Friday, 29 June 2012

Riding Zorro and a Link to a Poem

I'm guessing rodeo has its roots in the need to tame horses so they could be ridden and used in farmwork but as a sport it always seems arrogant and cruel.

Ethical considerations about rodeo and animal welfare aside, Riding Zorro is a beautifully made film. A biopic of rodeo's most famous horse, Zorro, the film is a collage of old, scratchy film, interviews with horse-riders who tried to ride Zorro, and old still photographs woven together imaginatively and creatively. All to a wonderful sound track of guitar music.

Zorro was a spirited, untameable horse and this is a wonderful tribute to him. The only criticism is of the subtitling, which is particularly poor.

Zorro in his lifetime inspired poetry and song, so I had thought of writing this review as a poem, but it didn't happen. 

Unfortunately there are no further public screenings of Riding Zorro at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Disclaimer: I have a press pass for the Edinburgh International Film Festival and attended a free press screening of Riding Zorro.


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