King Lear (1971) Directed by Peter Brook CLIP #2

[Ernest2306]

Scofield is a great actor...and here it’s a good thing too...

As often seems to be the case with this play...poor Lear doesn’t seem to notice his daughter Goneril is 55 years old! Don't get me wrong, this is my favourite Lear and Ms. Worth is very good but honestly Mr. Brook – ‘dry up her organs of increase’?! That might have been a credible curse for Ms. Worth in about 1945.

Sorry, just a pet peeve - Carry on with the adulations...

[DjFr3QaZ0iD]

I want to know pretty much everything about King Lear just from this monolouge. Its so subtle that it becomes more hateful.

[weepingforbrunnhilde]

Wow! So understated and reserved. The polar opposite of Olivier's delivery.

Fantastic!

[jonathanmelia]

Alexandra Lara? The bird who was in CONTROL?  You rock...

[bondurango]

Paul Scofield's Lear is the definitive cinematic version of the character.  Peter Brook is the most underated director of all time. This is one of his best films. The film has a very similar look and feel to Akira Kurosawa's fifties & early sixties samaurai films. Unfortunately, in the 1980s, Kurosawa's version of Lear, "Ran", was never in the same class with this film.

[goback3spaces]

Still haven't seen this movie, but the clips on YouTube and your words do pique my curiosity. RAN, however, is an evocation of Lear's themes, not LEAR itself.

[bondurango]

Harold Bloom, perhaps the world's most foremost scholar on Shakespeare, has called Kurosawa's Throne of Blood the best performance of Macbeth that he's ever seen precisely because it EVOKES a complete sensibility and understanding of Shakespeare whether it's theme, character, performance, etc. despite the fact it's not a literal performance of the play. The problem with Ran is that it failed almost everywhere Throne of Blood succeeded.

[goback3spaces]

I disagree with this opinion, but would like to hear more. Can you elaborate on your opinion?  (And leave Bloom out of it. I want to hear what YOU think.)

[Eudora74]

My God, what an actor.