Review of They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) by Harry W — 21 Dec 2015

Unsure of what to think about a film like They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?, I simply went into it on the basis of its many Academy Award nominations.

They Shoot Horses, Don?t They is a film with a plot that I am not too familiar with or all that interested in because a dance marathon is not my ideal decision for entertainment. And a drama film surrounding that would have to be pretty hard hitting to actually deliver any effect on me.

Unfortunately, it really wasn?t as great as I hoped. They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? seems to be an example of a film that lost the battle of time and was a lot more important in its own time than it is today. Its subject matter is a lot more key in its time period because it deals with the depression and has some counterculture themes to it, but today audiences are less likely to be able to pick up on such concepts and are more likely to be worn down by the extremely slow pace of the film and its extensive length. They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? is a very slow experience and audiences that struggle to tolerate the pace of the film will not be able to take in its full effect. Even I felt worn down by all the waiting around that the film left during its slow development.

Also, They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? didn?t have too much territory to cover and so breaking new ground isn?t exactly its best potential. It has some moments which stand out above many other films, but as a whole it doesn?t have too far to go or too much of a story to build off and is therefore more important for its characters than anything else. So viewers can?t go into They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? expecting too much from it or hoping that it will be chock full of surprises, because it has few and most of them come towards the end of the film. The second half of They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? is better than the first because it has more surprises and new plot elements introduced to it instead of circulating in repetitive territory for the slow first hour of the film. But it is likely that many impatient viewers in today?s age will fail to appreciate its second half over the lack of impact that the first half has. They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? doesn?t get really emotional and firm in its drama until the second half.

The only things that They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? does show off in the first half is essentially an introduction to the second half. The first hour of They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? is the slower half, and it spends much of the time within its limited territory building up an understanding of the culture and time that the movie is set in without doing too much else. But it does reveal the way that They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? has a nice visual style to it. As well as having convincing scenery, They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? has a lot of strong cinematography which captures everything well and is edited very timely.

They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? is good for the year 1969 because that was the time of the counterculture movement, when authority figures and the government became scrutinised for corruption and lying in the wake of The Watergate Scandal. Despite being set in 1932 and having been written in 1935, They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? appropriates its story to a time when the values of the story are still valid and its meanings can be used to comment on contemporary society. It has counterculture elements to it but emphasises the nihilism against corruption and the unfair treatment of working class people, and it is not optimistic about it at all. They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? is constantly sad in its dramatic moods and its atmosphere, and so it manages to justify its slow pace fairly enough. And it is a very well scripted film as well, featuring a lot of sensitive but intelligent dialogue which gives the film the strong characters that it needs and a lot of material for the actors to be working with.

Jane Fonda?s lead performance is potentially the most captivating element of They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?. In her first performance to be nominated for an Academy Award, Jane Fonda creates a very beautiful and sympathetic character in the role of Gloria Betty. Capitalising on her natural beauty and talent for leading charisma, They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? serves as a terrific front for the skills of Jane Fonda as a leading lady. She puts a certain kind of determination into the role to give Gloria Betty the necessary spirit while also countering it with a sort of depressive melancholy. Jane Fonda does a terrific job revealing the complicated emotional state of Gloria Betty and restrains herself enough to maintain a certain sense of realism which makes the film more compelling. Jane Fonda?s lead performance is the best reason to watch They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?, and it makes it a memorable and mostly entertaining experience because she is consistently strong with her firm dedication to character.

Although Michael Sarrazin?s lead performance is overshadowed by much of the rest of the cast, he still makes a fine effort and fearlessly steps into the material with determination and dramatic strength. He shares a fine chemistry with Jane Fonda and overall is just a great lead for They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?.

Gig Young is terrific in They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?. He seems deluded into thinking that what he is doing is a good thing the entire time, blind to the way that he is actually treating people like animals with false promises of rewards in the long term, and Gig Young gets the character spot on. There is never a moment where he slips up, and in terms of the counterculture context that the film takes place in due to being made in the 1960?s, he symbolises just how blind authority figures are to how their unfair actions and to the corruption in themselves. Gig Young is so consistent with his character that he is barely an antagonist, and it is a very admirable performance which gives They Shoot Horses, Don?t They? the edge that it really needs. Gig Young does a terrific job in They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?.

Susannah York also gives a great supporting performance, and Bruce Dern also makes a fine supporting effort.

So although it is a dated and slow film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? has a lot of relevance to the time periods of the 1930's and the 1960's for multiple reasons, and boasts an excellent performance by Jane Fonda.