Equus
Daniel Radcliffe made a bit of a media ripple last year when he decided to do the play Equus. For those not knowing, the main character spends half his time on stage naked. I remember thinking when I heard the news, "Well good for you, Harry Potter, that's one way not to be typecast!". And its worked well for him, apparently the London run was well-received, giving Radcliffe the depth and range as an actor that will keep him around for a long time. Equus is coming to Broadway later this year and I for one am ticketed for the event.
I decided to rent the movie version, circa 1977, and at least get my head around the story.
Frankly, its one of the best psychological dramas ever. The main character, Alan Strang, is a very disturbed young man who takes a job as a stable boy. But during his stint as stable boy Alan does some peculiar things to a group of unsuspecting horses and winds up "under psychological evaluation". The evaluation shifts from Alan to his parents to his coworker to his doctor. In the end everyone is under the lens and noone is innocent.
The role of Alan Strang had to be a difficult one; he's a complicated person with so many psycho-sexual issues its hard to keep track. On the surface he has elevated horses to a god-like stature but there are some sexual overtones to that. Under the surface there is some poking around at sexual norms; how parental influence can complicate the "normal" equation and the distinct feeling that psychology is nothing more than a cult of people who haphazardly decide what is "normal".
I loved the movie for its play-like execution and tone. The actors in this film are incredibly talented, particularly Peter Firth, who plays Strang and Richard Burton who plays his doctor. This was one of Burton's best performances.
I wonder how Radcliffe will do on stage in NYC, without his wand, glasses, or anything else for that matter
Its hard to imagine but I'll find out in September.
Equus
9.5/10
posted by Jim at 5:30 PM
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