Equus is a 1977 psychological drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Peter Shaffer, based on his play of the same name. The film stars Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Eileen Atkins, and Jenny Agutter. The story concerns a psychiatrist treating a teenager who has blinded horses in a stable, attempting to find the root of his horse worship.
Theatrical release poster
Richard Burton's performance received positive reviews, earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Sidney Arthur Lumet was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York dramas which focused on the working class, tackled social injustices, and often questioned authority.
Lumet in 1970
Lumet as a child, photographed by Carl Van Vechten
Lumet in the 1940 play Journey to Jerusalem
Directing Anna Magnani in The Fugitive Kind (1960)