They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

In 1969 Sydney Pollack hit the big time with the release of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, which was a critically-acclaimed film that garnered a slew of Oscar nominations, including Pollack's first. I had never seen it before, and I was glad to see that it holds up as an excellent picture today, even if it was among many films of the period to present a downbeat view of human existence.

Set during the depression, the film is all about a dance marathon, a fad of that time. A link in the chain from gladiator contests in the Roman Colosseum to reality-TV of today, dance marathons pitted couples staying on their feet in continuous motion for as long as possible. These things could drag on for weeks, with paying customers watching the spectacle, which were hosted by slick masters of ceremonies who manipulated the contests in order to put on the best possible show.

This particular marathon is set in Los Angeles, and the focus is on a handful of contestants. Jane Fonda, in her breakthrough role, is a bitter young woman who has come to Hollywood to be an actress with little success. After her partner is refused entry due to health concerns, she teams up with Michael Sarrazin, who is a drifter who just happened by looking for work. Also in the contest are a British actress (Susannah York), a young married couple, with the wife extremely pregnant (Bruce Dern and Bonnie Bedelia), and a sailor who is probably a little too old to be in these things (Red Buttons). The emcee is the slick Gig Young (who won an Oscar for his role). He keeps things moving with a constant refrain of "Yowsah, yowsah, yowsah," and acts like a puppet master, pulling the strings on the contestants.

Almost the entire film takes place inside the dance hall, lending an effective claustrophobic feel to the proceedings. At one point Sarrazin ducks his head outside to look at the sunset, and it's almost like we the audience are also seeing the sun for this first time in ages. We also get a sense of the torture they are going through, with sore feet, unwashed clothes, and very little sleep (contestants get ten minutes every two hours to rest). Periodically Young will make them go through what he calls the "Derby," which is a ten-minute sprint, the last three couples being eliminated. Pollack works some magic with these scenes, as the desperation is etched on the dancers faces as they run, after being on their feet for days, just to stay alive to win a $1500 prize.

Many have commented that this film, which was based on a 1935 novel, is a microcosm of American society in the Depression. True, but I think it goes further than that. It's really a microcosm of life, period, especially viewed by those who think that existence is a rigged game. Certainly that's a very bleak point of view, and it's hard to imagine such a film being made today (even if the economy is in the toilet). Thankfully, there was a period in Hollywood history when this type of film could be made by major studios with first-line talent.