They Shoot Horses Don't They?: Amazon.ca: Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Conrad, Bruce Dern, Al Lewis, Robert Fields, Severn Darden, Allyn Ann McLerie, Sydney Pollack, Irwin Winkler, Johnny Green, Robert Chartoff, Theodore B. Sills, Horace McCoy, James Poe, Robert E. Thompson: DVD

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Amazon.com Essential Video

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

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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews

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4 star:		(5)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A most perfect movie, Mar 22 2007

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Asia (N.S. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Shoot Horses Don't They? (DVD)

For me, this depression-era play that was made into a movie, is one giant metaphor for life, especially in America. The sadistic and cruel way in which the dance marathon is "shot" (pardon the pun) is like watching a bad highway accident---you can't look at it and you can't look away.

Fonda's performance is probably one of her best and she was definitely overlooked for her work in this film. Gig Young was not, though, and he's teriffice. For those interest in more of Gig, might I suggest the book "Final Gig" which is his bio--sorry to go off on a tangent, but it is a fascinating bio of the man and his eventual murder/suicide death.

Back to Horses: One would think that by setting the entire movie virtually on a dance floor that you'd get bored, but the entertwining of the lives of the characters and the excellent performances makes this one of my favorite movies. Is it a feel-good film? Definitely not, but it makes you think, is a wonderful commentary on capitalism and the way our world works, and a harrowing portrait of desperation in the thirties, in America and everywhere for that matter.

Might I suggest the movies "Maltese Falcon," and "Midnight Cowboy" for two other great films.

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5.0 out of 5 stars "It isn't a contest. It's a show!", Jun 15 2006

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Kona (Emerald City) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: They Shoot Horses Don't They (DVD)

The story opens at the height of the Depression in a seedy, boardwalk auditorium where a dance marathon is about to begin. Couples will compete for a prize of $1500 by dancing the longest - virtually non-stop. We get to know several couples as they dance for hours, days, and even weeks before a strange crowd of spectators who throw pennies and cheer for the "show." Bitter and tired-of-life Gloria (Jane Fonda) is paired with Robert (Michael Sarrazin), a wide-eyed innocent from the country. The marathon is grueling and dehumanizing, and that's just the way the manic host (Oscar winner Gig Young) likes it.

This is a fascinating look at the dance marathons that really took place during the Depression, when people were willing to risk their health (and their lives) for the meals that were provided and a chance at the money. Fonda gives a masterful performance as the hopeless Gloria. At the end, she utters the wonderful and haunting title line. Sarrazin is good, but doesn't quite have the star quality that Fonda does. The story is fittingly left unresolved, just like the bleak lives of the contestants. Heartily recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Fonda's Performance was Overlooked!, Feb 15 2004

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ihgr (Albany, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Shoot Horses Don't They (DVD)

Horace McCoy's depression era play, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is tragically brought to life through the performances of an ensemble cast. Jane Fonda delivers her greatest performance, as Gloria, a loner trying to cope with an everyday painful existence.
Be prepared for a shocking ending, if that's possible. There arises a glimmer of hope that life is better.
Sydney Pollack directs a masterpiece in the exploration of the human condition under the throngs of depression. The utter despair, agony, and suffering of each character is felt, heard, seen, and endured by the viewer. It becomes so intense that you want to scream, "Enough, I can't watch any more." There's no need to scream out. Horace McCoy solves the problem for the viewer, and for Gloria.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars An Awful Movie
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is an awful film. It is about as interesting as watching water boil. Read more

Published on Jun 25 2004 by Charles J. Rector

1.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the worst movie of all time!
The only movies that may be worse would be Accidental Tourist or maybe Blair Witch Project. It's tough to pin down what exactly made this movie so bad. Read more

Published on Jun 21 2004 by Matthew Thibeault