King Lear (18 Oct. 1953)

An old king, stepping down from the throne, disinherits his favorite daughter on a mad whim and gives his kingdom to his two older daughters, both of whom prove treacherous.

Director:

Andrew McCullough

Writers:

Peter Brook (teleplay), William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Orson Welles, Natasha Parry, Arnold Moss

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Orson Welles	...	King Lear
Natasha Parry	...	Cordelia
Arnold Moss	...	Duke of Albany
Bramwell Fletcher	...	Earl of Kent
David J. Stewart	...	Oswald
Margaret Phillips	...	Regan
Beatrice Straight	...	Goneril
Alan Badel	...	Fool
Micheál MacLiammóir	...	Poor Tom
Frederick Worlock	...	Earl of Glouster
Scott Forbes	...	Duke of Cornwall
Wesley Addy	...	King of France
Fred Sadoff	...	Duke of Burgundy
Lloyd Bochner	...	First Gentleman
Chris Gampel	...	First Servant

Storyline

An old king, stepping down from the throne, disinherits his favorite daughter on a mad whim and gives his kingdom to his two older daughters, both of whom prove treacherous.

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Plot Keywords:

daughter | king | dead body | mourning for daughter | insanity | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Music

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1953 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ford Foundation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Television debut of Orson Welles.

User Reviews

Good version of Shakespeare's tale is hurt by the limits of live 1950's TV

Peter Brook directs an abbreviated version (75 of the shows 90 minutes) of Lear for the 1950's TV show Omnibus with Orson Welles as Lear in a live performance that removed all of the subplots and just focused on Lear. Welles makes for a formidable Lear and I would have loved to have seen a version with him on the stage.He is the proper force of nature required by the role while also being quite touching. The production itself is a rather run of the mill, owing in part to the conventions of TV, which works against the production because we're left with a bit too much posturing and limited movement on the screen. The film in away actually reminds me of a Welles film from the period with a good many closeups and Welles wearing too much make-up (During the Blow Wind Speech Lear loses his mustache which end up flapping in the wind). Its a good production, one of the better filmed Lears I've seen, that ends up confined and hurt by the needs for the television camera. Worth seeing for Welles performance and a promise of what might have been great on the stage (instead of good on the screen)