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 Elliott

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Colin Blakely, Anna Calder-Marshall

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Olivier	...	King Lear
Colin Blakely	...	Kent
Anna Calder-Marshall	...	Cordelia
Jeremy Kemp	...	Cornwall
Robert Lang	...	Albany
Robert Lindsay	...	Edmund
Leo McKern	...	Gloucester
David Threlfall	...	Edgar
Dorothy Tutin	...	Goneril
John Hurt	...	The Fool
Diana Rigg	...	Regan
Brian Cox	...	Burgundy
Edward Petherbridge	...	France
Geoffrey Bateman	...	Oswald
John Cording	...	Lear's Knight

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

king | ambition | fool | illegitimate son | cruelty | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kung Lear

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last specifically made-for-television production of a Shakespeare play (to date) to have its American TV premiere on commercial network television, an occurrence that was much more common in the 1950's, '60's, and '70s.

---

Quotes

Edmund: Now gods, stand up for bastards.

---

Connections

Version of King Lear (1999)

User Reviews

tour de force for the ageing Olivier

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.