KING LEAR

UK/Denmark, 1970, 137 minutes, Black and white.
Paul Scofield, Irene Worth, Alan Webb, Jack Mc Gowran,
Cyril Cusack, Patrick Magee.
Directed by Peter Brook.

King Lear has been filmed by the Russians but this is a British-Danish? co-production. It was adapted by Peter Brook, the celebrated writer-director from Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company. Brook has made such a variety of films including Lord of the Flies, Tell Me Lies, the Marat/ Sade, Meetings With Remarkable Men. His King Lear is very stark. The text has been considerably pruned although the running time is still considerable. It is a tour de force performance by celebrated actor Paul Scofield (Oscar for A Man For All Seasons, 1966). Scofield has the presence for Lear and an extraordinary voice with power. However, Scofield has a cold kind of presence which is matched by the black and white photography of the film. Shakespeare's words have been adapted for open air production, action sequences. These are quite effective. Critics and teachers will argue about the relative merits of the cuts and of the emphases that follow. As a visual impression of the play, the film serves its purpose well. As a particular interpretation and performance is it also valuable.

1. Audience expectation of a film version of such a great play, the value of Shakespeare's themes, characters, words and poetry. The necessary selection? The use of close-ups, staging? The actors and their interpretation? The impact of this film version? Peter Brooks' direction, Paul Scofield's interpretation of Lear? The supporting cast? Black and white photography? The selection of scenes, compression, omissions? A satisfying experience of King Lear?

2. The use of the text, the pruning, the reliance on visuals? The criteria for the cuts and compressions? An appropriate selection of the poetry for the experience of King Lear?

3. The poetic themes of the play - foolishness, wisdom, age, family love, loyalty, the crown, madness? How well did the action represent the verbal poetry? The importance of the atmosphere of early England, the castles, the snow, the primitive nature of the dwellings, the fields and the heath, the cold, Dover Cliffs, the battlefields? Visual and verbal meeting?

4. The choice of black and white photography, the musical score, the strong reliance on close-ups, the attention to visual detail e.g. the focus on Lear at the beginning, the different houses where his daughters lived, the attention to the shades of black and white, light and shadow etc.?

5. The attention to authentic British atmosphere, the use of Scandinavian locations for this primitive British atmosphere?

6. The emphasis on violence and the inherent violence in Shakespeare's poetry, themes, concerns? The violence of Lear's manner and his abruptness? The dismissal of Kent. for example? The sub-plot of Gloucester and Edmund's betrayal and Edgar's having to flee for his life, the physical violence suffered by Gloucester for his eyes, attempted suicide? Edgar and his violence suffered in exile and madness, the physical presentation of the fight to the death with Edmund? The suffering of Lear himself, Kent in the stocks, the fool? The physical attitudes of Regan and Goneril and the violence of their deaths? The importance of Cordelia's death, Lear's own death? The meaning of this violence?

7. The film's focus on Lear himself, especially in the opening sequence to establish his presence, personality, poetry, capriciousness, injustice? The use of close-ups? Paul Scofield's appearance, age, bearing, moods, voice and articulation? The initial impact of Lear's decision, his wanting public declarations of love? Themes of knowledge and non-knowledge? Seeing and blindness? Wisdom and folly? The responses of Goneril and Regan, the contrast and bluntness of the truth of Cordelia? Themes of appearances and reality, truth and lies? Kent and France and their responses and Lear's stubborn disregard of these?

8. The contrast between Goneril and Regan's response to Lear, his expectations? The abuse of the retinues and Lear's riotous behaviour - the scene of riot in the kitchen and their wanting their meals? The appearances of the knights and their behaviour? Were Regan and Goneril in any way justified for their attitudes, their venom? The importance of the looks between the two sisters?

9. How did audience sympathy for Lear grow after his treatment by Goneril, hopes for good treatment by Regan, her ambiguity, her changing and arguing her father down? The growing combination of the two sisters? The contrast with their husbands and especially the malice of the Duke of Cornwall?

10. The film's building up of the characters of Goneril and Regan, their professions of love and their hypocritical terms, their leaving and driving away, Goneril and her use of Oswald for humiliations, Regan and Cornwall and their plotting together, the place of Gloucester and their use of him - especially to give their harsh judgments on Lear and keeping him waiting etc.? Their interior hardness of heart? Their staying inside and feasting while Lear moved outside? The irony of Goneril and Regan and their fascination with Edmund, his using of them? Their experiences of love, lust? Their reactions to their husbands? Goneril's disregard of her husband and treating him as weak - and yet he the one to restore order? Regan and Cornwall as equally hardhearted? Regan and Gloucester and her malicious punishment of him? The inevitability of the clash between the two sisters over Edmund, the violence of their deaths and its visual presentation? The parable of the daughters who professed love but who in action did not provide it, contrasting with the attitudes and behaviour of Cordelia?

11. The use and effectiveness of the sub-plot, its echoing of the main characters and themes? Gloucester as a foolish father, his attitude towards Edmund and believing him, his casting out of Edgar? His becoming the victim of the ungrateful child? Edgar as the victim brother? Edmund and the themes of stars, fate, controlling one's destiny? The bastard and the true son? What is lawful and not? Edmund and his success, the betrayal of his father, his relationship with Regan, with Goneril betraying each? The confrontation with Edgar and his inevitable death? A strong characterisation of the villain? Machiavellian? The contrast with the good Edgar, his mad pose, freezing in the cold, with Lear? His place in the court case and the wisdom said in his babbling madness about justice especially in the trial of the daughters? His attitude towards his father, guiding him when blind, allowing him to experience death while saving him? His character as Tom and his raving? His becoming the hero at the end and his fighting? The framework of the sub-plot for the resolution of the principal plot, Edgar and the future and his final words? The true Shakespearian hero?

12. The contrast of the Dukes Albany and Cornwall? Albany and his loyalty to Lear, a good man, considered weak by his wife, his protestations, his getting the realm in order at the end? The contrast with Cornwall and his evil, his love for Regan, his jealousy, the plucking out of Gloucester's eyes, his death?

13. The contrast with the Duke of Kent and his telling the truth, his service and his exile? Teaming with the fool and with poor Tom as telling the truth to Lear? The stocks sequence, his loyal messenger work, the vindication at the end? The fool and the tradition of the mediaeval jester, the humour, the wise sayings, the quips and telling the truth to Lear? Sharing his experience in the snow? With Portman the amount of truth that was told to Lear even in his ravings against the storm? Kent the fool and Edgar as the chorus of the wise fools?

14. Cordelia and her small role - her beauty and truth, love? Her acceptance of exile, the contrast with her sisters, her reappearance at the end? The encounter with her father and h-is thinking of it as heaven? The images of Paradise? Her death and the pathos and the effect on Lear?

15. Lear's madness - how much wisdom in his madness, the circumstances of the storm and being outside, the 'heath, the hut, the poetry of his ravings? Becoming a fool with the others? The mock court and the ranting, the sleeping? Losing his wits but becoming wise and able to see? The catharsis of his recognition of himself at the end?

16. The comparative calm of the day after the storm? Gloucester and the recognition of Lear? Cordelia and Kent - after the purgatory and anticipation of Heaven, the inevitability of his death and Paradise?

17. The cathartic experience for the audience? Pity and terror, the imagery, fate and the wheel of fire?

18. Shakespearian themes of order, the battles, the deaths of the villains, the restoration of the kingdom? Shakespeare's belief in the order of the universe?

19. The traditions of violent tragedy in the ~6th. century, the traditions of Lear in the ensuing centuries, the staging of Lear and the 20th. century traditions of visual presentation of violence and death?

20. The various themes and styles for focusing the effect of the tragedy - the rain. the snowscapes, the editing, the close-ups? The various devices used for a screen impact of a version of King Lear?