There’s nothing like the Palio, the race which twice each summer plunges the city of Siena into a state of collective derangement. If you’ve been you’ll know. If you haven’t, watch Palio for the closest approximation to actual attendance that any filmmaker has yet achieved. And there have been many attempts.
The horse race, consisting of three circuits of the city’s apron-shaped Piazza del Campo, contains multitudes. Its roots in medieval history go so deep they’re virtually unfathomable, while the loyalty of each citizen to their district – ingested with la latte della mamma – must be taken on trust. Football fanaticism has nothing on it. Framed by a portrait of civic obsession, the narrative director Cosima Spender opts to follow – out of many she might have chosen – is one of the oldest in the book: the epic tussle between an older jockey, a classically Italian operator who has done it all and dominates the race through sheer force of personality, and a rising protégé, talented but naïvely bright-eyed. Alongside the story of the jockeys' quest for victory is that of their deeply conflicted relationship as freelances with hard-nosed, high-rolling employers. There are also some wonderful interviews with retired jockeys, gnarled fearless veterans whose tongues are looser on ritualised thuggery and skulduggery.
Unlike previous documentaries for television, and despite its limited theatrical release, it has dazzling cinematic values. It’s not just the equestrian action (Spender filmed two races in 2013), which is visceral enough. The close-ups she has secured with the use of high-quality long-lens camera work, and gripping sound, deliver an intense intimacy. The disc’s extras consist of extra scenes which didn’t make the cut. The producers’ other films include Amy and Senna.
Overleaf: watch a thrilling close-up clip from Palio
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