I've been aware of this movie for a while, yet I only managed to get around to watching it a few nights ago. Personally, I found it fascinating. It frequently tresspasses into the territory of 'grim' which may just be one of my favorite cinematic genres. The basic premise is as follows.....In depression era L.A. a mogul tries to cash in on the desperation of the times staging a marathon dance competition with a cash prize for the last couple standing, an event that as the tagline puts it places human suffering as 'the ultimate spectacle.'
Apparently, competitions like this really use to take place with people dancing over 12 hours a day for almost a month. They were responsible for more than a few cases of nervous and physical exhaustion, moguls fleecing their competitiors for the gaze of paying crowds. Although the movie was made in 1978 (director Sydney Pollack) I love how all the glamour of the 30's and 40's becomes trashed with the sweat and grime of the competition. This is something lost to the actual movies of the time which were more focused on the original escapist feel of Hollywood; firstly from the depression and secondly from war.
I love the filthy sense of voyerism (naughty!) one gets from watching this film. Whilst the emphatic side of me felt the worthlessness my eyes became gorged on scenes such as the marathon race. This brief interlude intersperses the hours of dancing with five minutes of racing animalism, imagery that links the film back to its title. Jane Fonda rules this movie, her cynicism actually manages to make you feel nervous, the way her partners (Michael Sarrazin) naivity crumbles is also, sadly, moving.
A movie perhaps more relevant in these credit crunching times.
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