Agnelli

Agnelli is the story of Gianni Agnelli, the legendary Italian industrialist and playboy, as told by family, friends, lovers, professional confidantes and rivals - and even his butler and cook. The film chronicles Agnelli's dramatic and colorful life, beginning with his years as one of the most glamorous international playboys of the mid-20th century. Through revealing interviews with his sisters, mistresses and friends, stories of Pamela Churchill, Anita Ekberg and Jackie Kennedy, among other paramours, come to life, highlighted by newly discovered Super8 footage from Benno Graziani. The story then turns to the 1970s and Italy's "Years of Lead." The stabilizing role played by Agnelli and FIAT during those dark and turbulent years was critical to the country's survival. Rich archival footage reveals the revolutionary unrest in the factories and the murderous threat of the Red Brigades, and children of politicians and Fiat executives assassinated by the Red Brigades recall the tension and conflict in Turin in the late 1970s. The story then returns to Gianni's family and his troubled relationship with his son, Edoardo. Intimate interviews from the inner circle discuss Agnelli's failings as a father, and his own son's alienation and ultimate suicide. Henry Kissinger and other friends recall the tragedy of Edoardo's death and the impact it had on Gianni. When Agnelli died in 2003 there was an outpouring of profound grief from the people of Turin, as well as across Italy and in jet-set outposts around the world. (Venice International Film Festival)