September 21st, 2021
“Riva in the Movie” is an extraordinary book. Through words and images, it tells an enduring love story that spans over 60 years between the most beautiful motor yachts in the world and a host of movies, from 1954’s Mambo to Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s latest masterpiece.
An elegant aquamarine thread links numerous auteur films, action movies, romantic films, dramas, and comedies. It is the presence of the most admired motor yachts of every era, often in the role of magnificent protagonists. The curious fact is that none of the films mentioned in the “Riva in the Movie” book involved a product placement; as a matter of fact, the presence of a Riva vessel is often known about thanks to word of mouth from someone who saw the movie. This happens because the shipyard has been so successful over the last 70 years that our products almost immediately stopped being exclusive to the sailing world and became items associated with art, design, society, and culture.
It was in the 1950s, in fact, that the world discovered that the most beautiful vessels were built in Italy, and to be precise in Sarnico: Riva became THE speedboat for everybody.
Even people making movies wanted to get their hands on one of these uber-chic speedboats, for scenes featuring sailing, swimming in the sea, trips on the lake or escapades dashing through the canals of Venice: they all wanted one of those speedboats that skim over the surface of the water with the innate elegance of a diva, so spectacular for scenes filmed at a distance, and so exciting in close-ups due to their eye-catching aquamarine details and shiny chrome finishes.
The Book “Riva In The Movie”
“Riva in the Movie” features over fifty films starring several beautiful crafts that made the history of the shipyard, starting from the legendary Aquarama, which was originally considered a fashionable speedboat, but soon became a style icon in the following decades.
From Dino Risi’s Il Sorpasso, Godard’s Le Mépris, the musicarelli with Modugno and Albano & Romina, to the many Bond films, Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Great Beauty, Riva has played a role in the history of cinema and left marvel and splendor in its wake.
Brigitte Bardot climbs aboard the Riva Tritone assisted by Jack Palance in the movie Contempt
The reviews describe the film’s storyline, complete with anecdotes and interesting facts about shooting the film, as well as descriptions of the mood at the time when the film was shot, the fashions and interests of the period, and everything that made up the magnificent ephemera that provided the setting for the timeless beauty of the most enchanting speedboats in the world.
Each Riva has a story to tell, and every story becomes more beautiful if it is told by a Riva.