They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) is a Sydney Pollack drama set during the Great Depression — stream it online on iFILM. A few dozen strangers gather in a grim coastal ballroom to compete in a dance marathon with a $1,500 prize. The rule is simple: stay on your feet or go home.

Jane Fonda plays Gloria, a woman who has already given up on everything before the first song plays. Her partner Robert (Michael Sarrazin) drifts in without a plan and can't find a way out. Emcee Rocky, played by Gig Young, runs the floor like a carnival barker who knows the audience isn't there for the dancing — they're there to watch people break. Pollack locks the camera inside that ballroom and never lets it leave, turning the dance floor into a closed system where desperation and entertainment feed off each other.

Gig Young took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and the film landed eight Academy Award nominations overall — a strong tally for a social drama that makes almost no concessions to comfort. Watch They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) on iFILM — Pollack at his most unsparing.