- Ken Miles: You’re gonna build a car to beat Ferrari with… a Ford.
- Carroll Shelby: Correct.
- Ken Miles: And how long did they tell you that they need it? Two, three hundred years?
- Carroll Shelby: Ninety days.
- [Ken laughs hysterically]
I change channels after watching 30 seconds of a F1 or Motor GP race. I’ve never watched a car race in my life. I have absolutely no knowledge of the historic events surrounding the Ford and Ferrari motor companies. I’m the least bit ‘grease monkey’man I know. I have a hard enough time opening a bonnet let alone rummaging under it. I am Larry David in this clip with a flat tyre. So to say I was expecting much diversion or connection with today’s featured film Ford v Ferrari would be stretching it.
IMDB Storyline:
American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
I watched the film at the local cinema when it first came out. As expected, it didn’t blow me away, but I found it solid and engaging. Since then, I’ve caught it a few times on cable, and with each viewing, my appreciation and enjoyment have grown. It allows the viewer (as ignorant about cars as I am) to come into it from an empty slate, and inform and provide plenty of entertainment on almost every front. There is so much overall fun in Ford v Ferrari. It never takes itself too seriously, and it isn’t a comedy although there are some chuckles to be had like when Shelby and Miles have it out in the park. This movie above all is about a ‘Bromance’ – It’s a friendship story.
Christian Bale and Matt Damon both deliver excellent performances, with Damon especially surprising me. I had confidence in Bale’s ability to nail his role of a unique, quirky, but likeable racing driver and mechanic, but I didn’t expect Damon to embody the rugged, Southern-accented Carroll Shelby so convincingly. Shelby, an iconic American car designer, had retired after winning the gruelling 1959 ’24 Hours of Le Mans’ endurance race. Damon really impressed me here, and I’ve shared a clip below featuring my favourite part, where Shelby takes Henry Ford II for a ride. The reactions at the end? Absolutely priceless.
- To prepare for his role, Christian Bale took race driving lessons at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School. Bale got to hear stories of the 1960s racing scene. Robert Nagle, Bale’s instructor and the film’s stunt coordinator, called Bale “hands down the best actor I’ve ever trained.”
- Matt Damon said that the number one reason he wanted to do the movie was to work with Christian Bale.
- According to Matt Damon, Christian Bale had to lose 70 pounds before filming began. Bale had previously gained a lot of weight for his role in Vice (2018) and had about seven months to lose it all to play the lean race car driver. Damon asked Bale how he managed to lose all the weight, and Bale replied that he simply didn’t eat. Damon said he was impressed by Bale’s monk-like discipline.
[Shelby sees Enzo Ferrari arguing with his team]
Carroll Shelby: I don’t speak Italian, but he ain’t happy.
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Watching a race on TV is radically different than going to an actual race. I used to go to the races at Watkins Glen almost every year & it was a lot of fun. I have never seen this movie but my son really like it. Ford Shelby is an excellent car.
I regret not replying earlier. I imagined watching an actual race would be even more unappealing since you are just watching a small segment of the race over and over again and missing out the goings on in the remainder of the track.
That’s cool your son liked it also. Thank for sharing.
At the Glen, you were allowed to camp for the weekend & it was a really cool time. We set up chairs on the top of our friends’ motorhome & with binoculars, you could see large segments of the track, not just what was right in front of you. We always camped along the back straight-away. It was a real party. We also walked around the track, meeting people & seeing the sights. It was a fabulous time. I miss doing that but I am no longer married to that man nor do I hang out with that group of people. Everything changes.
Thanks for the overview of the occasion which gave me a sense of the allure and its grandeur.
This looks interesting…I like what little bit I’ve seen on it…and I love cars.
Did you see that clip at the end of the post of Shelby driving Henry Ford Jr II around? My gawd that cracks me up and Damon’s acting as he pulls up is wonderful.
Congratulations to you and your Dodgers last night. We are all rooting for the Dodgers. Freeman’s walk off HR was the stuff of legend. I love how that guy plays. Both Connie and I saw that live in our respective places. My little girl had fallen asleep here. We have a big day today. Looking forward to game 2 tonight. Cheers.
Oh that is a great clip. I didn’t know if he was crying because he was scared or happy lol…Damon did a great job in that.
This is why I wanted a Dodgers – Yankees World Series for a long time. It reminded me of the Kirk Gibson homerun…not the same circumstances but a great moment in World Series history.
Another fantastic game last night. My daughter and I saw three HR’s from the Dodgers despite flicking between ‘American Beauty’ and the game. The silence that enveloped the crowd after Ohtani’s shoulder injury was deafening. MLB news says it seems minor. Cross fingers.
I’m afraid I don’t know anything about the Kirk Gibson HR.
Hopefully the injury is minor…they did what they had to do… Even without Ohtani I think they can win. Plus Ohtani was pressing trying to do too much…swinging at pitches he doesn’t normally swing at.
Kirk Gibson…he hit what is the most dramatic homerun in World Series history. Because of what was going on.
Gibson was the best player on a bad Dodgers offense but the pitching staff were excellent. He had a pulled hamstring in one leg and a swollen knee on the other. He could hard run at all. Anyway….here is a 9 min video…it’s interesting baseball.
MVP will go to a designated hitter. lol
On another matter… is the controversy surrounding how two of the richest teams face each other off and salary caps should be tightened in fairness to the other teams. The biggest hitters in MLB are on both LAD and NYY, so there’s that as well.
I’m watching the video you sent which goes into the nitty gritty. I miss that Dodgers commentator too. He was so good. Freeman is on track for MVP of this series as well with a crummy ankle. I love that guy. Cool video Max. Thanks.
Yea but this is the first time they met since 1981…and they have always been the richest teams. The NFL is boring and vanilla because of a salary cap. I do not suport it but it will never happen. The players union won’t do it.
Oh…also…since 2000…MLB has had more different teams in the World Series than the NFL…so competitive wise… the MLB is better.
This is the first time the Yankees made the World Series since 2009…and they are THE richest team. Sorry for going on Matt…I’m really into this subject.
Oh Vin Scully to me….was the best baseball announcer. He was not a “homer”….you couldn’t tell which team he announced for…even Giant fans liked him LOL.
I know we had this discussion before, well kinda, but if you look at how many times both teams have made the WS, it’s 44 NYY and LAD 20 appearances respectively higher than any others except with San Francisco with 20 also. To me, having followed it may be a decade or so and I’m aware of NYY being away from the Series a while, it still seems a bit pear shaped. As quoted in the movie ‘Moneyball’ “The problem we’re trying to solve is that there are rich teams, and there are poor teams. Then there’s 50 feet of crap. And then there’s us. It’s an unfair game”
Ok yeh, that’s Vin Scully. He was something else.
The Yankees won a lot in the late 90s…but they did it by drafting the core guys.
Judge is a real Yankee…he was drafted by them…just like Kershaw was by The Dodgers. You have to build a team through your own farm system and then get the free agents to supplement it.
Look at the New England Patriots…6 titles since 2002…no one in baseball team is even near that amount. I know what you are talking about though….
And baseball does have a certain “cap” but it’s a tax. If your payroll is so high 3-4 years…you have to pay tax to teams like Pittsburgh….but guess what Pittsburgh does with the money? They put it in their pocket and don’t put it back in the team. That is the biggest problem. All teams are making money but how many put most of it back in their team? The Rays are the poorest team but they win every single year….they are always a threat where The Cubs are not…and the Cubs are rich…it’s how you spend it…and how you develop your own players.
The Rays are probably the best…and The Dodgers. The Dodgers GM came from the Rays.
I was going to add in the previous message that perhaps your argument would be that teams like NYY and LAD just had more proficiency in how they spend their money and how they develop there players. And I’m not going to argue with you there. And you make a great case – the Steelers in point on the downside and the Rays on the up. Thanks for enlightening me, buddy.
But I do see all of it and how it looks. I would have more sympathy with the poorer teams like the Rays…but the Pirates…nah. lol. Have a good one! I’ll talk to you tomorrow!
Cheers mate and thanks for the Baseball lesson. I appreciate you taking the time.
ANYONE BUT THE YANKEES!
I couldn’t agree more. Who do you barrack?
I lived in Boston for many years, so that speaks for itself. But I often go to Buffalo Bisens games, since I live in Buffalo. AAA is good ball.
I’m Australian, so I didn’t grow up on American sports. I have lived in Colombia for 15 years and we receive coverage of most American sports as well as football (soccer as you guys call it). I had to look up who the Buffalo Bisens were. lol
Over time I have acquired a taste for Baseball. My goal is to one day (if I win the lottery) to watch a baseball game at every one of the MLB teams’ stadiums. My closest connection with AAA is the movie ‘Bull Durham’ hehe
I am familiar with the Boston Red Sox’s ‘curse of the bambino’ until they finally broke it. There is a great doco on that.
I lived in Lowell (small city outside of Boston) & they had a single A team, the Lowell Spinners, named for the former textile mills that dominated the city. Most of the players were right out of highschool. Those were great games. They were cheap, too ~ you could see a game for only $5!
I love baseball. I’ll watch almost anyone play. But I can’t stand the Yanks. LOL
I love the name ‘Lowell Spinners’ lol. The name makes sense given the textile mill. 5 bucks isn’t too bad either. I also don’t like the yanks at all. Cheers.