Equus (1977)

Regisseur:

Sidney Lumet

Drehbuchautoren:

Peter Shaffer (play)
Peter Shaffer (screenplay)

Premierendatum:

Oktober 1977 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

Werbezeile:

"I am yours and you are mine"

Plot:

A psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in Hampshire...

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Bizarre | Gay Interest | Breaking The Fourth Wall | Male Full Frontal Nudity

Filmpreise:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

A must-see masterpiece!

Besetzung

Richard Burton	...	Martin Dysart
Peter Firth	...	Alan Strang
Colin Blakely	...	Frank Strang
Joan Plowright	...	Dora Strang
Harry Andrews	...	Harry Dalton
Eileen Atkins	...	Hesther Saloman
Jenny Agutter	...	Jill Mason
Kate Reid	...	Margaret Dysart
John Wyman	...	Horseman
Elva Mai Hoover	...	Miss Raintree
Ken James	...	Mr. Pearce
Patrick Brymer	...	Hospital Patient

Alternativ:

Equus - Blinde Pferde (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]
Fliehende Pferde (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) [de]

Länge:

137 Min

Produktionsland:

USA | UK

Sprache:

Englisch

Farbe:

Farbe

Seitenverhältnis:

1.66 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Mono

Altersfreigabe:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1978) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Australia:R | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:R (certificate #24890) | Spain:18

Drehorte:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Firma:

Persky-Bright Productions

Dies und das:

Legendary second unit director Yakima Canutt received a final screen credit, as a consultant on the stunts.

Dialogzitate:

Dora Strang: I only know that he was my little Alan - and then the devil came.

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Ausschnittsweise enthalten in The 35th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1978) (TV)

A must-see masterpiece!

I don't know what's the deal with the stage-play, I never saw it, but a film is a film and a play is a play. It's quite normal to me that the two of them should not be compared. Anyway. On the film. I have seen some of Lummet's great overall work both newer and older (Network, Serpico, Night Falls over Manhattan, Critical care, The hill a.o.) and I must say I liked them all. Lummet is one of the greatest and underrated directors of all time. Why? He extracts awesome acting from his actors and he's got a choice for stories.

Equus, is my best Lummet film I have seen so far - I always had a tendency to take interest on and see subtext in extreme, weird, negative situations on film. You have much to take from negative stuff, if they're handled properly. Here, there are so much stated for the viewer to think. Questions on the point of psychotherapy, on the nature of perversion (and its possible causes), importance of religion combined with lack of knowledge, isolation, lust for life and so much more I don't want to refer to here.

Beware! The film features strong material - both visuals and texts - this is no easy film for Hollywood audience. But its not uneasy in a way that it's slow, or 'arty' or anything. Far from that, it's original, deeply involving, with gripping atmosphere... Its subject matter though, might force the more coward or less open-minded viewers to trash it or mock it, for fear of what it could unleash or because they simply couldn't understand it. But intelligent film lovers, take a little tolerance and SEE this. It is worth the search. This is film is a masterpiece of film-making!