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Cars on the Big Screen: Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider in The Talented Mr. Ripley
For over a hundred years, the car has played a central role in many of Hollywood's greatest films. In some cases, the car has often been more than just a means of transport– they have become characters that shaped the audience's perception of status, adventure, and style. In this article series, we showcase the greatest car icons that have graced the silver screen. Next up for a ride: Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider.
Photo: Alamy
Text: Johannes Nilsson
La Dolce Vita: The Sweet Life is a 1960 film by Federico Fellini, but also a kind of pseudo-philosophy that means fully enjoying life's pleasures and embracing a lifestyle filled with leisure, luxury, and glamour. Simply put: living the high life. One person who has mastered this way of life is the young playboy and shipping heir Dickie Greenleaf in the film The Talented Mr.Ripley. Below, we delve into the film, the style, and not least: the car.
After graduating from the prestigious Ivy League university Princeton and completing a grand tour of Europe, Dickie has retreated to the fictional coastal town of Mongibello on Italy's Amalfi Coast. Here, he lives with his stunning girlfriend Marge in a modest villa right by the sea, with a lush garden and beautifully paved terraces. Outside, in the small bay, Dickie's sailboat Bird is anchored, awaiting the next voyage. It's martinis for lunch, refreshing dips in the turquoise Mediterranean waters, and soothing jazz from the record player. life is sweet for Dickie and Marge, but this quickly changes when a certain Tom Ripley enters the scene and stirs the pot. Our wonderful little Alfa Romeo is driven by Dickie's childhood friend freddie Miles.
The Little Red Alfa Romeo Glides Into the Piazza
A Grand Entrance With the Little Red One.
Freddie is a confident, vulgar, and exceedingly charismatic bon vivant whose parents own a chain of luxury hotels. In the film, Freddie makes a grand entrance onto a Roman piazza where Dickie and Tom are socializing with the local ladies. He skids across the cobblestones in his red Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, right through a flock of pigeons, cheerfully jumps out of the car without using either of the two doors, birskly marches over to the table, pours himself a glass of wine, downs it immediately, and announces that dinner will be at Fabrizio's, where a table awaits. Freddie has no worries or cares, and this is reflected in his exquisite choice of vehicle. He could very well have chosen a more performance-oriented and ostentatious Ferrari, but Freddie is in no rush. There's no need to hurry when you're driving a roofless Alfa Romeo and it's 1958.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1955. The open-top model was one of three different body styles offered by the Italian carmaker on the same chassis. The others were the Berlina, a four-door family car, and the Coupé model, Sprint. The aim was to build a more democratic car that more people could afford to buy. Unfortunately, Alfa Romeo didn't have the means to mass-produce cars at that volume, which made the question of how to fund production difficult to solve. Why not hold a national lottery where the winning ticket claims an entirely new, personal Giulietta Sprint, suggested the Italian politicians? Brilliant, said Alfa Romeo - and sold tickets worth several trillion lire.
Problema risolto! As so often before, it was the American market that demanded elegant convertibles, and once again we find importer Max Hoffman as the spider in the web. He ordered 600 Spiders and promised another order of 2,000 cars if Alfa Romeo could maintain the production rate. In total, around 14,300 Spiders were produced between 1955 and 1965.
The car has become a symbol of simple elegance and has been featured in a variety of films and TV series over the years. Few cars feel as confident yet as sympathetic as a Giulietta Spider.
