FORD v FERRARI (2019)

Not merely set in the ‘60s, but with a filmmaking mind-set from the ‘60s, director James Mangold goes all John Frankenheimer in this tru-ish if-you-can’t-buy-‘em/beat ‘em tale of how Henry Ford II took revenge on Italian racing giant Ferrari by gearing up to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Lee Iacocca’s the good-guy exec with the idea; Leo Beebe’s the bad-guy exec in charge; retired racer/good old boy Carroll Shelby designs & builds the car; Brit bad-boy Ken Miles drives.  Decidedly old-school in dialogue & construction, the script might be the work of Hollywood pro Sterling Silliphant, but given up-to-date tech & music cues.  The first an improvement (no mismatched/grainy process shots); the latter not (repetitive rhythmic suspense beats).  With acres of George Peppards & Rod Taylors playing all those Ford Company VPs (real Ford VPs at the time all looked like Don DeFore, college jocks gone tubby); while Matt Damon’s Shelby essentially has the peacemaking/honorable James Garner part and Christian Bale in for Steve McQueen (who would have refused to try the Birmingham accent*) as the hotheaded driver.  And, just like those ‘60s racing pics, this one could have lost a half hour.  But perhaps that’s part of the film’s comfort factor and why it was a bit overrated and taken seriously.  Zero surprises, but enjoyable on its own terms.  Best nostalgic moment?  A brief Tower of Babel moment when international broadcasters all yell in their various tongues at the same time.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  Back in the day, most U.S. car models were equipped with an extra little vent (shaped like a triangle) that would pivot out in front windows.  Great for breezeless ventilation & smoke elimination.  But as A.C. become ubiquitous, they were progressively phased out with but one exception: the Lincoln Continental Mark IV which retained the little vent window, now sliding down rather than out, kept solely for the purpose of handling smoke and ash for cigar addict Henry Ford II.  This film goes to the bother of sourcing & prominently showing those old little 6½ oz. glass Coke bottles, but not a cigar in sight.  Frankenheimer would have spotted it.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY/DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: The switch from celluloid film stock to the digital capture used here has many technical advantages, but does seem to make the cars feel less weighty/less tactile.  See the diff in John Frankenheimer’s GRAND PRIX/’66, with James Garner in the Steve McQueen spot.  Something McQueen tried to correct when he cobbled together LE MANS/’71.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/grand-prix-1966.html