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 Review: Nihilism with an elegant hand
Everybody says how great this movie is, and one can see how the acting is first rate. The movie is very slow, but in this reviewer's opinion because the movie does not have a lot to say. It is a soul-deadening theme of how The System Is Screwing The Citizen. From the viewpoint of the Great Depression that's the essential leftist political viewpoint, which I don't share but can appreciate the thought. But unless the theme is "bring on the Revolution, tear everything down and start over", why make this movie? I liked the main characters and just waited and waited for the storyline to have them do anything positive. They never do. The story ends with something I consider completely morally unacceptable -- I won't give away the suspense, but say that while it's not brother-sister incest it's something that offends me equally much. I can appreciate slow stories which this is, and moral ambiguity intrigues me, but this combination just pushes all the wrong buttons with this amateur reviewer.
Customer Review: I love this movie!
It's so dark and painful to watch at times. A dance marathon gone too far. The races were so horrible as I watched them strain to breaking points, sweat pouring off them and the pain in each face. The drama that enfolded at each day was far than a boring marathon. Even dancing alone (or rather swaying) they had that distant and tired look in their eyes. Jane Fonda was so great in this. I applaud this woman. Such a heart breaker. Such acting. A wonderful buy and now in DVD...hooray!
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