 |  | King Lear by Richard Eyre |  |
King Lear directed by Richard Eyre was one play based on Shakespeare's King Lear. Richard Eyre tried to put more focus on the characters and what happened in the original play, rather than focusing on stage design. Many people's attention is pulled to the lack of props, because today's society has a lot of scenery and props in movies. Richard Eyre also tried to following the original play of King Lear, which he accomplished. The lines spoke by the actors are from the original play. The actors also look around the age the play suggested. King Lear played by Ian Holm was an older man that looked like a King who would have been ready to divide his kingdom. The daughters Goneril (Barbara Flynn), Regan (Amanda Redman), and Cordelia (Victoria Hamilton) also look around the ages that the original play suggested. Eyre tried to accomplish the disguises that were in the original play. In the case were Kent (David Burke) disguised himself as Caius Eyre succeeded. When Edgar (Paul Rhys) was disguised as Poor Tom Eyre didn't succeed, because the rain in the storm washed off his disguise. I liked the movie, because it followed the original play.
September 28, 2006This television adaption of King Lear places all focus on the performances of its actors. Blank, boxy stages, unelaborative costumes, and little emphasis on makeup (lacking all sublty in the cases of Gloucester's gouged eyes or Edgar's scarred chest)are all intentionally so in order to make the play's stars shine more brightly. Indeed, there are plenty of memorable performances in this production, though some are sadly left in the background of it all.
Standing tall above those given by the other actors are the performances of Ian Holm as Lear and Paul Rhys and Edgar. In these men we are witness to a gauntlet of dramatic range, from noblity to madness to, finally, redemption. Indeed, Mr. Holm and Mr. Rhys are at their best when portraying their characters as madmen; the scene where Lear and Edgar meet in the thunderstorm is a key highlight. Their unbridled performances are captivating and stand out as a high point in the movie.
Other noteworthy performances include that of amanda Redman as the wicked Regan. Her character garners much contempt from the audience as a malicious and ultimatly wretched colaborator in the story's tragic proceedings. Then there is Timothy West's interesting performance as Gloucester, one that is at its lowest as he is having his eyes gouged out and at its highest when he attempts suicide.
All in all, this is a film that stays true to its source in that it doesn't weigh itself down with excess. It focuses entirely on the performances of its actors, though truthfully, some characters failed to receive their due attention, such as Oswald or Cordilia.
September 28, 2006| | | King Lear Review- characters | |
The director of King Lear was trying to accomplish making a Shakesperan play into an accomplished movie from just the way that Shakespear wrote this play. Ricard Eyre did accomplish this because of the fact that he was inspired thriugh this play because he took ideas from Shakespear and put into the movie. There were some aspects about this play that I liked and others that I did not like. Richard Eyre took his ideas mainly from Shakespear's play and one aspect that was wierd is the setting. The big room that almost the entire play occurs in can be misinterpted. A person who has never read this play could be thrown off with the fact that the characters never really move. In this play , the characters really do a great job. Through Ian Holm King Lear's personality is really shown. I reall think that he did a great job as protraying King Lear. The three daughters who were played by Barbara FLynn, Amanda Redman, and Victoria Hamilton also did a really good job protraying their characters. These three actresses were really able to show emotion to King Lear. Finbar Lynch was also very good as an actor in this play as he protrayed Edmund. HE really brought out the evilness that Edmund has in this play. Gloucester who was played by Timothy West also protrayed his character very well. Another aspect that was very good about this play was the death scenes. The actors were able to play these parts very well. Amanda Redman eho played Regan had to be the best person in the death scene. She really shows the aggony that she is really in through being poisined be her sister. Ian Holm does a really good part in the scene with the death of his three daughters. He really shows the love that he had for him. This play was done very well throught this movie.
September 28, 2006 The director in the movie, King Lear, was trying to make the point of a tragedy. With all the chaacters, except for three, dying at the end of the movie. Dying in terrible and some painful ways. He made the different settings for each main parts seem so real, but unreal. Like when Micheal Sinkins, playing Cornwall, was stabbed by one of the the slaves after taken out Gloucester's eyes. the direction he was turned when he was holding his whom, sitting on the table, or it just being the fact that he was in the castle when all this happened. Another time is when Gorneril and Reagan fell to their deaths. In the movie you couldn't see any of this happen.You could see when the poison was taken over Reagan but nothing more. It would of seemed more real if we would of seen Reagan actually die and Gorneril actually kill herself.
September 28, 2006Director Richard Eyre of King Lear did a fairly good job. The movie's characters and acting reflected the average shakespeare play. The setting was not very detailed and neither was the makeup and dress. Lear's daughter were the most interesting characters of all, when you read a play rather than watching it you create pictures of the characters in your mind. When I was watching this movie of King Lear, the actress's that played his daughter did not fit the appearance very well at all. For one, I found it very interesting and kinda of disturbing that the evil Sister Reagan and the good sister Cordelia both had brown hair and the other evil sister Goneril had blonde hair, I dont understand why the two evil sisters did not look alike or why the good sister was not set apart from the two evil ones, something just didnt flow there. The Acting of the sisters were very good, I dont think they were too dramatized at all, I believe they acted just as they should have and it matched the characters personality very well.The actors that played Edmund and Edgar were very good as well, they fit the characters from the play very precisely and were much like I believe someone would have seen them. Overall the movie was fairly good, and you could tell that it was trying to reflect a shakespeare play and the actors and actresses did very well with their characters but yet again I think the sisters appearance was a little out of order.
September 28, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
