The Last Mille Miglia ? (1957)

Italy.

The last preparations for the start of the Italian Mille Miglia (thousand miles) race. SV. Camera pans as No 1 car (Remo Pola), a Fiat, leaves the starting ramp - Saturday night, this was the first car away in the race. TV. Looking down on part of town of Brescia showing milling crowds and racing cars getting ready for the race, & GV. SCU. Stirling Moss talking to another driver before he left for the race. SCU. Man painting a number on the back of the saloon sports car. CU. A Maserati engine. GV. One of the larger racing cars leaves the starting ramp at dawn on Sunday. SCU. Camera pans as car No 531 Ferrari, with driver Marquis De Portago and co-driver Eddie Nelson, leaves the starting ramp. SCU. Children taking photos at the start. SV. Camera pans as car No 534, also Ferrari, with Peter Collins and his co-driver leaves the ramp. SV. Stirling Moss and his co-driver in their Maserati at the starting ramp. GV. Moss's car leaves the ramp amidst cheering crowd. SV. Spectators in the "Start" stand. TV. A racing car travelling down through Italian countryside. SV. Camera pans as car No 437 rounds a sharp left-hand bend in the course. SCU. Spectators. SV. Camera pans as car No 531, Ferrari with De Portago and his co-driver, go round the same bend. Camera pans to a signpost "Roma". SCU. Camera pans as car No 535 (Piero Taruffi). round sharp left-hand bend. GV. People on hillside watching. SCU. Car No 507 (Jean Guichet) round right-hand bend, away into back view. Some men standing by wall have to climb up onto it - the car roars past them. TV. Racing car travelling down towards small town. GV. De Portago and co-driver in Ferrari travelling fast, down long straight road, and into back view. This is the racing shot of De Portago before he was killed. GV. Spectators lining bank. GV. Car No 535 with driver Taruffi, travelling fast towards winning line followed closely by car No 532 (Wolfgang von Trips). SV. Spectators in the finishing stands applauding. GV. & SV. Piero Taruffi walking back along the track being greeted and congratulated by officials.

GV. Outside the village of Guidizzolo, men looking at the ditch where de Portago's Ferrari crashed. SV. The wrecked Ferrari lying in a ditch of water. SCU. Camera pans showing the wrecked car. SV. The crash helmets of the two drivers - their shoes and clothes lying by the roadside. CU. The two crash helmets. SV. The lower part of the telephone pole which was broken in two when the car hit it. SCU. The top half of the pole lying by the roadside. CU. The wreath of the Province of Mantova fixed to a tree nearby where the accident took place. SV. The wrecked Ferrari lying in a ditch of water. Twelve people were killed in the crash and authorities wonder whether this is the last Mille Miglia race ever.

(F.G.) (Orig.D.)

FILM ID:651.18

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