I saw a movie a few weeks ago. It was a sad, dystopic movie. I like those kinds of movies for some reason. But even though it was made in 1969 and took place during the Great Depression, I feel like its themes are relevant today, especially in our terrible economy.
Directed by Sidney Pollack ("Tootsie," "Three Days of the Condor," "Michael Clayton"), the film tells the story of Americans pinning their hopes on winning a dance marathon and a cash prize of $1500, quite a lot of money at that time.
Jane Fonda (clearly most famous to younger generations for the movie "Monster-in-Law" with Jennifer Lopez, although best known for her Oscar-winning turn in the movie "Klute" among other films in her career) is one of the main characters (or antagonists, you be the judge). 
Other stars of the film include Red Buttons (Academy Award winner, "Sayonara"), Bruce Dern (the one who turned in Charlize Theron's character in the fact-based "Monster" but was more famously in "Black Sunday" and "Coming Home"), and Bonnie Bedelia (Mrs. John McClain in "Die Hard"). 
I'm not here to inundate you with trivial minutiae regarding movies; I offer you context. The original movie I was talking about, however, the one about the horses? I think that if you watch it you might be able to relate to it. Although some of its themes are extreme, it shows how far Americans will go for the almighty dollar.
In the movie, young and old are competing in this brutal contest.
More poignantly, it shows what Americans will actually do (the original "dance marathon" in the movie soon becomes interspersed with track meets in between to weed out other couples as people are staying in the contest much longer than the emcee expects) and what ridiculous lengths they will go to for money to support themselves and their families. They are caught in the rat race because that is how we survive.
The same thing holds true today. You'll notice that although the prize in the movie remains the same, the task becomes more difficult. There are no bonuses, there are no extra rewards. The people in the movie are being asked to work tremendously harder and longer in order to earn the same pay.
The film also shows the strength of the American spirit. The characters are mired in the Great Depression and are fighting for their economic and social survival, much as we are today. I understand that today's so-called "Great Recession" is not nearly as bad as what Americans experienced in the 20s and 30s, but it certainly is the worst financial crisis many of us have seen in our lifetimes.
"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" shows how dire the economic situation is for the people in the movie. Although its overtones are sad and the story does not seem to offer much in terms of a happy ending, we need to remember that, as Arwen stated in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," there is still hope.
We are all hoping for a better future and for the economy to improve. We still hope.
We are underemployed and exhausted. We work, but for what? But we still hope it will get better.
Back to the movie: do you really think that if you're told you're going to win $1500, you will get exactly $1500? Maybe some people believe that. But others of us know that taxes, fees, and other expenses eat away at the salaries we receive. But we still hope.
We pinned our hope on Barack Obama. I personally am almost at the end of my rope with him. But ahead of his jobs speech, I still hope for a better tomorrow.
Watch the movie if you like good cinema and in particular if you like Sidney Pollack. Don't watch the movie if you don't like dystopic themes, motifs, or symbolism, though. But most importantly don't lose hope. We will come out stronger than ever, regardless of how long it takes.
In the movie, young and old are competing in this brutal contest.More poignantly, it shows what Americans will actually do (the original "dance marathon" in the movie soon becomes interspersed with track meets in between to weed out other couples as people are staying in the contest much longer than the emcee expects) and what ridiculous lengths they will go to for money to support themselves and their families. They are caught in the rat race because that is how we survive.
The same thing holds true today. You'll notice that although the prize in the movie remains the same, the task becomes more difficult. There are no bonuses, there are no extra rewards. The people in the movie are being asked to work tremendously harder and longer in order to earn the same pay.
The film also shows the strength of the American spirit. The characters are mired in the Great Depression and are fighting for their economic and social survival, much as we are today. I understand that today's so-called "Great Recession" is not nearly as bad as what Americans experienced in the 20s and 30s, but it certainly is the worst financial crisis many of us have seen in our lifetimes.
"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" shows how dire the economic situation is for the people in the movie. Although its overtones are sad and the story does not seem to offer much in terms of a happy ending, we need to remember that, as Arwen stated in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," there is still hope.
We are all hoping for a better future and for the economy to improve. We still hope.
We are underemployed and exhausted. We work, but for what? But we still hope it will get better.
Back to the movie: do you really think that if you're told you're going to win $1500, you will get exactly $1500? Maybe some people believe that. But others of us know that taxes, fees, and other expenses eat away at the salaries we receive. But we still hope.
We pinned our hope on Barack Obama. I personally am almost at the end of my rope with him. But ahead of his jobs speech, I still hope for a better tomorrow.
Watch the movie if you like good cinema and in particular if you like Sidney Pollack. Don't watch the movie if you don't like dystopic themes, motifs, or symbolism, though. But most importantly don't lose hope. We will come out stronger than ever, regardless of how long it takes.
Quite inciteful...old movie but it rings true in todays economy.
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