Castellitto was born in Rome in 1953, to parents from Molise and Abruzzo, Southern Italy. After graduating from the Silvio D'Amico ...

as Enzo Ferrari :*

Elio Germano Elio Germano (born 25 September 1980) is an Italian actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six David of Donatello., a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and a Silver Bear for Best Actor. Life and career Born in Ro ...

as Enzo Ferrari at 18 years old :*

Skandar Keynes Alexander Amin Caspar Keynes (born 5 September 1991) is an English political advisor, and former actor. Best known for starring as Edmund Pevensie in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' film series, he appeared in all three installments: ''The Lion, th ...

as Enzo Ferrari at 8 years old *

Ed Stoppard Edmund Stoppard (born 16 September 1974) is an English actor. He is the son of playwright Tom Stoppard and doctor Miriam, Lady Hogg. his credits include ' (2002), ''Joy Division'' (2006), '' Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire'' (2006) ...

as Ferrari's alter ego *Cristina Moglia as Laura Garello *

Jessica Brooks Jessica Kate Brooks (born 28 May 1981) is an English actress. In musical theatre, she is a soprano. She has appeared in various BBC television productions, including ''Murder Rooms: The Kingdom of Bones'', and featured in episodes of ''Footbal ...

as Lina Lardi *

Mathew Bose Mathew Bose (born 3 July 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Paul Lambert in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'' from 2004 to 2010 and again in 2015. Life and career Rajat Mathew Bose was born 3 July 1973 in South East London ...

as Dino *

Pierfrancesco Favino Pierfrancesco Favino (; born 24 August 1969) is an Italian actor and film producer. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three David di Donatello, five Nastri d'argento, two Globi d'oro, three Ciak d'oro and a Volpi Cup. Favino ...

as Filippo *

Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor known for his dramatic, comedic, and musical roles on List of Jonathan Bailey performances, stage and screen. List of awards and nominations received by Jonathan Bailey, His accola ...

as Alfredo Ferrari *

Vincent Schiavelli Vincent Andrew Schiavelli (; November 11, 1948 – December 26, 2005) was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television. Described as an "instantly recognizable sad-faced actor", he was diagnosed with Marfan sy ...

as Mr. Paradise *

Francesca De Sapio Francesca De Sapio (16 August 1945) is an Italian actress and acting coach, best-known as the young Carmela Corleone in ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974). The daughter of an architect, she was born in Rome, Italy. After her father's work took h ...

as Adalgisa Ferrari * Gabriella Pession as Floriana Ferrari * Anton Alexander as Lawyer to Enzo Ferrari *Giampiero Judica as

* Matteo Angius as

Gilles Villeneuve Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (; 18 January 1950 – 8 May 1982) was a Canadian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Villeneuve was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and won six Grands ...

Vincent Riotta Vincenzo Ricotta (born 14 October 1959), professionally known as Vincent Riotta, is a British actor. Career Riotta studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He went on to perform in various stage plays, such as William Shakespeare, Shakesp ...

as Journalist *

Sal Borgese Sal Borgese (born 5 March 1937) is an Italian film actor. He is sometimes credited as Salvatore Borghese or Mark Trevor. He is noted for extensive work in the Italian film industry from the 1960s to present day, and for his work as a stuntman an ...

as Beppe Sicci *

Andy Luotto André Paul "Andy" Luotto (born 30 July 1950) is an American actor, comedian, musician, chef, and restaurateur. He has resided in Italy since the mid-1970s, where he is a prolific television personality, and is the owner and operator of the Lá re ...

as Mr. Garello

References

External links

* {{Carlo Carlei 2003 television films 2003 films Italian biographical films English-language Italian films Italian auto racing films Films set in the 20th century Films directed by Carlo Carlei 2000s biographical films 2000s English-language films Enzo Ferrari Films set in Emilia-Romagna Formula One in film English-language biographical films