'Black and White Stripes: The Juventus Story'

It may sound like something of a contradiction, but Black and White Stripes: The Juventus Story is not a film about Juventus. It is instead a tale of fathers and sons, of how the Agnelli family took control of the club back in 1923 and began a love affair that remains as strong today as it ever was.

Directors Mauro and Marco La Villa released the film last year but are touring the world and releasing an international version in various locations, seeing it thrive as supporters enjoy the chance to see the club's history explained on the big screen.

As Juventus recently celebrated their 120th anniversary, the brothers sat down with Bleacher Report to discuss their pride and passion for a project in which they have invested greatly.

How and why did you decide to invest so much time and money into making a film about Juventus?

Mauro La Villa: "The idea was kicking around for a very long time, as this project combines our two passions: Juve and cinema! The decision was made after our dad, Rosindo, passed away, and we thought it very fitting to build a black-and-white monument dedicated to him."

What do you hope your audience takes away from the film after watching it?

Marco La Villa: "We hope that the Juventus fans and, in fact, all audience members can see past a logo, past a big football machine, and see that Juventus is truly different. The passion is real, the Agnelli family's support of Juventus is genuine and the Agnelli family represents all Juventini families around the world, including yours and ours. We hope we peeled away enough layers of the onion so that the true soul of Juventus is revealed."

Who were the people most responsible for helping make your vision a reality?

Mauro: "There were so many people who made this happen with us; it really does take a village! On the personal side, we have to give credit to our families, who always supported us, especially at the times when it didn't look so promising. On the professional side, besides our own countless hours and relentless persistence, we have to say the next-top slot goes to producer Damien Mastroprimiano, who happens to also be a massive Juventino.

"There were many other incredible shining stars, such as Lapo Elkann, who was there from very early on and championing every chance he got. Lapo's brother, John, and their cousin [Juventus President] Andrea Agnelli were very crucial in getting the authorisation and ultimate green light—they were both pitched and, much to our delight, liked what they heard and saw.

"A special shout out to executive producer James Biberi, who absolutely helped in almost every aspect and always with great energy and determination to help the cause. On the creative side, executive producer David Franzoni (an Academy Award winner for Gladiator) was tremendously helpful in helping us keep the story's epic scale in check, while the maestro Ennio Morricone was instrumental in helping us curate and make the necessary adjustments to get the soundtrack just right.  There were many others, the list just goes on and on."

Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

How has the film been received, and what has it been like seeing the reaction to it?

Marco: "Well, in Italy, we were really nervous as to how it would play with the tough and very Juventino audience—and the non-Juventino audience as well. But the film went to the cinemas on October 10, 2016, and was programmed as a blockbuster event cinema release.

The morning after the first day it played in cinemas, we checked the box office results, which are posted online, bright and early, immediately scrolling to the bottom of the list of over 125 films. Nothing. Slowly, we scrolled up and up to the top 10 and to the No. 1 spot. We were shocked to see that the film was No. 1, and it remained No. 1 for the rest of the days it was in the cinema."

"Now that we are amid premiering the international version with subtitles for seven different languages around the world on a tour, we have received reactions and feedback from many different places and continents. New York, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin, London, Tokyo and Beijing have already premiered it, with Los Angeles on the horizon as our next date."

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from two groups with the first, of course, being Juventus fans, as the Juve DNA seems intact and strong no matter where we go. But second, from cinema or non-football fans who accompanied a friend or were invited by friends of friends and wondering what they were walking into. These people are the most shocked as they walk in knowing nothing. They have no passion for football; they just sit down and watch a story unfold, and 99.9 per cent of them walk out saying the same thing: 'Wow! I was not expecting that! What a story! I thought it would only be about football.'

"The incredible and tragic and amazing story of the Agnelli family and their relationship for nearly 100 years with Juventus is insane!

"I think, as filmmakers, we couldn't be happier with the audience reaction. It's really satisfying after all these years of working on a film that it gets well-received."

How long did it take to complete the project, and what was the most difficult part of the process?

Mauro: "From beginning to end—including research and development—script to screen, the project took nearly a decade, about four years of which was almost full time. Each phase was tough, with the most difficult being the editing, while the writing comes in at a very close second."

What was it like to meet so many iconic players and officials during the interviews you completed?

Mauro: "As born and raised Juventini, it was absolutely mind-blowing to be able to ask Gigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero, Andrea Pirlo, Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio anything we liked.

"But it was equally as surreal and exciting to spend so much time with the Agnelli and Elkann families. Visiting and even staying in their homes to discover a massive genuine passion for their beloved Vecchia Signora."

What was the most interesting thing you discovered or learned about Juventus along the way?

Marco: "The most interesting thing we learned about Juventus was not one thing but a lot of details. As Juventini, we all believe we know the story of Juventus, especially me and Mauro. But as we moved through the mountains of research, reading through over 15,000 press articles, we realised what we did know was, most of the time, only the tip of the iceberg. 

"One example is we all knew that Gianni and Umberto Agnelli's father, Edoardo, passed away in a tragic airplane crash when Gianni was 14 years old. Little did we know that it happened just days before the Agnelli family was to celebrate the famous Quinquennio record (winning 5 championships in a row between 1930 and 1935) with the Juventus squad at their home in Villar Perosa."

"Also, the details of the day of the tragedy. Where was young Gianni? Where did the plane crash? Or did the plane crash at all? How did Edoardo Agnelli really pass away? Through meticulous digging, we found all the answers and were able to cross-reference between different news articles. I am not a big fan of spoilers, so you will have to watch this flashback scene to see how it all went down.

"There were many, many more details we dug up to really take our viewer into the story and for true Juventini to be able to live the Juve Story again—but with so many more new details that it feels like the first time."

Who was the most interesting person you spoke to in the course of making the film?

Mauro: "I'm not saying this to be diplomatic, but I can't even remotely narrow it down to less than 10. I can't say there is a standout because there were so many interesting people, each surprising in their own way.

"You have to understand that beside already knowing a lot about Juve by the sheer fact of being fans, we did a great amount of research to make sure we were asking interesting questions [that were] uniquely tailored for each subject."

"I've seen the film at least 75 times and still find the interviews both interesting and surprising. I realise this sounds like a promotional answer, but if you put me to a lie detector, you'll see my answer is the truth. Gun to my head? Gigi Buffon because every answer he gave us was totally unexpected—every single one."

You're currently touring the world and premiering the film in many countries; which location has been the most special, and which surprised you the most?

Marco: "So many of the locations were special as they are all different and all truly different experiences. If I had to pick one it would be very, very difficult. Rio was unbelievable, as not only did it take place in the football capital of the world, but the actual venue was incredible, as it premiered at the Museum of Tomorrow.

"Guests arrived for a pre-cocktail event just as the sun was setting, and we had a huge audience for a premiere that was covered nationally, so it was hard to beat Rio.

"However, we recently premiered in Tokyo, and this was another special one as we were so far away from home, and we had no idea what to expect. But fans came, and they came in Juve jerseys, arms tattooed with the new Juve logo. There was an amazing mix of Juve fans, artists such as key members of the world-famous Team Lab, media and two legendary special guests who also DJ'd and performed at our after-party at the newly opened Trunk Hotel: Mike D of the Beastie Boys and Japanese legend Kan Takagi!

"The premiere had been set up on the second floor, and the crowd was so large we had to have 25 per cent more seating added. Then Mike D and Kan took over the after-party. The after-party was epic. What more can we ask for?"