“Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up.”If you are vintage from birth and a nostalgic lover of black-and-white films like me, then you will also be aware that across the Channel - and especially overseas - this expression has become part of common use on a par with “frankly, I don't give a damn” from Gone with the Wind or “it could be worse, it could be raining” from Mel Brooks' legendary Frankenstein Junior.In this case it is the last line that Norma Desmond's character recites in Cecil B. De Mille's 1950 film.If, on the other hand, you have never seen it, I guarantee it is worth it and I'll stake my Smurfs' little house on it.Director Cecil B. De Mille is most familiar to us Italians for his version of The Ten Commandments, to be clear, the big pharaonic movie that TV schedules at Christmas and Easter of which the main character is Charlton Heston who plays Moses and who - I have never understood how it is possible - goes up to Sinai with dark brown hair and comes down carrying stone tablets etched by divine fire and two white arrows on a freshly made hairdo.The story of Sunset Boulevard, on the other hand, tells the story of the decline of a mute movie star whom the advent of sound sentenced to oblivion and to live a recluse in her monumental Hollywood mansion, at 10008 Sunset Boulevard precisely.In her garage-kept like a relique by her faithful butler Max - is kept one of the most luxurious Italian automobiles ever made, and whose brand name names baptize it, just like a self respecting lady.It is an Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A, to be precise.
In 1920 the Isotta Fraschini T8A featured a 7.4-liter inline 8-cylinder engine, one of the largest and most powerful of the time, capable of delivering 115 to 160 horsepower and allowing it to reach speeds of over 140 km/h, numbers that were nothing short of astronomical for those years.Just like panettone, the Isotta Fraschini brand was founded in 1900 in Milan by visionary Cesare Isotta together with his brothers Vincenzo, Oreste and Antonio Fraschini.It began as a garage for importing and servicing foreign automobiles-especially French cars - but within a few years Cesare, Vincenzo, Oreste and Antonio's dreams were given wings, and so the Milanese company was quickly transformed into a manufacturer of high - performance luxury automobiles.From the expert hands of Italy's best technicians and craftsmen, the Isotta Fraschini brand took off around the world and became especially beloved in the United States of America, although it would always remain a company deeply tied to its origins and Italian automotive tradition.
Created to tickle the fancy of many - but certainly not within the reach of everyone's accordion wallets - each Isotta Fraschini represents the best of Italian engine design and technology of the era.And just in order to satisfy the most demanding tastes, the T8A is even sold as a bare chassis and the bodies customized through creations by famous body artists such as Castagna, Touring, and Zagato.The interiors are reminiscent of the elegant drawing rooms of period palaces, decorated with fine materials, rare woods, high-quality hand-stitched leather, and inserts of precious metals and stones.The greatest personalities of the early 20th century are Isotta Fraschini's best customers.Gabriele D'Annunzio bought one, as did King Vittorio Emanuele III, His Holiness Pope Pio XI, the handsome and fateful Rodolfo Valentino, actress Clara Bow, and even Duce Benito Mussolini.
Created to tickle the fancy of many - but certainly not within the reach of everyone's accordion wallets - each Isotta Fraschini represents the best of Italian engine design and technology of the era.And just in order to satisfy the most demanding tastes, the T8A is even sold as a bare chassis and the bodies customized through creations by famous body artists such as Castagna, Touring, and Zagato.The interiors are reminiscent of the elegant drawing rooms of period palaces, decorated with fine materials, rare woods, high-quality hand-stitched leather, and inserts of precious metals and stones.The greatest personalities of the early 20th century are Isotta Fraschini's best customers.Gabriele D'Annunzio bought one, as did King Vittorio Emanuele III, His Holiness Pope Pio XI, the handsome and fateful Rodolfo Valentino, actress Clara Bow, and even Duce Benito Mussolini.
With a parterre of customers like that, the luck of the former Milanese workshop would seem insured along with its fame for eternity.But the advent of the Great Depression of 1929 and the Wall Street stock market crash put the noose around the necks of many of the world's financial tycoons, and demand for luxury automobiles fell dramatically.In Italy, corporate production costs become too high and the market suddenly shrinks.Just as in De Mille's film the invention of sound for the leading lady marks the end of her unchallenged reign as a silent film diva, the historical, social and economic changes that the whole world now embraces on the road to World War II undermine Isotta Fraschini's dominance of the elite luxury car market.It is the twilight of two divas.The Lombard company's sustainability is in trouble and so the brand runs for cover, almost completely abandoning automobile production to devote itself to the manufacture of aircraft, marine and industrial engines in an attempt to stay afloat by meeting the wartime needs of the Italian Kingdom.The sharp turn allows the company to survive during the war years, but the iceberg has been hit and an irreversible change in corporate focus begins for Isotta Fraschini.
At the end of World War II, in a last ditch effort the company's management attempts to revive its car production with the Tipo 8C Monterosa model, another revolutionary luxury sedan that will remain in automotive history for its innovations and unique design.The brilliant minds at Isotta Fraschini went back to work and made an unusual choice for the time when engines were predominantly located at the front of cars.The engineers in Milan, in order to improve balance and handling, place the beating heart of the Monterosa in the rear compartment.The engine they choose has a displacement of 3.0 liters, with an estimated output of about 120 horsepower, intended to provide respectable performance for a car of that size. Once again Zagato, Touring and at this round Bertone are called in to design some unique versions of the body design, characterized by elegant lines that are futuristic for the time, thanks to the inclusion of aerodynamic details in an imposing look.The Monterosa's chassis is projected to be light and strong, designed to support the rear engine and provide a smooth ride.The top-quality leather and wood interior maintains the opulent style that made Isotta Fraschini famous worldwide, despite the grand proportions that reflect the brand's elegance and refinement.
Unfortunately, creative effort and good will are not enough to change the fate of the company.Post-war reconstruction, Italy not recognizing itself in the mirror, shortening skirts and competition from international brands such as Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz, combined with the lack of financial resources, led the Milanese brand to the cancellation of the project and the final abandonment of production of the T8C Monterosa.It was 1949 when the curtain finally fell on Isotta Fraschini.But on August 10, 1950, not even a year later, at New York's Radio City Music Hall for the premiere of Sunset Boulevard, the brand new film by the genius Cecil B. De Mille, an enthusiastic crowd with their eyes glued to the big screen admired the triumphant entrance of leading lady Norma Desmond through the gate of the Los Angeles studios, regally seated in the back seat of her Isotta Fraschini T8A, with devoted butler Max at the wheel.All three together once again.
