They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) +

BRIEFLY: A film of grueling intensity, the scenario of a Depression era Dance Marathon serving (not unlike a disaster movie) to stage a microcosmic portrait of an ostensible community's response to tragedy. Solid performances punctuate the film but it's the unrelenting intensity, the deeply cynical depiction of the convergence of capitalism, commercialized entertainment and popular (as in "of the populace") despair that makes this a startlingly, enduringly "timely" picture. Could as easily be about reality television in the BushII-era as it is about dance marathons in the depression. Compelling, difficult film.