They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Rating:
Summary: A MASTERPIECE RESTORED
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: The new DVD: What's the point???
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: ACTING
Review: I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT FILMS FROM THE LATE 60'S - EARLY 70'S. MOVIEGOERS AT THE TIME OF THE RELEASE
SAW IT AS A METAPHOR FOR THE VIETNAM WAR BUT EVERY OTHER "SERIOUS" FILM AT THE TIME WAS SEEN IN THE SAME PERSPECTIVE.

JUST TO CORRECT ONE ITEM. THIS IS JANE FONDA'S FIRST ROLE WHERE SHE WAS SEEN AS A SERIOUS ACTRESS. SHE WON THE NY FILM CRITICS AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS.
KLUTE WAS RELEASED TWO YEARS LATER IN 1971. IT HAD NO AFFECT ON HER NOT WINNING THE OSCAR FOR THIS ROLE.

Rating:
Summary: Does anyone know about this unique masterpiece?
Review: I've read a number of the customer reviews, agreed with them, and only wish I could think of more superlatives for this phenomenal achievement in filmmaking. You cannot come away from this film without being moved by its amazing, thought-provoking power. The world created by Pollack draws you in so completely (along with brilliant sets, cinematography, editing and, especially, the very well-chosen music) that you cannot help thinking "There but for the grace of God, Go I". What many don't realize is that this film is on the record books of the Academy for many reasons; no other film received as many Oscar nominations as this (9) without being nominated for Best Picture. Two artists who have made unforgettable marks upon the history of American film (Pollack and Fonda) received their first of many Oscar nominations. As I mentioned, there's not much more to say about this film experience that hasn't been said, though I will repeat: SEE THIS FILM. If you're any kind of a film fan, this is an essential addition to your library.The Widescreen version and DVD are 2.35:1, the ONLY way to view this film. With few exceptions, this film gives more attention to detail than any I can recall. I also realize that most people that might read this are aware of its brilliance. Sad to think this film is being missed by so many.

Rating:
Summary: Easy come, easy go
Review: If you're ever in the mood for a depressing movie, you would be hard pressed to do better than this one. The film takes place in 1932 California & depicts one of the darkest hours of American history: the great depression.

During this turbulant time, one of the most popular ways for jobless & homeless people to try (almost always in vain) to make a buck was to participate in a dancethon. These were like a circus freak show, only much worse. 10s of couples would start the dancethon in hopes of being the "last couple standing" to win the prize money. There was usually a 10 minute break every 2 hours, and a few hours of sleep @ night. Other than that, they were in constant motion. They even had to eat while standing up & dancing.

The film stars Jane Fonda and Bonnie Bedelia in their younger years. However, it is Gig Young, playing the ruthless & sadistic club owner who steals the show. Young's character is the exemplar of swindlers in the 1930s who generated a profit by marketing the old dictum that "desperate times call for desperate measures."

As I was watching this movie, it struck me that the prize money, for which the contestants on-screen were undergoing the most unimaginable and grueling agony, was actually worth less than the HDTV upon which I was watching the film. Granted, $1,500 went a lot further in the 1930s than today. Nevertheless, it was a humbling thought.

The scariest part about this movie is that it's not about something out of the middle ages. Nor does it detail the austere rites of some distant, reclusive & primitive 3rd world country. Rather, it is something that really happened IN THIS COUNTRY, and it occurred in the 20th century. So many times we tend to think that we are way past the barbarisms and atrocities that we associate with our long ago ancestors. This story makes crystal clear that fallacy of believing that. As Mark Twain would say, the rumours of human cruelty's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

This is a film that depicts social Darwinism in its most austere and extreme manifistation. The symbolism re: shooting lame horses when they can no longer run is incredibly trenchant. If you view this movie, I guarantee you that it will be with you for the rest of your life.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: gloom, despair, agony, bleak, depressing...I LOVE IT !
Review: Jane Fonda left her fluff pieces behind her and became a REAL actress after her Oscar-nominated performance here as Gloria, the bitter and hopeless woman who joins a grueling dance marathon (a craze of the Depression '30s) with Michael Sarrazin as her partner. She leaves nothing behind and throws herself into this bleak role taking huge risks that 'STAR' actresses don't do anymore. The film also put Sydney Pollack on the map as a director to be reckoned with. Finding an audience for this film may be tough because of its unrelenting gloom, but if you watch it and don't find yourself thinking about it for weeks after you have seen it, you don't know what movies are about. The message here is that there are no winners in life....only survivors. These are the kinds of films I favor (bleak and depressing) as that is what real life is about....it's a struggle. If you're looking for a diversion from real life, don't come here. The film also contains an Oscar-winning turn by Gig Young as the dance marathon's promoter and emcee and an Oscar-nominated performance by Susannah York as a Garboesque wannabe actress looking for a break. Horses is more a disaster film than anything else. No ship hits an iceberg and no building catches fire, but everyone involved experiences disaster. Don't pass this up.

Rating:
Summary: Even better than Out Of Africa
Review: Low budget movies often -and this is one case- turn out better that superproductions. A 69 movie by Pollack. A dance marathon. A great movie. In my opinion only Out of Africa and this one are to be considered great movies in mr Pollack's long career. But each in its own style they certainly are.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece rediscovered
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: School of Hardest Knocks!
Review: 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!