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King Lear (1971)
"Korol Lir" (original title)

 -  Drama  -  6 August 1975 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 685 users  
Reviews: 13 user | 10 critic

King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly ... See full summary »

Writers:

, (Russian translation, 1949), 1 more credit »
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Title: King Lear (1971)

King Lear (1971) on IMDb 7.8/10

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Cast

Credited cast:
Jüri Järvet ...
King Lear (as Yuri Yarvet)
Elza Radzina ...
Goneril (as E. Radzina)
Galina Volchek ...
Regan (as G. Volchek)
Valentina Shendrikova ...
Cordelia (as V. Shendrikova)
Oleg Dal ...
Fool (as O. Dal)
Karlis Sebris ...
Gloster (as K. Sebris)
Leonhard Merzin ...
Edgar (as L. Merzin)
Regimantas Adomaitis ...
Edmund (as R. Adomaytis)
Vladimir Yemelyanov ...
Kent (as V. Yemelyanov)
Aleksandr Vokach ...
Cornwall (as A. Vokach)
Donatas Banionis ...
Albany (as D. Banionis)
Aleksey Petrenko ...
Oswald (as A. Petrenko)
Juozas Budraitis ...
King of France (as I. Budraytis)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roman Gromadsky ...
(as R. Gromadsky)
Nikolai Kuzmin ...
(as N. Kuzmin)
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Storyline

King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Drama

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Release Date:

6 August 1975 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

King Lear  »

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Connections

Version of King Lear (1948) See more »

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User Reviews

 
A brilliant, harrowing adaptation.
22 October 2006 | by (Australia) – See all my reviews

Back in high school, I had to watch this as we were studying King Lear in class.

Having watched both the Brooks and Olivier versions, I went in somewhat cautiously- I wasn't too fond of either, finding the Olivier version to be too colourful, and the Brooks version sombre.

This proved a sobering reminder of how truly spectacular cinematography can be if done correctly. This film gripped me like no other, and I watched riveted throughout.

The added Soviet focus on the peril of the peasant's, and the splendor of the palace helped to further heighten Lear's downfall. Chock-a-block full of brilliant performances, this has swiftly become one of my most treasured VHS tapes.

The only fault I could find was the somewhat tinny quality of the sound- but for a movie of the time, the quality was excellent.

A remarkable, truly moving film I recommend to everyone.


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