[.ca] Equus (Widescreen)

From Amazon.com:
A film adaptation of the famous play by Peter Shaffer, Equus stars Richard Burton (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1984) as Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist who takes on an unusual case: a young stable boy (Peter Firth, The Hunt for Red October) who, in a frenzy, has blinded six horses. Their sessions reveal that the boy has a quasi-religious fetish for horses and he rides them in the dead of night, experiencing an ecstasy unlike anything Dysart has ever known. Dysart begins to question: Is the pursuit of normalcy worth the loss of individual passions? Equus features a lot of hokum--its therapy scenes are absurd crescendos of revelation and insights. But its central question has substance, the direction is energetic, and the performances are powerful; Burton, handsome and haggard, brings a complex self-loathing to his role. Also featuring Jenny Agutter (Logan's Run) and Joan Plowright (Enchanted April). --Bret Fetzer

Poor translation from stage to screen:
Though "Equus" was masterful when seen on the broadway stage, it suffers dreadfully in this screen translation. It's curious because Sidney Lumet had a winning screen track record and Burton had honed his role as Dysart on the NY stage, after taking over the role from Tony Perkins. But something is sadly amiss here. Some of the problems are the dank, sterile way in which many scenes were filmed. The viewer almost becomes claustrophic when Dysart interogates and analyzes the boy, ably played by Peter Firth. The sets seem absurdly cheap for such a production, with sofas, chairs and walls reminscent of something out of "General Hospital." The stable scene where Firth blinds the horses takes the concept of gratuitous violence to a new level. Again, this scene worked beautifuly on stage, but is numbing and troubling when viewed in the movie version. Burton's performance was widely praised at the time of release and he was nominated for his seventh Academy Award. He didn't win (Richard Dreyfuss won instead). The performance is uneven and Burton never seems completely comfortable in the role. Ultimately, the viewer is confused with an overly avant-garde approach to the production and the fact that it's hard to care much for boy or his predicament. What was riveting on stage becomes a sadly boring psychological melodrama.

Fantastic Dialogue and The Experience of Therapy:
"Equus" restored my faith in Sidney Lumet after watching a few of his films that bombed. Lumet transfers the stage play beautifully to the screen, exploring an interesting case of a boy who has blinded six horses. Richard Burton is magnificent and one of the only actors that can carry on long-winded dialogues with conviction. Equally able is the deranged boy (played by Peter Firth) who cross-examines Burton, knocking him off his feet in a similar manner to Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting." "Equus" explores what it means to be normal. Burton's character realizes that being normal, to a certain degree, is having abnormalities. Peter Firth's character has a worship that is more passionate and alive than most human beings ever feel-certainly more than Burton's character. Burton longs to have the boy's passion and yet realizes that he is trying to free the boy from these feelings as he is doing so. He muses over the meaning of his life and the therapy he gives. If he can never understand "why" a child acts the way it does, is there any point to therapy? While this movie starts out with a completely absurd and twisted plot, it eventually fades into a very believable plot line. As Burton pulls the information from Firth's head and we witness the boy's instable home life and threatening religious background, the plot becomes normal and we come to understand the boy's situation. The movie becomes clear as the boy's troubles become clear. The effect of this is that we experience the therapy along with Peter Firth. This is masterfully done and Lumet should be applauded. My only complaint about the movie is that it is a little long-winded. However, the dialogue is top-notch and the acting is incredible. If you're a fan of Richard Burton and his monologue performances driven by a play-adaptation, get this film.

Equus = no good...:
The stableboy is a monster who should have been put to death for his acts. The film is a horrible waste of time, and yet another example of the worst of the '70s attempts to show how a film adaptation of a novel and stage play can be put to the screen and still manage to rope in suckers and even win some awards. These types of films generally suck plain and simple, but this is among the notoriously worst of its kind. Would you care about the boys psychological make-up and rehibilitation if he had done this cruel act to a group of children? I think not. Richard Burton is better served in films such as 'Candy' and 'Bluebeard' - Stick to comedies, horror films and period pieces and forget this bogged down, heavyweight crappola! Sentimental poop! God rest Richard Burton's soul for this one!!

Doctor must help a teenage boy with a horse and sex.:
Richard Burton narrates to the audience and stars as a psychiatrist who is to help an english teenage boy, Alan (Peter Firth), who seems to be out of touch of reality. He loves horses and dreams of horses. Alan must see the psychiatrist every day and make progress or he will end up in a mental hospital. He is not allowed to watch television according to his parents, but remebers specific jingles and repeats them often. His behavior at times is erratic. Dr. Martin Dysart had odd dreams of his own and must get to the root of Alan's problem. Alan will relay to Dr. Dysart his own memories as a child and his obsession for a horse. ADULTS ONLY! Includes full frontal male and female nudity and sexual situations. Cast also includes Joan Plowright, Colin Blakly and Kate Reid. Richard Burton and Peter Firth were both nominated for an Academy Award.

Boring:
Two hours for: Boy tries to make love to girl but can't because he's a horseosexual. Boy blinds horses because they were in the barn when it happened, but out of eyeshot, if you'll pardon the expression. Richard Burton cures boy by getting him to spill story. I kept watching the clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. Richard Burton shines when playing cynical characters with acerbic wit. This was the wrong role for him -- he didn't shine.