They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
by Sydney Pollack

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Gig Young, Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Red Buttons, Susannah York
Director: Sydney Pollack
Producer: Irwin Winkler
Producer: Johnny Green
Producer: Robert Chartoff
Producer: Theodore B. Sills
Writer: Horace McCoy
Writer: James Poe
Writer: Robert E. Thompson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-10-19
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Movie Reviews of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Movie Review: 4 stars out of 4
Summary: 5 Stars

The Bottom Line:

A movie so visceral and well-crafted that watching it almost becomes a painful experience, They Shoot Horses Don't They starts as a movie about a dance marathon during the depression but keeps getting better and better until it becomes something of a statement on humanity: don't miss it.

Summary of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Nominated* for nine Academy Awards(r), this vivid (Cue), fascinating (Leonard Maltin) film stars Oscar(r) winner** Jane Fonda as a woman driven to seize her last best chance during the very worst of times. A brilliant (LA Herald-Examiner) achievement by director Sydney Pollack, it is a stunning period piece (Variety). In Depression-era America, desperation spawned a bizarre fad: the dance marathon. Couples competed to stay on their feet for thousands of hours, and audiences flocked to watch. But Gloria (Fonda) doesn't think of herself as a spectacle. She is a fierce, unforgiving contestant in a battle she's determined to win. At stake is much more than the $1,500 prize. The marathon is her only hope for dignity, accomplishment and salvation. *1969: Director; Actress (Jane Fonda); Supporting Actress (Susannah York); Supporting Actor (Gig Young, won); Adapted Screenplay; Art Direction; Costume Design; Editing; Musical Score **1978: Actress: Coming Home; 1971: Klute
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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