They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Film

Drama

User ratings:

<strong>Rating: </strong>5/5
Rate this  

Time Out says

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.
9

Comments

Add +

Release details

UK release:

1969

Duration:

129 mins

Cast and crew

Cast:

Gig Young, Bonnie Bedelia, Bruce Dern, Susannah York, Allyn Ann McLerie, Jane Fonda, Severn Darden, Michael Conrad, Michael Sarrazin, Red Buttons

Music:

Johnny Green

Producer:

Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Screenwriter:

Robert E Thompson, James Poe

Editor:

Fredric Steinkamp

Cinematography:

Philip H Lathrop

Production Designer:

Harry Horner

Share your thoughts
  4. * mandatory fields

Comments & ratings

Rated as: 5/5 (3 ratings)

  • Grim but fascinating story of desperation and manipulation. The stellar cast creates characters that are as shimmering as soap bubbles, and just as fragile. Gig Young deserves the Oscar he won here for Best Supporting Actor. The allegorical nature of the themes is handled deftly and discreetly. Still, this movie is not, obviously, for everyone's liking. The brutality of some of the dance scenes can be unnerving,

    alljack About 21 hours ago
    Rated as: 5/5
    Report

  • 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?

    radarsf Sun Feb 12 2012
    Rated as: 5/5
    Report

  • But it is an allegory for today, not the Great Depression--

    Joe Sun Jul 17 2011
    Report

  • I wholeheartedly agree with Jo, Venerable and Holden. This review is smug, pretentious and entirely unhelpful. But then it is Time Out.

    Emma Wed Nov 3 2010
    Report

  • 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,...

    David O Thu Oct 28 2010
    Report

  • 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!

    Jo Thu Oct 23 2008
    Report

  • 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.

    Venerable Sun Jun 29 2008
    Report

  • 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.

    Shawn in Montreal Mon Jun 2 2008
    Rated as: 4/5
    Report

  • the only pretentious thing was this po-faced revue, lazy snotty film criticism at its worst.

    holden Tue May 27 2008
    Report
  • Hotwise
  • Cool brands
  • Star