"They Shoot Horses" Hits the Mark

I was not prepared for this one.

"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" begins with the image of a horse running through the open countryside. Unfortunately it has a broken leg, so in a shattering act of violence, a farmer shoots it with a rifle. We discover that this is a memory playing out in the mind of a young man named Robert Syverton (Michael Sarrazin), who on a whim walks into the La Monica Ballroom on the sunny Southern California coastline, just as they are beginning a marathon dance contest. The story takes place during the Great Depression, and there are no shortage of young people out of work, many of them with their sights set on Hollywood, who are lured in by the $1500 cash prize. Robert is paired up with a cynical hard-case named Gloria (Jane Fonda), after her original partner drops out. Other contestants include a pair of struggling actors, glamorous Alice (Susannah York) and her partner Joel (Robert Fields), penniless itinerant, James (Bruce Dern), and his pregnant wife Ruby (Bonnie Bedelia), and a middle-aged sailor, Harry (Red Buttons), and his partner Shirley (Allyn Ann McLerie).

The rules of the contest are simple enough. Dancers get a ten minute break every two hours. All food and drink are provided, and doctors are on hand in the case of injury. The couple who can hold out the longest wins. Having a partner to hold you up means that sleep is possible, for brief periods. Losing a partner doesn't necessarily mean disqualification, if another single can be found within a certain time. The marathon is a grueling endurance contest, one that I initially assumed was only going to last a day or two at most. But then days turn into a week, and then two weeks. Contestants physically and mentally deteriorate, the ballroom dance floor becoming a morass of desperation and despair. The contest is designed to draw and entertain a paying crowd of spectators, so the MC, Rocky (Gig Young), is forever coming up with new stunts and spectacles to keep their attention. Especially cruel are the "Derby" events that force the couples to race around the ballroom, with the slowest ones eliminated. Behind the scenes, Rocky also manipulates the dancers to create more stress and tension.

So here is a movie about a dance marathon that becomes a metaphor for the human race itself, the futility and the inherent unfairness of it. Robert is our POV character, but the central figure is really Gloria, a fiercely stubborn and unfriendly, but admirable woman, who it's hard not to root for. It's the best role I've ever seen Jane Fonda play. While other characters suffer physical or mental declines, hers is spiritual. We watch her struggle against the system, represented by Rocky, trying to retain her personal dignity as the contest drags on and the demands grow more unreasonable. Her dilemma becomes an existential one, as she recognizes her place in the contest is no different from her place in the larger scheme. Michael Sarrazin has a far quieter, reactionary role, almost acting as a surrogate for the audience. However, when the spotlight does rest on him, he doesn't fail to seize it.

The supporting performances are fantastic, in a film that depends strongly on its ensemble. Gig Young's gregarious MC displays a practiced jollity that is in stark contrast with his sadistic actions. His barker catchphrase, "Yowza, yowza, yowza!" becomes more sinister every time we hear it. Susannah York is the pretty starlet who attracts Robert while sparking jealousy and disdain from Gloria. However, her vulnerabilities are all too clear and prove easily exploited. Bonnie Bedelia as pregnant Ruby doesn't get much to say, but her pale face and frightened eyes convey more than enough. And then there's beloved comedian Red Buttons as Harry, who has participated in several of these marathons, and seems to have a good bead on how to endure and survive them. It's delightful to watch him dance in the beginning, and then increasingly painful.

Director Sydney Pollack is merciless. The film is slow paced, but constantly moving like the tormented contestants on the ballroom floor. As the fatigue sets in, the cinematography becomes more and more disorienting and nightmarish. The jubilantly decorated ballroom is juxtaposed with haggard faces and stumbling, broken forms. Occasionally the pace will quicken rapidly with fast cuts and claustrophobic framing. There are intense and disturbing moments that are hard to watch, but the events play out in such a riveting fashion that you don't want to look away. In this fashion, the audience of the movie becomes complicit with the audience watching in the stands. Perhaps the most haunting shot is the final one, giving us a parting look at the ballroom from above, the voice of the MC still echoing through the cavernous space. Yowza, yowza, yowza.

I've seen many films about the dark side of human nature, but few as harrowing and memorable as this. What strikes me is that "They Shoot Horses" looks so innocent on the surface, with the fresh-faced young characters and the carnival atmosphere of the contest. The way it reveals its casual horror and brutality is chilling, so much so that the famously bleak ending feels like a relief when it finally arrives. And though the film was made over forty years ago, it hasn't lost an ounce of effectiveness, and feels more timely and relevant than ever. This should be a much more well-known classic than it is, and I hope more viewers discover it.
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