King Lear (1970): A Review (Review #1855)

 

KING LEAR (1971)

I am a lifelong lover of Shakespeare, yet King Lear has never really been one that I have ever delved deeply into. I love RAN, Akira Kurosawa's adaptation, but I have yet to find a King Lear that I care about. The 1971 film version, sadly, is not going to convert me to this play. I appreciate some of its qualities, but after a while it became so much white noise. 

Old King Lear (Paul Scofield) has decided to divide his kingdom among his three daughters: Goneril (Irene Worth), Regan (Susan Engel) and Cordelia (Anne-Lise Gabold). The two eldest daughters praise their father and his decision, but Cordelia loves her father too much to offer false flattery. With that act, Lear banishes her, gives what would have been her part to Goneril and Regan, and unleashes hell. 

Goneril and Regan renege on their promise to host Lear, making the enraged and elderly king wander the countryside and eventually going insane. Seeing a way to take more power, the sisters soon start a war, and loyal Cordelia, returning with her husband from France, does her best to restore her beloved father. It, however, is not meant to be, with bloodshed and horror all around.

On a certain level, there is nothing wrong with this King Lear. It has an excellent performance from Paul Scofield in the title role. Scofield was one of the greatest yet least known and/or remembered actors of his generation. Despite being an Oscar winner in A Man for All Seasons, Scofield was not a film star and had no interest in being one. We see Scofield in full form as Lear: quietly in control, raging without going bonkers, overwhelmed by tragedy. King Lear showcases Paul Scofield's tremendous range and power as an actor.

King Lear also has fine performances from Irene Worth and Goneril, the cold, angry, arrogant woman who now will pursue her own ambitions. The scenes between Worth and Scofield are effective and strong.

I do not think there are bad performances per se in King Lear.  It is a credit to director Peter Brook to gather all these actors and give them a chance to show their skills. I was not also particularly bothered by the black-and-white cinematography or lack of score. There are some, I understand, who were bothered by these elements. I was not thrilled with them, but they were not dealbreakers for me. 

I say "particularly" for a reason. I think my problem with King Lear is that while everything is fine, that is all it is. King Lear is fine. It is not great. It is not overwhelming. It is also not welcoming to those who find The Bard boring. King Lear starts to feel its two-hour-plus runtime. There is something of stilted nature to this King Lear. 

The words are spoken. Sometimes you have beautiful imagery, such as during the rainstorm that reflects Lear's fall into madness. After a while, however, you stop paying attention to what is going on. It soon becomes background noise, and you can imagine doing anything from reading a book to putting up your laundry as the actors continue on. I kept thinking that this adaptation of King Lear would work magnificently as a radio or audio production, less so as a film.

I think that comes from how there was no sense of urgency or passion in it. Perhaps it is unfair to compare King Lear with Orson Welles' adaptation of the Falstaff plays in Chimes at Midnight. However, I cannot help but think that Chimes at Midnight was welcoming and alive, full of life and able to bring the viewer into the world of Shakespeare. King Lear opted to be more reverential, perhaps even retrained, keeping viewers at a bit of a distance. 

This King Lear is worth for the performances, particularly Scofield and Worth.  I confess to after a while, I stopped watching King Lear and started listening to King Lear. It would be great as an audio play. As a filmed play, it does not have much to offer apart from some good performances and a unique visual style. "I know when one is dead, and when one lives," Lear cries when he carries Cordelia's corpse. This King Lear is not dead, but it is not alive either.

DECISION: C-