Experience the obsession of a historical sport when it hits entire cities.
“If you’ve ever felt the passion incited by a sport, this one’s for you.”
The Rundown
Behind the name: De Laatste Overwinning (Also Known As)
Country: The Netherlands, 2004
Genre: Documentary
Released by: Cobbs Films BV
Director: John Appel
Cast: Egidio Mecacci (as old man), Paolo Rossi (as young man), Alma Savini (as old woman), Roberto Papei (capitano), Camilla Marzucchi (girl)
Compare to: Palio (1935)
Hate it or Love it? You see it & decide
Synopsis in a Sentence: Siena, Italy prepares for the Palio horse race, and people’s lives are on the line.
I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Fans of the Palio will give football fans a run for their money. This is more than a sport; it’s the lives of the people and their livelihood at stake.
On Writing: The Plot
Experience the art of obsession.
The documentary tells the story of the Palio, a yearly horse race between contradas (historical communes) in Italy. It follows the lives of the people of Civetta, a particular contrada in Siena, Italy and the events that lead to Italy’s Palio di Siena (known locally as Il Palio). The Last Victory tells of the overwhelming passion behind the sport, beginning six weeks before the start of the Palio. It then follows the lives of select characters whose lives are consumed by the sport. The topic’s interesting, and discovering the reaction to the sport is fascinating. However, a deeper look into the history behind the sport may have been helpful to those who have never heard of the Palio, and helpful in understanding the craze behind it.
(3/5)
On Acting: The Cast
One can’t quite rate the performance of people who aren’t acting. This is real life, not a “reality show”. The subjects chosen for the documentary were interesting enough, and relatively diverse, but it may have been nice to look into the lives of key characters in the sport, such as the jockey. Quite honestly no character stood out as exceptionally interesting, but they were relatively easy to follow. A wider base of subjects may also have been appreciated. While we were offered the perspective of the older generation, we were only able to see from far the reaction of the younger generation. Additionally, perhaps offering the perspective of a rival contrada may have opened up our insight into the sport.
(2.5/5)
On Production:
The cameras switched perspective from a point-of-view outlook to an interview outlook. This allowed for varied perspectives and a deeper understanding of the events.
(3/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
Depends on what you were looking for before picking up The Last Victory. The title may lead one to anticipate a look into the elation expectation of passion behind a historical sport, and while that is present, it’s not the whole story, and it’s a story worth telling.
(2.5/5)
The Verdict: Recommended to lovers of sport, horses and Italian culture
Overall Score = 11/20
Get The Last Victory [http://www.amazon.com/Last-Victory-Egidio-Mecacci/dp/B000C20VHI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1277519085&sr=8-1]
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