Equus on DVD (1977)

Heavy, but absorbing

A customer from Plymouth, England , 29/03/2006

Sidney Lumet turns in a fine and literate adaption of Peter Shaffer's play (screenplay by the author) concerning a young boy obsessed with horses and the madness it drives him too.

The film is heavy going, but Burton looks and sounds magnificant, making the most of several long speeches, and Peter Firth and Harry Andrews are excellent in support. There's also the not unwelcome addition of Jenny Agutter in her 'one film clothes on, one film clothes off' period. (This is an off, and that's not unwelcome either)

Not for everyone, with some very unpleasant imagery, but a very worthy use of time.

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Nudity, violence and almost sex

Daniel Carl from Kilmarnock, Scotland , 11/05/2004

These are the highlights of this movie:

You get to listen to Richard Burton's deep pithy voice during a variety of close ups of said actor as he waxes lyrical to camera.

You get to see a somewhat startled Jenny Agutter in the buff - (well it was a plus point for me!)

Apart from those two aspects of the movie it does actually have an interesting plot and some parts of the movie are quite disturbing, especially if you are a horse lover.

Basically looks into the mind of an adolescent whose perception of the world has been skewed somewhat by some chinks in his development process during his formative years.

I guess everyone has slightly different sexual quirks and something must account for all the eccentricities and downright peculiarities people display in their love lives.

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carole#4 from ABOYNE , 04/04/2004

not my sort of film..it was difficult to follow the plot... a dream like film in parts... not much substance to it.....

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Jenny Agutter? Naked? Surely not?

weeguy from Midlothian , 21/03/2005

I came across this by chance, looking through Richard Burton features and I think I’m glad I did.

The film is now rather dated as are most 70s films evidenced by the film-quality and fashion but the themes explored are timeless.

We learn early on that the boy at the centre of the story (an excellent Peter Firth) has committed a quite horrible crime and spend the rest of the film, with Burton as the psychiatrist finding out why he did it.

This is essentially a story of a schizophrenic boy, misunderstood by his parents, dealing in his head with his love of horses which is confused with sexual awakening, repression and religious fervour - turning his love of the beast into something more frightening and terrible culminating in the crime, the enactment of which I found disturbing even in this day and age.

The film is based on a stage play and some of the dialogue is rather theatrical, especially Burton’s soliloquies but this is the psychiatrist’s way of unburdening himself. Listening to the boy and feeling his pain leads Burton to look at his own life where he finds himself wanting.

Oh yes and Jenny gets naked, but then is there is film in the 70s in which she is not?

Not a classic by any means but still thought provoking and disturbing. Probably a film you’ll remember a long time after you’ve seen it.

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Heavy, but absorbing

A customer from Plymouth, England , 29/03/2006

Sidney Lumet turns in a fine and literate adaption of Peter Shaffer's play (screenplay by the author) concerning a young boy obsessed with horses and the madness it drives him too.

The film is heavy going, but Burton looks and sounds magnificant, making the most of several long speeches, and Peter Firth and Harry Andrews are excellent in support. There's also the not unwelcome addition of Jenny Agutter in her 'one film clothes on, one film clothes off' period. (This is an off, and that's not unwelcome either)

Not for everyone, with some very unpleasant imagery, but a very worthy use of time.

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Jenny Agutter? Naked? Surely not?

weeguy from Midlothian , 21/03/2005

I came across this by chance, looking through Richard Burton features and I think I’m glad I did.

The film is now rather dated as are most 70s films evidenced by the film-quality and fashion but the themes explored are timeless.

We learn early on that the boy at the centre of the story (an excellent Peter Firth) has committed a quite horrible crime and spend the rest of the film, with Burton as the psychiatrist finding out why he did it.

This is essentially a story of a schizophrenic boy, misunderstood by his parents, dealing in his head with his love of horses which is confused with sexual awakening, repression and religious fervour - turning his love of the beast into something more frightening and terrible culminating in the crime, the enactment of which I found disturbing even in this day and age.

The film is based on a stage play and some of the dialogue is rather theatrical, especially Burton’s soliloquies but this is the psychiatrist’s way of unburdening himself. Listening to the boy and feeling his pain leads Burton to look at his own life where he finds himself wanting.

Oh yes and Jenny gets naked, but then is there is film in the 70s in which she is not?

Not a classic by any means but still thought provoking and disturbing. Probably a film you’ll remember a long time after you’ve seen it.

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