The Electric Horseman (1979)

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Shelly Burton (story)
Paul Gaer (story)

Release Date:

13 March 1980 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Western | Drama | Romance

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Las Vegas Nevada | Blockbuster | Reference To Albert Schweitzer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

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)

Also Known As:

Electric (USA) (trailer title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Caesar's Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Director Sydney Pollack is also the voice of Les, Hallie Martin's boss, on the phone when she calls from the coffee shop to say that she's interviewed Sonny Steele.

Goofs:

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.

Quotes:

Ampco Industries PR Man: Grace, why don't you stand in front of that poster with Sonny, and Steve can take your picture to bring home.
Sonny Steele: Oh, no, why don't you just take a picture of Grace in front of that picture of me with that box with the picture of me on the box holding the picture of me with the picture of me? Then you've got Grace, and you've got a whole bunch of pictures of me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Leonard Nimoy Demonstrates the Magnavision Videodisc Player (1981) (V)

Soundtrack:

Midnight Rider

A Little Internal Consistency Would Help

I liked this movie for the chemistry of the stars & the message (that not everything should be subjected to the Almighty Dollar). As others have pointed out, the story is a bit too simple, but that's OK too. What caused me to lower my rating from 6-7 to a rating of 5, is the lack of internal consistency. Redford's character is tremendously concerned over the welfare of this beautiful thoroughbred horse, & I'm concerned, too. The main premise of the film is that the horse's welfare is more important than the money to be made off this animal. The horse has ligament damage in a front leg ("it's full of water," per Redford), so Redford saves the horse from exploitation (being part of a stage show & being photographed) by stealing it. Later, to try to escape the police, Redford rides this injured horse for about 10 miles (it seems), at high speed (perhaps 20-25 mph?) over hill, dale, gullies, a bridge, through water, rock strewn ravines, etc. Never mind the lack of reality here (that an injured horse would never be able to accomplish this). But how about Redford's feeling for the animal? He's supposed to be so concerned for the horse's welfare, but it is he who subjects the horse to the most grueling damage possible! The lack of internal consistency in this film is that the man who supposedly cares the most about the horse, is the one who inflicts the most injury to it. And this makes no sense within the context of the film.