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They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780764005428
Format: Color, Letterboxed, Original recording remastered, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0764005421
Label: Starz / Anchor Bay
Languages: English (Original Language), Analog
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Starz / Anchor Bay
Release Date: October 26, 1999
Running Time: 120 minutes
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Theatrical Release Date: 1969
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Editorial Review:
In the dark years of the 1930s, dance marathons became popular as a way for desperate people to compete for prize money. Sometimes the events would drag on for weeks as contestants pushed themselves far beyond the point of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, the dancers shambling around the floor in a half-dead stupor. People would then pay to sit in the bleachers, watch the event, and cheer on their favorites. They Shoot Horses is taken from hard-boiled pulp writer Horace McCoy's novel of the same name; Jane Fonda plays a bitter young woman paired up with Michael Sarrazin for the ordeal. Gig Young portrays the unctuous MC of the event, bringing equal parts compassion and sleaze to his role. Many of the film's images are unforgettable, such as "the derby," a heel-and-toe race around the dance floor with bouncy, lighthearted music to accompany the miserable spectacle. It's a powerful, tragic period piece that reminds us of the privations of the Great Depression. In the largest sense, the film has existential overtones that go far beyond the story of enervated dancers staying on their feet for a month or more. This film brought home a string of Academy Award nominations for the cast and director Sydney Pollack and a win for Young. --Jerry Renshaw
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Great Sydney Pollack movie. Yes it is a slower pace but the movie represents people going though tough times in America. A film with a story line like this will never be filmed because capitalist exploitation is no longer this overt.
Rating: - excellent
what a great film. the plot entails the spectacle of a dance marathon to win the grand prize of 1500 dollars. it smartly explores the harsh realities of exploitation and vouyerism in our culture. the characters are fascinatingly portrayed, especially fonda for her brokenness and bitterness. the humanity of these people will open your eyes and heart. the film is tremendously engaging and it shouldn't disappoint anyone looking to feel the power of a classic portrayal of suffering, desperation and the ... Read More
Rating:  - A powerhouse
A powerful movie that breaks your heart witnessing the human suffering that was part of the Great Depression. Gig Young's performance is over the top but one wonders how it could be anything else. Jane Fonda shows she was an actress and not merely a celebrity and Michael Sarazan, whatever happened to him? is a JFK look alike as one of the walking wounded of the depression.
Rating: - My all time favorite film
Sydney Pollack died today, and I have yet to see this movie mentioned in any of his obituaries. This is criminal. He produced, in this early film of his, an enduring masterpiece that is a must see for every lover of film, and for every person seeking to know Truth.
I first saw this movie on my way to my second tour in Vietnam. It was the only movie showing at the post theater and I never would have gone to it otherwise. I did not have the least interest in the subject matter and despised ... Read More
Rating: - It's Fear Factor 1930's Style
THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY? is a skillfully acted motion picture that brings a desperate seedy side of 1930's Hollywood/Santa Monica back to life with close attention to detail. The setting is an ocean front dance hall the viewer presumes is in Santa Monica or some other nearby beach town and many of the participants in the dance marathon held there are Hollywood hopefuls. Aside from possibly catching the attention of a movie casting agent the dancers stay in the long grueling marathon for hope of winning ... Read More
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