King Lear (TV 1983)An aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters and rejects his one loving, but honest one. Director:Michael ElliottWriter:William Shakespeare (play) |
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King Lear (TV 1983)An aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters and rejects his one loving, but honest one. Director:Michael ElliottWriter:William Shakespeare (play) |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Laurence Olivier | ... | ||
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Colin Blakely | ... | |
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Anna Calder-Marshall | ... | |
| Jeremy Kemp | ... | ||
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Robert Lang | ... | |
| Robert Lindsay | ... | ||
| Leo McKern | ... | ||
| David Threlfall | ... | ||
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Dorothy Tutin | ... | |
| John Hurt | ... | ||
| Diana Rigg | ... | ||
| Brian Cox | ... | ||
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Edward Petherbridge | ... | |
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Geoffrey Bateman | ... | |
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John Cording | ... | |
Lear is an aging King who wants to retire by abdicating to his three daughters. However, in an act of petty ego stroking, he asks them who among them loves him most. While two daughters eagerly toady to him, his one loving daughter, Cordelia, refuses play along with this foolish charade. In a rage, Lear exiles her along with his one loyal aide who dares to stick up for her. This foolish move works to Lear's sorrow as his two remaining daughters cruelly and gradually strip him of his status and possessions until he is rendered an insane hermit attended only by his fool. All the while, the illegitimate son of another lord is plotting his own ambitions while contributing to this tragic tale of ego and familial cruelty. Written by Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@home.com>
This TV production was Laurence Olivier's final great performance, playing Lear at the age of 75 (beyond him perhaps on stage but cleverly done here).
He is supported by a large cast of stage actors - Dorothy Tutin, Anna Calder-Marshall and Diana Rigg as his daughters; Robert Lindsay and David Threlfall as the warring brothers Edmund and Edgar; Colin Blakely as Kent; Leo McKern as Gloucester; John Hurt as The Fool - all of which make their impact. The staging is memorable and pulls the viewer in to the action.
Comparable to really being there watching the greats at work in the theatre, and a fantastic piece of television drama.