Review of They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) by Roberto U — 17 May 2004

I saw a little film called [b]They Shoot Horses, Don't They?[/b] the other day and it has to be one of the oddest, yet compelling films i've seen in a long, long time. I really didn't know what to think at the start of it, but it just sucked me in and I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would.

the story revolves around this marathon dance during the depression era 30's and when I say marathon we're talking 45-50 days or something like that.. the contestants get breaks to rest, eat and whatnot, and get to sleep too but other than that they are on display and the winning couple gets $1,500. Jane Fonda plays this cynical young woman who loses her partner at the sign-up and is put together with a young man, a drifter, who just happened to walk into the place without knowing anything.. together, along with a bunch of other couples we see them struggle and being paraded in front of wealthy celebrities and other people not desperate enough to participate.

that's the whole film.. there's obviously more to it but the whole film takes place during this marathon dance and follows a handful of participants and the M.C. in charge of the whole thing. I have no idea if it's based on any kind of truth, so I don't know if these extreme marathon dances existed in real life but the first thing that came to mind is that it's like a reality show of today, like Big Brother or something like that.. the contestants are made to do things, like sing or do a dance number to get extra pennies thrown at them from the crowd, and every now and then they'd have to do some kind of race too.. all very degrading and as the dance progresses they all look worse and worse by the hour. the acting is all very good, with Jane Fonda leading the way.. she was nominated for an Oscar for it and so were several of the others in it too. one of them, Gig Young, won the Oscar for playing the M.C.

[b]They Shoot Horses, Don't They?[/b] has a title that doesn't make much sense at first glance, and the film seems really odd too at first but if you give it a try I think you'll be rewarded at the end of this grim, powerful film. in this age of television shows that wallow in the real pain and suffering of others, it seems lightyears ahead of it's time. just give it time and it'll suck you right in.

**** stars out of five.