IMDb RATING
6.4/10
11K
YOUR RATING
A rodeo star past his prime steals his company's horse and rides into the desert, accompanied by a feisty reporter.A rodeo star past his prime steals his company's horse and rides into the desert, accompanied by a feisty reporter.A rodeo star past his prime steals his company's horse and rides into the desert, accompanied by a feisty reporter.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
James Sikking
- Dietrich
- (as James B. Sikking)
Quinn K. Redeker
- Bud Broderick
- (as Quinn Redeker)
Lois Hamilton
- Joanna Camden
- (as Lois Areno)
Featured reviews
This film is not about the horse, is not about a romance.
The film portraits the unstoppable greed of a corporation confronted with the moral values of a true cowboy and how he realize he has lost that spirit that took him to became a cowboy.
This film is intended to show how we destroy everything we touch just to increase our profits.
So, you are right about the hairstyle, the wardrobe, everything is so 70's.
But the message is not old in fact is so XXI century as your brand new digital cameras.
This film made me understand my family, my past, present and future.
Now I see what my father tried to taught me, what my brothers understood years ago.
The film portraits the unstoppable greed of a corporation confronted with the moral values of a true cowboy and how he realize he has lost that spirit that took him to became a cowboy.
This film is intended to show how we destroy everything we touch just to increase our profits.
So, you are right about the hairstyle, the wardrobe, everything is so 70's.
But the message is not old in fact is so XXI century as your brand new digital cameras.
This film made me understand my family, my past, present and future.
Now I see what my father tried to taught me, what my brothers understood years ago.
In the days when people treated one another with more civility, sound bites (bights) and high-energy opinion didn't rule the political scene, and sensationalism didn't masquerade as being newsworthy, Hollywood's film industry was cranking out fare that didn't placate to the juvenile demographic.
"The Electric Horseman" is a forward thinking film populated with adult actors that have adult sensibilities. There are no quick put-downs and one-liners comprised of single syllable words. And when I say adult, I don't mean the bawdy toilet film making styles that literally pollute the media air.
"The Electric Horseman" is mainstream cinema from the closing era of the 1970s. When people wearing ties and blouses attended the movie house, and did so politely.
In this regard "The Electric Horseman" is a throwback to another era when people had more comport in their personal presentation, and demonstrated an amount of civility and societal understanding. Even so, corporate greed is exposed in the plot, as well as the foibles of a femme-reporteress whose hunger for success shows her inner soul to both character and audience (appropriately played by Jane Fonda).
The stalwart American society is also appropriately reflected in Robert Redford's character, who gives us a character who must rediscover his "awe shucks" self through an act of humanity for the sake of a stricken and exploited living, breathing creature that cannot speak for itself; Rising Star.
Cinematography is professional, as are all elements of this film. No performance is overstated, save for Fonda, but, if I know Pollack, that was intentional. The feminist climbing the media ladder and forgetting her ideals by breaking the rules for the sake of those ideals, is met with the has-been buckaroo who has similarly rediscovered who and what he is.
The romance is standard Hollywood 101, but, though not entirely necessary, is still appropriate, and in this regard, probably satisfying to the audience--men and women alike.
It's not a deep film on a personal level, but it is profound on the character level. We sympathize with the characters and identify with them in a detached manner. They are extensions of us (or what we might've been) were we in those situations.
No flashy cuts, no CGI, no rumbling sound effects, no splashy cinema effects of any-kind, standard lensing, tight scripting, and solid thesping make this film a sight for sore eyes.
Thank you Mister Pollack, Mister Redford... and I'd never thought I'd say it, but, thank you "Mizz" Fonda.
"The Electric Horseman" is a forward thinking film populated with adult actors that have adult sensibilities. There are no quick put-downs and one-liners comprised of single syllable words. And when I say adult, I don't mean the bawdy toilet film making styles that literally pollute the media air.
"The Electric Horseman" is mainstream cinema from the closing era of the 1970s. When people wearing ties and blouses attended the movie house, and did so politely.
In this regard "The Electric Horseman" is a throwback to another era when people had more comport in their personal presentation, and demonstrated an amount of civility and societal understanding. Even so, corporate greed is exposed in the plot, as well as the foibles of a femme-reporteress whose hunger for success shows her inner soul to both character and audience (appropriately played by Jane Fonda).
The stalwart American society is also appropriately reflected in Robert Redford's character, who gives us a character who must rediscover his "awe shucks" self through an act of humanity for the sake of a stricken and exploited living, breathing creature that cannot speak for itself; Rising Star.
Cinematography is professional, as are all elements of this film. No performance is overstated, save for Fonda, but, if I know Pollack, that was intentional. The feminist climbing the media ladder and forgetting her ideals by breaking the rules for the sake of those ideals, is met with the has-been buckaroo who has similarly rediscovered who and what he is.
The romance is standard Hollywood 101, but, though not entirely necessary, is still appropriate, and in this regard, probably satisfying to the audience--men and women alike.
It's not a deep film on a personal level, but it is profound on the character level. We sympathize with the characters and identify with them in a detached manner. They are extensions of us (or what we might've been) were we in those situations.
No flashy cuts, no CGI, no rumbling sound effects, no splashy cinema effects of any-kind, standard lensing, tight scripting, and solid thesping make this film a sight for sore eyes.
Thank you Mister Pollack, Mister Redford... and I'd never thought I'd say it, but, thank you "Mizz" Fonda.
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.
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.
Everyone involved in "The Electric Horseman" is taking it easy. The film is just a lark for some very talented people, and while it does have its amusements it doesn't add up to much. Robert Redford plays a rodeo-star who steals his celebrated horse, planning to ride it up to hill country to release it in the wild, but he's dogged by inquisitive female reporter Jane Fonda. There's a message about wildlife to be had in Robert Garland's exceptionally thin script, which must have attracted both Redford and Fonda, but director Sydney Pollack wisely concentrates on the leads' budding romance, and the horse takes the proverbial backseat. Some of the repartee is sharp, but the movie doesn't particularly look good or seem fully thought out. As a result, it's unmemorable and undemanding, though not without minor enjoyment. **1/2 from ****
I was only 11 years old at the time when this movie hit the theatres. A friend of mine and his dad invited me to go see The Electric Horseman. I knew of Robert Redford, but this was the first movie of his that I had seen in a theatre. I really enjoyed it, and I thought how cool Redford was as a modern day cowboy. I have never been a fan of Jane Fonda, but she is a very actress and she did a fine job in this movie. I thought the addition of Willie Nelson and his music really made this a great film. I read once that Redford and Nelson sat next to each other on an airplane flight and Redford asked Willie if he wanted to be in the movie. I also really love the soundtrack and the scenery is incredible. I wish that this movie would come out on Blu ray soon so I can buy it. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you rent it.
Did you know
- TriviaThe name of Sonny Steele's horse in the film is "Rising Star". The star steed was played by a 5-year-old bay thoroughbred called "Let's Merge" after a 6-month equine talent search. Robert Redford bought the horse after production was complete and owned him for 18 years before the horse passed away.
- GoofsThe 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.
- Alternate versionsThe film's original soundtrack has been changed in different ways for its two DVD releases:
- The Image DVD replaces Dave Grusin's beautiful "Freedom Epilogue" score music (where the horse is set free) with a reprise of "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" by Willie Nelson, originally heard during the opening credits. This actually works well, though one wonders why a piece of original score had to be changed.
- The newer Universal release goes a step further, removing "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" from the opening credits (and in fact from the film completely) as well as "Freedom Epilogue" and replaces them both with a very inappropriate generic harmonica-driven instrumental which is meant to sound like a Willie Nelson song.
- How long is The Electric Horseman?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $12,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $61,801,971
- Gross worldwide
- $61,801,971
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