Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

lasttimeisaw Sydney Pollack's pungent film adaptation of Horace McCoy's 1935 novel about a dance marathon contest during the Depression-era - the ultimate test of energy and endurance, which blurs the line between competition and reality show. The various contestants spurred by the 1500$ reward, push their strength and fortitude to the limits, little they know, they are merely dispensable pawns to attract audience, since the mass needs something they can believe in in that particular era, and clearly, watching other people in suffering and bad shapes is a massively effective way to achieve that, what a sadistic revelation! Also the film has an unflinchingly bleak ending can give a gut punch to first-time viewers who are unfamiliar with the source novel. The main players in the game are Gloria (Fonda), a cynical, embittered woman whose intention to become an actress has never materialised, randomly paired with Robert (Sarrazin), a wide-eyed (literally) young man who is aimless wandering around; Harry Kline (Buttons), a middle-aged sailor with his partner Shirli (Ann McLerie), British aspiring actress Alice (York) and her partner Joel (Fields), a young farmer James (Dern) with his pregnant wife Ruby (Bedelia), yes, no possible sick people allowed but a pregnant woman, welcome on board! The contest is hosted by a veteran emcee Rocky (Young), who represents the ruthless rules-maker and exploiter of the poor participants. Barely a dance competition, the entire extravaganza is an overlong battle against sleep deprivation, more heart-tugging scenes are deployed when a so-called derby is introduced, forces each pair to race in circles for 10 minutes non-stop and the last three pairs are automatically eliminated, how barbarian is could be? People die in progress, we are no more civilised than the ancient Romans who are hailing for gladiators' slaughtering, or worse, since hypocrisy even masks the tragic event with uplifting spirits, how messed-up and phony USA was at then? The film does bespeak Pollack's true grit in making this magnificent social critique. Thus, one can much appreciate the unexpected ending, Gloria tries very hard to comply to the rules, but the overwhelming futility of life - the overt metaphor of the marathon, waylays her with such irreconcilable disappointment, the pathos is sudden but perfectly justified at that moment when she makes that crucial decision, Fonda receives her first ever Oscar- nomination for her affecting portrayal of a woman who has nothing to live for and simultaneously is a soul full of vehemence, two-thumbs up! Gig Young won the only Oscar among the film's overall 9 nominations (it still holds the record as the most nominated one sans a BEST PICTURE nomination), a qualified win for his outward showmanship and the script doesn't forget to let slip his own monologue of what is made of his callous personality. York is also Oscar-nominated, and her final exit performance is so stunning, when she showers with her full dress on, after witnessing a sudden death, the horror finally overtakes her mentally, she is that scene alone should win her the golden statute which she deserves. Red Buttons, a showbiz triple-threat, previous Oscar-winner, also impresses with his physical endeavour in the derby races.Last but not the least, Sarrazin, with his trademark big, soulful eyes, is left unheralded, his Robert is so different from the hero image required for a leading man at that time, however his bashful, effeminate persona is so spot-on for the role, in contrast with a sharp-tongued and spitfire Fonda. He is the one granted with an opening flashback, as a young boy witnessing a horse being shot after breaking a leg (and the one who articulates the profound title in the coda) and flash-forward sequences (which viewers will only realise near the end) of being interrogated for an unspecified crime, Sarration is so unassuming and non-threatening against the whole backdrop of competition and dissatisfaction, his innocence is the last straw of hop in the story, which albeit hasn't been shown on screen, will be harshly stripped of in audience's mind picture, again, one should truly admire the courage of the filmmakers here, all the wistful tunes, big band rollicking aside, the film can blow you away for its uncompromising reprimand of what a degraded world we are living and a high point in Pollack's just burgeoning career.

gsygsy Outstanding movie that packs a very powerful punch. When it was made, a new energy was firing American cinema - EASY RIDER came out the same year, FIVE EASY PIECES the year after. As the war with Vietnam dragged on, old values were being fearlessly re-examined. The dance hall of Horace McCoy's Depression era novel here becomes the stage on which the more questionable of those values are acted out.For all the characters, what the marathon is and what it means depends on what they need to get out of it. For James and Ruby (Dern and Bedilia) it's food for themselves and the baby that's on the way; for Alice and Joel (York and Fields) it's the chance of being seen by someone influential from the movie industry; for Gloria (Fonda), and for the Sailor and Shirl (Buttons and McLerie) it's to earn some money; and, as succinctly expressed in a scene between Robert (Sarrazin) and Rocky (Young), for the former the marathon is a competition, whilst for the latter, it's a show. As the marathon proceeds, the physical reality of it takes its mental toll, and its true meaning becomes clear. Rocky turns out to be right: it's an entertainment for those without much, so that they can feel better about themselves by watching the suffering of those with less. I write this nearly 80 years after McCoy's book was first published, nearly 45 years since the movie was released: regrettably, not much has changed.I saw the movie when I was a teenager, when it first came out. I retained some images from it, but I don't think it could have struck me then as it did last night when I watched it again, this time on DVD. It's an immense work by Sydney Pollack and his collaborators - particularly his screenwriters James Poe and Robert E. Thompson, his DOP Philip Lathrop, and his editor Frederic Steinkamp. The derby sequences in particular are tremendous - the camera gets amongst the competitors, forcing you to really feel what they're going through. It's as discomforting as it should be.The performances are all superb. Although Susannah York was apparently dismissive of her contribution, it is probably the best work she did on film. Similarly, Gig Young, who is extraordinarily good. Jane Fonda, Allyn Ann McLerie, Red Buttons, Bruce Dern, Bonnie Bedelia, Robert Fields, Madge Kennedy, Al Lewis and the wonderful Michael Sarrazin - all terrific.I write this early on Christmas Day. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE will be on TV at some point. Quite right, too, it's a great movie. But in my heart I feel that its seasonal message of hope should be balanced by a recognition that there are many - too many - in whose lives there is no hope. An annual peak-time showing of THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? as a companion piece to the Capra would act as the necessary bracing reminder.

Freddy Atkins OK, here's my story about this film. I grew up in the 60's when we got to see older movies on the TV, that had been edited for time and content. That's where I first saw "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" on late night TV. It was one of those films that my Mom let me stay up to watch with her. I remember not understanding the title back then, but I remember being amazed by the film's story, even at a very young age. I was a big fan of Michael Sarrazin who I had seen in "Frankenstein The True Story", and the eerie, "The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud". Along with Jane Fonda, Red Buttons, and yes, The Munsters Al Lewis. I hadn't seen it again until I found a used copy in a store the other day. This time I was again blown away by it! It is the story of dancers competing in a dance marathon during the days of the depression in the United States, and what they go through for the "entertainment of the crowd" and the winning prize money. The performances are totally engaging,and director Sidney Pollack is at the top of his game on this one! It was nominated for nine academy awards, and is a stunning period piece of Americana.The entire cast is a perfect mix for this film including, Gig Young, Susannah York, and Bonnie Bedelia. You'll be as exhausted as the competitors following this one! Don't miss it!! By the way, I understand the meaning of the title now too.

Bob Pr. Betty & I very much wanted to see this movie after completing our own marathon of books (B) & films (F) about (or by) Gypsy Rose Lee and her sister, June Havoc: "Gypsy" B&F, "Stripping Gypsy" B, "American Rose" B, "My G-String Mother" B, "Early Havoc" B, "More Havoc" B, "February House" B. June Havoc was in several dance marathons in the '30s and her "Early Havoc" details a great deal about her experiences in them. In that era, jobs were scarce, millions were hungry and desperate; there were no social nets: no welfare, no unemployment checks, no medical services for the poor, etc. These marathons dangled the promise of a rich reward to the desperate: the one winning couple left standing after thousands of hours dancing, moving 40-60 days--contestants danced 24/7 in 2 hour shifts relieved by 10 minute breaks for sleeping/eating/toilets (they were fed 7 meals in every 24 hours). Their promised reward ($1,500, for example) to the winning couple would be enough to buy 2 new Ford or Chevvy cars with almost $400 left over (in 1934). And even the losing participants got free meals and a place to stay--for as long as they continued dancing. (Among dance marathon participants, there were the newbies and those experienced from previous contests; those in that latter group called themselves the "horses.") This film only indirectly captures the desperation flooding America at that time: it drove these marathon dancers to compete and drew their paying spectators (some nearly as strapped). These audiences watched contests that were VERY similar to the survival battles in the Coliseum of ancient Rome.The film depicts quite well the common, transient bouts of psychosis (getting "squirrely" in marathoners' parlance), the lugging around of sleeping partners by whichever partner was more awake, the drastic "first aid" measures used to keep dancers participating, and much of the behind the scenes behaviors common in these inhumane, torturous events.And, the MANY ways the sponsors shaped their presentations to entertain their audiences: spotlighting talents of individual dancers, elimination derbies, destroying a dancer's clothing to make a more pitiful appearance, announcing a collapsed dancer was recovering nicely in a hospital rather than the truth: he'd died from over-exertion (the truth might create bad publicity).Also, this movie reveals the naked truth of these marathons: they were scams run solely to enrich the promoters, designed to lure in both contestants and (paying) audiences. The promoters deducted from the winning couple's $1,500 reward their accrued bills for all their food, room, sleeping supplies, "medical" care, etc. So even the "winners" ended up nearly as poor as when they started.Fonda's character from the beginning is sarcastic, critical, and not particularly likable. She'd obviously been previously hurt, abused, seriously emotionally scarred. Why and in what ways?--that we're left to conjecture. And that's (IMO) the downside of this film: that narrative arc is left blank. The film's upside is its poignant, rich portrayal of this slice of an American era.Gig Young's Oscar for marathon "ring master" was richly deserved; he was superb and his performance significantly gave this film strength.For such an EXCELLENT depiction of this slice of an American era: (10/10)--but for such an incomplete personal narrative of Fonda's character (7/10).