King of Texas

Stephen Harrigan has produced a script that the Bard himself would have been proud of. Patrick Stewart, in the lead, heads a cast that lived up to the quality screenplay. On the whole, a magnificent film, worthy of a cinema run.

I have down the story of 'King Lear' since I was ten years old and I think that 'King of Texas' is very much like it. Suzannah, the eldest daughter played by Marcia Gay-Harden, is very much like the character of Goneral in 'King Lear' who she is meant to be. Lauren Holly portrays the other evil daughter Rebecca somewhat differently from her original character Regan. The one good daughter Claudia (played by Julie Cox) is almost exactly like Cordelia, her original. But Instead of Kings, Earls, and Dukes, they are all landowners, who fight over land. Other than the story is very similar to the original except at the end there are a few things that happen to some of the characters (where they meet their end) that are very different. Matt Letscher, who plays Emmett one of the villains that is based on one of Shakespeare's most interesting villains named Edmund, gives an awesome performance. He also played a great villains in 'The Mask of Zorro', I don't know a whole lot about him, but I hope he becomes a big star. Patrick Stewart is so Lear, you can hardly tell the difference. This movie rates a 9/10.

The film does a fair job showing the effect of madness on Lear, but a more gradual descent would've been better. The film's best work is done in showing that the madness takes hold as his role as a father is peeled away, and shows in him this lack of a connective identity, which Shakespeare seemed to suggest could lead to madness in any person.

The film also does well in showing Westmore as a mirror of Lear, so it's worth watching---once.

The post-Alamo setting seems silly to me, as it reminds me too much of TNT's "Ebenezer", their poor 1997 old-west adaptation of "A Christmas Carol." I feel the film would've been better in a modern setting, with Lear as business executive, let's say.

The source is classic, and the acting is good, but it's misplacement can't be overcome enough to call it an excellent film.

'King of Texas' is an enjoyable and attractive Western that details the dissolution of a despotic cattle baron's family with King Lear's Shakespeare touches. Familiar drama with awesome acting , colorful scenarios and rousing score. This is a charming and luxurious remake about a classic play in Western style dealing with John Lear (Patrick Stewart). He is a powerful Texas cattle rancher, who's ostracized by his family when he demands that his three daughters prove their love to him if they want to inherit his kingdom. While two of his daughters, Susannah (Marcia Gay Harden) and Rebecca (Lauren Holly), secure their future with lies, Claudia (Julie Cox), the third, refuses and is disinherited for it. Lear finds that once they have his property, they reject him. Serious conflicts arouse which split the family. When you rule with an iron fist and a heart of steel, you pay with your flesh and blood !. Between land and power lies the frontier of greed... the saga of family... the heart of drama !.

Agreeable TV film contains intense drama , racial slur against Mexican people, familiar confrontation with dramatic taking on among father-daughters and being beautifully realized. Good TV adaptation of the Shakespeare classic set this time in the American West by way of ¨Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985)¨, with Lear as a magnate in the Old West whose decision to divide his empire among his three daughters results in disaster. And romantic interest is supplied by the ever lovely Julie Cox and her love interest Steven Bauer. Main and support are full of known faces providing notables interpretations. Stars Patrick Stewart giving a fine acting as self-made ranch tycoon John Lear who divides his holdings amongst his three daughters. They're adequately played by Marcia Gay Harden as the oldest and meanest, Lauren Holly, and Julie Cox. Adding an excellent plethora of secondary actors with special mention for the deceased Roy Scheider, along with David Alan Grier, Colm Meaney, Patrick Bergin, Matt Letscher, Liam Waite and Steven Bauer as Menchaca.

'King of Texas' with exciting plot from Stephen Harrigan displays elements of Greek tragedy and a touching finale. It results to be a peculiar version about family confrontation inspired by Shakespeare's King Lear, theme to be treated in other Hollywood films such as ¨House of strangers¨ (1949) written by Philip Yordan , being directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz with Edward G Robinson, Luther Adler, Richard Conte and ¨Broken Lance¨ (1954) by Edward Dmytryk with Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Hugh O'Brian, Earl Holliman, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

It displays evocative and colorful cinematography by Paul Elliott and Guillermo Rosas. As well as thrilling musical score by John Altman. The motion picture was well directed by Uli Edel. This German director is a good filmmaker who has worked as cinema as TV and even collaborated with Douglas Sirk in the 1980s. He has a long career with hits and flops , working as in USA as Germany. His film debut was the successful and thorny film: Christiane F (1981) about the world of teenage drug addicts . Following various movies in all kinds of genres , such as : Last exit to Brooklyn, RAF, Nibelungs, Houdini, Palace, Rasputin, The Mists of Avalon, Purgatory, Pay the Ghost , among others. Rating: 6.5/10. The picture will appeal to Western genre fans.

Excellent performance by all actors, most especially Patrick Stewart. The emotional range is wide. Very moving film indeed. A film worth watching.