A sincere question. I saw this sucker in the theater when it first was shown and it has definitely rattled around in my brain ever since. And while I admired the film, I am not sure I'd want to subject myself to it again. This was always a bit of a very odd duck of a movie.
shareThis was always a bit of a very odd duck of a movie.
This movie was released to the theaters in December, 1969. I deployed to Vietnam on November 3, 1969, and was gone for a year. I never heard of this movie until long after I got back, when people would ask me if I ever saw it. Somehow all these years I've avoided seeing it on TV and I never went out of my way to see it, mainly because it always seemed like such a bummer. So the question is, should I watch it? Give me a reason.
Get the facts first - you can distort them later!share
tightspotkilo, if you were deployed to Vietnam, you should probably enjoy this film.
"Hanoi Jane" gets shot in the head at the end.
Kidding aside, it's about winning and losing not being important, that a positive attitude and perseverance matter most, and that spectators and manufactured spectaculars are worthless.
It's about life and keeping your feet on the ground and looking for the light so that the shadows fall behind you.
After seeing this very good, meaningful film, I came up with one of my favorite personal mottoes: "Even a bad example is an example."
I highly recommend everyone watch this film. It's a tragedy, but a worthwhile morality play.
At the same time, it'll teach why NOT to be a game-player, and that life is not a game.
Hope you see the film.
If your wife is a wicked witch, you're a flying monkey.
I just did last night on YouTube of all places.
As intense and powerful and provocative as I remember from about 23 years ago.
Accolades all around for acting, directing, etc.
I've already seen this three or four times, and I just went back for more. Of course, I'm drawn to depressing subject matter. It's an odd duck, but a skillfully crafted one.
shareI came on this board because there were movies that I was too young to see, remembered the trailers, saw them in college to analyze and write papers in film and writing classes of 60s and 70s films. Midnight Cowboy was my "gold star" film in college and I've seen it many times since, and still analyzing it.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They was my "cliff notes" film. Meaning, I skimmed through it and wrote a VERY broad paper about it. Got my lowest grade in that class, a "C" because I winged it, barely watched it and wrote that it was mostly about a dance competition in the 30s. B-O-R-I-N-G.
It wasn't until 1999 when showed this on a local TV channel and I caught it fully and realized what a fool I was writing about the film. I haven't seen it since, and I just thought about it again when I saw The Sterile Cuckoo (another one of my cliff notes film in college but I got a better paper grade because it was about analyzing the psychosis of the main characters and it was easier to write 25 pages of "they're nuts".)
I'd like to see it again, uncut. I just remember bits and pieces at this point but I do know it stuck with me because of the desperation of the characters for its time.
You make them beg for more, and then you don't give it to them!share
I'd rather read the book again.
shareI have only seen this movie once, and I saw it just a few years ago (not when it 1st came out).
I enjoyed the movie, the plot, the acting,the Era of the movie, but knowing how it ended, and the length of this movie is quite long it seems, that to be honest, I would never watch it again.
I saw it once. I liked it. But this movie for me is a one-time-watcher.
I gave this movie a 7/10.
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Sure. Own it on DVD, and last night I re-watched it for the second time after 3 or 4 years. It's depressing yes, but everyone gave terrific performances, which makes it worth watching more than once.
Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop
Hell yeah I would watch it again. Just finished it and it blew me away. I love it!
My rating: 10
Nope. I don't see much reason to watch it again. I also didn't like the ending, how the marathon just kept going, I would have liked to have seen who won and how much they actually won at the end.
Kind of an empty film really, not much insight into the characters at all and kind of dull as well.
Sometimes a movie or tv show plot is so stupid that only the stupid can understand it.