Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Adapted Screenplay 1977

The Contenders:

Equus
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Julia (winner)
Oh, God!
That Obscure Object of Desire

Oscar Got It Wrong!: Best Actor 1977

The Contenders:

Woody Allen: Annie Hall
Richard Burton: Equus
Richard Dreyfus: The Goodbye Girl (winner)
John Travolta: Saturday Night Fever
Marcello Mastroianni: A Special Day

Centaur

Film: Equus
Format: DVD from NetFlix on laptop.

Often when it comes to an adapted screenplay, I’m not familiar with the source material. That’s not the case with Equus, which I have read. I’ve never seen the play performed, but a reading of this play is the sort of thing that stays with a person. Equus is not an easy read or an easy watch, but it is completely unforgettable. The 1977 version features the master of overacting, Richard Burton doing exactly what he does best. A drama like this one is built for someone prone to Burton’s particular brand of ham.

Equus is an unpleasant story. We start with Dr. Martin Dysart (Burton), a psychologist who is currently going through his own crisis while he treats children under his care. He is given a new case by Hesther Saloman (Eileen Atkins). This case is that of Alan Strang (Peter Firth), a young man who, for no evident reason, blinded six horses with a spike at a stable where he worked. It’s obvious that there is something going on with young Alan, and it’s Dysart’s job to figure out exactly why he did what he did.