Drama

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Palomar Pictures International

ABC Pictures

Palomar Pictures

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

United States of America

English

Jane Fonda

Michael Sarrazin

Susannah York

Gig Young

Red Buttons

Bonnie Bedelia

Michael Conrad

Bruce Dern

Al Lewis

Robert Fields

Severn Darden

Allyn Ann McLerie

Madge Kennedy

Jacquelyn Hyde

Felice Orlandi

Art Metrano

Gail Billings

Lynn Willis

Maxine Greene

Mary Gregory

Robert Dunlap

Paul Mantee

Tim Herbert

Tom McFadden

Noble 'Kid' Chissell

Ian Abercrombie

Teddy Buckner

Fritzi Burr

Minta Durfee

Rudy Germane

Sydney Pollack

Horace McCoy

James Poe

Theodore B. Sills

Harry Horner

Frank R. McKelvy

Frank McCoy

Norval D. Crutcher

Tom Overton

Brandon Kellogg

Tex Rudloff

Robert E. Thompson

Robert Chartoff

Irwin Winkler

Philip H. Lathrop

Fredric Steinkamp

Lynn Stalmaster

Donfeld

Mort Heilig

Johnny Green

Art Say

Carla Hadley

Joyce Webb

CinemaSerf

Despite the constant streams of sweat on display here, there is something physically and emotionally arid about this two hours of cinematic torture. With the depression in full swing, the down-at-heart “Gloria” (Jane Fonda) heads to California in the hope of becoming a starlet. Meantime, equally disheartened “Robert” (Michael Sarazin) is frustrated that he can’t make a career at the other end of the camera. Desperate for cash, they join a throng of other unfortunate folks in a dance marathon which awards the winners $1,500 (minus deductions!). The whole thing is rather cynically administered by “Rocky” (Gig Young) and as the dancers go round the floor, so we go round the dancers and we meet an group of people whose problems and demons are laid bare. First amongst those somewhat tragic equals would appear to be “Alice” (Susannah York) but it’s a close run thing with a pregnant couple really struggling to keep pace and with, for me anyway, the most poignant of all - the sailor (Red Buttons) who had done his bit for Uncle Sam, but was now reduced to this most torturous form of fund raising which his body was now ill equipped to handle. As the days pass, and the excellent make-up artists do their work, the visceral nature of the characterisations emerge unrelentingly, leaving us with a distinctly uncomfortable watch that exposes a fruitlessly venal culture based on the premise of dog eat dog. Perhaps, though, as these people endure physically and psychologically, they might begin to realise that the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow isn’t actually the cash, but a sense of self-respect. The last ten minutes settle things in quite traumatic fashion and suffice to say there is no chocolates and Champagne. The dialogue is sparingly potent with gentleness and optimism gradually replaced by a stoic realisation of the relentlessness of their predicament and I think Sarazin, Fonda and particularly York give the performances of their careers in the slow-burning exposé of human toxicity.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Official Trailer #1 - Bruce Dern Movie (1969) HD

Best Movies

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Jane Fonda

Michael Sarrazin

Susannah York

Gig Young

Red Buttons

Bonnie Bedelia

Michael Conrad

Bruce Dern

Al Lewis

Robert Fields

Box office

More Like This

The Tin Drum

Ben-Hur

Contact

The Bridges of Madison County

Manhattan

Finding Forrester

Murder She Said

Murder at the Gallop