Perhaps Bloomberg writer Hannah Elliott might want to consider shedding her social justice warrior armor while reviewing films such as the popular Ford v Ferrari because her obsession about "diversity" absurdly clouds her review. Elliott's antagonism to what she sees as an unforgiveable depiction of the white male oriented world of car racing in the 1960s begins with the title, "Ford v Ferrari Depicts a Generation of Car Guys That’s Best Left Behind," and continues throughout her SJW soapbox lecture disguised as a review.
As for the review itself, one only has to wait until the third paragraph for her obsession to begin:
It’s a beautifully shot film that will be enjoyable for modern car buyers and enthusiasts alike—engines rev, tires squeal, stopwatches click. But what I saw is a devastating picture of the lack of diversity that permeated the industry in the 1960s.
So obsessed is Elliott over "lack of diversity" that she seems to forget what the film is actually about in what appears to be a struggle with anger management issues on her part.
If automakers want any hope of relevance in the next decades, as they face the most radical changes and challenges they’ve experienced in 150-odd years of automotive history, they would be wise to contemplate it closely. Because Ford v Ferrari shows a generation best left dead and gone.
Picture this: During all 152 minutes of the film—which, for those who love vintage racing cars, will feel as good as an ice cream sundae on a summer afternoon, and you can read all about that here—men dominate the screen for 98% of the time, by my unofficial count. They are in the executive suites at Ford and Ferrari, in the workshops and garages in Venice, on the track out at Willow Springs Raceway. (And when I say men, I mean white, straight men.)
Wow! Was Elliott watching the film with some sort of diversity measuring device?
No fraction of the storyline is devoted to parsing the thoughts and feelings of any female who appears, even peripherally, on screen. Instead, Caitriona Balfe, who plays Miles’s wife, Mollie, is presented as the doting mother: She smiles mildly and nods her head indulgently as her husband struggles to gain traction in the race world. She clucks and scolds like a schoolmarm when Miles and Shelby come to blows on her front lawn—then brings them each a soda pop.
Other women waft through the film like smoke: Secretaries in wood-paneled offices handing manila folders to men in navy suits; corporate wives smiling silently, always positioned one step behind their husbands’ shoulder; young racing fans that serve as pretty décor on racing podiums. To the victor go the spoils.
After a brief, merciful respite from her diversity lecture, Elliott finishes with a hard blast hyping the patriarchy that continues to obsess her:
It’s no surprise to survey this patriarchal wasteland—but it’s no less depressing to see it, nonetheless. The epic portrayed remains uncomfortably close to how the car world is today. We still have to look hard to find women of consequence.
...Six of GM’s 11 global board members are women, an admirable percentage. But the numbers are worse elsewhere. At Toyota, just 13% of board members are women; Hyundai and Kia have no women in any position as high as vice president. The auto industry lags behind the rest of the world: women in corporate America at large occupy 21% of C-suite offices, 30% of VP-level roles and 38% of managerial roles, while the auto industry places women in 13% of C-suites, 18% of VP-level spots, and 20% of managerial positions, according to Catalyst, a nonprofit that advocates for women in industry.
...Ford v Ferrari puts in stark relief the stunted mentality of previous generations. Carroll Shelby, crystalized by Hollywood like a mosquito in amber, is its totem artifact of generations dead and gone. For those who are serious about making brilliant, thrilling, innovative vehicles in the modern age, he’s best left behind.
Thank you for the lecture tour of your personal obsessions, Ms Elliott, but would you mind giving us a real review of what sounds like a fine film?
