The title alone was a good warning that this would not be uplifting. When I noted the Depression setting and the year of release, when unhappy endings were all the rage, there could be no doubt. But my curiosity about the high ratings got the better of me.
The story focuses on a 1932 California dance marathon, a staple of the era I'd never heard of before. For weeks, couples -- 102 to start -- seek a cash prize by dancing for hours a day (mostly at a mellow pace), occasionally mixing it up with a joint speed-walking race that eliminates the last three pairs to cross the finish line. As time wears on, the remaining contestants aren't looking so good, and neither is the contest itself.
The camera alternates among several characters. Probably the closest thing to a protagonist is Robert (Michael Sarrazin), a drifter who hadn't planned on entering but was in demand for pairing. He gets all the flashbacks, some of which pertain to punishment on charges we never learn and one of which, yes, includes a euthanized horse. He's the one who says the title.
Pairings are negotiable, but Robert's usual partner is Gloria (Jane Fonda). She too used to have designs on Hollywood. Despite having acted desperate to get into the contest, she doesn't seem to enjoy a minute of it or expect to win. In fact, I'm not sure she's capable of enjoying anything anymore. I'd pity her if her acid demeanor didn't suggest a desire not to be pitied.
Event host Rocky (Gig Young) tries to maintain a positive atmosphere whenever he's at the mike. Offstage, he proves a scoundrel, tho not as bad as he could have been. At least he has a knack for bringing women out of mental breakdowns, of which we see two cases. Doesn't change the fact that he wants the dancers to look miserable for the schadenfreude of the audience. He also plans to charge the winners for expenses, albeit hastening to point out that he won't charge the losers.
The other characters of note probably don't merit individual paragraphs. Harry (Red Buttons) stands out as a gray-haired sailor with more endurance than people predicted -- which doesn't mean he'll make it to the end. Also at a conspicuous disadvantage is pregnant Ruby (Bonnie Bedelia), whose lower-class husband (Bruce Dern) may or may not be abusive. Alice (Susannah York) is a recognized veteran who cares too much about appearances for her own good. If there's anyone I wouldn't mind being, it's the guy who quit after Round 1 with a smile on his face; he may not impress anyone, but in a way, he has the most dignity.
The Netflix jacket says that dancers are eventually driven to "the unthinkable." I had assumed there'd be cheating if not murder on the dance floor, but that's not quite what happens. As a rule, the worst they do to each other is say occasional harsh things or elicit sexual jealousy. Of greater concern is the stress-based deterioration of health.
And then there's what Robert does to Gloria at her request. If the filmmakers want us to think they made the right choice, then this is bleaker than any film noir I've seen. My only comfort is that there wasn't a whole lot of retrospectively obvious buildup to the moment, like in Million Dollar Baby.
At the end of the movie, the marathon is still going, because of course a '69 drama isn't going to present any semblance of a happy ending. Perhaps the marathon stands for life in general: You pretend to be happy while getting increasingly tired in an effort to be one of the few winners. It strikes me that the clock is approaching 1,500 hours, which means that the prize amounts to less than $0.50 an hour per person. Even given the economy and adjusting for inflation, it doesn't seem worth the agony.
The best I can say about TSHDT is that it doesn't resemble any other movie I know. I could barely think to compare it to anything. Maybe a touch of Nashville? Anyhow, it's bound to be more memorable to me than a couple of Sydney Pollack's other efforts, Out of Africa and Absence of Malice. Whether I'll care to remember it when it's my least favorite Pollack fare is another question.
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