They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
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Actor: Gig Young, Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Red Buttons, Susannah YorkBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
Published: 2004-10-01
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: Soul shattering
Summary: 5 Stars
The Great Depression, always written with capital letters to denote the seriousness of the event, led to great problems far beyond our borders. One of the causes of the Second World War originated in a Germany plagued by economic problems far worse than what America went through. But things were bad here, too. Although far more people kept their jobs than ones who didn't, millions of Americans queued up in soup lines, wandered the country in search of work, and couldn't pay their bills. The New Deal, despite the fawning adoration these policies receive today, did little to alleviate economic woes in the long term. Some turned to crime to make ends meet, hence the rise of Dillinger and the other famous bank robbers, but some resorted to competing in particularly grotesque public spectacles referred to as dance marathons. A grinding trial of endurance for participants, dance marathons saw couples signing up to dance for extended periods of time, sometimes up to a month or longer with only short breaks for food and sleep, in order to win a bundle of money. Audiences showed up to watch, bet on, and cheer these unfortunate wretches. Fortunately, states eventually passed laws banning these scurrilous events.
"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" is a cinematic adaptation of a Horace McCoy novella of the same name. The star of the picture is Gloria (Jane Fonda), a world-weary young lady who signs up for the latest contest because she has nothing left to live for. Needing a partner, she spies a shy young fellow named Robert (Michael Sarrazin) watching the proceedings from a distance and convinces him to join up as her dance mate. Competition looks fierce, though. Sailor (Red Buttons) and his partner Shirl (Allyn Ann McLerie) look like they might put out some effort despite their advanced age. So do James (Bruce Dern) and his wife Ruby (Bonnie Bedelia) who, although pregnant, helped her man win a contest in another state. One individual who definitely looks like she won't make it is glamour girl Alice (Susannah York), whose interest lies in dolling herself up like a movie star in order to draw attention from any potential talent agents in the audience. Presiding over this gladiatorial madness is the cynical emcee Rocky (Gig Young). He stands at a microphone on the stage belting out hour after hour of running commentary on the contestants, inventing wild stories about their backgrounds in order to pump up the audience. His sole purpose in life is to put on a good show, and he won't allow any of the dancers to do anything that jeopardizes that goal.
Once the contest begins, what follows is an experience that leaves the viewer as emotionally and physically drained as the contestants. Hours turn into days, days into weeks as the participants grind away on the dance floor. Couples start to slip away, either quitting and walking off voluntarily or collapsing in a heap on the floor. Tensions pull the dancers apart, with new couplings made, broken, and reformed as time goes by. When attendance starts to lag, Rocky and his cohorts, including Al Lewis and Michael Conrad as Turkey and Rollo respectively, institute a fun new game, the Derby. This barbaric ritual requires the surviving contenders to trot madly around the outer edge of the dance floor, with the woman holding on to the man's belt, in a heel and toe race of exhausting dimensions. It's a nifty way to fire up the crowds as well as pare down the number of couples. It's also one of the sickest things you're likely to see in a film. No wonder that Gloria begins to lose all hope of ever emerging from the hole that constitutes her existence. Her exchanges with Rocky take on unsavory aspects as she fervently attempts to stay in the game. It's almost as though she senses what her fate must be if she fails to win the prize. When she finally learns the truth behind the dance contest, she must make a decision of life and death importance for both her and Robert.
Every performer with significant screen time turns in a stellar performance. It's Hanoi Jane and Gig Young that steal the show, though. I hate to admit it considering her unofficial status as a traitor to the country that allowed her to live in comfort her entire life, but Fonda really drives it home with her portrayal of the exhausted Gloria. The bitterness in her eyes and her icy tones convincingly convey the impression of a human being dangling at the end of her shattered life. Just as good, if not better, is Gig Young. His is a more challenging part in that he must simultaneously express the mentality of a ruthless self-promoter while occasionally showing us his concern for the contestants, and even then you're never quite sure whether he provides comfort because of a kind heart or whether it's just another ploy to keep the show going. Whatever the case his scene with a delusional Alice ranks as among the best in a movie loaded with unforgettable moments. The talent aside, "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" works so well because the film uses the cruelty of the dance marathon as a metaphor for the callous disregard people show for the less fortunate.
I'm slightly disappointed with the MGM DVD version. The only extra on the disc is a trailer, surprising considering how many Academy Awards this film won the year it came out. I've heard of an earlier Anchor Bay release with better audio and better extras, so hopefully that disc or a similar version will receive a reissue at some point in the future. I find it difficult to believe Hanoi Jane wouldn't want to do a commentary for the film, unless she's one of those people who refuse to comment about her work. I recommend both the film and McCoy's searing novella.
Description of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
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