Gray pinstripe, light blue shirt, intense blue tie. And then that constant gesticulating with the hands, which is certainly a typically Italian attribute, but which in his specific case rises to a movement that tends to take on the imaginative reins of the discourse. The place is the studios of “Mixers”the broadcast hosted by Giovanni Minoli. The year, 1984. The man with the polite and imperious manner who sits in front of him, ready to be interviewed, is the most famous lawyer in Italy. Gianni Agnelli. What comes out of it is a show on Rai Uno that still today, forty years later, remains a cornerstone of state television.
So off we go, and Minoli is known for his ability to lead the dance, pushing the guest. The first question goes straight to Agnelli as a man and entrepreneur. “You were nicknamed a few years ago the whipped cream lawyerhow did he take it?”, he asks. Agnelli seems to shrug his shoulders and wittily explains: “A definition from Scalfari, who took it because he wanted me to remain a partner of Rizzoli. I’ll let you imagine his foresight.” Then we immediately move on to the political side. “What do you think about De Mita?“. Here too the lawyer avoids the flattening banality inflicted on too many politically correct interviews, and ventures into a pictorial representation: “I consider him a typical intellectual of the South, of that tradition of thought typical of Magna Graecia”. AND Craxi? “An intelligent, intuitive and strong-tempered man.”
Minoli points out to him, not that there was really any need, that in Italy he is the personification of power. Then he asks him what he likes most about it candies same. “You see, I think – replies Agnelli – that the serious thing is to have responsibilities without power. I’m not power-hungry, I like to have as much as I need to fulfill my responsibilities”.
The questions are now becoming torrential. The journalist does not want to waste even a moment of that meeting, sensing that it could be a source of considerations destined to remain engraved in television history. Because the lawyer may go awry for many, but he is certainly a highly impactful character.
“How do I evaluate the people around me? You see – continues Agnelli – a person is what he does. I judge him by this and then there is the potential of what he can do in the future: here is intuition”. It is impossible to avoid the question about the wealthy family status, about the way in which wealth and power can be transmitted. Even here, however, Agnelli does not get upset: “Wealths are obtained through accumulation, speculation or succession. But then I put the responsibility that came with the heritage. Would I have become rich by doing it on my own? No, I don’t think so.”
From politics to Fiatbut the other key topic is the seduction of a lifetime, the Juventus. “When Boniperti doesn’t follow my advice, he does stupid things. I’ll tell you this anecdote: world championships in Argentina. I call him on the phone. Boniperti, they told me about a young man who has exceptional qualities. His name is Maradona, look, he must be someone Answer: If it was anyone I would know.” And then again: “Platini? We bought him for a piece of bread. Boniek? He is a great player and has the characteristics of his country. Do you know what they said after the war? Only the Poles and Finns charged the German tanks, but the Poles believed they would win.”
Minoli’s curiosity is insatiable. “What to teach young people? Confidence in themselves, in their country and the necessary will to move towards excellence”. From the new generations we reach the female universe, without stopping. “You are a man much loved by womenwhat effect does it have on you?”, the host tries to elicit a response veiled in gossip. “If it’s true, I can’t help but like it, but I won’t say anything else. Look, there are two types of men: those who talk about women and those who talk to women. I prefer not to talk about it. The most beautiful? It’s like saying the best footballer. Am I in love? I could barely do that at twenty, let alone now.”
The most important man in her life, she adds in the flow of answers to the hungry questions, was certainly her grandfather. The one who impressed him the most, Winston Churchill. Minoli points out to him that, looking at America, he appears to be a friend of both the Republicans and the Democrats. “True, but like every European – specifies the lawyer – I feel closer to the principles of the democrats”.
The interview turns towards his
natural epilogue. “Gianni Agnelli’s heir? For me at Fiat, someone who has Fiat’s sense will have to succeed me. He will lead a formidable company, but he won’t have an easy life.” Worth watching on loop, forty years later.