Equus (1977) / music by Richard Rodney Bennett

Few things sound sweeter than Richard Burton's voice when it wraps itself around worthwhile material. It should be noted here that few things sound more hilarious than Richard Burton's voice when it is defeated by really lousy material (witness the oft mentioned Exorcist II: The Heretic, or Circle of Two, or The Klansman).

Equus (the play; the film) is great material.

This soundtrack features clips from Burton's monologues in the film and I have to tell you, I listen to those more than I do the actual music by Richard Rodney Bennett. When there is overlap and Burton is throwing down accompanied by the music, its almost like a poetry slam.

Otherwise, the music, on its own, is a kind of melancholy, faux classical, all the time played in lower registers. There are some great passages but it often becomes monotonous - the music needs Burton's angst to really soar.

Check this out - I bet you will be editing Burton's monologues out for use in your mix cds...

http://rapidshare.com/files/7402620/equus.zip.html