Horses, Hats, and Hollywood: A Look at 'A Day at the Races'

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you are a massive fan of 1930s Hollywood gossip or just really, really love looking at old architecture. If you want a deep documentary or a real plot, skip it. You will probably find this incredibly boring if you aren't already invested in the star-power of that era.

It’s barely ten minutes long, so it’s not exactly a massive commitment. Ralph Staub really just points his camera at whoever happens to be standing near the track.

The vibe

There is this weirdly hypnotic quality to the way the camera just lingers on people’s faces. It feels like being a paparazzi fly on the wall, but way more polite and less intrusive than what we get today. Everyone is dressed to the nines, squinting against the California sun, looking like they have no idea they are being filmed.

The race itself? It’s fine. It’s the final payoff, but I found myself more interested in the background extras who keep accidentally looking directly into the lens. One guy in a straw hat keeps adjusting his collar for at least thirty seconds. Classic.

Connecting the dots

It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Ambrose's Matrimonial Mixup, though way less slapstick. There is a similar kind of 'we are just filming stuff because we have a camera' energy here. It’s not trying to be The Vicar of Wakefield, that is for sure.

• The hats are honestly out of control.
• The narrator sounds like he’s trying to sell you a used car.
• You can tell some of the stars are annoyed by the heat.
• The horse race footage is actually surprisingly clear for how old this thing is.

It’s a tiny, dusty capsule of a day that happened a lifetime ago. It feels honest, if a little pointless. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.