1977 British-American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet
Equus is a 1977 psychological drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Peter Shaffer, based on his 1973 play of the same name. The film stars Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Colin Blakely, Joan Plowright, Harry Andrews, Eileen Atkins, Kate Reid 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.
Lumet's adaptation of the acclaimed play to film incorporated realism through the use of real horses rather than human actors and provided a graphic depiction of the blinding incident. Despite some criticism regarding this approach, the film was praised for the performances of its cast.
The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Burton and Best Supporting Actor for Firth. The two both won Golden Globe Awards for their performances. The film was also nominated for four BAFTA Awards, with Jenny Agutter winning for Best Supporting Actress.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.