Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

gizmomogwai Living in a largely rural area, you meet a lot of people who have a definite infatuation with horses, nominating them to take dog's place as man's best friend. You're also well aware religious fanaticism is a powerful force. Combine that with sexual repression, and you have a potent concept for a film. Such forms the foundation of Equus, released in October 1977, late director Sidney Lumet's followup to the much more popular films Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and Network (1976). Although you'd think it would be of great interest to fans of those films, and fans of Jenny Agutter in the buff, Equus is lamentably forgotten and little sought-out.Yes, there's plenty weird here. Seeing the wild-haired 20-something Peter Firth, playing a 17-year-old, rubbing himself stark naked against a horse, seeing him beat himself with a wooden coat hanger in a makeshift self-flagellation ritual (in his sleep, I think), is bound to raise eyebrows and be off-putting for many. His chanting to Equus veers to the silly. But for a viewer interested in religion, with pagan sympathies, this is a story that can speak to you. How he can go from his rituals to blinding horses is a revelation; Richard Burton's monologues lean to the Senecan in their hysterical emotion, but they contain definite insight nevertheless. Take away a boy's pain, but you also take away who he is. Equus is strange, but for those who can appreciate it, it's much more.

Armand one of Richard Burton splendid roles. the convincing performance of Peter Firth. a good play. short, one of movies who remains a web of questions, emotions, stains of feelings because it is a kind of descent in yourself. sure, many critics , result of nostalgia for play adaptation on stage. but it is not a version. only a precise film inspired by the Schaffer universe. the director does an admirable work first for refuse of confrontation with the text. it is a splendid exploration of details and a fight between two manners to discover life. it is a precise construction using few extraordinaries images. a film about lost and axis of life, about values and need to escape from a fake image of world. it is necessary to see it. not only for acting - it is beautiful at whole. not for subject - it could be not new. but for the grace of details. and for the pillars- questions who can give another nuance , for two hours to an ordinary day.

secondtake Equus (1977)A young man turns a troubled childhood into a bizarre affliction confusing love and worship and horses and best friends in a strange, surreal, beautiful, confounding mashup.Is this movie about psychology? Philosophy? Fantasy?Are we watching the younger main character, the troubled youth played by Peter Firth? Or is this a roundabout way to see the older one, a seemingly untroubled psychiatrist played by Richard Burton? I don't think there are answers exactly here, and that's probably a good thing. It's not really a movie that sets out to explain things, but simply to reveal a fascinating situation from the inside, from the inside of their heads, even, as much as possible.But okay. Being in love, somehow, with horses, or with the idea of horses, or both, and acting on that love, is weird, and so kind of fun in a sensationalist way. Unfortunately, the movie makes this whole condition and its meaning grandiose. When it explores the young man's passions, his entrapment at home, or his really sympathetic state of mind (never mind how he twists it cruelly), it's strong. But when it becomes this giant problem for mankind, larger than Shakespeare, a hugely disturbing and hyped up situation fraught with world rattling significance? Well, it's just indulgent and almost laughable. Yes, the way these extremes are filmed and reenacted and imagined is both beautiful, and at one point, shockingly violent. But it isn't enough.Fortunately, Burton is one of those deeply committed, vibrant and convincing actors who can raise up a movie like this. "Equus" is a good movie, sometimes a fantastic movie, inventive and intimate and exploratory. Firth (largely a television actor) is quite a sympathetic character and he plays his role with abandonment, to his credit.If you love horses, you might think this movie is up your alley, but beware on that score, because of the violence. If you love psychology, there is a curious pathology explored here, and that might hold water. If you love Burton, you're in for a treat. He's terrific.

thinker1691 There are many recesses in the mind which begin with a question and extend as far back as the unconscious will allow. Mystery on the other hand begins with a question and usually expects the rational mind to solve it. On a cold night on an English farm, Alan Strang (Peter Firth) a naked youth strokes, plays, rides and makes passionate love to his beloved companion, a beautiful horse. However, instead of a final embrace of love, the youth cries piteously, then blinds him and five other horses. The police are summoned, the youth is arrested, charged, found guilty and then the court must decide what to do with the very troubled boy. The presiding judge decides a mental evaluation is necessary to discover the lad's destructive behavior. Enter Doctor Dysart (Richard Burton) a specialist who begins to identify with the boy's search for understanding, passion and love. While the unfolding mystery begins to illuminate the reason why the boy killed his lover, the doctor also realizes in order to 'cure' him and make him 'Normal' he must eviscerate him into an adult with almost no hope of ever loving anyone without suffering the consequences of reality. A reality which includes his opinionated, inwardly-timid father (Colin Blakely), religious overbearing mother (Joan Plowright) and Jill Mason (Jenny Agutter) with whom he has an affair with in front of his God. The film is a monument of true art and was praised on Broadway and then later in this film. Both Burton and Peter Firth received acclaim, praise and many accolades for their superior performances. The story was written by Peter Shaffer, directed by Sidney Lumet and is considered a Classic on both stage and screen. *****