King Lear
by Michael Elliott
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DVD details
Actor: Anna Calder-Marshall, Colin Blakely, Jeremy Kemp, Laurence Olivier, Robert Lang (II)Director: Michael Elliott
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 158 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-06-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Kultur Video
DVD Reviews of King Lear
DVD Review: One of the All-Time Great Lears
Summary: 5 Stars
Olivier's delivery of the text is brilliant. I must disagree with the American critic Robert Brustein who was unable to see the forest for the trees. It is a thoroughly enjoyable & stimulating production captured on dvd, even for intelligent people. For those of us who have sat through many dull productions of what we are told is a great play, this is a welcome revelation. DVD Review: a royal pleasure
Summary: 5 Stars
I gave this film to a Shakespeare loving friend as a birthday gift. She loved it.DVD Review: What can I say?
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say? This version of "King Lear" was absolutely perfect.
Minimal scenery to be sure, but that left me to actually SEE and HEAR Shakespeare and the inimitable Mr. Olivier without the any trappings.
Marvelous production! A "must see" for Shakespeare enthusiasts.
DVD Review: Definitive
Summary: 5 Stars
This is by general consensus one of Shakespeare's two greatest works, Hamlet being the other. (Which one you think is best is purely a matter of taste; you can generate passionate arguments either way.) No matter where you come down on that debate, King Lear is indisputably a top masterpiece by the greatest writer in the English language.
This production features a cast that is consummately superb, from the title role on down. Every character is played by an actor who ranks near the top of the profession, including such luminaries as Diana Rigg, Leo McKern, David Trelfall, Jeremy Kemp, and on and on and on. And, of course, there is Olivier, who is at the very peak of his powers here. There isn't a weak, or even ordinary, performance anywhere.
A teacher I once knew used to describe Shakespeare's language as "opera for people who can't sing." This company makes the language crystal clear, but beyond that, they make it sing. If this production doesn't make Shakespeare accessible for you, no production ever will.
DVD Review: Makes the Peter Brooks version look bad
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want to see King Lear presented the way it should be, then this is for you. If you want to hear the lines spoken with total clarity and intelligence, the story presented with total understanding, almost every part played with total mastery, then this is for you. If you want to see special effects, expensive scenery, kung fu fight scenes, graphic killings, quirky direction imposed on the text Shakespeare wrote, go elsewhere. This is not for semi-literate mental adolescents panting for eye-candy, but for people mature enough to value the lessons of life and to accept its injustices and paradoxes. This work is a 400 year old play, written for the stage, perhaps the greatest of its kind. It speaks to those who are capable of listening, concentrating, absorbing its marvellous composition; who can recognize great acting, who can allow themselves to be drawn in by a performance built on a long, long lifetime of superlative achievement, supported to the hilt by every other player. I could find a few petty flaws to complain about and carp at, but I'm not going to lower myself to a high-school level of crass stupidity.
Description of King Lear
The late Sir Lawrence Olivier stars in this Emmy Award winning production of Shakespeare's King Lear. It is the timeless tale of greed and lust for power, and of a sick old man, his scheming children and lost loyalties. Also stars Diana Rigg, John Hurt, Leo McKern, and Colin Blakely. Special DVD features include a biography and filmography on Sir Lawrence Olivier, character and cast list, chapter stops on each scene, and more. 158 minutes.Drama DVDs
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