Movies - The Electric Horseman

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	Movies - The Electric Horseman

The Electric Horseman [1979) is a romance movie starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. It was their second teaming after "Barefoot in the Park" (she is on record as hoping for number 3). Redford plays Sonny Steele, a washed-up "all around cowboy" award winner who has sold his soul to Aampco (the usual nasty corporation), and is now reduced to selling breakfast cereal. He discovers that the horse, Rising Star, he is supposed to ride in a Las Vegas show has been drugged, is injured, and Sonny decides to steal it, and eventually release it in the wild. While all the symbolism in this film is blindingly obvious -- man and horse on the run from civilization, police car chases, corporate greed, etc., etc. -- for some reason it all works. It is helped by fine music by Willie Nelson (who also has a sidekick part in the film) -- the soundtrack is not available, but songs like "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" are well known. Jane Fonda, who plays a city reporter who learns about the "real" country (another cliche that just barely works), is luminous, particularly in the final scene. There are also fine supporting players throughout (Valerie Perrine as Sonny's about-to-be-ex-wife, and others). The beautiful horse was a prize winner in real life.

The film was directed by Sydney Pollack. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Sound in 1980. Potential purchasers of the film should be warned that in some editions Willie Nelson's music of the scene when the horse is released was replaced by vague instrumental music. Perhaps the movie studio should have seen the movie before engaging in this kind of behaviour!

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Electric Horseman ]

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