AND THE DESCENT INTO THE HUMAN MIND: "EQUUS"

Ok, gentle reader, be warned. This film is most definitely NOT for the faint of heart or stomach. And yes, there are some – truly very few – gory scenes in it but I do not mean you need to be strong of stomach. Although that does help. It is strong of mind, able to well handle deep psychological stuff and a serious interest in this kind of film that you need. If you feel you tick the boxes read on. Have I got a treat for you. Now if the name seems familiar to you, it is because this film was actually adapted by a Tony award winning play of the same name. It is the story of Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist (played rather superbly by Richard Burton). One day a rather unusual patient is brought to him. His specialty is troubled adolescents but this young man has blinded six horses in a rather horrendous way and Dr. Dysart needs to figure out why he has done that and if the boy can be cured. There are, however, some dark truths that are altogether better off staying in the dark. Dr. Dysart is indeed able to delve into the young man’s psyche and come face to face with his demons but will he be able to safeguard his own sanity in the process? A couple of things about this film. Firstly it is more suited for a mature audience in all senses of the word. Sex and sexuality come into it, as does religion and very dark obsessions. None of these are, of course, easy topics, this coupled with the darkness of madness makes for something strictly suited to adults. But when you get over the difficulties of the subject-matter the film does make for fascinating viewing, especially if, like me, you are interested in human psychology. Think of it like some sort of crime drama. Only it is not the who but the motive, the real story that we are trying to piece together. And in the process we delve deep into the human mind and uncover its rather terrible potentials… An interesting idea to ponder is the whole matter of Dr. Dysart’s own sanity, what is happening to him and why – it was one point in one of my essays funnily enough - as you can probably deduce it is almost as if Allan’s (the name of the young man who I seem to have omitted before for some reason) particular form of madness is almost “catching”. But is it that simple? Is there some underlying message there? I know a lot of people do not dissecting their films to death but every once in a while you are hit with a movie that responds so well to this kind of thing you cannot resist. If you study film studies you kinda do it automatically anyway. “Enjoy” may not be quite the right word for this one. But the film was incredibly exciting, you become wrapped up in it very, very quickly and watch it breathless until the end. I mean ok, it has the potential to give you nightmares but still… I reckon its worth the risk if only to enjoy the award winning acting.

12 ANGRY MEN

Ok, so, a couple of weeks ago I distinctly recall musing on the wisdom of writing about films from the 80’s… In that context, it’s rather strange I actually picked a film from the year 1957. But you know what they say; variety is the spice of life. And besides, I feel that although it is a classic (and rightly so may I add), it’s such an old film that a lot of people who aren’t bona fide conaisseurs may well have not seen this one. It’s a nostalgic black and white movie – typical of the era in many ways (but more of that later) and stars a rather dashing Henry Fonda…

The 12 angry men mentioned in the title are actually 12 jurors on a murder trial. The 90 minute film takes place during the deliberations of the jury; we are privy to their discussion and decisions behind closed doors. The case seems pretty open and shut at first: the defendant is a 18 year old youth from a poor neighborhood, charged with the murder of his father. Of the 12 jurors, 11 are pretty sure he’s guilty. But not all: 1 of the jurors (Henry Fonda) is not at all sure the case is such a simple one. However, as the youth is tried for murder in the 1st degree, the decision of the jury must be unanimous. As a young man’s life hangs in the balance, how will his fate be decided?

This little gem by master director Sidney Lumet is truly a film of a different era. First of all, the whole film is confined to the “jury room”. There are no fade outs and reconstructions of the events discussed for instance. The entire thing is left to the imagination of the observers. In fact, the film is very, very similar to a theatre play in many ways. Not an easy feat to pull off; a film purely based on dialogue – not least in today’s “fast paced” times where we all need to have things broken up into little chunks for us and plenty of variation mixed in… But don’t let this worry you in any way – anyone who enjoys a witty conversation will undoubtedly love this movie… Because, although we don’t see the events, the murder or the suspects; this is basically a “whodunit”. And it focuses on what is to me the best part of whodunits : following clues, comparing evidence discussing, reconstructing… The work done by the “little grey cells”. It is also a very good snapshot of the prejudices of the day and of people from different strata of American society… Last of all, I cannot forget to comment on the acting – as it was absolutely BRILLIANT. I personally didn’t recognize any of the other actors but maybe older viewers will… In this type of film, naturally a lot of weight rests on the actors and an interesting piece of trivia is that apparently Sidney Lumet had the actors sit in a room and go over their lines for hours to give them an authentic feeling of claustrophobia…
The film went as far as being nominated for three Oscars in the day (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay) but lost in all three categories to “The Bridge on River Kwai – admittedly another classic.
In short, 12 Angry Men is a classic that fully deserves its place among the classics. Do not miss…