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One of the most overlooked classics from the 60's.

Sydney Pollack has given the world some of most memorable and engrossing films ever such as "The Way We Were," "Out of Africa," "Tootsie", and "The Firm." However, most seem to forget about this little masterpiece he helmed back in 1969, about a dance marathon that causes more disillusionment that being told your life is a worthless shame. Jane Fonda heads out the cast as a struggling actress who seeks out the dance marathon as a means of survival during the Great Depression. Marathons of this type were popular, luring in poor folks to see who would be willing to go so far to win a cash prize. Susannah York is another actress from Hollywood who has had her share of bad luck and it gets worse and worse as the marathon wears on. Red Buttons is a sailor who has seen his share of human loss and heartache but matters to almost nothing when he sees what this marathon will do to its contestants. Gig Young is well-cast as the scheming marathon promoter who loves to sit back and watch the people collapse and give up. He puts the show on soley for human spectacle and idiotic display. What he does to select contestants will have you loathing and seething with hatred for his character. He is so convincing in the role it won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Young, who was a major comedy star back in the 1940-50's, was sinking into deep melancholy over life and his work and the Oscar did little to nothing to help him. In 1978 he shot his wife and then himself, always convinced that he was the result of an accidental pregnancy. However, despite this pitiful knowledge, he has given the entertainment world some of the best work we've ever seen, including his own TV show in the 50's in which he went behind the scenes of movies in production.

This film was shot entirely in sequence and Pollack had his cast rehearse and dance for 12 straight hours before he put them in front of the camera, so you are basically seeing it as it was filmed. The editing makes it look more frenzied and more grueling to watch, especially those derby scenes. Human cruelty never looked more artistic or more disheartening. Dance marathons were eventually banned by law and this film shows just why that happened.

Nominated for nine Academy Awards---Best Director (Pollack), Actress (Fonda), Supporting Actor (Gig Young, who won the Oscar), Supporting Actress (York), Screenplay Adaptation from the novel by Horace McCoy, Art Direction, Costume Design, Music Score Adaptation, and Film Editing. It is a travesty that it was not nominated for Best Picture. This is one of those little known films from the dusk of Hollywood's Golden Age and should not be missed. It should be revived for a whole new generation to discover and be mesmerized by.

Heart-tearing dama!

Astonishingly powerful film from Sydney Pollack. Based on a book about a marathon dance contest in the depression era, this film will floor you by the time it's over. Evocative performances from Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin(plus Bruce Dern and Bonnie Bedilia among others) help make this drama top-notch. Incredible and oddly romantic piece is among my favorites of the late 1960s. Looks great on dvd in widescreen.

Stunning!

In George Eells, book " Final Gig" , he talks about Gig Young Finally getting that coveted Oscar for " They Shoot Horses..Dont They" For a normal person this victory would have been a new episode in a career. For Gig Young it was just a footnote.

The casting of Gig Young in this film was a great break . The nuance he brought to the character of Rocky had all the fatalistic ingredients.

The cast is uniformly superb..and I think this is Jane Fonda,s best performance. She is a totally cynical and self destructive person on her way to tragedy and could care less. Her moments with Young are priceless. Their ineteractions and facial close ups are devastating. Bruce Dern shows again another very eccentric job in his role and Michael Sarrazin is fine as a free soul who is wandering through life.

Staging and Cinematography have yet to be matched in a film like this. The dance of life and the dancers plight are bared to the audience culminating in both a shattering conclusion and an unending shallow promise to the audience..for the continuation and lunacy of life in that period ..Brilliant Film

Devastating !!!!

Well, if you want to see a movie that has a great cast, a great, harrowing, gripping, story , then this is a DVD for you !! This shows us what the dance marathon's of the depression era 30's were really like. Grueling, barbaric, and heart wrenching. A movie that will blow you away. It will rank as one of the top movies ever to make you feel like bomb was just dropped on you. Get ready for this one, it packs one hell of a wallop !!! Good Luck.

One of the Most Stunning Cinematic Achievments Ever

To me Pollack & company perfectly realized Horace McCoy's saturnine vision. This is the most relentless, hard-knuckled, diabolically-paced piece of filmmaking ever. There is not a dishonest moment in the movie. It's also the greatest example of ensemble acting I've ever seen on screen as well. Everyone involved in the production gave every ounce of themselves and it shows. It may have finished off Gig Young. His portrayal of the "Yowzer, Yowzering" MC is the most cynical, world-weary characterization ever expressed on celluloid. It doesn't surprise me that he checked out in real life shortly after winning an Oscar for his supporting role. Jane Fonda gives the performance of her life as Gloria. She would have won an Oscar here if she hadn't recently received one for Klute. There's no use in singling out anyone else, though Suzannah York truly deserved her Oscar as well. Everyone in this movie deserved an Oscar. I would have given one to the second-grip, if there were an award for that.

The soundtrack is absolutely first-rate. I owned it on vinyl, but can't find it on CD unfortunately. If anyone out there is aware of a CD release, would you please send me mail? I've never known another soundtrack that served as such perfect accompaniment to the action on screen. Sometimes it served as a great vehicle for irony (as if this film needed any more of that!). The second "Derby" sequence is a great case-in-point. As The Sailor (Red Buttons) is literally expiring from exhaustion, the band is playing "By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea." The dancehall is situated on a pier above the Pacific. The metaphors come fast and furious in this movie. It rewards repeated viewings. McCoy's novel is pretty good too, along the lines of Nathaniel West's Day of the Locust.

For $14, you can't make a better investment if you are any kind of film buff or just want a good kick in the emotional keister. Not for the sentimental type. About as fierce and unflinching a look into the depths of the human spirit as you are likely to come across. One of the finest movies ever.

Period Piece

Horace Mcoy,s story comes to life in a stunning film that has it all.

Sydney Pollacks dance marathon will leave you totally spent. I,m not a big Jane Fonda fan but in this film she delivers it all. a cynical downtrodden woman who really needs to win something. Sarrazin is perfect as the fall guy for the montage. Ironically, if you read Gig Youngs story.."Final Gig" you will learn that winning an Oscar for this film did not help him at all.causing ultimate depression and suicide.

One of the great film editing jobs you will ever see. Stunning.

Dark, Depressing, Meaningful

This could become one of your favorite movies. The symbolism is great

Real McCoy in the Depression

I first saw the movie at a drive-in when I was about 12 years old. When I saw it again in my 20's I started to understand the harsh world of The Depression Era of the 1930's in America and what my grandfather had suffered through and survived. It is one of the most emotionally and mentally intense and gripping movies I have ever seen -- and now I know my grandfather so much better even though he died before I was born. He was H.S. McCoy and he wrote the novel upon which the movie was made. If you ever get a copy of the movie, please E-mail me and let me know!

School of Hardest Knocks!

Not for the squeamish or those looking for "a good time" in movie entertainment. Set in depression era L.A. at an endless dance marathon, Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin play variations on down-&-outers of the period. Jane's a would-be acrtress who's done a little extra work & now wants more; Michael is just a farmboy cajoled into the dance marathon by emcee Gig Young. Young gives a wonderful performance as the sardonic, wicked emcee -- more vocal & abrasive than any other character in the movie! Young won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his job handling the mike & the dancers. There isn't much real dancing -- the characters are endlessly exhausted and weary from staying on their feet trying to win measly prizes along the way & wishing to win the big final prize. Big climactic scenes: the heal-and-toe race to eliminate dancers & what drives Suzannah York's character over the edge! Other standout performances are by Red Buttons, as an old-time sailor who's tough as nails; Suzannah York, as a fey British high-society actress who gets taken down quite a few notches; also, look for Al Lewis, the grandfather from the ol' Munsters TV show, as assistant emcee at the dance marathon. More actor trivia: the actor who played the Sargent on the first years of Hill Street Blues is also a dance floor bouncer. Other miniscule roles with big actors: Allyn Ann McClearie as Buttons's girlfriend/partner; Bonnie Bedalia & Bruce Dern as the expectant couple struggling to stay afoot against all odds. For serious trivia nuts, anyone who knows who Paul Mantee is will recognize him as one of the other dance floor bouncers!

The movie was made in 1969/70 and it's full of sixties angst and morbid ideologies about the plight of man & "man's inhumanity to man" (vis-a-vis the Vietnam War period). On its own, "Horses" has stood the test of time & looks tough & coarse today with outstanding performances all around. If you can take all the heartache, you'll find a strong metaphorical film here! I remember how controversial this movie was when it came out. It's still abrasive, but see if our society has changed at all in it's view of the subject matter. This is for people who don't mind a depressing dose of reality drama. Oh, almost forgot: there's the film's theme song "Easy Come & Easy Go" which languishes around the background and adds eerie resonance to the whole film! When will REM record this & crank up more sixties ennui! Peace, brothers & sisters!

A Masterpiece rediscovered

Maybe not so worldwide know as others milestone movies of the end of the 60's (The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, 2001, The Wild Bunch, Midnight Cowboy) "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" Stands between them equally moving and disturbing. This movie struck me very deeply and stayed in my mind for days, I have never felt this with a movie before .The acting is superb, everyone involve here is fantastic they give body, mind and soul to their characters and it shown on the screen but is Jane Fonda with her awesome interpretation of the very bitter Gloria that stole the show .Visually stunning, fast paced and deeply sad I recommed it. But if you buy it BUY THE WIDESCREEN EDITION, every inch of frame counts and is almost unwatchable see it in the pan and scan version .Sadly not any of the extras of the DVD edition are in VHS. When they going to learn that not all the mortals of the earth can aford a DVD? Anyway this version is still enjoyable and this film is in my top 10 movies of all time.

Jane Fonda proves her acting ability in this performance.

The horrors of the depression era are portrayed in this adaptation of Horace McCoy's play. At times it is difficult to observe the torment and despair of not only the main character, but also, the secondary characters. Their pain can be felt by the viewer. The final scene is one of the most memorable in motion picture history. This film is a classic and should have swept the Oscar race in 1969.

An out of control dance contest as metaphor for the 30s

This is one of the most amazing movies i have ever seen. It's packed with young 70s stars and i couldn't stop thinking about it for days after. Check it out, you won't be dissapointed.

A MASTERPIECE RESTORED

I was overjoyed to receive a gift of the reissue of this video in 1995, that is until I watched it in all its "pan & scan" desecration. It is truly a joy to watch this DVD (VHS is now available in widescreen as well) in the right format with all the extras. But all that aside, this is a towering, neglected masterpiece of American cinema that virtually put director Sydney Pollack on the map and established Jane Fonda as the premier American actress of the Sixties and Seventies. Who else could have captured the tragic essence of the bitter, beaten Gloria but Fonda? Watch her especially in the final elimination round as she desperately (and literally) carries her ailing partner around the floor in a final attempt to win the big prize and (symbolically) maybe give life one more try. Fonda never sentimalizes this great character as a lesser actress would have been tempted to; no simple answers or easy forgiveness will do for Gloria--she is too important to be trivialized. Red Buttons, Susannah York, and Gig Young are also superb in supporting roles; the cinematography and music also deserve kudos. If you haven't seen it, do not miss this American classic and one of the century's greatest actresses just entering her prime. How we do miss Jane.

Powerful -- gripping - incredible acting - Please reorder !

This is truly one of the most gripping and well acted films, I have ever seen. It will leave you worn out and breathless. Truly an amazing film. I only hope that it will be in print again. Have looked for this video for quite some time...

World Cinema Classic

I have seen this film many times. Great acting, directing, set, music. I remember a critic somewhere expressing his view that Jane's acting was over the top. In my opinion, you need boldface acting when the music is so pervasive - subtler shades would get swallowed up. Jane immortalized Gloria! My favorite line: Gloria is assigned a new dance partner - a bad match at a bad time. She is sinking into delirium & muses about putting a pet out of its misery. Her partner says "Look - has anyone ever told you..." (Gloria interrupts) "Yes...They've told me..."

"The Dance of Destiny Continues"

This film is a unique experience. It is a tale set during the Great Depression in the setting of a Dance Marathon where hope and perseverence are seemingly the only factors driving the contestants. Eventually, after days and days, the contestants rise up and plod on more out of a sense of habit and expected exhaustion. Near the end of the story it matters very little who will win but rather who is still dancing. Each couple pushes themselves to the brink of collapse...and beyond. This is a truly fascinating tale about living on through the worst of times even though the best of times is nowhere in sight. As for the acting there are many standout performances, my particular favorites being Jane Fonda and Gig Young. Jane Fonda plays a character cast in iron (in fact, she and her dance partner are sponsored at one point and forced to where jackets advertising "Jonathan's Iron Tonic"), but as she progresses through the competition she slowly begins to break down. Piece by piece is thrown aside; her staunchly moral character at the beginning of the story gradually unravels until she is an empty shell, devoid of hopeful emotions. Gig Young's performance is no less mesmerizing as the Master of Ceremonies selling suffering to the spectators at two bits a head. But just when you think you've pegged the villain of the story he shows that he too is a lost soul trapped on the "merry-go-round" of life and conveys compassion and understanding to those most in need. His performance garnered him a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The actual filmmaking is edgy and spectacular. With all the dancers struggling to stay upright during a portion of the Dance Marathon called the "Derby" the background music is light-hearted and frollicking while the contestants are gasping for breath, stumbling in pain, all for the sake of entertainment. They are dancing and racing toward a cash prize, but their anguish is on display for all who pay to see it. There are also some flash-forward scenes that are effectively shot on sound stages, with all the surrounding echo in the chamber as the main character speaks, adding to the reflective quality of his remembrance. This film is crammed with many brilliant scenes that make it a remarkable experience to behold. Highly recommended. "The Marathon goes on and on and on."

Soul shattering

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.

But how did they shoot "Horses" ?

Movie: ***** DVD Transfer: ***** DVD Extras: **

Impeccable performances distinguish this penetrating examination of Depression-era America in which a dance marathon acts as a microcosm of the world for the desperate contestants and the calculating producers of the event. Jane Fonda's breakthrough performance as the cynical and embittered Gloria is the centerpiece of the film; the actress is nothing short of brilliant as she creates a character who is completely unsentimental and largely unsympathetic, but nonetheless humanly understandable. Fonda's wrenching tour de force is ably supported by a great cast of professionals all performing at the peak of their abilities, including Susannah York as a would-be starlet desperate to be discovered (her final scene is gut-wrenching); Michael Sarrazin as the drifter who becomes Fonda's dancing partner through a twist of fate; Bonnie Bedelia and Bruce Dern as a hard-luck couple trying to beat the odds; Michael Conrad and Al ("Grandpa Munster") Lewis as employees of the marathon; and especially, Gig Young in his Oscar-winning turn as the marathon's sardonic and manipulative emcee.


Also of note are the film's remarkable achievements in makeup and editing. The majority of the action takes place in one location over a period of several weeks, with the characters slowly losing their vitality and letting their appearances go as exhaustion and numbness set in. The makeup artists and wardrobe team did a fantastic job of providing visual continuity for the stars and many extras over the film's nearly two-hour running time; no small feat there! And the razor-sharp editing contributes enormously to the film's pace, alternating lengthy stretches of dialogue and inaction with bravura, manic sequences in which rapid cuts create the impression of a society run amok.

The new MGM Home Video of this neglected gem offers clean, sharp video and crisp sound. Viewed on a 57" widescreen monitor, my copy looked and sounded perfect; especially effective were the scenes at the beginning of the film when a series of startling reports resembled the sound of a gun being fired. The extras include only the Original Theatrical Trailer - which is a treat - but leaves the curious viewer wanting more. I would have really loved an audio commentary by the surviving cast members and the director, or at least some filmed interview clips. This is a fascinating film that deserves the deluxe treatment, but until that happens, this edition is well worth adding to your collection.

Brilliant film, disappointing DVD!

Unfortunately, MGM downgrades the DVD re-release of "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" with a non-anamorphic transfer, no commentary and extras, and no Dolby Digital 5.1 track (As I recall, the former Anchor Bay release contained a stereo surround track, the MGM release is only in mono). "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" was an Academy Award winning film that certainly deserves the Special Edition treatment.

The new DVD: What's the point???

I was thrilled to hear they were re-releasing this 1969 classic on DVD but so disappointed with the final result. Why no extras? THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? is being re-released at a great time given the current intense political heat and sickening reality/survivor shows in today's culture; it was given a brief salute in A DECADE UNDER THE INFLUENCE; Paul Thomas Anderson (BOOGIE NIGHTS, MAGNOLIA, HARD EIGHT) has singled it out as being an overlooked classic; the film has even been transformed into a play, has a cult following, is consistantly being rediscovered by film buffs and critics, and has even been acknowledged as holding up far more effectively than EASY RIDER (another 1969 film celebrating its 35th anniversary in a special edition DVD). The laserdisc edition includes a full-length commentary -with director Sidney Pollack, Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Irwin Winkler, and Sydney Guillerhoff- that could have been easily included. (They did use the laserdisc commentary track for the DVD re-release of HALLOWEEN and CLERKS and SOPHIE'S CHOICE, I believe.) THE CHINA SYNDROME DVD is being re-released tomorrow as a special edition complete with deleted scenes and new interviews with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas. Even BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE -another great film from the same year- has been given a special treatment and will be out in November. THEY SHOOT... cries out for a special editon treatment and it's a shame it looks as though it will be another couple of years.