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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and emotive. Make certain you watch this King Lear!, June 24, 2000
Considering the fact that the characters in this 'King Lear' are played by some very well-known actors and actresses in England, I was a little worried at first that it would be spoilt as I had seen them playing several other roles on television. However, the acting, especially Ian Holm as Lear and Barbara Flynn and Amanda Redman as Goneril and Regan respectively, is superb, and you can really allow yourself to be 'swept away' with this production. The only real criticism is that Edgar may be viewed as a little too 'soppy' and gullible, and Edmund as being almost 'caricature-like'. The red sets reflect the general tone of the play very accurately, and the fact that it is adapted for television means that there is the bonus of having the storm scenes outside, as opposed to still being inside as is the case with a few productions. Certain parts of the original dialogue are cut, but although this may be confusing if you don't know the play well, the omissions do not affect the overall power of the play. This, along with the Paul Scofield and Laurence Olivier versions, and Jonathan Miller's 1980 film, is one of the best 'King Lear' adaptations around. Each has it's own individual strengths, but this version is definitely worth watching.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece, January 29, 2000
By A Customer
I have seen three versions of the play, and this one is tops. Ian Holm is at the high point of his art. I like the way he plays the King, not as a gentle but old man whose age makes him misjudge people, but as a man who has always lacked judgment. We see it in the very first line the king says, when he tells his old friend Gloucester to "attend the lords of France and Burgundy", when he should have had his place at this most important meeting where the king tells his daughters he is going to part his kingdom in three. I thought every actor was well directed, and the filming was done professionally. Some people say the fool is hard to understand. But remember that he speaks cockney: what else can you expect? I have seen this video about 50 times(when you're a teacher...) and still think that just as much as the play is a masterpiece, this rendition is masterfully done.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bard is back, February 4, 2000
A brilliant production of a notoriously difficult play. This is a theatre production adapted for television, which means you get no horses and windswept landscapes; what you get is a compelling story told by a director with a contemporary vision, and some incredibly powerful acting. Ian Holm's hard-edged Lear is a victim of his own violent passions, the fool, old and fat, is both funny and heartbreaking, the usually wimpy Cordelia in this version emerges as a strong-willed, compassionate young woman, and her evil sisters are real human beings, not fairy tale characters. Some of the soliloquies are missing, but otherwise the text is only slightly abridged and rearranged. A performance of 'King Lear' worthy of Shakespeare's play. The Bard is back - with a vengeance!
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