They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
by Sydney Pollack
List Price:
Our Price: $13.49
You Save: $1.49 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $6.33 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Gig Young, Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Red Buttons, Susannah YorkDirector: 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)
DVD Reviews of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
DVD 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.
DVD Review: "Isn't THAT 'The American Way'?"
Summary: 4 Stars
What a movie. That is what I can say about watching "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" earlier today. As you know the movie is set during the tail end of The Great Depression in 1934 but like what director Arthur Penn did to "Bonnie and Clyde", director Sidney Pollock (I still can't get over him dying) uses that time to express the paranoia that was going on in America during the years after the Kennedy assassination in the 60's-and in some regard what is going on now as the 2000's is about to end. The cast is great-Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Gig Young, Bruce Dern (who already co-stared with Jane's brother Peter with "The Wild Angels" and "The Trip"), Red Buttons, Bonnie Belinda. But the real star definitely belong to Susannah York-who plays stage actress Alice. As you know she was noninated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this film, and she lost to Goldie Hawn for "Cactus Flower". I saw Hawn's movie and I could only watch the first 30 minutes because it was shockingly over the top (in some regards a microcausm of the 60's ending in chaos) while York's performance in this movie is so good that I'm shocked the Academy didn't give it to her especially the scene in which she is crying over where her dress was. I think she's the only British actress from the 1960's that takes my breath away and it would of capped a fitting end to it having started with "The Greengage Summer" in 1961 and then of course with "Tom Jones" two years later. To add insult to injury Gig Young won the Oscar for this movie when it should of been her, York wouldn't be nominated again, and the big kicker: The movie that Goldie Hawn won the Oscar was for a comedy; which as you know the Academy (any wonder they put the word 'science' in it?) has a taboo track record for that genre. As you know the movie ends with (spoiler) Sarrazin's character killing Gloria (Fonda) with a bullet to the head from the gun that she took from Young's character. How ironic considering they let the audience remind them how John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy got killed during the 60's. And it ends with the dance marathon continuing on not revealing who wins the money; as it remind me of a cliche that I came up to decribe the movies during the 1960's: Nobody won. I definally want some people to see this. DVD Review: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Summary: 5 Stars
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.DVD Review: excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
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 human condition. DVD Review: A powerhouse
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Description 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: KluteIn 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
General DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
Frost/ NixonUniversal; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $11.39
Price in other shops:
Lost in AustenImage Entertainment; Release date: 2009-04-14; DVD
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops:
AustraliaTwentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-03; DVD
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops:
DoubtRelease date: 2009-04-07; DVD
Best price: $14.43
Price in other shops:
True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series)Release date: 2009-05-19; DVD
Best price: $38.99
Price in other shops:
FireproofSony; Release date: 2009-01-27; DVD
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops:
The ReaderGenius; Release date: 2009-04-14; DVD
Best price: $12.30
Price in other shops:
The WrestlerTwentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-04-21; DVD
Best price: $11.49
Price in other shops:
Marley and Me (Single-Disc Edition)Twentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-31; DVD
Best price: $10.55
Price in other shops:
Slumdog MillionaireTwentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2009-03-31; DVD
Best price: $10.40
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Sunset Boulevard - The Centennial CollectionParamount; Release date: 2008-11-11; DVD
Best price: $10.59
Price in other shops:
Barbarella: Queen of the GalaxyParamount; Release date: 1999-06-22; DVD
Best price: $4.61
Price in other shops:
Barefoot in the ParkParamount; Release date: 2002-04-09; DVD
Best price: $4.17
Price in other shops:
The China Syndrome (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2004-10-26; DVD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
The Grapes of WrathRelease date: 2004-04-06; DVD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
The Way We Were (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 1999-12-14; DVD
Best price: $4.26
Price in other shops:
Out of AfricaUniversal; Release date: 2000-02-29; DVD
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Tootsie - 25th Anniversary EditionSony; Release date: 2008-02-05; DVD
Best price: $7.72
Price in other shops:
This Property Is CondemnedParamount; Release date: 2003-12-02; DVD
Best price: $4.63
Price in other shops:
JuliaTwentieth Century Fox; Release date: 2006-02-07; DVD
Best price: $5.34
Price in other shops: