Equus

Equus (1977)

Timing: 2:17 (137 min)

7/10
141

7.058/10
1092

7.1/10
9200

All about film

Video 1

Photo 6

Actors and characters

Release date

1977-10-16

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Production

United Artists, Winkast Film Productions, Persky-Bright Productions

Genre

Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Budget

$0

Revenue

$0

Website

Director

Sidney Lumet

Actors

Richard Burton, Peter Firth, Joan Plowright, Harry Andrews, Colin Blakely, Eileen Atkins, Jenny Agutter, Kate Reid, John Wyman, Elva Mai Hoover
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Peter Shaffer

Producer

Elliott Kastner, Lester Persky

Operator

Oswald Morris

Composer

Artist

Carol Spier, Ninkey Adamson

Audition

Rose Tobias Shaw, Clare Walker

Editing

John Victor-Smith, Colin M. Brewer
All team (40)

• The film is based on the play of the same name by Peter Shaffer (1973).
• Richard Burton rejected the initial choice for the role of Alan Strang, telling the producers that the actor was too tall. He insisted on Peter Firth, who had already played the role in the Broadway production of the play in April 1976, as he was approximately the same height as Burton. The producers initially did not want to see him in the role of Martin Dysart due to the actor's alcoholism and overacting. The media reported interest from Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. Burton had to star in John Boorman's horror film "Exorcist II" (1977) to "grease the palms" of the producers.
• Due to tax issues, the film was shot in Canada. This is why actress Joan Plowright was unable to accompany her husband, Sir Laurence Olivier, to the opening of the National Theatre of Great Britain on October 25, 1976.
• Screenwriter Peter Shaffer was frightened by the method director Sidney Lumet used to film the final scene in the stables. It reminded him of the famous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller *Psycho* (1960).
• Due to filming *Equus*, Peter Firth was forced to decline the lead role in Tinto Brass's large-scale erotic drama *Caligula* (1979), where he was replaced by his co-star from *Aces High* (1976), Malcolm McDowell. Firth himself appears completely nude three times in the film, and the final scene in the stables is considered the longest in mainstream cinema to depict a man's full frontal nudity.
• Richard Burton rejected the initial choice for the role of Alan Strang, telling the producers that the actor was too tall. He insisted on Peter Firth, who had already played the role in the Broadway production of the play in April 1976, as he was roughly the same height as Burton. The producers, in turn, were initially reluctant to cast him as Martin Dysart due to the actor's alcoholism and overacting. The media reported interest from Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. Burton had to star in John Boorman's horror film "Exorcist II: The Heretic" (1977) to "sweeten the deal" with the producers.
• Screenwriter Peter Shaffer was frightened by the method director Sidney Lumet used to film the final scene in the stables. It reminded him of the famous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "Psycho" (1960).
• Due to filming "Equus", Peter Firth had to decline the lead role in Tinto Brass's large-scale erotic drama "Caligula" (1979), where he was replaced by his co-star from " Aces High" (1976) Malcolm McDowell. Firth himself appears fully nude three times in the film, and the final scene in the stables is considered the longest in mainstream cinema to show male frontal nudity.