The Mann Mann Archives, a new interactive website offering access into the all-encompassing directing process of the 4x Oscar nominated filmmaker, is going live today in US, UK, EU, and Canada.
The first movie that subscribers will get access to is Ferrari. The site offers access into Mann’s filmmaking process, i.e. how actors became their characters as well as Mann’s annotated script pages, his photo storyboards, captured audio and much more.
Included on the site are 20 mini-documentary videos delving into how Mann and his actors’ rehearsed during production in addition to camera and art department strategies and how they impacted drama. Other topics covered are the design and engineering of the replica race cars, camera systems, the tragic crash at Guidizzolo and much more. Watch a teaser video above. There’s the possibility that more background multi-media materials from Mann’s feature canon will be added to the archives in the future.
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Edward Saxon, the producer of The Silence of the Lambs, Adaptation and Philadelphia and Professor of Cinematic Arts at USC, calls the archives, “A unique, essential addition to film and filmmaking scholarship. Brilliant. Immersive. As close as you can get to understanding a filmmaker’s process, and the entire Mann filmmaking process without being on set. It’s also tremendous fun.”
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Senior Producer for Criterion, Curtis Tsui said, “I loved hearing Michael narrate about how he directed a scene while watching that scene play back, or hearing the breakdown of why La Traviata was so important while analyzing the construction of the scene. My favorite things were the paper elements, so all of that — the screenplay, the notes about scenes plus handwriting — is really special.”
Artistic Director of the New York Film Festival Dennis Lim added, “Michael Mann Archives is an absolute treat for the filmmaker’s many fans and for all cinephiles. It’s an invaluable resource, and an all too rare immersion in the intricacies of craft and process. Exploring the site, one truly apprehends both the vision and the labor behind Michael Mann’s work.”
Additional international releases will follow for the site. The website can be found at michaelmannarchives.com for the price of $65.
Long a dream project for Mann, Ferrari tells the story of Enzo Ferrari’s auto empire in crisis during the summer of 1957. The ex-racer-turned entrepreneur-pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy. The movie starred Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, Penelope Cruz as his wife Laura, and Shailene Woodley as Ferrari’s mistress and mother of his son Piero, Lina Lardi. Ferrari was named as one of the best films of 2023 by the National Board of Review. Cruz received a SAG Lead Actress nomination for her work in the film with the pic also earning a BAFTA nom for Best Sound. Ferrari made its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mann’s 2004 Tom Cruise-Jamie Foxx crime noir Collateral which was nominated for two Oscars and grossed over $220M at the global box office. It’s also the 40th anniversary of the Miami Vice TV series on which Mann served as EP for 111 episodes.