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EspañolTHEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?
(Redirected from They Shoot Horses, Don\'t They)
'''They Shoot Horses, Don't They?''' is a 1969 film which tells the story of several contestants in a Depression-era dance marathon. The movie was adapted by James Poe and Robert E. Thompson from the 1935 novel by Horace McCoy. It was directed by Sydney Pollack.
It stars Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Conrad and Bruce Dern.
Sydney Pollack's dark and impassioned adaptation of Horace McCoy's novel examines the limits of devotion and endurance. The intricately interwoven plot centers on a marathon dance contest that takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The poverty-stricken participants struggle to keep their footing in order to survive the hard times, with hope for the cash prize the sole reason for continuing to dance.
Jane Fonda was originally uninterested in acting in the movie, saying that "the script wasn't very good."[1] However, then-husband Roger Vadim, a fan of the leftist-themed McCoy novel, urged her to accept the role. Meeting with director Sydney Pollack to discuss the script, she was surprised when the director asked for her input. She re-read the novel with a critical eye, made notes on the character of Gloria, and would write in her autobiography, "It was a germinal moment [for me]....This was the first time in my life as an actor that I was working on a film about larger societal issues, and instead of my professional work feeling peripheral to life, it felt relevant."[2]
While shooting the picture, Fonda was enduring troubles in her marriage; she later said, "Naturally I drew on my real-life anguish for all it was worth to feed my role as Gloria....I would spend days and nights living at the studio instead of going home to Malibu, partly because I wanted to enhance my identification with Gloria's hopelessness and partly because I just didn't want to go home to Vadim."[2]
The film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Gig Young) and was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Fonda), the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Susannah York), the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, the Best Costume Design, the Best Director, the Best Film Editing, the Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) and the Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
The movie has the dubious honor of being nominated for the most Academy Awards without receiving the nomination for Best Picture (9).
Released in Winter of 1969, ''They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' was well-received, with Jane Fonda, especially, being singled out for praise. Pauline Kael wrote that "she has been a charming, witty nudie cutie in recent years and now gets a chance at an archetypal character....Fonda goes all the way with it, as screen actresses rarely do once they become stars....[she] stands a good chance of personifying American tensions and dominating our movies in the seventies."[2] Along with establishing Fonda as a serious actress (she won her first Oscar nomination for the film), the movie was also director Pollack's first major critical success. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Today, however, the film is mostly remembered for its title. Turner Classic Movies has observed that, "By popularizing the title of McCoy’s novel, [the movie] gave American argot a catch-phrase that’s as recognizable today as when the movie first caught on." They Shoot Horses, Don't They? The title has been re-used in various media, although, beyond the appropriation of the name, the imitators often have little relation to the plot or themes of the original film. These include episodes of ''Happy Days'' ("They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" - 1976); ''Due South'' ("They Eat Horses, Don't They?" - 1994); ''Sex and the City'' ("They Shoot Single Women, Don't They?" - 1999); and ''Gilmore Girls'' ("They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" - 2002). On their 1991 album Hot Dogma, the Melbourne band TISM include a song ("They shoot heroin don't they") about horses that have been drugged to win races. In an episode of ''Arrested Development'', actor Thomas Jane is working on the movie "They Shoot Heroin, Don't They" ("The One Where They Build A House" - 2004). Outdoor humorist Patrick F. McManus titled one of his story collections ''They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?''. There is a song named after the movie on Canadian indie rock band Apostle of Hustle's first album, Folkloric Feel. A band from Vancouver also named themselves after the film. The story served as the inspiration for a 1976 hit single of the same name by the band Racing Cars.
The film itself has remained an appreciated if not wildly popular work; in 1996, ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that "Sydney Pollack's dance-marathon movie has probably aged better than any American film of its time."[5]
★ It is one of the first films that discusses and depicts assisted suicide.
★ It is a flashback movie, in which the beginning of the film shows the way it will ultimately end in the style of a Greek Tragedy.
★ Warren Beatty was considered for the role that Michael Sarrazin eventually played.[5] Also, director Pollack resisted the idea of casting Gig Young as dance-hall emcee Rocky, hoping to cast character actor Lionel Stander instead. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Eventually, he decided to cast Young, who won an Oscar in the role.
★ A 2004 work by British video artist Phil Collins refers to the film. Titled "They Shoot Horses", it consists of two 7 hour films, shown simultaneously, recording a group of Palestinian teenagers competing in a dance marathon in Ramallah.
★ The 2006 music video for the song, "Dark Blue" by band Jack's Mannequin was inspired by the film and is set during a dance marathon.
★ According to author/film historian David Skal and others, Freaks director Tod Browning expressed interest in directing an adaptation of the McCoy novel soon after its original publication, but was unable to convince MGM to green light the project.
★ The world's largest mirrorball, situated in Blackpool, UK and created by artist Michael Trainor is named after this film.
★ Marathon dancing of the 1920s and 30s
★ University Dance Marathon
★ They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (novel)
★
★
1. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 202.
2. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 207-16.
3. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 207-16.
4. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 207-16.
5. Video Capsule Review: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
6. Video Capsule Review: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
'''They Shoot Horses, Don't They?''' is a 1969 film which tells the story of several contestants in a Depression-era dance marathon. The movie was adapted by James Poe and Robert E. Thompson from the 1935 novel by Horace McCoy. It was directed by Sydney Pollack.
It stars Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Conrad and Bruce Dern.
| Contents |
| Description |
| Production |
| Awards |
| Reception and Influence |
| Trivia |
| See also |
| External links |
| References |
Description
Sydney Pollack's dark and impassioned adaptation of Horace McCoy's novel examines the limits of devotion and endurance. The intricately interwoven plot centers on a marathon dance contest that takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The poverty-stricken participants struggle to keep their footing in order to survive the hard times, with hope for the cash prize the sole reason for continuing to dance.
Production
Jane Fonda was originally uninterested in acting in the movie, saying that "the script wasn't very good."[1] However, then-husband Roger Vadim, a fan of the leftist-themed McCoy novel, urged her to accept the role. Meeting with director Sydney Pollack to discuss the script, she was surprised when the director asked for her input. She re-read the novel with a critical eye, made notes on the character of Gloria, and would write in her autobiography, "It was a germinal moment [for me]....This was the first time in my life as an actor that I was working on a film about larger societal issues, and instead of my professional work feeling peripheral to life, it felt relevant."[2]
While shooting the picture, Fonda was enduring troubles in her marriage; she later said, "Naturally I drew on my real-life anguish for all it was worth to feed my role as Gloria....I would spend days and nights living at the studio instead of going home to Malibu, partly because I wanted to enhance my identification with Gloria's hopelessness and partly because I just didn't want to go home to Vadim."[2]
Awards
The film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Gig Young) and was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Fonda), the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Susannah York), the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, the Best Costume Design, the Best Director, the Best Film Editing, the Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) and the Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
The movie has the dubious honor of being nominated for the most Academy Awards without receiving the nomination for Best Picture (9).
Michael Sarrazin and Jane Fonda on the dance marathon.
Reception and Influence
Released in Winter of 1969, ''They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' was well-received, with Jane Fonda, especially, being singled out for praise. Pauline Kael wrote that "she has been a charming, witty nudie cutie in recent years and now gets a chance at an archetypal character....Fonda goes all the way with it, as screen actresses rarely do once they become stars....[she] stands a good chance of personifying American tensions and dominating our movies in the seventies."[2] Along with establishing Fonda as a serious actress (she won her first Oscar nomination for the film), the movie was also director Pollack's first major critical success. They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Today, however, the film is mostly remembered for its title. Turner Classic Movies has observed that, "By popularizing the title of McCoy’s novel, [the movie] gave American argot a catch-phrase that’s as recognizable today as when the movie first caught on." They Shoot Horses, Don't They? The title has been re-used in various media, although, beyond the appropriation of the name, the imitators often have little relation to the plot or themes of the original film. These include episodes of ''Happy Days'' ("They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" - 1976); ''Due South'' ("They Eat Horses, Don't They?" - 1994); ''Sex and the City'' ("They Shoot Single Women, Don't They?" - 1999); and ''Gilmore Girls'' ("They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" - 2002). On their 1991 album Hot Dogma, the Melbourne band TISM include a song ("They shoot heroin don't they") about horses that have been drugged to win races. In an episode of ''Arrested Development'', actor Thomas Jane is working on the movie "They Shoot Heroin, Don't They" ("The One Where They Build A House" - 2004). Outdoor humorist Patrick F. McManus titled one of his story collections ''They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?''. There is a song named after the movie on Canadian indie rock band Apostle of Hustle's first album, Folkloric Feel. A band from Vancouver also named themselves after the film. The story served as the inspiration for a 1976 hit single of the same name by the band Racing Cars.
The film itself has remained an appreciated if not wildly popular work; in 1996, ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote that "Sydney Pollack's dance-marathon movie has probably aged better than any American film of its time."[5]
Trivia
★ It is one of the first films that discusses and depicts assisted suicide.
★ It is a flashback movie, in which the beginning of the film shows the way it will ultimately end in the style of a Greek Tragedy.
★ Warren Beatty was considered for the role that Michael Sarrazin eventually played.[5] Also, director Pollack resisted the idea of casting Gig Young as dance-hall emcee Rocky, hoping to cast character actor Lionel Stander instead. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Eventually, he decided to cast Young, who won an Oscar in the role.
★ A 2004 work by British video artist Phil Collins refers to the film. Titled "They Shoot Horses", it consists of two 7 hour films, shown simultaneously, recording a group of Palestinian teenagers competing in a dance marathon in Ramallah.
★ The 2006 music video for the song, "Dark Blue" by band Jack's Mannequin was inspired by the film and is set during a dance marathon.
★ According to author/film historian David Skal and others, Freaks director Tod Browning expressed interest in directing an adaptation of the McCoy novel soon after its original publication, but was unable to convince MGM to green light the project.
★ The world's largest mirrorball, situated in Blackpool, UK and created by artist Michael Trainor is named after this film.
See also
★ Marathon dancing of the 1920s and 30s
★ University Dance Marathon
★ They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (novel)
External links
★
★
References
1. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 202.
2. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 207-16.
3. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 207-16.
4. Fonda, Jane. ''My Life So Far''. New York: Random House, 2005. p. 207-16.
5. Video Capsule Review: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
6. Video Capsule Review: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
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