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They
shoot guys who say "yowza, yowza, yowza," don't
they?
Are people
really this barbaric? Common sense says no, but history says
otherwise. Torture and death have long been treated as entertainment
opportunities. Gladiator fights, feeding Christians to lions,
crucifixions, executing heretics, burning witches at the stake,
hanging criminals, and playing soccer with Mussolini's head
were all popular pastimes. Today we still have brutal boxing
matches, deadly auto racing, and fight-filled ice hockey.
In the 1920s and 1930s audiences took in the dance marathon,
an event that at first seem harmless. The large audiences
did not show up during the first few hours. But once it advanced
beyond the incredible 500 hour mark, most of the seats were
filled to capacity, because the misery was now on display.
It is during
the early years of the depression, and money is hard to come
by. Dance marathons had already become popular during the
1920s, and this popularity would continue as poverty-ridden
contestants lined up for the free food and shelter, in addition
to the prize given to the winning couple. This story revolves
around a dance hall marathon being run by Rocky (Gig Young).
Among the participants are Robert (Michael Sarrazin), Gloria
(Jane Fonda), Sailor (Red Buttons), and Alice (Susannah York).
Jane Fonda
overacts. Bedelia was only 16 when this was made, and as the
pregnant teenager she sets a record for the number of pained
facial expressions one can display in the course of a film.
The rest of the cast is solid, with excellent performances
by Young, Buttons, and York. Young won the Oscar for Best
Supporting Actor, although Fonda and York came up short with
their nominations. They Shoot Horses received nine nominations
in all, but failed to receive a nomination for Best Picture.
Normally when a film receives nominations for three actors,
the director (Sydney Pollack), and the writer, it is guaranteed
a Best Picture nomination. Instead the dimwitted voters opted
for Hello, Dolly! in keeping with the domination of the Oscars
by lousy musicals in the 1960s.
The film's
one weak spot is that it delivers its message loud and clear
without any room for alternate interpretations. The dance
marathon is attacked ferociously, and after watching this
film few people would entertain the thought of watching or
participating in such an event. The message might have been
one dimensional, but the characters are not. The participants'
motivations are revealed, and even the audience is shown to
have method to their madness during the throes of depression.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
While I
often champion DVDs that are anamorphic, not every non-anamoprhic
DVD is lacking. This DVD is one of the exceptions. The image
contains impressive detail with no annoying digital artifacts.
Clarity is excellent with few age blemishes. The opening scene
contains color reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan, and like
that movie I believe it is also intentional in this case.
The color improves after that, but still it is somewhat faded.
Fleshtones are accurate even though the lighting is often
not flattering thanks to the setting. A pan and scan version
is included on the other side of the disc, but this version
is crippled by a lack of picture information on the sides
and poor framing for what the pan and scan does let you see.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The mono
sound has a problem with hiss. If the hiss was any louder
this disc would be unwatchable. Bass is limited. Because of
the subject matter, music is interspersed throughout the film.
It could sound better but it is not harsh or annoyingly thin.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? The widescreen
trailer is in very good shape. A six-minute featurette shows
some good behind the scenes action but more attention to the
historical aspects of the dance marathon craze would have
made it even better. Subtitles and alternate language tracks
are not present, a defect that is often the case with Anchor
Bay releases.
Parting Thoughts
This intelligent
film paints a devastating portrait of the American culture
at its worst. Anchor Bay has taken quality source material
and given it a good video transfer. At the very least this
DVD deserves a rental.
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