Palio

Released Nov 6, 2015

1h 31m

Documentary

Drama

List

95%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

84%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A young jockey prepares to race in the Palio and hopes to beat his former mentor.

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StephenPaul C

The greatest 01 hour: and 31 minutes with real horse jockeys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Palio could not be more Italian if it tried. One thing is for sure though, this documentary made me want to go to Siena snd watch it first hand when you know the world stops being nuts and all that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Italian film maker Cosima Spender gives us a documentary about an italian horse race that started in 1580, and still retains its ancient trappings. Unlike modern races, the jockeys are assigned to the horses at almost the last minute. Their silks have the look of commedia dell'arte decorated with unicorns, geese, or waves. We follow two young jockeys and two seasoned trainers. Although, as always, horseracing is dangerous for the animals, a nice touch is that even if the rider falls off,, the horse can continue in the race and win without the jockey if he comes in first. An exciting look at an ancient culture.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

paul d

A riveting, revealing, informative, humane and entertaining look into both the spectacle and behind-the-scenes, including the subtle and slightly shady relationships among jockeys, trainers and their communal sponsors.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Palio is really good movie...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

6/30/16 Netflix Beautiful cinematography of an ancient and colorful horse race with deep emotional meaning to everyone involved. The interviews do a great job pointing out the deals, corruption, favoritism and financial shenanigans associated with the 2 races. A really fascinating look at something the average person knows nothing about. Well done and worth watching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

The interview subjects aren't particularly eloquent, though; they tend to stop the movie dead in its tracks.

May 19, 2016

Full Review

Kate Taylor

Globe and Mail

[A] fascinating documentary ...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 15, 2016

Full Review

Joe Leydon

Variety

As dramatically satisfying as the most crowd-pleasing scripted sports saga.

Nov 6, 2015

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Alex Flood

One Room With A View

An interesting, well-shot documentary, Palio is loaded with intrigue and handsome photography. What's missing though, is the basic gut-churning sensation we all really crave.

Rated: 3/5

May 4, 2019

Full Review

Alison Rowat

The Herald (Scotland)

Homing in on a young contender's fight to take the champion's crown, Cosima Spender's film is a gripping, sensual riot of colour and passions.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 23, 2018

Full Review

Matthew Bond

The Mail on Sunday (UK)

With wonderful cinematography and pitch-perfect editing, Palio is documentary-making of the very highest order.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 26, 2017

Full Review

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Synopsis

A young jockey prepares to race in the Palio and hopes to beat his former mentor.

Director: Cosima Spender
Producer: Francesco Melzi d'Eril
Screenwriter: John Hunt, Cosima Spender
Distributor: Oscilloscope Pictures
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2016
Runtime: 1h 31m

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