MovieChat Forums > Breaking Away (1979) Discussion > The incident witht the Cinzano racing te...

The incident witht the Cinzano racing team

posted 10 years ago by Cuneo
15 replies | jump to latest

Was that based on an actual incident involving Tesich, Blase, or Stohler, or was it a plot device created by Tesich to give Dave a taste of the real world where "Everbody cheats." It made me wonder if the real Cinzano racing team (if there was one at the time) upon hearing about or seeing the movie, were offended by their portrayal in that scene.

"Walked five miles to school and back, uphill both ways. No, really, I have pictures." MC Escher

[–] harpon-1 10 years ago

No there was no actual "team cinzano"- it was inspired by the umbrella canopys of sidewalk cafes.

http://thehearpe.tripod.com/index.html

[–] jondoe888 10 years ago

The credits 'thank Cinzano for all their support.' Odd, given the actions of 'their team'.

[–] wordsatplaytoday 8 years ago

Having trouble separating fact from fiction again?

[–] daughterofolaf 8 years ago

Having trouble separating fact from fiction again?

That is just what I was wondering. What the...

"Why couldn't the monkey arrange this from INSIDE the garbage can?"

[–] nutsberryfarm 8 years ago

cinzano makes an ok sweet vermouth, but i'd rather go with noilly prat for my manhattan.

The food I've liked in my time is American country cookin'-Colonel Sanders 🇺🇸

[–] xerses13 8 years ago

Cuneo: That was actually our favorite part of the movie, Dave's illusions being destroyed.

[–] jmillerdp 8 years ago

People's hopes and dreams being dashed is the BEST PART of ANY MOVIE! 

I. Drink. Your. Milkshake! [slurp!] I DRINK IT UP! - Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood

[–] jeffmelchior4 8 years ago

Best. Comment. Ever.

[–] brux (14724) 7 years ago

3 psychos in a row, how sad.

[–] snipercatcher 8 years ago

What a crappy, unsportsmanlike thing to do. And they probably didn’t even need to sabotage the race. That would be like a Westminster Kennel Club winner entering a local dog show or Miss Universe competing in a small-town beauty pageant. And why didn’t Dave report them? Was he too heartbroken or did he think no one would believe him? And wouldn’t there have been witnesses, cameras etc?

"A little word of advice, my friend. Sometimes you gotta let those hard-to-reach chips go" Brian O'Halloran

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

They cheated because Dave was winning. My guess is that he was a real contender. When pros show up for promotional events there's an unwritten rule about making them look bad by outperforming them. Much like the letting the boss win at golf even if you're a better player. Today it would be a stretch to think it could happen but in the 70s most athletes were semi-pro only and even the pros weren't the mega-millionaires of today with personal trainers and carbon fiber bikes. Having a dedicated amateur outperform you was certainly a possibility.

And Dave going to whomever about an incident that no one witnessed wouldn't have helped him. Given the circumstances he did the right thing in a difficult time.

[–] brux (14724) 7 years ago

Don't forget the steroids

[–] Otter (24464) 7 years ago

No, they didn't need to sabotage him to win the race, and they didn't knock him out of the race because they felt threatened by him. They knocked him out of the race because he was annoying the fuck out of him with his fake Italian weirdness!

That scene was included to destroy his illusions, and to stop him pretending to be Italian. He couldn't grow up until he did.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

“Cinzano, vermouth for thugs and cheaters”

[–] liscarkat (18373) 4 years ago

It couldn't have happened, because bike racers don't carry pumps while riding in races.