The Electric Horseman (1979)

Well done Robert!!!

A wonderful blend of fun, entertainment, and an absolutely understandable plot... well cast, Robert has been around as long as I can remember and never fails to take on the character he portrays, I am not a fan of Fonda but they are just so great together, again I say WELL DONE--- November 2, 2008

Great movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a beautiful movie that every animal lover, certainly every horse lover will cherish. And, if you ever loved Robert Redford, it's a must have! I loved learning recently that Robert Redford bought the horse movie, kept him until he died and that Rising Star is buried at Sundance Ranch. October 16, 2008

Where's the chrome?

The Electric Horseman is Sonny Steele (Robert Redford), a rodeo cowboy who now works for Ampco Industries pitching breakfast cereal and making promotional appearances at corporate events. Wearing a suit festooned with electric lights he is supposed to make a Las Vegas appearance with a $12 Million dollar race horse, Rising Star, for the big corporate merger roll out event.

He sees that the horse is being mistreated, not to mention himself, so he takes off with Rising Star to set her free. Reporter Hallie Martin (Jane Fonda) tracks him down in pursuit of the story and ends up as an accomplice to the crazy scheme. The corporate honchos are in pursuit, trying to squelch any bad publicity, or as their breakfast cereal sales rise, at least spin the story to their advantage.

Jane Fonda and Robert Redford made three movies together, and Jane later admitted that she was secretly in love with Bob though she was married at the time, and never even told him of her feelings. She just really liked going to work. There is evidence of chemistry between the two, and it's fun to watch. They seem headed for disaster, but there is great scenery along the way, and who knows, they just might pull it off.

The film, directed by Sydney Pollack, features the film debut of Willie Nelson, whose music is also featured. He didn't really get to do much as Wendall Hickson, Sonny Steele's manager, but he still managed to make quite an impression, and even Pollack admitted that he came up with the best line in the whole movie, a total ad lib.

Valerie Perrine played Charlotta Steele, Sonny's wife who still loves him but just wants him to sign the divorce papers.

Redford bought Rising Star after the film was finished, and the horse lived out it's life on his Utah ranch.

The Horse Whisperer (1998) .... Redford played Tom Booker, The Horse Whisperer, and also directed.
Out of Africa (1985) .... Denys Finch Hatton was played by Redford, and this film won Sydney Pollack 2 Oscars for Best Film and Director.
Comes a Horseman (1978) .... Fonda played Ella Connors.
The Way We Were (Special Edition) (1973) .... Hubbell Gardner and Katie Morosky were Redford and Barbra Streisand, who was nominated for Best Actress, and the movie won 2 Oscars for song and score for Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. In a scene in Boys On the Side, the characters portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise Parker watch it in a motel while driving cross country. The Way We Were was directed by Sydney Pollack.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) .... Jane Fonda played Gloria Beatty in this tale of a depression era dance endurance test that was directed by Sydney Pollack.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Special Edition) (1969) .... Redford was The Sundance Kid and Paul Newman was Butch.
Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (1968) .... Fonda was fabulous as Barbarella, directed by her then husband Roger Vadim in this space spoof that also provided the name for the band, Duran Duran.
Barefoot in the Park (1967) .... Redford and Fonda were Paul & Corie Bratter in this Neil Simon comedy.
The Chase (1966) .... Charlie 'Bubber' & Anna Reeves were played by Bob & Jane; and Brando, Angie Dickinson, and Robert Duvall were also along for The Chase.
This Property Is Condemned (1966) .... Robert Redford was Owen Legate, and the film was directed by Sydney Pollack, and stars Natalie Wood.

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.
July 4, 2008

One of the great, unsung romantic westerns of all time...

I have always loved this film. It is a great and moving story, funny and filled with wonderful actors and involving action. Scenery is great, music too. But Fonda and Redford, and the horse, each as beautiful as they will ever be I think, all captivate in this movie. (Brimley and Willie Nelson are great though too.) It is a story about man against the heartless machinery of the modern world, but told in a down-to-earth, interesting way, that ends in triumph over adversity; and it is full of oddly moving scenes (like when Fonda and Redford and the horse are escaping over country at night and begin singing "America the Beautiful" against a backdrop of the dramatic Western mountains) that stay with you. And you can see that Fonda really is smitten with Redford, though he remains the in-charge hero (albeit a handsome devil as well). I own two copies of this film, consider it a classic and watch it every year or so. Never gets old. June 15, 2008

This is not the original theatrical release

This is an edited version of the original. As another reviewer commented the opening credits have been changed to a generic instrumental- it had been Willie Nelson's "My Heros Have Always been Cowboys". if you've seen the original opening you'll know why this is significant. Also I know there is at least one deleted scene where Sunny goes and gets help from Gus- again a significant loss to the film. I returned the DVD. June 6, 2008

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