Thursday, January 25, 2007
Desperate Dancing
Is the Geneva Convention silent on the subject of dancing? Last night I watched "They Shoot Horses, Don't They," the devastating 1969 film about a depression-era dance marathon contest and the terrible toll exacted on the participants. With millions out of work and many going hungry, it wasn't hard to find couples willing to submit themselves to a grueling months-long endurance test in exchange for food, shelter, and the dim hope of winning $1,500 - a small fortune in 1930s dollars. This film is based on the 1935 book by Horace McCoy, the publication of which raised consciousness of this cruel practice and led to its being banned in many places.The film itself, an ensemble masterpiece and a triumph of good directing, launched Jane Fonda as a serious actress and was nominated for 9 Oscars, of which it won Best Supporting Actor for Gig Young's portrayal of the venal, heartless emcee of the contest.
As a child, when I heard this film's title, I always thought it was a comedy. I wonder if today's young people can conceive that Americans lived in such wretched desperation not so long ago, as the Depression's last survivors pass into history. One recent film which evokes this era vividly is "Cinderella Man."
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