Rating: 
Summary: A Cowboy Finds Redemption
Review: "The Electric Horseman" is one of those movies that I have seen in bits and pieces on TV over the last few years. Just recently one rainy Saturday afternoon I was able to see the whole thing on DVD and find out what a enjoyable fim I had been missing.Robert Redford plays former champion rodeo rider, Sonny Steele, who has become a spokesperson for a large corporation pushing breakfast cereal.His life is now a string of endless, dreary appearences riding around in a ridiculous electric suit.He seems to have lost his self-respect and continually drowns himself in tequila and wild times.It is at a Las Vegas convention that Sonny awakens from his stupor, when he finds out that the corporation is mistreating Rising Star, a former horse racing champion.Sonny kidnaps the horse and on the run meets an enterprising and determined reporter (well played by Jane Fonda)as he attempts to release the animal into the wild. This is a wonderful story of a man who is sick of compromising and must rediscover what was good about himself.It is only then that he can find some redemption. Redford and Fonda are both excellent in the lead roles and have loads of chemistry together.They are also complemented by a good supporting cast that includes Valerie Perine and country singer, Willie Nelson.Mention should also be made of the beautiful cinematography which shows off some amazing western desert landscapes.The movie also has a good soundtrack which includes songs by Willie Nelson.My only complaint is that the DVD itelf is very bare bones and nothing to shout about.There are no extras and not even a trailer or proper menu.Still,it is a very good movie and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" missing
Review: Advantage over old Image DVD: solid 16x9 anamorphic transfer.Disadvantage over old Image DVD: Willie Nelson song "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" has been removed from the opening and Rising Star's final scene. It has been replaced with a less effective, generic-sounding piece of music. "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" was in the theatrical release, in the ABC broadcast and on the Image DVD. I don't know if the omission is due to a technical screwup (like Universal's misframing of the "Back to the Future" sequels) or for rights issues (maybe AMPco had it removed), but the opening montage is much weaker without it. I hope the filmmakers are aware that this change has been made for this DVD release.
Rating: 
Summary: A REDFORD CLASSIC
Review: Don't buy the 2003 Universal Edition of this DVD. Instead, sift through the web and find the DVD released by Image Entertainment in 1998. Why? You'd be better off asking "what's in a song?" The latest version has omitted Willie Nelson's "My Heroe's Have Always Been Cowboys" in favor of some generic faux-Western instrumental. The song was played during the opening credits and when Sonny releases Rising Star into the wild. When I watched the new version (not knowing there was a new version), I was left emotionally flat by the experience, but I couldn't figure out why. Finally, I dug up an old VHS version I'd taped off of cable several years ago and realized the change. Call it song as metaphor, song as objective correlative...call it any theoretical term you need to. MAYBE it would not matter to a person who'd never seen the original. But I think it would (somehow). The song captures those two moments of the film -- the song makes an emotional connection. The image and the sound, the joyful melancholy, all gel perfectly. Why'd they change it? Who knows. The rest of Willie Nelson's songs remain on the soundtrack. I tend to think that the dimwits in charge of "product" treat these films like, uh, product. The battle of art versus commerce rages on... It matters. And I'm sick of the culture industry manipulating music and movies that have affected me.
Rating: 
Summary: BEWARE!!!
Review: Don't buy the 2003 Universal Edition of this DVD. Instead, sift through the web and find the DVD released by Image Entertainment in 1998. Why? You'd be better off asking "what's in a song?" The latest version has omitted Willie Nelson's "My Heroe's Have Always Been Cowboys" in favor of some generic faux-Western instrumental. The song was played during the opening credits and when Sonny releases Rising Star into the wild. When I watched the new version (not knowing there was a new version), I was left emotionally flat by the experience, but I couldn't figure out why. Finally, I dug up an old VHS version I'd taped off of cable several years ago and realized the change. Call it song as metaphor, song as objective correlative...call it any theoretical term you need to. MAYBE it would not matter to a person who'd never seen the original. But I think it would (somehow). The song captures those two moments of the film -- the song makes an emotional connection. The image and the sound, the joyful melancholy, all gel perfectly. Why'd they change it? Who knows. The rest of Willie Nelson's songs remain on the soundtrack. I tend to think that the dimwits in charge of "product" treat these films like, uh, product. The battle of art versus commerce rages on... It matters. And I'm sick of the culture industry manipulating music and movies that have affected me.
Rating:
Summary: The Cost Of Freedom & A Chance For Redemption...
Review: I first fell in love when this movie was released, and also fell in love with the film itself! It might have been because Susan, the girl I fell for, closely resembled (to my eyes, anyway!) Jane Fonda as she appears in the movie. But 21 years later, it is still one of my favorite films. Redford's Sonny Steele is someone who fleetingly achieved supremacy in a field that burns you out and uses you up in what seems like a few heartbeats. Alcohol and drugs - "The world of illusion," as the director of the AAMPCO Las Vegas extravaganza calls it - are natural paths for escaping the mundane reality of most other ways of life. That it takes a horse, the symbol of his former excellence, to jar Steele out of his decline, is one of the many ironic facts of The Electric Horseman. Redford and Fonda's characters are worlds apart in almost every way, and this makes their romance poignantly fated from the start. But the excitement of their journey, the overpowering beauty of the land they are crossing, and a re-kindling of lost idealism come together in passion. That they quickly find nothing to keep them together once the adventure is over speaks volumes about the transitory nature of all relationships in "modern" American society. The moment when Rising Star - the real star of the film - is set free is one of the most beautifully photographed sequences I'v ever seen. Those 2 minutes alone are worth the cost of admission to The Electric Horseman, a movie that eloquently speaks to the fact that we often CAN become what we choose to believe.
Rating:
Summary: The Cost Of Freedom & A Chance For Redemption...
Review: I first fell in love when this movie was released, and also fell in love with the film itself! It might have been because Susan, the girl I fell for, closely resembled (to my eyes, anyway!) Jane Fonda as she appears in the movie. But 21 years later, it is still one of my favorite films. Redford's Sonny Steele is someone who fleetingly achieved supremacy in a field that burns you out and uses you up in what seems like a few heartbeats. Alcohol and drugs - "The world of illusion," as the director of the AAMPCO Las Vegas extravaganza calls it - are natural paths for escaping the mundane reality of most other ways of life. That it takes a horse, the symbol of his former excellence, to jar Steele out of his decline, is one of the many ironic facts of The Electric Horseman. Redford and Fonda's characters are worlds apart in almost every way, and this makes their romance poignantly fated from the start. But the excitement of their journey, the overpowering beauty of the land they are crossing, and a re-kindling of lost idealism come together in passion. That they quickly find nothing to keep them together once the adventure is over speaks volumes about the transitory nature of all relationships in "modern" American society. The moment when Rising Star - the real star of the film - is set free is one of the most beautifully photographed sequences I'v ever seen. Those 2 minutes alone are worth the cost of admission to The Electric Horseman, a movie that eloquently speaks to the fact that we often CAN become what we choose to believe.
Rating:
Summary: Image Entertainment release of this movie
Review: I must disagree with the "Widescreen Review" of the image on this movie. They rated it a 2 out of 5. While non-anamorphic, and retaining a certain graininess, as compared to pristinely transferred movies, I have certainly seen much worse transfers of movies. Given that the correct intro music is on the Image release and not the later Universal release, I would still recommend this disk to anyone interested in this movie. The movie itself is a definite 4 of 5. The transfer rates about a 3. It is, however, a bare-bones edition. Not even a main menu. Just scene selection and the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Image Entertainment release of this movie
Review: I must disagree with the "Widescreen Review" of the image on this movie. They rated it a 2 out of 5. While non-anamorphic, and retaining a certain graininess, as compared to pristinely transferred movies, I have certainly seen much worse transfers of movies. Given that the correct intro music is on the Image release and not the later Universal release, I would still recommend this disk to anyone interested in this movie. The movie itself is a definite 4 of 5. The transfer rates about a 3. It is, however, a bare-bones edition. Not even a main menu. Just scene selection and the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Could use a Jolt.
Review: I stumbled across The Electric Horseman while browsing the shelves at my videostore (as I often do). I had never heard of it, but I figured Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack collaborations are always good and Jane fonda is always great, how bad could it be? Well, I was right and I was wrong. I understand now why I hadn't heard of it, but it was worth seeing. Redford plays Sonny Steele, a former rodeo world champion who has resigned to the mediocrity of being a breakfast food spokesman now that his glory days are behind him. Oh, he also likes to drink a little, if a little was like saying, "Arnold likes to hit the gym a little." In any case while attending a promotion in Las Vegas Stelle is introduced to Rising Star, a former champion being exploited, like himself, except Rising Star is a horse. He also meets Hallie (Fonda), a reporter who takes an interest in Steele when she senses the company doesn't want her to talk to him. During the promotion Steele saddles up on Rising Star and heads off into the wild. Let the manhunt begin! Guess who is the first to find him? It's not too hard. This is why The Electric Horseman is just an okay film instead of a good film. It never gets too deep and it is ever so predictable. It should have delved into it's characters more. However, the acting is good and the story, although predictable, is charming and well staged. There are several very good scenes as well. A quick observation. I would never knock Robert Redford. That would be treason and they used to hang people at high noon for that. But, if I had to raise a minor complaint, it would be that he never let's the audience get inside. Of course this is what makes him Robert Redford, but for a guy who has uncanny insight into the human condition as a filmmaker (please see Ordinary People and A River Runs Through It if you don't follow me), he seems to be too reseved in some of his performances. This film is a good example. Why his wife devorces him or why he drinks so much are never addressed. It is easy enough to assume why this is, but in a film like this, a film where the leading lady is a journalist, it should have been dragged out of him. Certainly Fonda has the acting chops to pull it off. Redford is still the man though, like I said, if I had to complain.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely one of my all-time favorites!
Review: I'm sure this is one of my favorite movies principally because it was one of the first big-screen movies I watched as a kid in the seventies, but I still love it all these years later. As some of the other reviewers have said, the plot is not incredibly profound, but it is still quite enjoyable and does carry a message. The beautiful horse and the footage of the countryside, however, are what make this film spectacular! The scene in which Redford releases the horse to join his new wild friends, to the tune of Willie Nelson's "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys", still brings a tear to my eye. Anyone who loves horses (or just animals....or nature!) will enjoy watching that horse gallop off to freedom. It's a beautiful sight! For the price, this video is definitely worth owning!
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