There Will Be A Quiz
And This Will Be on It!
I’m sneaking this in. It’s required viewing. If you have antidepressants you might sprinkle them on your popcorn.
Set aside a couple hours and watch this film. I will dwell on each of the following aspects so if you don’t watch you’ll be swamped and the other writers will laugh at your expense. And you will be held back a grade.
Pay attention to the following:
How they use flashbacks at the beginning
How they use flashforwards after the first eighteen minutes
How limiting the setting and characters cranks up the tension quickly
How they morph key objects over the course of the story
How the classic formula of the martyr, the murder and the wittness is done
How the “clock” works
How Romantic Fatalism works
This is exactly like college. I have no idea what time class starts and I can never seem to find my pencil.
The scene that jumped out at me was when Rocky admitted to the male lead that he was the one who stole the actress's dress. This was as close as it gets to the current wave of "reality" TV shows. Contestants are selected either because they can be made likeable, or because they can lend themselves to a "villain edit." (Similar to how the dance marathon contestants were evaluated at the start of the film.)
So many of the same principles apply between the characters in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" and reality TV: Situations are manufactured to bring out the best or the absolute worst in contestants, treading a fine line between entertainment and psychological abuse in exchange for a few hot meals and a chance at a cash prize. It makes you wonder just how bad the Depression was that people would be willing to subject themselves to this for the chance to win some cash and prizes. (That said, I need to think more about the similarities and differences between Depression-era folks and their willingness participate vs. modern reality show contestants and their rationale.)
Great flick! Had never seen it until now, but it still feels fresh and relevant in so many ways.