King Lear (WGBH/1998)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Telefilm: B

 

 

There is no doubt that William Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of his most popular works.  That so many good versions have been shot on tape or film is remarkable, as so much can go wrong on such a production.  For the WGBH/PBS series Masterpiece Theater, they landed one of the great productions, taped from the stage version with the great Ian Holm in the title role.  Running about 150 minutes, this is the kind of version that inspires passion for The Bard.

 

Not only do the actors understand the material, they know they have to live it to bring it alive and Holm delivers amazing energy and convincing power in the role.  Director Richard Eyre did the script adaptation and pulls of quite the production of the story.  This one is always in the moment and the supporting cast is up to the task.  They include Paul Rhys, Finbar Lynch, Timothy West, Amanda Redman, Victoria Hamilton and Martin Chamberlain.  Needless to say this is a production worthy of the name of the series it appeared on.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image was shoot in the PAL format and the transfer here is a bit hazier than it should be.  Roger Pratt (who has shot key feature films like Brazil, Mona Lisa, the 1989 Batman and 12 Monkeys) is credited as cinematographer and did a fine job of catching the action.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has weak surrounds if that, but dialogue is clear and Dominic Muldowney’s music score is a plus.  Extras are practically nonexistent, including a DVD-ROM weblink, scene selection broken into acts for educators and closed captions, which are more relevant than usual.  If you need a King Lear DVD, this is one of your very best bets.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo