Grandad of Races (1950)

Evolving from a festival that featured gladiators and ox-racing, this short feature showcases the horse racing on Siena’s Piazza del Campo. With some forty thousand folks assembled on it’s square from each of this city’s competing districts, there are qualifying races with bareback riders mounted on horses specially trained for the occasion before the carnival atmosphere reaches it’s tumultuous and colourful conclusion and a final race to attain the coveted victory banner. It’s standard newsreel type coverage, but it does manage to capture some of the excitement of this event as some harlequin-costumed citizenry parade, the church does some equine blessing and the flags wave as the crowds become louder and more enthusiastic. It also shows off the architecture of the city to good effect, and all it really needs is a few chariots.