Equus [DVD]

The Psychological assessment - who has got the experience- to play the role of God/ After my personal experience researching who I am through New Zealand Prisons and its associated Perverts, I had discussions with some of those who were routinely subjected to Them. The New Zealand sex workers in age between 14 and 18 were/are still pressed to sex activities by social workers "their supressed professional Voyeurism" and police by their uniformed moral superiority of Wankers with locker room culture of rugby field tougher-s. While in jail I was asked the reason for refusing to give a consent or participate with mental strip search- by the System's employees - whom I recognised as the thieves, and sexually not representative ordinary human preference, petty thieves by resource abuse and tax evaders- I just call them useless hacks of Human Industry concern inc. - When I quoted article 40 of Magna Carta and article 38 their absolute absence of cultural and professional cognizance was breath taking and made me to remain silent. When I challenged them by ordinary questions they were lost and the filling up pre-printed questionnaire is absolutely waste of time as the evaluators are dummies who should not be allowed to pass the secondary school exams - but system allowed them. The inmates even those from among Patched Mongrel Mob members said that they do it (psycho assessment) always happily as they say to shrinks all what they want to hear. ?? I am not saying that shrinks have Red Commisar role or Jesuit father confession-er function, but they have it and keep it as they are paid for nothing really else, it is what persons of shrinks are in present system given to simulate - in system what emphasize that is Your Friend - Just confess who abused you in childhood? But perhaps a natural birth is the first abuse what majority of humans have to cope with. While systems "we will superimpose" our punishment on them on your behalf - and you will be for ever in the debt to us. But leave now my experience out of it - System est delenda! THE movie shows the children sex fantasies of being !What we all Normal people Have!" as Illusionary extraterritorial role model what we all are growing out off, in proportion to our age while making preferences, what in sublimate way are justifying our integrated Wants . It may in some human life samples implode as it always does and old Greeks experienced it 2500 years ago, before it was due to religion of Sin forgotten and used against all. The movie is very well made work out, bringing to audience the psycho-profiling where the unwritten contract between question and answer is for us to observe. The quality of human answer is directly proportional to quality of question what our lives made us to formulate. Stupid answer to stupid question. What we can see now is that the something as psycho- therapy is hijacked by the System to cover up its role to subdue and control US all until something else (a Soma) will be put as the FakeDbook replacement in its place. The screen writer and director did good work to see everyday tragedy for US all alive, while we would like to be something else in the systemic pursuit of happiness what we are allowed to imitate -as Our Calling is part of it. While media feeds its abonents with selective images to relate, the movie is very well made in its time without hype I would say honest, and reflects on Normal human beings who may by exposure be made insane or explained as insanity their lapse of biological coherence. In the time when Priests are made example of sexual abuse and when New Zealand primary and secondary Sex education is performed on the children by specialist women from Sex employees collective - ( ex-whores) who share with kids their personal experience of Humans in oldest trade- about value of Sex and how to survive it and make a carrier from it on not experienced. The acting of Richard Burton is showing the dilemma of being part of the system and part of himself. I always find why such movies are omitted from general screening and we have to watch the Guantanamo commercials sport abuse and other kinds of media staged pornography as Master Chefs and everybody can be a role model for someone else before retiring to 4 walls of him/herself . Back to NZ where TV campaign says that 60% of population have a psycho mental problems and all of them should come out of the woodwork as the industry is formed to cater as some kind subcontracted NGO to provide employment to its employers . I followed it up - all those people have no personal material production experience to tie them to reality of living as themselves. I seen that in that movie what is giving rise to reflections on individual limits and the lack of general Folk singing in our environment as well as deformity of humour what is misused by advertisers . In the time before Professional loonacy sets in.

British playwright Peter Schaffer’s play remains one of the more enigmatic dramas that I can recall, fusing as it does religion, psychiatry, sexual awakening and a (seeming) love of horses and the choice of American film-maker Sidney Lumet to direct this 1977 screen adaptation is equally intriguing. Of course, even though Lumet is probably best known for his gritty, expansive New York cop dramas like Serpico and Prince Of The City, a closer look at the versatile film-maker’s CV finds him turning his hand to more ‘stage-bound’ films such as Twelve Angry Men and Murder On The Orient Express, and Equus, unsurprisingly given its heritage, stylistically fits more closely with these latter films, being a slow-moving, (literary) wordy affair, where extended two-hander scenes make up around 80-90% of the film’s running time. The film’s theatrical heritage also maps logically to Lumet’s choice of (the intense) Richard Burton as his chief protagonist, the psychiatrist Martin Dysart, as well as to much of the remainder of the cast, which also features an impressive performance from Peter Firth as the troubled 17-year old patient of Dysart, Alan Strang.In order for Lumet’s film to achieve greatest effect, it needs to 'convince’ on the core premise (and 'cause’?) of Strang’s obsession and hence his cruel act of mutilation on the horses in his charge as stable hand. Even though Lumet’s film makes a respectable fist of this, it doesn’t quite succeed for me. That said, as a potential causal factor, Alan’s repressive home environment is well done, with both Joan Plowright and Colin Blakely, as respectively, mother and religious zealot, Dora, and more disinterested father and 'man’s man’, Frank, delivering excellent turns. The games of 'cat and mouse’ played during the extended (mutual) interrogation sessions between doctor (Dysart) and patient (Strang) are also cleverly done, even if both actors are prone to over-acting at times. The film’s multi-dimensional take on its subject also adds to the melting pot, although I thought that Dysart’s cogitation over his own troubles – a childless marriage and doubt over the usefulness of his 'vocation’ – were not explored as much as they might have been (though the doctor’s scenes with an excellent Eileen Atkins’ Heather are another highpoint).Much of the film’s imagery – courtesy of Oswald Morris’ cinematography – also impresses, never more so than during the film’s opening slow zoom shot as a sword transmogrifies into a horse’s head. The sleek sensuality of the horses also fits with Alan’s unusual obsession, although, whilst the film’s denouement in the wake of the young man’s sexual awakening is conceptually memorable, the depiction of Alan’s act to 'stop God seeing’ is unnecessarily graphic and OTT. Even though I have never seen Equus as a play, I did repeatedly wonder whether 'stage suggestion’ might be preferable to ‘cinema explicitness’ in conveying the drama’s psychological and other-worldly qualities.

Fantastic film although horrific ending!!!!. That's why I only gave it a four stars.... otherwise worth a purchase. Great extras also.

At the time this film adaptation of Schaffer's stage play came out, Ithought it was as powerful as any film I'd seen in its allegorical debateon the importance and role of religion, explored through the theme of adisturbed boy who blinds six horses, having begun to worship Equus the godto substitute for a lack of reference points in his own life. Inretrospect some of the power has been diluted, particularly by thespecific language and dated references, but the themes and performancesremain timeless.Richard Burton could always be relied upon to elevate fine scriptwritingto majestic heights, though at times he comes perilously close to hammingit up and destroying the carefully constructed edifice. This is actuallyno bad thing since Burton embodies the fragility of the human psyche, anessential component of Shaffer's argument. He is never less thanhypnotically watchable, which can also be said of Jenny Agutter!Burton might be dead, but his work lives on. Equus is a finely-craftedfilm, almost deceptively so, that stands further analysis, but can also beenjoyed at a superficial level. Watch and enjoy!

5 stars for this BFI release. The film looks good and the commentary is constantly interesting and added a lot to my understanding of the story. It wold be wroth were it just that. But then there are all the extras on the second disc, not the least of which is a fascinating documentary about Richard Burton. This really is a fabulous release!!