It is an indescribable thrill for cinematographer Remo Rapalli to capture the face of Tazio Nuvolari. The 8mm camera captures the splendid close-ups of Nuvolari concentrating before the motor race at the beginning of this film. And it is equally an immense disappointment for Rapalli himself to film that very Grand Prix of Germany, held at the Nürburgring on 26 July 1936, which will see Nuvolari himself forced to retire when only the year before the legendary Italian driver had triumphed. Nuvolari started from the front row and was, as always, among the favourites. Rapalli, a fruit merchant from Emilia who has moved to Germany on business, is also on the front row, in a privileged position, right in the Scuderia Ferrari pit. Who knows how many apples he must have given to be there. At every pit stop he admires the unmistakable cars with the prancing horse on the side. As the cars race by, Rapalli is distracted by a uniformed gentleman hanging around the edge of the track: he is a bigwig of the Nazi Regime, Adolf Hühnlein, head of the NSKK, responsible for all motorsport events in Germany. The race continues and, in front of the 350,000 spectators who have come to watch, the home driver Bernd Rosemeyer wins. In 3 hours and 48 minutes he covers the 22km of the track for 22 laps: a total of over 500 kilometres. We see him parading with a wreath of flowers. The last part of the film is dedicated to Nuvolari, who with the mechanics and engineers apparently cannot understand the problems that have happened to his car. It must start again soon, the dream of victory and the burgeoning myth of the prancing horse cannot stop now. Rapalli, too, does not resign himself and, identifying himself with his hero at the end of the race, films from a running car. The dream continues.

Thanks to Carlo Gentile and Michael D. Miller