King Lear (TV 1982)

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 »

Director:

Jonathan Miller

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

John Shrapnel, Norman Rodway, Michael Kitchen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Shrapnel	...	Earl of Kent
Norman Rodway	...	Earl of Gloucester
Michael Kitchen	...	Edmund
Michael Hordern	...	King Lear
Gillian Barge	...	Goneril
Brenda Blethyn	...	Cordelia
Penelope Wilton	...	Regan
John Bird	...	Duke of Albany
Julian Curry	...	Duke of Cornwall
David Weston	...	Duke of Burgundy
Harry Waters	...	King of France
Anton Lesser	...	Edgar
John Grillo	...	Oswald
Iain Armstrong	...	First Gentleman
Frank Middlemass	...	Fool

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.

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Plot Keywords:

tragedy | shakespeare's king lear | resentment toward daughter | father versus daughter | resentment toward sister | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: King Lear

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Time-Life Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Shaw was cast in the part of Lear in 1977, with the production to begin in mid 1978. However, he died before production began, and the project got pushed back several years.

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Connections

Version of Great Performances: King Lear (2008)

User Reviews

I loved this film most

As a devotee of this play I was absolutely relieved to find this version is expertly done. Jonathan Miller perfectly captures the dark and brooding nature of the play with an unfussy and shadowy set and costumes.

The acting is by and large excellent, especially that of Michael Hordern who is in my mind an unrivalled King Lear out of the 7 I've seen attempt the part. He conveys the irascible, foolish and finally 'fond old man' with an absolute truthfulness, making the final scene in Act V utterly heartbreaking. Frank Middlemass, reprising his earlier role as the Fool is perfectly cast as one who can chide his master with the right level of Shakespearean humour that never becomes too telegraphed or obvious.

The roles of Kent, Gloucester, Cornwall and Albany are played again very well. John Shrapnel stands out amongst these with his level of tenderness, humour and heroic righteousness that such a part demands. The 3 sisters are played excellently by Penelope Wilton, Gillian Barge and an early Brenda Blethyn. I couldn't help thinking that there was some off-screen rivalry between Regan and Goneril, so convincing was their on-screen chemistry and sparky interaction. I hope this was fanciful, and if anything serves to illustrate how well the two actresses delivered these plum roles.

Another outstanding performance was given by Michael Kitchen as the villain Edmund. Kitchen is an excellent character actor, nowhere better exemplified than in his delivery of Edmund's terrifically Machiavellian and cruel speeches, with a wry devilry and ignobly attractive flair. Edgar's portrayal was sensitive in the main part and intelligent, but through no fault of the actor, the scenes in Act III on the heath became a little overplayed for my liking. It is however a very difficult line to tread between the portrayal of 'madness' and provoking a reaction of laughter in an audience. This would have been less of a concern in the early 17th century when the play was first performed however.

To me, this is still the definitive production and well worth obtaining a copy if you can.