Mr_Ectoplasma "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" chronicles a dance marathon competition in Santa Monica in the post-Great Depression era. Among the contestants vying for the $1,500 victory are a depressive and damaged aspiring actress (Jane Fonda), a wannabe filmmaker-turned-criminal (Michael Sarrazin), another aspiring Hollywood starlet (Susannah York), and a pregnant wife and her husband (Bonnie Bedelia and Bruce Dern). The competition begins to wear on the already- downtrodden contestants, slowly transforming into a grand guignol of psychological and physical horrors.Based on the 1935 novel of the same name, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" is one of those rare films that are so solid across the board (acting, cinematography, writing) that it's something of a masterpiece. The premise is almost paper-thin and on the surface sounds somewhat dull: a dance marathon where contestants have to stay on their feet for hundreds upon hundreds of hours till they all fall down; but the emotional depth of the characters is the key ingredient that enriches the entire film.Each of the characters carry with them an array of baggage and psychological complexity that is subtly unraveled, and the writing is really the glue that keeps the show together, supplemented with career-defining performances from Fonda and York. It is an extremely attentive character study above all else, but simultaneously operates as a grim metaphor for American society that is as relevant today as it was in the wake of the Great Depression. Sydney Pollack is able to paint layer upon layer of tension and the audience sees a disaster coming from the first frame, but the writing and performances never cease to be completely engrossing. The fact that actual dance marathons were a reality (and an en vogue one at that) makes the film's bite even more vicious. While the film has certainly been praised by critics and cinephiles over the years, it is not exactly a well-known film, which is a bit of a shame. The filmmakers here managed to take a straightforward premise and present it as a psychologically complex and disturbing portrait of broken people in an increasingly dire situation. Phenomenal all across the board. 10/10.

SnoopyStyle It's the Great Depression at the Santa Monica Pier near Hollywood. Robert Syverton (Michael Sarrazin) happens upon a dance marathon and is pulled in to participate. As a child, he witnessed the mercy killing of his horse. MC Rocky (Gig Young) makes him the replacement to Gloria (Jane Fonda)'s sick partner. She's a bitter woman and the years have not been kind to her. Other participants include confident elderly sailer Harry Kline (Red Buttons), aspiring actors Alice (Susannah York) and Joel (Robert Fields), and poverty-stricken James (Bruce Dern) and his pregnant wife Ruby (Bonnie Bedelia) who are willing to dance simply for the food.Director Sydney Pollack is able to bring a sense of rising desperation to the movie. Fonda has a great broken character. They are all great. This is a broken world full of broken people. It does meander a bit with the flashbacks and internal squabbles but each derby injects more harrowing energy to the movie. It has great desperation.

lasttimeisaw Sydney Pollack's pungent film adaptation of Horace McCoy's 1935 novel about a dance marathon contest during the Depression-era - the ultimate test of energy and endurance, which blurs the line between competition and reality show. The various contestants spurred by the 1500$ reward, push their strength and fortitude to the limits, little they know, they are merely dispensable pawns to attract audience, since the mass needs something they can believe in in that particular era, and clearly, watching other people in suffering and bad shapes is a massively effective way to achieve that, what a sadistic revelation! Also the film has an unflinchingly bleak ending can give a gut punch to first-time viewers who are unfamiliar with the source novel. The main players in the game are Gloria (Fonda), a cynical, embittered woman whose intention to become an actress has never materialised, randomly paired with Robert (Sarrazin), a wide-eyed (literally) young man who is aimless wandering around; Harry Kline (Buttons), a middle-aged sailor with his partner Shirli (Ann McLerie), British aspiring actress Alice (York) and her partner Joel (Fields), a young farmer James (Dern) with his pregnant wife Ruby (Bedelia), yes, no possible sick people allowed but a pregnant woman, welcome on board! The contest is hosted by a veteran emcee Rocky (Young), who represents the ruthless rules-maker and exploiter of the poor participants. Barely a dance competition, the entire extravaganza is an overlong battle against sleep deprivation, more heart-tugging scenes are deployed when a so-called derby is introduced, forces each pair to race in circles for 10 minutes non-stop and the last three pairs are automatically eliminated, how barbarian is could be? People die in progress, we are no more civilised than the ancient Romans who are hailing for gladiators' slaughtering, or worse, since hypocrisy even masks the tragic event with uplifting spirits, how messed-up and phony USA was at then? The film does bespeak Pollack's true grit in making this magnificent social critique. Thus, one can much appreciate the unexpected ending, Gloria tries very hard to comply to the rules, but the overwhelming futility of life - the overt metaphor of the marathon, waylays her with such irreconcilable disappointment, the pathos is sudden but perfectly justified at that moment when she makes that crucial decision, Fonda receives her first ever Oscar- nomination for her affecting portrayal of a woman who has nothing to live for and simultaneously is a soul full of vehemence, two-thumbs up! Gig Young won the only Oscar among the film's overall 9 nominations (it still holds the record as the most nominated one sans a BEST PICTURE nomination), a qualified win for his outward showmanship and the script doesn't forget to let slip his own monologue of what is made of his callous personality. York is also Oscar-nominated, and her final exit performance is so stunning, when she showers with her full dress on, after witnessing a sudden death, the horror finally overtakes her mentally, she is that scene alone should win her the golden statute which she deserves. Red Buttons, a showbiz triple-threat, previous Oscar-winner, also impresses with his physical endeavour in the derby races.Last but not the least, Sarrazin, with his trademark big, soulful eyes, is left unheralded, his Robert is so different from the hero image required for a leading man at that time, however his bashful, effeminate persona is so spot-on for the role, in contrast with a sharp-tongued and spitfire Fonda. He is the one granted with an opening flashback, as a young boy witnessing a horse being shot after breaking a leg (and the one who articulates the profound title in the coda) and flash-forward sequences (which viewers will only realise near the end) of being interrogated for an unspecified crime, Sarration is so unassuming and non-threatening against the whole backdrop of competition and dissatisfaction, his innocence is the last straw of hop in the story, which albeit hasn't been shown on screen, will be harshly stripped of in audience's mind picture, again, one should truly admire the courage of the filmmakers here, all the wistful tunes, big band rollicking aside, the film can blow you away for its uncompromising reprimand of what a degraded world we are living and a high point in Pollack's just burgeoning career.

gsygsy Outstanding movie that packs a very powerful punch. When it was made, a new energy was firing American cinema - EASY RIDER came out the same year, FIVE EASY PIECES the year after. As the war with Vietnam dragged on, old values were being fearlessly re-examined. The dance hall of Horace McCoy's Depression era novel here becomes the stage on which the more questionable of those values are acted out.For all the characters, what the marathon is and what it means depends on what they need to get out of it. For James and Ruby (Dern and Bedilia) it's food for themselves and the baby that's on the way; for Alice and Joel (York and Fields) it's the chance of being seen by someone influential from the movie industry; for Gloria (Fonda), and for the Sailor and Shirl (Buttons and McLerie) it's to earn some money; and, as succinctly expressed in a scene between Robert (Sarrazin) and Rocky (Young), for the former the marathon is a competition, whilst for the latter, it's a show. As the marathon proceeds, the physical reality of it takes its mental toll, and its true meaning becomes clear. Rocky turns out to be right: it's an entertainment for those without much, so that they can feel better about themselves by watching the suffering of those with less. I write this nearly 80 years after McCoy's book was first published, nearly 45 years since the movie was released: regrettably, not much has changed.I saw the movie when I was a teenager, when it first came out. I retained some images from it, but I don't think it could have struck me then as it did last night when I watched it again, this time on DVD. It's an immense work by Sydney Pollack and his collaborators - particularly his screenwriters James Poe and Robert E. Thompson, his DOP Philip Lathrop, and his editor Frederic Steinkamp. The derby sequences in particular are tremendous - the camera gets amongst the competitors, forcing you to really feel what they're going through. It's as discomforting as it should be.The performances are all superb. Although Susannah York was apparently dismissive of her contribution, it is probably the best work she did on film. Similarly, Gig Young, who is extraordinarily good. Jane Fonda, Allyn Ann McLerie, Red Buttons, Bruce Dern, Bonnie Bedelia, Robert Fields, Madge Kennedy, Al Lewis and the wonderful Michael Sarrazin - all terrific.I write this early on Christmas Day. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE will be on TV at some point. Quite right, too, it's a great movie. But in my heart I feel that its seasonal message of hope should be balanced by a recognition that there are many - too many - in whose lives there is no hope. An annual peak-time showing of THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? as a companion piece to the Capra would act as the necessary bracing reminder.