Live fast and die young. The 1950s saw the dawn of the Scuderia Ferrari battle in the one of its most glamorous but also the deadliest decade in the history of motor racing. While the cars pushed technological boundaries, their drivers were stretched to their physical limits, leading to eventual disaster for some.
Ferrari: Race to Immortality is a poignant title for a movie that tells the story of the triumphs and tragedy that celebrated Ferrari drivers go through, and how they gamble their lives on the tarmac.
Told through the voices of wives and girlfriends, along with actual archived footage from that period, the documentary gives us a rare behind-the-scenes look at the high life the best of the best enjoy at their prime. At the centre of the film is the man who started it all- Enzo Ferrari, who himself rose to prominence as a race car driver before settling down to build his Ferrari racing empire that still stands strong today.
The film gives us a glimpse into the little-known life of Enzo Ferrari, who rose from nothing to owning one of the most famous brands in the world. We get to know how he got into the sport, his meteoric rise and his decision to start his own racing empire.
The movie eventually shifts attention to the tragedy of the deaths of five iconic drivers who were killed within months of each other, including British superstars Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, crucial members of the Ferrari team. Hawthorn was UK’s first F1 world champion when he died at just 30. In his desire to win, Ferrari pushed both his cars and racers to the limits. Ferrari’s motto has always been ‘WIN or die, you will be immortal.’
At the end of the 92-minute documentary directed by sports filmmaker Daryl Goodrich , you get the sense that Ferrari is a man so blinded by his appetite for glory that he would do everything to reach the top.
