Is this a good film? DA. Is it a great film? NYET.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
It seems the director wanted to convert Shakespeare's classic tragedy into a Russian fairy or folk tale. The effect is rambling and uneasy.
From his first appearance, King Lear acted wild and out-of-control, a caricature, a cartoon. Cordelia is dressed in virginal white, Reagan and Goneril in evil black.
The director wasted a lot of time on what, I suppose, he thought were "atmospheric" scenes of peasants, soldiers and animals trudging across the landscape. I found this distracting, and particularly annoying because segments of Shakespeare's script were hacked out including some important sections.
It was surprising to see Cordelia breathing after she was dead! That scene should have obviously been re-shot.
The eye-gouging scene was ineffectively carried out, lost impact. The fool was superb, in some ways he "stole the show".
Having read many reviews heaping high praise on this production, I was expecting a moving, magnificent film, but the end result is an average rating from me. Some of the cinematography was impressive, true, and the acting competent overall, but this film is far from the "best" version of King Lear; it does not meet the standards set by Olivier's 1983 picture, for example.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
It seems the director wanted to convert Shakespeare's classic tragedy into a Russian fairy or folk tale. The effect is rambling and uneasy.
From his first appearance, King Lear acted wild and out-of-control, a caricature, a cartoon. Cordelia is dressed in virginal white, Reagan and Goneril in evil black.
The director wasted a lot of time on what, I suppose, he thought were "atmospheric" scenes of peasants, soldiers and animals trudging across the landscape. I found this distracting, and particularly annoying because segments of Shakespeare's script were hacked out including some important sections.
It was surprising to see Cordelia breathing after she was dead! That scene should have obviously been re-shot.
The eye-gouging scene was ineffectively carried out, lost impact. The fool was superb, in some ways he "stole the show".
Having read many reviews heaping high praise on this production, I was expecting a moving, magnificent film, but the end result is an average rating from me. Some of the cinematography was impressive, true, and the acting competent overall, but this film is far from the "best" version of King Lear; it does not meet the standards set by Olivier's 1983 picture, for example.