They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Movie Review

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

Buy They Shoot Horses, Don't They? on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link) 
Written by: Horace McCoy (novel "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"), James Poe and Robert E. Thompson (screenplay)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Bruce Dern, Bonnie Bedelia
Rated: M [R]
Watch the trailer

Plot
The lives of a disparate group of contestants intertwine in a grueling and inhumane dance marathon.

Verdict
The American Dream is used to lure people in. It's the promise of money, but you could just as easily substitute fame and validation people seek today. Contestants suffer a grueling dance marathon under the guise of a prize, entertaining the masses while most of the money will go to those in charge. I'm not sure I'd watch it again as it's not a 'fun' movie, but it does provide a tremendous impact as it examines the price and cost of entertainment. The fact that this released in the sixties and how relevant it still feels is impressive.
It depends.

Review
Set during the Depression Era, Robert (Michael Sarrazin) stumbles upon some kind of dance contest. He's recruited to join when Gloria's (Jane Fonda) partner is disqualified for being sick. The contest is dance the longest and win the $1500 cash prize. Today that would be $35,000. That's enough to motivate plenty of people.

Michael Sarrazin, Jane Fonda play Robert, Gloria

Gloria is discontent and mad at the world. She wanted to be an actress, and it's clear that isn't taking off. It's likely everyone present is desperate since it's the Great Depression. All of them had dreams that fizzled. This is like some kind of reality television, subjecting these people to trials and tests while they vainly hope they can win in the name of entertainment. This capitalizes on people's desperation as they're literally dancing until they drop.

It's slow, methodical torture. This contest is taking advantage of desperation. People need money, and the contestants see this as an opportunity. It's a chance to get ahead. What seems like easy money ends up being anything but. I'm sure the economic conditions only exacerbate their resolve. The group needs that money, this isn't for fun, and yet the organizers are using it to entertain.

One of the contestants sings "The Best Things in Life are Free." If that were true, I'm not sure the people in the movie would endure the suffering for this contest. Their pain is entertainment as the organizer charge money for tickets to watch them. You could just as easily substitute the prize money for the fame and validation people seek today.

When the emcee reveals to Gloria that he will deduct expenses from the winners take as the dance hall doesn't run itself, the prize amounts to nearly nothing. It's all a scam. Robert and Gloria leave the contest because of that.

The haunting memory of this movie is Robert's closing line of, "They shoot horses, don't they?" This is a call back to the opening scenes where a young Robert sees his grandfather shoot a lame horse to put it out of its misery. It's the humane thing to do, and Robert reasons it's the right thing to do for humans too. The problem is society doesn't see it that way, and the ironic thing is society has no problem torturing people for days as entertainment.