The Last Victory

John Appel trains his camera on all of this, with most of the film relegated to interviewing young and old, particularly in the city's smallest district of Civetta, whose last victory (hence the title) dates back 25 years and who turn out to be the favorite this time around thanks to a lucky draw of a good horse and jockey. The local elders, many of whom rarely leave Civetta (it's bad luck to do much outside the contrade), are stuffed full of pride and hope. Maybe this will be their year to win.

Pity then that so much of the movie is much ado about nothing. Young men practice flag tossing skills. Locals add extra lighting to their shops to prepare for the tourists. Folks set up barricades for the course. Steamrollers pat down the sand, back and forth, back and forth. The insights of Last Victory turn out to be much more about how small towns prepare for large amounts of people than it does about the areas rich history or its meteoric local heroes.