+7
Another day, another two films I didn't have on my list. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? depicts a very cynical, even sick, world where people will do anything for money and fame. Even though it's set about 80 years ago and was made in 1969, all one has to do is watch "reality TV" to see we're still doing it, and many people are willing to vicariously share in others' embarrassment and pain. Told in flashback, it vividly shows the effects of the Great Depression on people's broken dreams, utilizing a dance marathon at a seedy LA ballroom, the kind of event which actually became popular in the thriving '20s. The whole cast is good, with Jane Fonda getting her first big dramatic role, Michael Sarrazin showing his natural goodness which always was his strongest asset, and Gig Young as the smarmy M.C. who makes Joel Grey from Cabaret almost seem like a Disneyland employee.
Late Autumn is Ozu slightly tweaking his formula by having Setsuko Hara basically playing the mother of the kind of character she played in Late Spring. I see it as mostly a playful comedy of manners and errors, filmed uncharacteristically in color, and layered with many of Ozu's recognizable formalistic approaches, but I also wondered why it had to be two hours long. It's all very likable yet nowhere near the director's best in my opinion.
__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page