EQUUS

UK, 1977, 137 minutes, Colour.
Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Harry Andrews.
Directed by Sidney Lumet.

Playwright Peter Shaffer has adapted his celebrated play for the screen under the direction of Sidney Lumet. For those interested in psychiatry, disturbed patients and their torments, fantasies and therapy, it is absorbing drama.
Richard Burton, with several powerful soliloquies, is striking as is Peter Firth in a virtuoso performance as the boy. An excellent British supporting cast makes the bizarre story credible. The screenplay and treatment work in terms of real ism. However, the exploration of myth, symbol (with explicitly Christian overtones) has been dismissed by many reviewers as pretentious, muddled. This seems to be a reaction against the psychiatry of the unconscious and this reviewer found it disturbingly effective and valuable.

1. The reputation of the play? Peter Shaffer's reputation? The transition from stage to screen, opening out an adaptation? The intensity of the theatre experience, the response from a cinema audience? The stars and their qualities? The reputation of Sidney Lumet and his adaptation of plays to the screen?

2. For what audience was the film made? The average audience, people interested in psychology, therapy? For psychologists, parents?

3. The realistic symbolic atmosphere of the film? The authenticity of the characters, of the events? Their significance in terms of meaning and symbol? The effectiveness of symbol and contrivance and devices on the stage, on the screen? The fluidity of the screen with the juxtaposition of the present and flashbacks, intercutting e.g. during the therapy and discussions, the editing? The importance of close-ups? The opening out of the play to streets, houses, the open fields? The visualising of the outdoors e.g. the beach, the moonlit fields? The realism of the stables? The literal blinding of the horses? The mood and atmosphere of the musical score?

4. The play and the importance of words, rhetoric? The significance of the soliloquies and Richard Burton's intensity in delivering them? The reference to myth, religion, symbol? The religious language, Christ references, scripture quotations? Readings from the Book of Isaiah and the Suffering Servant, the Book of Job? The language of therapy and counselling? The words in psycho drama for the client? The contrast with the domestic scenes and their authenticity? The power of words in the film?

5. The background of symbol, myth, religion? Equus and the horse and myth? The title., the spirit of all horses in the one horse? (And the similarity to Christ and His Omnipresence?) The passion of the horse, its life force, the Christ references and the substitute pictures in Allan's room? Pagan mythology and Christian mythology? The history of art and the book looked at by Dr. Dysart? The power of the horse and Allan's description of it - powerful yet humble. galloping till it died, doing its utmost unless a human being says stop, horses living only for men. horses in their nakedness? The cowboys and their capacity to understand horses - and their being orphans? Allan and his mythology of the horse, language, genealogy? His word play in the genealogy? The horse and the union with man? Forming one body.. the horse coming out of the man - and the sexual and phallic overtones? The unity of person and its psychological, religious. sexual effect?

6. The psychology of the film - the goals of therapy, the definitions and discussions of normality especially by Dr. Dysart in his soliloquies? The torment in Dysart as he thought about normality? Psychology in curing and healing? The bearing of burdens and pain, the therapist bearing the burdens of others? The references to the suffering servant and Christ texts?

7. The prologue and the immediate indication of union of Allan and horse and the night. Dr. Dysart's description of their union. the move towards his tormented soliloquy? The centaur and the observer therapist? Indications of love. union. force. sexuality, religion? The introduction of ritual with its manner, behaviour., language?

8. Richard Burton's skill with the soliloquies? His expression of his own torment, lack of passion? Seeing Dr. Dysart with his professional skills and capacity for healing? The coldness and lovelessness of his marriage and his explanation of it to the audience, to Hester? His holidays in Greece, his love for Greece and its passion? His comments on dead and living gods? His reliance on Hester and her objective estimation of his work and skills? His envy for Allan's passion and experience?

9. Audience response to Allan in hearing about what he had done, Hester's concern from the courts and asking for therapy? His first appearance as a normal 17-9ear-old boy, his nonchalant attitudes? His playing games with Dr. Dysart, retaliation with questions, his trust and its growth, his wanting his full time for therapy, his being challenged by Dr. Dysart and his relating to him? The importance of the tape recorder and his use of it and his outpouring of himself? His demands on Dysart, cigarettes etc. ? His dreams and their torment? His response to hypnosis and his not wanting to remember? His pretence about what really happened? The discussions about the truth drug and his decision to take it? The opening up of his fears. of his depths? What kind of normality and healing would he arrive at? His relationship with his mother and father ~ his reaction against his mother, his peace with his father on discovering his weakness? His being left sedated at the end of the film? To what kind of life would he wake? The range of Peter Firth's performance and acting skills in communicating the life and torment of Allan?

10. The dramatic build-up of the flashbacks? Psychodrama? The return to Allan's age of six, with him in his 17-year-old form acting as six, the sand castle, the first experience of the horse and the rider, the comments of the rider, immediately being drawn to the horse, the name Equus, their communication and language? The exhilaration of the ride? Going into the sea? The mythical overtones of this? The reaction of his mother and father and his father's defiance, his hand being cut? His comment into the tape recorder that this was sexy? The transition to the father's memory of him at night, his riding on the bed with the reins in his mouth, his worship of Equus? His father tearing up the picture of the Christ which his mother liked? (Dr. Dysart noting the similarity visually of face, eyes, mouth and torment with Equus and Christ? His father's bewilderment at his behaviour in the night? The transition to seeing him grow older, getting the job, loving the work in the stables, the naked riding at night and the ecstasy and communion afterwards? The growing relationship with Jill, ordinary work, going out with her, the sex film, seeing his father, waiting at the bus stop, the interchange? The sexuality scene, Equus as present, his impotency and the
need to blind the god? The realism of what happened, its symbolism, psychological reality?

11. Dr. Dysart as healer - seeing his skills during the credits, his attitude towards therapy, his tricks? The contrast with the coldness with his wife? His friendship with Hester and the visits to her and discussions especially at the meal about abnormality and passion? The significance of his dream as high priest and linking himself to pagan myths, the slaughtering of the youths and especially the slaughtering of Allan? The overtones of the therapist as slaughtering and sacrificial high priest? The effect of his soliloquies and the whole experience on him, his need for talking? The archetypal background of gods, sacrifice and healing?

12. Hester as a compassionate magistrate, the bridge from therapy to reality? The discussion about Mr. and Mrs. What did she learn during the discussion at the meal about passion and normality? Her backing him for his skills rather than Allan's experience?

13. Mr. and Mrs. Strang and their background, ordinary citizens, pleasant on the surface? Dr. Dysart's visit and the upset to them both? Their links with each other? Mrs. Strang and her getting tea, her talking of religion and showing Dr. Dysart Allan's room, the quotation from Job? Her attitude towards religion, sexuality and her instruction, her protectiveness? Her comment about the picture of the horse and of Christ? Her fanaticism and her saying that God's eyes see everything and Allan's reaction against this? The contrast with Mr. Strang and his hostility towards religion and yet his tolerance of his wife? Their behaviour at the beach when Allan sinks? Dr. Dysart's visit to the office and seeing Mrs. Strang at work, the discussion about what he saw in the night and its effect on him? His being at the sex film and his arguing himself out of it, standing in the bus queue? His final looking at Allan and Jill from the bus?

14. Allan's emerging hatred for his mother especially during her visit and Dr. Dysart asking her to leave? The significance of the peace that he felt in understanding his weakness at the theatre?

15. The picture of Jill as an ordinary attractive young girl, getting Allan the job, talking to him as she rode, arousing him? The outing and the going to the sex film and her laughter? The reaction to Mr. Strang's presence? The sexual interlude and the lyrical presentation of it? The encounter, the beauty, nudity? The impact of his impotence on Allan, on her? His fearful reaction? Her fear and her breakdown at the consequence of the blinding of the horses?

16. The character of Dalton - and our seeing him angry and hostile to Dr. Dysart, his continued pacing and his explanation of Allan's skill with the horses, the horror of the blinding? Seeing him again in the sequence of employing Allan and his geniality? His discovery of the blinded horses and the audience sharing this with him? The significance of his outburst against justice and the healing of the insane?

17. The visual presentation of the eye-blinding - the knife during the credits and its turning into the horse's head, the blood of the credits, from the horse's eyes and the knife, the spurting on Allan? The ritual and sacrificial overtones of the sprinkling of blood and sacrifice?

18. The significance of Dr. Dysart's sacrificial dream and his slaying of the boys? Allan's slaying of Equus? The being in pain and the parallelling of the pain of Allan and Dysart? Its being interchangeable? The common link of the horse? The overtones of Christ and His bearing sufferings? Allan being freed and Dr. Dysart bearing the pain of Equus?

19. Themes of passion, his soliloquies, passion versus professional training and healing? The death of local gods and the role of priests?

20. Many saw the film as engrossing psychological drama, others as confused philosophy and psychology and mumbo jumbo. Why?