RE: The Tortoise and the Hare: Time for Tea?
Friday 27th November 2015
The fable of two mismatched animals racing. A tortoise fed up of a boastful hare challenges him to a race. We all know how the story ends, but below is what happens when a tyre manufacturer commissions a British director and producer to demonstrate the benefits of fitting radial Pirelli Cinturato tyres to a Jaguar E-Type.
The Tortoise and the Hare: Time for Tea?
Old-school Pirelli promo film shows the YouTube generation how it should be done
Hugh Hudson, famed for directing Chariots of Fire and Fangio: Una Vita a 300 all'ora, remade this traditional fable highlighting Pirelli tyres. And it's suitably cinematic in scope, and near 40-minute duration.
The hare in this case is an attractive woman with her daughter racing through Italy in a Jaguar E-Type, stopping at towns peppered along the route. The tortoise, meanwhile, is an Italian man cruising along the same course in his Pirelli-branded truck, barely stopping even for lunch.
Watch the video here.
[Sources: Cinturato,IMDB]
Discussion
Mr. Robert Brownjohn was evidently quite proud of the non-standard title sequence.
Having just written the preceding sentence, I did a search on said titles man. You might be amused to see where he came from. And what other films he did titles for.
Having just written the preceding sentence, I did a search on said titles man. You might be amused to see where he came from. And what other films he did titles for.
Epic. My earliest motoring memories are around this film and travelling to Italy in a Mini Countryman when I was a nipper in 1971. Many the time as we stopped at the service areas I'd look in semi awe at the cars and trucks travelling along the route we were taking as we all seemed on a grand adventure. This was back in the day when meeting a car with a GB sticker somewhere on the autoroute/autostrada/autobahn was treated with waves and cheery toots of the horn. Happy hazy days 
What a brilliant and evocative film. More please.
stu harris said:
This was back in the day when meeting a car with a GB sticker somewhere on the autoroute/autostrada/autobahn was treated with waves and cheery toots of the horn.
Still happens in the right car, though better on the national roads.Behemoth said:
What a brilliant and evocative film. More please.
Earlier this year we were driving past Clermont Fernando and saw another GB car - plenty of toots and waves! stu harris said:
This was back in the day when meeting a car with a GB sticker somewhere on the autoroute/autostrada/autobahn was treated with waves and cheery toots of the horn.
Still happens in the right car, though better on the national roads.We were in the Smart Roadster on our way back from the Med.
My,my. I have mixed feelings about seeing this again after so many years. Showing my age here - back in the actual day this was actually run as a pre-film advertisement at my university film society.
I can remember the blonde in the cream E-type in heartbeat, but have no memory at all of the film we showed after the ads. Funny, that..
I can remember the blonde in the cream E-type in heartbeat, but have no memory at all of the film we showed after the ads. Funny, that..
Wow. The lost art of true cinematography.
Brought back so many memories of travel in the same year,1966, in the back of a Mk2 Zodiac! Those servizio areas where it was like a pitstop. Oil checked, windscreen washed and tyres checked. The shots of Venezia are interesting as they are pre-floods of 1968 when the city changed forever.
Love the driver making lunch on the go and having a drink of wine! He must have had a capacious bladder.
All the horn blowing - still like that today.
As a 12yo it was fascinating - a different world to the UK then. Although she was a typical 60's "Dolly Bird". Hell, her daughter would be in her 50's now...... illusion shattered.
Remember, this was all shot on film with manual editing. Must have taken weeks to make.
Thank you PH for finding that.
Brought back so many memories of travel in the same year,1966, in the back of a Mk2 Zodiac! Those servizio areas where it was like a pitstop. Oil checked, windscreen washed and tyres checked. The shots of Venezia are interesting as they are pre-floods of 1968 when the city changed forever.
Love the driver making lunch on the go and having a drink of wine! He must have had a capacious bladder.
All the horn blowing - still like that today.
As a 12yo it was fascinating - a different world to the UK then. Although she was a typical 60's "Dolly Bird". Hell, her daughter would be in her 50's now...... illusion shattered.
Remember, this was all shot on film with manual editing. Must have taken weeks to make.
Thank you PH for finding that.
Wonderful period piece which taps into the obvious fantasy of beautiful mysterious girl driving sports car across Europe. Well, we've all had them - the fantasy, I mean! (Remember the chase between Bond in his supercharged Bentley v la contessa Teresa di Vicenzo in her Lancia Flaminia Zagato Spyder in Fleming's novel "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"?).
It's essentially a forty-minute advert for Pirelli Tyres where the object was to promote Italy itself as well as the product - good example of a major Italian manufacturer showcasing its country of origin. They do things like that in Italy.
Shame the colours have faded but well done Pistonheads for sourcing this lovely piece of film.
The bottom line though is that I want an E-Type-driving, cigarette-smoking blonde like that - although obviously (thanks to the four-year old daughter) someone beat me to it as far as this particular lady is concerned...
Wonder if that E-Type survives to this day somewhere?
It's essentially a forty-minute advert for Pirelli Tyres where the object was to promote Italy itself as well as the product - good example of a major Italian manufacturer showcasing its country of origin. They do things like that in Italy.
Shame the colours have faded but well done Pistonheads for sourcing this lovely piece of film.
The bottom line though is that I want an E-Type-driving, cigarette-smoking blonde like that - although obviously (thanks to the four-year old daughter) someone beat me to it as far as this particular lady is concerned...
Wonder if that E-Type survives to this day somewhere?
Edited by firebird350 on Monday 30th November 09:57
Total pants, I turned off after the first thirty seconds when it was clear the sound was faked. Either that or the car can change gear without her moving her hands off the steering wheel.
It reminded me of tokyo drift where the film is aimed at people who believe that cars have thirty 'up ' gears and every time you change up the car does a wheelie while accelerating forward.
It reminded me of tokyo drift where the film is aimed at people who believe that cars have thirty 'up ' gears and every time you change up the car does a wheelie while accelerating forward.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff