I watched Rennsymphonie and now my head is spinning (in a good way)

If you have about seven minutes to spare today and you don't mind feeling a little bit dizzy, you should probably check out Rennsymphonie. It is basically a very old, very fast movie about horse racing that doesn't really care about the horses as animals, but more as blurry shapes moving across a screen.

I think anyone who likes experimental art or just wants to see what 'cutting edge' looked like in 1929 would get a kick out of this. If you are looking for a story or a main character to root for, you are going to be very disappointed and should probably go watch Flitterwochen instead.

Hans Richter directed this, and you can tell he was obsessed with how things looked when they were chopped up and put back together. The whole thing feels like he took a pair of scissors to a reel of horse racing footage and just went to town.

The legs. My god, the legs. There are so many shots of just horse legs moving in sync that it starts to look like a machine rather than a living thing.

It’s kind of funny because at some points the editing is so fast that I actually missed what was happening. I had to rewind it twice just to make sure I saw a guy's face correctly.

There is this one specific moment where the camera focus on the dust kicking up from the track. It lingers there for just a second too long, but it makes the dirt look like smoke or something more magical than just ground-up earth. 🐎

I noticed that the jockeys look almost scared, or maybe just really intense. It’s hard to tell because the film quality is a bit grainy, but their eyes are wide and they look like they’re hanging on for dear life.

The movie starts with these abstract shapes—circles and lines—and then it slowly turns into the horses. It’s a bit like waking up from a dream where you aren't sure if you're looking at a clock or a racetrack.

I wonder if people back then found this as chaotic as I do. Today we are used to fast cuts because of TikTok and stuff, but in 1929, this must have felt like a punch to the brain.

Richter doesn't give you any time to breathe. There’s no 'intro' where we meet the owners of the horses or anything boring like that. It’s just go, go, go from the first frame.

I actually liked the parts that weren't the horses more, weirdly enough. The shots of the crowd are strangely empty-feeling, even though there are people there. They just look like statues watching the chaos.

It reminds me a bit of the energy in Sunday Calm, but way less relaxed. Actually, it's the opposite of calm. It's the visual equivalent of drinking four espressos in a row.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Rennsymphonie (1928) through its definitive frames.

Some of the shots are upside down or tilted at these weird angles. I think Richter was trying to make us feel like we were the ones falling off the horse.

One reaction shot of a spectator lingers so long it becomes funny. He’s just staring, and the movie keeps cutting back to him like he’s the most important person there, even though he’s just a guy in a hat.

The way the film is preserved is okay, but the scratches on the screen actually add to the vibe. They make the movement feel even more violent and fast.

I’ve seen other German films from this time, like Die Unschuld ohne Kleid, and they usually have a bit more of a 'point.' This movie's only point is that racing is fast and loud (even though it's silent).

The music—if you find a version with a score—really changes everything. I watched it once in silence and once with a modern piano track, and the silent version was actually creepier. You can almost hear the hooves in your own head anyway.

There’s a bit near the end where everything starts to overlap. Multiple horses on top of each other. It’s a mess, honestly, but a very beautiful mess.

I don't think Richter cared if people understood it. He just wanted to capture the feeling of a race. Not the results, just the sweat and the speed.

It’s over so fast that you don't really have time to get bored. That’s the best thing about these old avant-garde shorts; they don't overstay their welcome like a two-hour blockbuster might.

If you hate horses, you’ll hate this. If you hate flickering lights, stay far away. Everyone else should probably give it a look just to see how weird 1929 could get. 🏁

I kept thinking about how much work it must have been to edit this by hand. No computers, just actual film and tape. That alone makes me respect it, even if I don't want to watch it every day.

The ending is abrupt. It just stops. No 'The End' or anything fancy. It just runs out of breath, just like the horses probably did.

Overall, it’s a neat little piece of history. Not a masterpiece that will change your life, but a cool way to spend a few minutes of your afternoon.