Ford Vs Ferrari review by Rayan U
Part 1- A brief summary of the film
The film ‘Ford Vs Ferrari’ depicts Ford’s struggle to create a race car to compete in the ‘Le Mans’ race in 1966. The film was released in 2019 and was directed by James Mangold. This film was loosely based on the book ‘Go Like Hell’ which was meant to be later adapted into a film with different actors. Overall the film portrays Ford’s competition against Ferrari, whilst wanting to create a better race car. This rivalry emerged from Ferrari’s rejection of being bought by Ford, resulting in Ford being insulted by Enzo Ferrari. Ford then partners with Shelby, then hires Ken Miles who becomes a mechanic and ‘Le Mans’ legend. Furthermore, this film is centered around the Le Mans race, as a recurring goal.
Part 2- Your Opinion of the film
Throughout the film, the scenes are less engaging, in contrast to the second half which was highly engaging. The various shot changes in the second half of the movie, create an immersive representation of the race, which the first half was lacking. Overall the film is a 3.5/5.
Part 3 – Director’s Interpretation
Carroll Shelby-
In the film, Mangold represents Carroll Shelby as an engineering genius, yet posing him as a successful entrepreneur equipped with years of skill and experience. Often throughout the film, the director uses close shots of Shelby’s expressions to communicate his multitude of emotions. These close shots are often used during key moments of the film, showing Shelby’s influence on the events portrayed. Another example of Shelby’s unique portrayal is the manipulation of lighting around him. This is reflected by the dimming and flourishing of lighting throughout specific scenes. An example of this is how the lighting is bright and focused when Shelby is in a comfortable position with no aggravation. In contrast to this when Shelby is in an antagonizing position, this is often when Shelby is against the Ford company’s opinion. Moreover sound is unironically a large part of the film as Shelby is consistently followed by the sound of a car’s engine, conveying his status and role in the film. In further emphasis of Shelby’s role, his clothing is especially accentuated. In further stress of this point, Shelby is rarely seen in formal attire and is always in a mechanic’s wardrobe, including his cowboy hat.
Enzo Ferrari-
Throughout the film, Ferrari is encased in a layer of mystery, and is conveyed as a being on a different level from the rest of the car manufacturers. The director has created an extended amount of significance on this fact through the use of multiple film techniques. Ferrari’s finely tuned costuming extensively contributes to his status in the film. His assortment of clothing is displayed at any given moment in the film allowing his status to be inadvertently reinforced. This choice in costuming accentuates Ferrari’s heritage in Italy. The lighting around Ferrari is also a contributing factor to his status as the golden light allows the director to give Ferrari a higher sense of authority. However, there is a tint in the lighting showing Ferrari’s multifaceted personality. Throughout the film, Ferrari is accompanied by his Italian opera music in order to acknowledge his heritage further. Various close-up shots have been utilised in Ferrari’s time during the film to highlight facial expressions or signify something around him. During many scenes, including the first time, we see Ferrari there is silence during any close-up shot or conversation with him, in order to signify his presence. The director has extensively used character dynamics to reveal the secrets of Ferrari to the audience, whilst showcasing the many sides to his personality.
Part 4- Essay
Ford Vs Ferrari is a historically accurate film as proven by replicating various aspects from the film, whether real, replica, or CGI-assisted. This is however influenced by the use of various dramatization techniques. In support of this point, there were many replications of real-life aspects from which the film was appropriated. This includes Ken Miles’ Ford #98 GT40 MKII, and the tracks Daytona, and Le Mans, which were proven to be significant parts of the film.
Ken Miles’ GT40 proves the historical accuracy of the film as it is an important factor that has been incorporated into the film. Mangold used a new replica GT40 to enhance the accuracy of the film with real racing scenes and enhanced camera work. The races in which the film was based were very accurately depicted in the film with excellent replication of detail whilst considering the dramatization. This car is a reference to the competition between Ford and Ferrari, which is supported by the struggle to perfect the GT40. Throughout the film, multiple reference images have been replicated to boost the accuracy of the film. The appearance of the GT40 is a clear replication of the 1966 GT40, utilising the same design in close detail. Further delving into this, the characters’ involvement with the production of the GT40 was highly accurate considering the numerous scenes showing their contribution to the improvement of the vehicle. This evidence shows the context, design, and emergence of the design of the GT40, representing historical accuracy in the film. Overall the GT40 proves the historical accuracy of the film through various ideals.
Another important aspect of Ford Vs Ferrari is Daytona, which contributes to creating an accurate setting in the film. Daytona is a significant aspect of the film as it shows the fruition of the struggle to defeat Ferrari in their home ground. In the film, large amounts of real-life details have been represented featuring conditions in Daytona, and the overall landscape. Through images and sources, the climate during the time of the race was replicated in the movie, creating a more accurate representation. Mangold had taken the perspective of people from documents, to boost the accuracy of the track. Through extensive research into primary sources of Daytona, the director was able to further enhance the film’s perspective of the film. With the director delving into these sources, the film’s historical accuracy was elevated, however, dramatization in the film has warped factual information from the film. Overall, Daytona assists the historical accuracy of the film, proving it to be accurately represented.
In addition to this, Le Mans is accurately represented in the and has evolved to be a historical monument over time. Le Mans enhances the historical accuracy of the film through accurate representations that are exhibited throughout most of the film. Le Mans also has a large influence on the course of the film, resulting in it having to be a historically accurate location. Mangold appropriated the film’s setting from photographs and media from the time, to ensure immersion and accuracy. Another factor of Le Mans is the people in it, which is explored through appropriate costuming, allowing the time period to be showcased and reinforced. To fully create Le Mans, Mangold would have had to reflect the competitive nature of Le Mans in the film, further enhancing the historical accuracy of the film. These points reflect the methods to ensure accuracy in the film which are explored by the director. Furthermore, Le Mans is utilised in the film in a historically accurate way.
Overall, Ford Vs Ferrari is a historically accurate film as represented by the various elements in the film. Although some parts have been altered, the set design and context mostly remain to be reproduced well in the film.
Bibliography-
Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Keller, J. (2019). Ford v Ferrari. [online] IMDb. Available at:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1950186/ Accessed 24 Mar. 2024.
(No Author Or Date)“Ford and Ferrari Face off at Daytona and Le Mans (1/2) – 1966.” 24h-Lemans.com,
www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-and-ferrari-face-off-at-daytona-and-le-mans-1-2-1966-53292. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.
(No Author Or Date)“Ford v Ferrari (2019).”
Www.rottentomatoes.com, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ford_v_ferrari. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.