Equus (1977)
Peter Firth: Alan Strang
Photos
Quotes
-
Martin Dysart : You have a special dream?
Alan Strang : No. You?
Martin Dysart : Yes - what was your dream about last night?
Alan Strang : Can't remember - what was *yours* about?
Martin Dysart : I said the truth!
Alan Strang : That *is* the truth. What was yours about, the special one?
Martin Dysart : [matter-of-factly] Carving up children.
-
Martin Dysart : What do you do now?
Alan Strang : Touch him.
Martin Dysart : Where?
Alan Strang : All over. Belly. Ribs. His ribs are of ivory - with great value. His flank is cool. His nostrils open for me. His eyes shine. They can see.
-
Martin Dysart : Go on, what then?
Alan Strang : Sugar.
Martin Dysart : Lump sugar?
Alan Strang : The last supper.
Martin Dysart : Last before what?
Alan Strang : Ha, ha.
Martin Dysart : You say anything when you give it to him?
Alan Strang : "Take my sins. Eat them, for my sake."
-
Martin Dysart : Go on, ahead, mount him.
Alan Strang : "Into my hands, he commends himself. Naked in his jingle jangle. Equus. Equus! Equus! Take me!"
-
Alan Strang : She put her mouth in mine. It was lovely. It was lovely.
-
Alan Strang : Where would we go?
Jill Mason : There's a skin flick over in Winchester. I've never seen one. Have you? Wouldn't you like to? All those heavy Swedes panting at one another. Well? What'd you say?
Alan Strang : Yeah.
-
Alan Strang : Here I am. Find me. Find me. Kill me. Kill me. Find me, and kill me. Kill me. Find me, and kill me. Find me, and kill me. Find me, and kill meeeeeeee.
[trails off]
-
Alan Strang : He sees... he sees... My God hath seen.
-
Alan Strang : It's gentle Equus. Meek and mild. At least, till the field.
Martin Dysart : What field?
Alan Strang : Ha, ha!
Martin Dysart : What?
Alan Strang : The field of Ha, ha! Then, there's trouble!
Martin Dysart : What kind?
Alan Strang : He won't go in!
Martin Dysart : Make him go into it. Is it a good field?
Alan Strang : It's perfect. Full of rubbish. Electrical and kitchen ware. It's covered with metals - upon your feet.
Martin Dysart : Take your shoes off?
Alan Strang : Everything.
Martin Dysart : All your clothes?
Alan Strang : Yes.
-
Alan Strang : Here we go. Here we go. The King rides out on Equus, mightiest of horses. Only I can ride him. His neck comes out of my body. It lifts in the dark! Equus. God slave. Now the King commands you. Tonight, we ride against them all. The hosts of bowler. The hosts of jodhpur. All those who show you off for their vanity. Tie rosettes on your head, for their vanity. Equus. Let's get them! Drop! Steady! Steady, steady, steady. That's it. Steady, steady. Cowboys are watching. Taking off their Stetsons. They know who we are! They're admiring us! Bowing low unto us! Come on, now! Show them... And Equus the mighty, rose against all! His enemies scattered! His enemies fall dead! Trample them. Trample them. Trample them. Turn! Trample them. Trample them. Trample them. Turn! Turn. Turn. Turn. Turn. Turn. Turn! Stiff! Stiff in the wind! My mane, stiff in the wind! I'm raw. I'm raw! Do you feel my raw? Do you feel me on you? On you? On you? I want to be inside you! I want to be inside you! And be you! Forever! One person! I love you! Bear me away! Make us now - one person! One person! One person! Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ahhhhhh!
-
Martin Dysart : Now, I want you to think back in time. You're on that beach you told me about. You're six. Above you, staring down at you, is that great horse''s head. Can you see that?
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : You ask him a question, "Does the chain hurt?"
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : Do you ask him aloud?
Alan Strang : No.
Martin Dysart : And what does the horse say back?
Alan Strang : "Yes."
Martin Dysart : What do you say?
Alan Strang : "I'll take it out for you."
Martin Dysart : And he says?
Alan Strang : "It never comes out. They have me in chains."
Martin Dysart : Like Jesus?
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : Only, his name's not Jesus.
Alan Strang : No.
Martin Dysart : What is it?
Alan Strang : It's Equus.
Martin Dysart : Equus. Does he live in all horses? Or, just some?
Alan Strang : All.
-
Martin Dysart : Tell me, why is Equus in chains?
Alan Strang : For the sins of the world.
Martin Dysart : What's he say to you?
Alan Strang : "I see you. I will save you."
Martin Dysart : How?
Alan Strang : "Bare you away. Two shall be one."
Martin Dysart : Horse and rider shall be one beast?
Alan Strang : One person.
-
Martin Dysart : There he spoke to you, didn't he? He looked at you with his gentle eyes and he spake unto you.
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : What did he say? Ride me? Mount me and ride me forth in the night?
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : You obeyed?
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : How did you learn? By watching others?
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : It must have been difficult. You bounced about.
Alan Strang : Yes.
Martin Dysart : But he taught you, didn't he? Equus showed you the way.
Alan Strang : No!
Martin Dysart : He didn't?
Alan Strang : He showed me nothing. He's a mean bugger! Ride or fall, that's straw law.
Martin Dysart : Straw law?
Alan Strang : [singing] He was born in the straw, this is his law...
-
Martin Dysart : I want to hear about that film.
Alan Strang : What? What? It was bloody awful!
Martin Dysart : Why?
Alan Strang : Nosey Parker!
Martin Dysart : Why?
Alan Strang : Because.
Martin Dysart : Yes?
Alan Strang : The whole place was full of men. Jill was the only girl. It was daft. It all took place in Sweden. There was this girl, Britta, who was 16. She wanted to stay in this house where there was this older boy. He kept giving her looks. But, she ignored him completely. Instead, she took a shower. She went into the bathroom, took off all her clothes. The lot, very, very slowly. It was fantastic. Water fell down her, bouncing off her breasts.
Martin Dysart : Is that the first time you'd ever seen a girl naked?
Alan Strang : Yes. You couldn't see everything though. It was funny. All around me, all the men were staring, like they were in a church. Like a secret congregation. Like those early Christians, my Mom talks about. The ones that came together in caves underground.
-
Martin Dysart : What's in your head?
Alan Strang : Her eyes. I keep looking at them because I really wanted - I really wanted...
Martin Dysart : To look at her breasts.
Alan Strang : Yes.
-
Jill Mason : Do you find them sexy?
Alan Strang : What?
Jill Mason : Horses.
Alan Strang : Don't be daft.
Jill Mason : Girls do. I mean, they go through a period where they pat them and kiss them a lot. I know I did. I suppose its just a substitute, really.
-
Alan Strang : The Government pays you £100 an hour to talk to me.
-
Alan Strang : [to Dysart] Bloody Nosey Parker!