King Lear (2004) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Now a celebrity, courtesy of Bilbo Baggins (the keepcase to this King Lear DVD bills him as "of the Lord of the Rings"), Ian Holm was a great actor long before he was Bilbo. On this DVD he delivers a Lear on a par with the twentieth century's greatest, including Olivier's. But the excellence of this version results not just from one bravura performance, but from an intelligently conceived approach to the play, seamlessly executed by a competent, superbly chosen cast. Of innovative productions there is no end, but what a rarity, and what a joy, when innovation comes across as deeply authentic, rooted in the text and the humanity of the play, as if the new take had always been there, concealed in the text, waiting for centuries to be discovered. One can argue whether Lear should be presented as a "psychological" drama of broken family relationships, and I have mixed feelings about the approach; but if, as our leading Shakespeare critic maintains, Shakespeare "invented" our understanding of human nature, then surely this approach should be tried. And it works to perfection here. Goneril and Regan, the "bad daughters," evolve into monsters of pure evil, but along the way we see, via some remarkable facial expressions that play particularly well on the small screen, flashes of the agonizing pain and hurt that their overbearing father has inflicted on them. This is true also of Cordelia, the "good" daughter; all these daughters are visibly tormented in the presence of their father, though Cordelia overcomes her past through love and forgiveness. What keeps this from being the greatest Lear on video is that the text is heavily abridged. Those who know the play will have trouble escaping the occasional feeling that they are trapped in a "60 Second Lear" from Tom Stoppard or the Reduced Shakespeare Company. The greatest of Shakespeare's lines remain, but how much greater they are when they emerge from his larger linguistic context. At points the cutting even confuses the plot. One gets no hint from this version that the "bedlam" Edgar is only feigning madness; for awhile you would think he's actually gone bonkers.

Click Here to see more reviews about: King Lear (2004)

Get 25% OFF

Click here for more information about King Lear (2004)

Read More...

Great Performances: King Lear Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Ian McKellan totters into a circle of light and raises his palsied hands to command his court into prostrate submission. McKellan's Lear has a despot's easy authority that effortlessly requires obedience. Aged, infirm and bright-eyed, Lear enjoys humiliating those who doubtless wish him dead so that they may inherit. McKellan's Lear is a sly-suave tyrant - reminiscent of Olivier. There are other fine Lears - the brutally hostile Ian Holm (the boss from hell), James Earl Jones' as a cranky African tribal chief, or Orson Welles' nightmare fury. All are excellent. Welles, Olivier, and McKellan are more cinematic whereas Jones and Holm are filmed versions of stage productions. Welles and Holm provide a strong dose of Sturm und Drang melodrama - the volume is turned up so high, it is hard to tell when catharsis hits. Olivier and McKellan are beautifully acted and nuanced. Jones has an amazing voice and his presence overwhelms the cast - except perhaps Raul Julia's wonderful plotting, evil Edmund.
Of the directors, Trevor Nunn is the best and most experienced interpreter of Shakespeare to cinema. He is faithful to the text, (cuts are logical and keep the action moving) but with contemporary Hollywood fit and finish. It helps that Nunn takes care of details that Shakespeare neglects. For example, he shows us exactly how Goneril poisons Regan. When Lear complains that "my poor fool is hang'd," - it refers to an earlier scene where the Fool is actually strung up.
The part of Lear demands a strong actor who can easily dominate a production. Only Olivier and Nunn balance the King with a strong supporting cast. Appearing opposite Olivier are John Hurt as the brilliantly sarcastic Fool, Leo McKern (Rumpole of the Bailey) as a pompously lecherous Glouster, and Diana Rigg as the blindingly beautiful Regan.
Trevor Nunn's outstanding cast boasts Romola Gerai as a sensual Cordelia - upswept hair, wearing a strapless, white satin, wedding gown, and a simple gold chain necklace, that accents her flawless profile, neck, shoulders, and decolletage. Nunn's inspiration for Cordelia is a mystery, but to me she looks like Sargent's sensational painting of Madame X, with the black dress changed to white. She speaks from the heart, clear-eyed, like a child, rejecting Lear's incestuous demand that his daughters love only him - and pays a price for her honesty. Sylvester McCoy's amazing performance as the bitter fool -who alone speaks truth to power without punishment - rivals John Hurt's. Where Hurt practices wicked satire as a sport, McCoy is a disappointed romantic, his cynicism mixed with sadness.
Once again, Trevor Nunn has created an excellent film version of Shakespeare. If only more of his works were available for north american viewers.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Great Performances: King Lear

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Great Performances: King Lear

Read More...

King Lear (1984) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have to disagree with the negative reviews posted above. This is possibly Olivier's best recorded performance, and the bulk of the other performances are excellent as well, particularly that of Diana Rigg. The actors speak their lines so casually and easily that, even if you're not used to Shakespearian dialog, it'll soon all seem perfectly natural. The set is minimalist, true, but if your enjoyment of Shakespeare is dependent upon set design then I recommend you never attend a stage performance. If I have one complaint about this production it's that the actors, while individually turning out great performances, don't appear to be relating to each other very well--as if they're each giving their rendition of their characters without letting their performances be informed by the performances of those around them. Still and all, this is an extremely moving production of one of the most powerful plays in the canon.

Click Here to see more reviews about: King Lear (1984)

Get 51% OFF

Click here for more information about King Lear (1984)

Read More...

King Lear / Jones, New York Shakespeare Festival (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1974) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This live performance of The Public Theater's 1974 production of "King Lear" is refreshingly straight-forward and offers abundant proof that the play -- one of Shakespeare's very greatest -- cries out to be acted, not just read. By any standard, the acting (with a few surprising exceptions) is well above average; compared to more recent Shakespeare productions at The Public Theater, the acting is astonishingly fine.
James Earl Jones gives a performance of awesome power and ferocity -- perhaps the greatest of his career. The sophistication and subtlety of his reading may surprise audiences unfamiliar with his work prior to his ubiquitous telephone company commercials. For the rest of us, this superb performance of a great artist at the height of his powers is cause for celebration, even as it is cause for sorrow: for here, too, is a stinging reminder of the scarcity of suitable roles for actors of Mr. Jones' refinement, technical mastery and colossal intensity. Are there no authors besides Shakespeare worthy of this extraordinary actor?
Of course, no one but a churl would begrudge Mr. Jones the comfort and pleasure his commercial success apparently brings him -- long may he prosper! Then again, who but a churl could fail to grieve at the waste of an artistic life of such immensity and grandeur?

Click Here to see more reviews about: King Lear / Jones, New York Shakespeare Festival (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1974)

The formidable James Earl Jones reprises his critically-acclaimed King Lear in this television adaptation of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival production. Of Jones's performance, The Washington Post wrote, "Jones has the qualities of mind, body, voice and movement which enable him to make us care deeply about the spectacle of an old man brought to grief by his folly. The magnitude Jones project is not a matter of mere physical size, but of largeness of soul."

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about King Lear / Jones, New York Shakespeare Festival (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1974)

Read More...

William Shakespeare's King Lear (1988) (1988) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Caution -- while some of these reviews refer to this as Peter Brook's film (starring Paul Scofield, Irene Worth), this is a 1988 version. (I wanted the Brook but was sent this one instead.) The description of the film has been updated (Magee is the director) but the Maltin and other reviews are still confusing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: William Shakespeare's King Lear (1988) (1988)

Get 80% OFF

Click here for more information about William Shakespeare's King Lear (1988) (1988)

Read More...

The Plays of William Shakespeare - King Lear (1983) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In reacting to the other review posted for this DVD version of "King Lear", I must take considerable exception.
Apparently, the goal of the production was to convey the tone and style of a VINTAGE, authentic performance of Lear, and in that regard, I feel that it is very valuable and, in its own way, fascinating.
It is a simple production, shot with 2 or 3 cameras in fairly straightforward fashion. Nevertheless, it moves well and the various camera angles and the director's use of the limited space makes for a very interesting and involving experience--although one that it is admittedly rather low-key, even, dare I say, SUBTLE.
This is the all the more surprising, considering the actor who portrays LEAR---and this was my sole reason for purchasing the DVD. I have never seen a performance on film by Mike Kellin that was not in some way RIVETING. He was a most distinctive actor, usually cast as heavies in Westerns, military officers, criminal thugs, etc.
His onscreen persona was really something--a glowering, brutish intensity coupled with an almost tortured and pitiful vulnerability. Who could forget his performance as Brad Davis' angst-ridden father in "Midnight Express"?
Mr. Kellin's (and his name is constantly mispelled on the DVD as
"KellEn"), portrayals often walked the edge of nervous, almost neurotic intensity and pathos. Yes, he could chew the scenery with the best of them, but was also capable of a remarkable, touching subtlety.
And it's the subtlety and sensitivity of his LEAR that makes this performance so commanding. It was taped in December of 1982, so Kellin had only 8 months to live, before succumbing to lung cancer at age 61. What a summation of a life's work as an actor! And don't you feel, from my description of Kellin's persona, that he would indeed make a fascinating and compelling Lear?
And, whereas the other reviewer blasts the cast, I must point out that the actor who portrays the doomed Duke of Gloucester, Charles Aidman, was one of early TV's finest stage-trained performers. He was (and in the present case IS) first-rate!
Again, intense, subtle and commanding as an actor, and masterful in his performance in this production. (Go to IMDB and check his credentials--you have probably seen and heard him dozens of times
in older TV performances---he's one of those expert actors who
never dominated--never called attention to himself----because he didn't have to--he was too GOOD!)Anyone who can honestly watch the scene with Mr. Aidman having his eyes ripped out by Cornwall and still say that the actors are emotionally dull---must not have made it through to this scene.
My advice would be to check out this restrained and very unadorned production, which relies, as Shakespeare should, upon the eloquence and conviction of the actors. True, the cast IS variable (with some pretty funky accents at times), there are numerous small nips and tucks in the text, plus there's a really cheesy, early 80's synthesizer score (minimal, though)--- but it's still very well done, especially since it gives us a last look at the unique Mr. Mike Kellin in all of his distinctive glory.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Plays of William Shakespeare - King Lear (1983)

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about The Plays of William Shakespeare - King Lear (1983)

Read More...

The Dresser (1983) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)England, 1940, during the blitz: all the young actors are in uniform, hospital, or dead. Albert Finney, playing an aging Shakespearean, carries on as best he can, leading his troupe of women, and men too old or damaged to fight. Actually, he doesn't lead, but rather is daily cajoled into carrying on by his dresser (played by Tom Courtenay). Courtenay is wonderful as the fussy, loyal, oh-so-English man behind the man, maintaining a desperate hold on his good humour even as his life is coming apart in shreds as Finney disintegrates.
It is easy to see that Finney was classically trained, and that his booming stage voice must have rung through many a theater. The snatches of Shakespeare that we do see are great fun, as is the byplay between the old man who can do them in his sleep and even the most humble members of the crew, who by now know all the cues. But mainly this is the story of two men, one an artist who is used to taking what he needs from those around him, and the other who gives his life over to that man, and to some idea of carrying on the great work. This is not a happy film, but it is a great one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Dresser (1983)

Albert Finney stars as the head of a Shakespearean acting troupe touring Europe during World War II. A senile drunk, Finney is looked after by his dresser, Tom Courtenay. The film details their close and touching relationship as the dresser remains in the background while enabling the once great actor to continue his work. Albert Finney (Big Fish, Annie). 5 Academy Award® nominations – 1983 Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay Adaptation.

Get 14% OFF

Click here for more information about The Dresser (1983)

Read More...