IMDb >
The Electric Horseman (1979)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Electric Horseman (1979) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 23 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
13 March 1980 (UK) morePlot:
Sonny Steele used to be a rodeo star, but his next appearance is to be on a Las Vegas stage, wearing a suit covered in lights... more | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Sex Scenes: Robert Redford, Indecent Proposal (From Spout. 14 January 2009, 9:00 AM, PST)
Sex Scenes: Robert Redford, Indecent Proposal
(From Spout. 14 January 2009, 9:00 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Seen this movie 100 times moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Robert Redford | ... | Norman 'Sonny' Steele | |
| Jane Fonda | ... | Alice 'Hallie' Martin | |
| Valerie Perrine | ... | Charlotta Steele | |
| Willie Nelson | ... | Wendell Hickson | |
| John Saxon | ... | Hunt Sears | |
| Nicolas Coster | ... | Fitzgerald | |
| Allan Arbus | ... | Danny Miles | |
| Wilford Brimley | ... | Farmer | |
| Will Hare | ... | Gus Atwater | |
| Basil Hoffman | ... | Toland | |
| Timothy Scott | ... | Leroy | |
| James Sikking | ... | Dietrich (as James B. Sikking) | |
| James Kline | ... | Tommy | |
| Frank Speiser | ... | Bernie | |
| Quinn K. Redeker | ... | Bud Broderick (as Quinn Rdeker) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
122 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
4-Track StereoCertification:
Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
Director Cameo: [Sydney Pollack]Making a pass at Jane Fonda during a Las Vegas convention. moreGoofs:
Continuity: The video footage shown on television of Sonny Steele's speech about the horse doesn't match what Alice would have actually shot. The camera movement, lighting and direction of where Steele was facing while talking is completely different. moreQuotes:
Hallie Martin: I've been to the rodeo. Twice.Sonny Steele: Did you stay for the rattlesnake round up?
Hallie Martin: Yes. I stayed. Right till the end. I saw the whole thing.
Sonny Steele: They don't have one. How're you gonna round up a rattlesnake?
more
Soundtrack:
So You Think You're a Cowboy moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Electric Horseman (1979) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Misfits | The Cooler | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Ben-Hur | The Way We Were |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |












OK, first, to the reviewer that suggested "too much Fonda" and would have liked to see Susan St. James or Jennifer Warren in the role of Alice, you are forbidden from ever reviewing again. Fonda was perfect, and more on that later.
Second, this is not about a cowboy freeing a horse who is about to be drugged, as some reviewers have said. The horse was drugged from the beginning. Sonny noticed it, and that was a contributing factor to his subsequent actions.
This movie is about a man who strayed far from who he was, and who sought to find himself again. The horse is metaphoric: it is drugged, exploited, and broken, just like the man. So, the man attempts to find himself, as he helps the horse find itself again, so to speak. And, in the process of trying to report the story, the Fonda character attempts to find herself as well, for she has become neurotic, pill-popping, and uptight in her quest to become a star reporter. And, of course, as they travel the countryside, we find America.
Back to Fonda. Fonda's casting has always been that of the strong but flawed "career" woman, from "Barbarella", to "Klute", to "Electric Horseman". She is independent, doesn't need a man. As the tough and aggressive reporter in personal crisis, she is cast perfectly. St. James has neither the strength nor the necessary equal dose of vulnerability that Fonda can muster. This is about chemistry as well. Redford and Fonda have teamed up before, and the chemistry is proved.
So this brilliant and simple story illustrates and creatively reinforces the the idea of straying from true nature, and the need to find it again.
VERY good film.