They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

"People are the ultimate spectacle."

1969 2h 0m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 389

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize. Among them are a failed actress, a middle-aged sailor, a delusional blonde and a pregnant girl.

“People are the ultimate spectacle.”

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Cast

Jane Fonda
Gloria Beatty
Michael Sarrazin
Robert Syverton
Susannah York
Alice LeBlanc
Gig Young
Rocky Gravo
Red Buttons
Sailor
Bonnie Bedelia
Ruby Bates
Michael Conrad
Rollo
Bruce Dern
James Bates

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sydney Pollack
Writers: James Poe, Robert E. Thompson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sydney Pollack, shot by Philip H. Lathrop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Johnny Green. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Fredric Steinkamp shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin and Susannah York carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "People are the ultimate spectacle.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0065088 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sydney Pollack directs. Philip H. Lathrop behind the camera. Johnny Green scores. Fredric Steinkamp cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

157 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Sydney Pollack, shot by Philip H. Lathrop. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Johnny Green. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Fredric Steinkamp shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin and Susannah York carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "People are the ultimate spectacle.".
7IMDB entry: tt0065088 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 25 themes, including "dancing", "based on novel or book", "dance competition", "boardwalk".

The technical file

Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Original score: Johnny Green
Editing: Fredric Steinkamp
Production design: Harry Horner
Costume design: Donfeld
Makeup / hair: Frank McCoy
Sound: Tom Overton
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Film
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Sydney Pollack

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-07-15
★ 7/10
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.

Production companies