The
world’s oldest continuous horse race is a full contact, bareback spectacle. The
rules seem perversely designed to maximize acrimony and anarchy—and the good
citizens of Siena’s seventeen districts would not have it any other way. Viewers
experience all the longstanding personal rivalries and district grudges fueling
the summer tradition in Cosima Spender’s amazing documentary Palio (trailer here), which screens
during the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
If
you live in Siena, you identify with your district, rather than the city as a
whole. Since at least the Fourteenth Century, they have held some form of the
Palio di Siena. Every July 2nd and August 16th, the
districts compete in a horse race staged in the ancient Piazzo del Campo. There
are no saddles and essentially no rules. Jockeys are free to bash each other
and their horses black and blue. However, unlike every other horse race in the
world, if a jockey is knocked off his steed, the riderless horse can still win.
Current dominant Palio champion Gigi Bruschelli notched a victory that way, which
his many critics are quick to belittle.
Bruschelli
has amassed thirteen Palios in sixteen years. He has his sights set on Andrea “Aceto”
de Gortes’ record of fourteen Palios. However, the Palio legend has formed an
unlikely alliance with his former nemesis, Silvano “Bastiano” Vigni, who is
training Bruschelli’s one-time protégé Giovanni “Tittia” Atzeni to unseat his
old stable-master.
You
might think you know horseracing from going to the Aqueduct, but the Palio is a
completely different kettle of fish. Spender and cinematographer Stuart Bentley
caught some absolutely jaw-dropping, up-close footage of horses crashing into
the barrier wall and then careening back into the race. You can see the horses
sweat and the men snarl. If you were to witness a Palio-style pile-up at an
American track, you would expect to see the vet walk out with a shotgun. Yet,
in Siena, everyone just shakes it off.
Yes,
cornering is a bit of a challenge at the Palio, but perhaps even more mind-blowing,
pay-offs and log-rolling are generally accepted parts of the game. It is common
knowledge the other riders from Bruschelli’s stable are looking to cover his
back, unless another district makes them a better offer. As a result, the
behind-the-scenes intrigue is even more important than the action on the track.
Not
so surprisingly, there is probably more trash-talking in Palio than any other sports doc one can think of. Like betrayal, it
is a big part of the game. The old salty dogs Aceto and Bastiano are
particularly good at it. Listening to them excoriate Bruschelli and needle each
other is wickedly amusing. Yet, if you think they are harsh, wait till you hear
some of the districts’ chants.
