Dozens of historic Maseratis recreated for movie about Italian car company | Film

Dozens of Maserati designs from the 1920s and 1930s were built specifically for a feature film about the early days of the Italian car company, and the cast was directed by Anthony Hopkins.

Maserati: The Brothers tells the story of brothers trying to establish an automotive company from scratch with their passion for cars. It all started in a small garage in Bologna, Italy: In 1914 they founded a super sports car company that continues to produce some of the fastest vehicles on the planet.

Nearly 60 cars were built for the film; this was a much larger investment than most independent films, on a budget thought to be well over £90 million.

Hopkins, who has a passion for classic cars, plays the role of an Italian financier who funds the Maserati brothers. The Oscar-winning actor said he was “an intriguing and strong character to portray.”

The film is directed by another Oscar winner, Bobby Moresco, who describes it as “a story of resilience, innovation and the human spirit.” The cast also includes Al Pacino, Michele Morrone, Andy García and Jessica Alba.

Set in Italy in the early 20th century, the film focuses on the eldest brother Carlo, the ambitious Alfieri, and his brothers Bindo, Ettore and Ernesto, who pursue the idea of ​​producing innovative automobiles that combine art and technology.

Tensions mount over financial difficulties, racing risks and a forbidden love affair. Carlo tries to unite the family around the common goal of founding Maserati, but dies of tuberculosis before seeing his dream come true. Alfieri dreams of competing and winning prestigious competitions, but he dies in 1932 due to complications from injuries sustained in an accident many years earlier.

The film was produced by Italian-Canadian Andrea Iervolino, who has become one of Hollywood’s leading independent filmmakers, working with some of the industry’s biggest stars, including Pacino in the acclaimed Merchant of Venice.

Iervolino said of Hopkins, “He was really artistically involved in this movie. He worked a lot on the script. He also changed some of his own lines to convey a better message. So he really cares about this movie. Sometimes when you work with a star this big, they just care about the paycheck. But that’s not the case. Anthony is truly a great artist.”

“It plays a very important role in the movie because back then you could be a dreamer, but you had to find people with money. It was difficult to find people with money back then because the financial sector was not as developed as it is today.”

Although Hopkins plays an Italian character, he does not speak with an Italian accent. Iervolino said: “I think fake accents are just a problem. For example, in the Gucci movie, they did too much. If you want to see real Italian, then it’s better to shoot the movie in Italian. With an artist of this level, why do you need to fake accents? A little is okay, but when you do too much, you become like a parrot. This is a serious movie.”

Italy is famous for its high-performance cars, including brands such as Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo and Lancia.

Iervolino produced two other well-received automobile films: Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, directed by Moresco, and Micheal Mann’s Ferrari, starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. He’s also planning one for Bugatti.

“Italy was and still is like the Silicon Valley of automobiles,” he said. “Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia. If you go from Bologna to Milan, that’s where all the car manufacturing companies come from. At that time, each of them dreamed of the fastest car, the number one car, the most luxurious car. But not many people know the history behind them. There was a ‘dreamer’ behind the legacy. So as a film genre, this is very inspiring.”

The cars were produced in a workshop authorized by Maserati. The exteriors feature original designs but their engines recreate the original sounds while meeting modern standards.

The film is scheduled to be released in theaters later this year.