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They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)

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8 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Pollack's adaptation of Horace McCoy's novel about the competitive dance marathons of the Depression years was enthusiastically received when first released, and had a string of Academy Award nominations, several of them for its performances. The acting is strident and overblown, the narrative technique gimmicky and obvious, and the implication that the competitors' situation is a microcosm of a wider-reaching American malaise (though safely distanced by the period and the flash-back-and-forth narrative technique) rather pretentious.

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Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

radarsf said...

Posted on Feb 12 2012 10:00 Pretentious or not, the movie seen on DVD in early 2012 as the Republican Primary grinds on, is just as melodramatic if not more so. What is the prize for winning worth (after subtracting for the Subprime Mortgage fiasco, the bailout of the Banks and select corporations, and whatever else we are promised by the contenders? It's the American way, right?

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Joe said...

Posted on Jul 17 2011 05:42 But it is an allegory for today, not the Great Depression--

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Emma said...

Posted on Nov 03 2010 10:37 I wholeheartedly agree with Jo, Venerable and Holden. This review is smug, pretentious and entirely unhelpful. But then it is Time Out.

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David O said...

Posted on Oct 28 2010 21:04 Take a close look at the message folks,... this is the age we are in now too. You may see similar situations from self inflickted actions .... Take it seriously,...

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Jo said...

Posted on Oct 23 2008 13:06 This is possibly the stupidest review I've ever read. To call this film pretentious because of it's metaphor for the Great Depression is ignorant and thick. This reviewer clearly doesn't know their butt from their elbow on films!

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Venerable said...

Posted on Jun 29 2008 07:36 I agree, this is lazy, movie-guide criticism. You know, sometimes, these film/music reviewers write about things they haven't even seen/heard . I think it would be safe to dimiss this critic in the same manner he dismissed this film. Review: Pretentious, strident and overblown. 0 stars.

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Shawn in Montreal said...

Posted on Jun 02 2008 19:25 I just finished watching the film on DVD and had pretty much the same reaction as the reviewer. While the film does still pack a punch and feature great performances, this is a deeply flawed film, too.

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holden said...

Posted on May 27 2008 16:02 the only pretentious thing was this po-faced revue, lazy snotty film criticism at its worst.

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