Rent They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
3.5 of 5 from 120 ratings
2h 0min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- In the dark days of the depression, dance marathons became a way for desperate people to compete for prize money. Events would last for days, as contestants pushed themselves beyond the point of exhaustion while the barbarous crowds watched on, wagering money for sport and profit. Against this backdrop, the lives of a disparate group of contestants become intertwined. Brought together by chance, they move relentlessly around the dance floor in search of a dream... the clock ticks on... which of them will survive?
- Actors:
- 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, Madge Kennedy, Jacquelyn Hyde, Felice Orlandi, Art Metrano, Gail Billings, Lynn Willis, Maxine Greene, Mary Gregory
- Directors:
- Sydney Pollack
- Writers:
- Horace McCoy, James Poe
- Others:
- Harry Horner, John Green, Frederic Steinkamp, Robert E. Thompson, Donfeld, Fredric Steinkamp, Frank McKelvy, Albert Woodbury
- Studio:
- Prism Leisure
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
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- Awards:
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Reviews (2) of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
An excellent drama, well worth a watch - They Shoot Horses, Don't They? review by RP
Set in 1932 in the depths of the American recession, Robert (Michael Sarazzin) and Gloria (Jane Fonda) enter a dance marathon, with the last couple left standing supposedly picking up a $1,500 prize. The all-knowing, cynical, rabble-rousing MC (Gig Young) eggs on the contestants (including Susannah York), driving them to greater and greater feats of endurance with his rabble-rousing cry of 'Yowza, yowza, yowza!' The competition is, of course, a scam.
The film captures well the desperation that must have driven on real-life contestants and Gig Young won a well-deserved Oscar for his role. It really is a quite remarkable performance.
An excellent drama, well worth a watch. 4/5 stars.
4 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
Political Allegory (with spoiler). - They Shoot Horses, Don't They? review by Steve
Faithful adaptation of Horace McCoy's inconsolable political allegory of American capitalism. It is set at a dance marathon in LA during the long American depression. Destitute couples dance around the clock for weeks to win a large cash prize, without knowing that the last pair will pay for the event out of their winnings.
It is a grotesque depiction of social Darwinism. The strongest survive, but the game is crooked. The poor pay to watch other poor people suffer. Jane Fonda plays a struggling actor who laments, 'maybe it's just the whole damn world is like central casting: they got it all rigged before you ever show up'.
This was a breakthrough role for Fonda as the strong minded agitator, helplessly mangled in the gears of the free market. Like the rest of her community, she is at liberty to make a choice; take it or leave it. The film is most memorable for Gig Young as the cynical, manipulative, indifferent MC and Susannah York who is heartbreaking as a vulnerable wannabe actor driven to madness.
Sydney Pollack ornaments the Cinemascope with imaginative impressionist touches and haunting close-ups. The period recreation is wonderful and the soundtrack of standards adds atmosphere. It is a tragedy. When Jane can't go on, she asks her partner (Michael Sarrazin) to shoot her. It is a mercy killing. She is in too much pain. The last line of the film is devastating. It is the title.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.