10.10.07

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Posted in drama, reviews at 11:23 am by FilmFemme

  Did you know that during the Depression they had ridiculous dance marathons that lasted for weeks at time where kids (young people) would ‘dance’ meaning stay upright and keep moving their feet for hours and hours and barely sleep and eat?  Neither did I, but they totally did and that’s what They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? is about.

 Well, it’s about ‘more than that’ of course.

It’s about how Jane Fonda has been beaten down by life and faced adversity at every turn.

But they dance for WEEKS!  It’s absurd!!

Obviously I can’t get over this dance marathon thing.  I thought that the cinematography was particularly effective in conveying the complete and utter (is that redundant?) exhaustion of these kids.  Crazy lights and spinning and blurriness. 

I never had feelings one way or another about Hanoi Jane, but she was pretty good in this movie.  She looked pretty but still fucked by life.  I thought Susannah York was really good, too (she won an Oscar).  I didn’t think Jane’s dance partner (Michael Sarrazin) was particularly great, but he was pretty fucking sexy, so that was OK.  And the sleazy guy who ran the whole marathon was successfully sleazy.  And wait, did I see Grandpa Munster? That was totally him!

I don’t think I even really knew that Sydney Pollack was a director, but I don’t think I’ll forget now.

Permalink