Palio (2015 film)

Palio
Film poster
Directed byCosima Spender
Written byJohn Hunt
Cosima Spender
Produced byJames Gay-Rees
John Hunt
Release date
Running time
92 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Italy
LanguageItalian

Palio is a 2015 British documentary film. Filmed in Siena, Italy, the film documents Palio di Siena, the oldest continually run horse race in the world that is held twice each year.[1] It is directed by Cosima Spender, and produced by James Gay-Rees and John Hunt. It was written by Hunt and Spender.

The documentary premiered on 18 April 2015 during the Tribeca Film Festival,[2] where it won Best Editing for a Documentary (Valerio Bonelli). It additionally received a nomination in the category for Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards.[3]

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 95% based on 20 critics, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[4] On Metacritic, the film have an above average score of 73 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]

Mike Hale in writing on the feature for a Tribeca film Festival roundup in The New York Times described it as "Rocky on Horseback".[6] Eight months later, another reviewer from The New York Times, Daniel M. Gold, reviewed the film and wrote that "Despite its oversights, the film — shot and scored beautifully — is an enthusiastic introduction to this delirious event and its peposo of passion, style and intrigue".[7]

Joe Leydon in reviewing the film in Variety said "Cosima Spender's entertaining documentary about a storied Italian horse race is as dramatically satisfying as the most crowd-pleasing scripted sports saga".[8]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called Palio, "[a] handsome-looking film".[9]

References

  1. ^ Kendall, Paul (24 September 2015). "'The Palio is life': what a corrupt horse race says about Italy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Palio". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  3. ^ Mattlin, Meredith (13 August 2015). "Watch: Gripping 'Palio' Trailer Proves Horse Racing is Just as Intense as it Was 800 Years Ago". Indiewire. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Palio (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Palio Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ^ Hale, Mike (14 April 2015). "Tribeca Film Festival: Documentaries Offer a Niche-Pleasing Lineup". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  7. ^ Gold, Daniel M. (5 November 2015). "Review: In 'Palio', Sights and Sounds of This Sienese Horse Race". Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  8. ^ Leydon, Joe (6 November 2015). "Film Review: 'Palio'". Variety.
  9. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (24 September 2015). "Palio review – jockeying for power and prestige at Siena's famous bareback horse race". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 9 July 2021.

External links