MOVIE · 1969

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Drama129 min

During the Great Depression, desperate young people enter a punishing dance marathon for meals, a place to sleep, and a shot at $1,500. Jane Fonda’s Gloria is one of the contestants, paired with a drifter portrayed by Michael Sarrazin, while Gig Young is Rocky, the slick emcee who turns their exhaustion into a public spectacle. Around them, a would-be actress, a veteran sailor, a pregnant girl, and other struggling couples circle the floor for days at a time. As hunger and fatigue mount, the contest becomes less about dancing than about how much humiliation and strain each person can survive.