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Equus

The Latin word "equus," when translated into English, means "horse," an animal that teenager Alan Strang has been fascinated with for much of his life. But this is no ordinary fascination: ever since his first contact with a horse at the tender age of six, Alan (Peter Firth) has come to sympathize with the four-legged animal. During his short employment at a horse ranch, he would take one of the horses out in the dark of night to a clearing in the woods, proceed to declothe, and mount the animal, riding him through the woods screaming things like "I want to be one with you!" So with this intense connection in mind, what would drive him to blind six stable horses with a metal spike? ***

That's what psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Richard Burton) hopes to uncover in his sessions with Alan. Using hypnosis as a way of unlocking his patient's innermost memories, Dysart learns of a shocking series of life events that would lead to this horrific act. We learn of Alan's unstable act of beating himself with a coat hanger and wearing a makeshift "chingle-changle" harness in his mouth. We also witness the events surrounding a drawing of Christ, taken from Alan by his father, who despised his wife's religious dominance. This drawing would later be replaced, both in physical and spiritual contexts, by that of a horse, which brings to light his obsession as well as his illess. ***

Sidney Lumet's film, adapted from writer Peter Schaffer's own stage play, works in some ways, some ways not. The performances from Richard Burton and Peter Firth are full of power and raw energy, while the characters are almost always intriguing. The film deals with weighty issues that work despite some overly-stylized conceptualization and execution (full frontal nudity and a gory scene involving those horses will be a bit much for some, myself included), and despite a significant threat of being overshadowed, they remain visible throughout. But the film version of "Equus" is, I imagine, much like the play in that it has a certain audience, and is most decidedly not for all tastes. I admire the efforts here, but as far as being moved, I'd have to admit I was rather distanced from the material.

While the 1.66:1 widescreen transfer for "Equus" receives no anamorphic enhancement, it's still a respectable-enough effort. The overall picture shows some signs of age, most notably within the color range, in which hues appear to be slightly subdued. This is more than likely the intent of the filmmakers, however, and goes largely unnoticed throughout. Aside from that, there is no bleeding, and fleshtones are mostly accurate. Contrast is commendable, with solid blacks and only some minor hints of breakup in shadow detail. Edges are sharp with a small touch of halos, but nothing serious, and there is some film grain present that shouldn't be too much of an intrusion. For what it's worth, this is a good picture. ***

The sound, mastered in Dolby 2.0 Mono, is less impressive, though not a complete failure. The dialogue sounds mostly natural and the separate elements of the track are discernable from one another, though some of the louder, more intense sequences can be rather hard on the ears, taking on a tinny, harsh feel. Other than that, not terrible.