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Le roi Lear

Original title: Korol Lir
  • 1970
  • Tous publics
  • 2h 20m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Jüri Järvet in Le roi Lear (1970)
Drama

A Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.A Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.A Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.

  • Directors
    • Grigoriy Kozintsev
    • Iosif Shapiro
  • Writers
    • Grigoriy Kozintsev
    • Geoffrey of Monmouth
    • Boris Pasternak
  • Stars
    • Jüri Järvet
    • Elza Radzina
    • Galina Volchek
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Grigoriy Kozintsev
      • Iosif Shapiro
    • Writers
      • Grigoriy Kozintsev
      • Geoffrey of Monmouth
      • Boris Pasternak
    • Stars
      • Jüri Järvet
      • Elza Radzina
      • Galina Volchek
    • 19User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos6

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    Top cast20

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    Jüri Järvet
    Jüri Järvet
    • King Lear
    • (as Yuri Yarvet)
    Elza Radzina
    Elza Radzina
    • Goneril
    • (as E. Radzina)
    Galina Volchek
    Galina Volchek
    • Regan
    • (as G. Volchek)
    Valentina Shendrikova
    Valentina Shendrikova
    • Cordelia
    • (as V. Shendrikova)
    Oleg Dal
    Oleg Dal
    • Fool
    • (as O. Dal)
    Karlis Sebris
    Karlis Sebris
    • Gloster
    • (as K. Sebris)
    Leonhard Merzin
    Leonhard Merzin
    • Edgar
    • (as L. Merzin)
    Regimantas Adomaitis
    Regimantas Adomaitis
    • Edmund
    • (as R. Adomaytis)
    Vladimir Emelyanov
    Vladimir Emelyanov
    • Kent
    • (as V. Yemelyanov)
    Aleksandr Vokach
    Aleksandr Vokach
    • Cornwall
    • (as A. Vokach)
    Donatas Banionis
    Donatas Banionis
    • Albany
    • (as D. Banionis)
    Aleksey Petrenko
    Aleksey Petrenko
    • Oswald
    • (as A. Petrenko)
    Juozas Budraitis
    Juozas Budraitis
    • King of France
    • (as I. Budraytis)
    Roman Gromadskiy
    Roman Gromadskiy
      Nikolay Kuzmin
      Nikolay Kuzmin
        Ants Lauter
          Ignat Leyrer
          Ignat Leyrer
            Konstantin Tyagunov
              • Directors
                • Grigoriy Kozintsev
                • Iosif Shapiro
              • Writers
                • Grigoriy Kozintsev
                • Geoffrey of Monmouth
                • Boris Pasternak
              • All cast & crew
              • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

              User reviews19

              8.01.7K
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              Featured reviews

              10dysandez

              A brilliant, harrowing adaptation.

              Back in high school, I had to watch this as we were studying King Lear in class.

              Having watched both the Brooks and Olivier versions, I went in somewhat cautiously- I wasn't too fond of either, finding the Olivier version to be too colourful, and the Brooks version sombre.

              This proved a sobering reminder of how truly spectacular cinematography can be if done correctly. This film gripped me like no other, and I watched riveted throughout.

              The added Soviet focus on the peril of the peasant's, and the splendor of the palace helped to further heighten Lear's downfall. Chock-a-block full of brilliant performances, this has swiftly become one of my most treasured VHS tapes.

              The only fault I could find was the somewhat tinny quality of the sound- but for a movie of the time, the quality was excellent.

              A remarkable, truly moving film I recommend to everyone.
              10theelegantdandyfop

              One of the Finest Films Ever Made

              Shakespeare's plays are difficult to realize on stage or on film. Reading through his plays, one gets the impression that they are greater than they can ever be performed. But there are those few productions that hit the mark and do his works justice. So it is with Korol Lir (King Lear), Grigori Kozintsev's final film.

              In 1964, Kozintsev's Hamlet was released and earned high praise both in Russia and the West. As a consequence, Kozintsev was invited to and attended many western film festivals including Cannes. Kozintsev cherished these trips to the west as he was able to see many films that were not shown in the Soviet Union. He was particularly eager to see the films of Kurosawa, Ford, Capra and Fellini. But it was the films of Orson Welles, Citizen Kane in particular, that made the deepest impression on him. In fact it was Citizen Kane that inspired Kozintsev to film King Lear in black-and-white rather than in color.

              There are so many wonderful touches in this film starting with Yuri Yarvets' harrowing portrayal of the mad Lear. His Lear always leaves me feeling crushed at the end of the film. Superb as well is the eerie, haunting performance of Galina Volchek as Regan and the outstanding cinematography of Jonas Gritsius. Of course there is also the translation used which is itself a masterpiece, by Boris Pasternak no less (the fool's songs were performed with translations by Samuil Marshak however). Dmitri Shostakovich's score is exactly what you would expect: genius. Here is no simple sonic wallpaper to play along as images move about the screen. Neither does this dark score overwhelm the on-screen action but rather acts as a wordless narrator, commenting on the drama as it unfolds. At the heart of all this is Kozintsev's bleak and powerful vision of King Lear. There are no gimmicks here, no attempts to "update", no trace of the portentousness and pomposity that mars many films based on Shakespeare. Here, the tragedy is revealed with a brutal and simple honesty. It is not only Lear and those around him who suffer but his whole nation suffers and decays alongside him. Seeing this film from first to final scene is a draining emotional experience.

              You probably won't find the DVD of this great film at your local video store but it is available from the Russian Cinema Council's (RUSCICO) website for about $35. Their transfer of this film is decent but it does leave a bit to be desired. One can only hope and pray that Criterion will release it one day (don't hold your breath). Still, any fan of great cinema should make the effort to acquaint themselves with this film, one that I personally consider to be one of the greatest films ever made.
              9A_FORTY_SEVEN

              Shakespeare would be proud of this.

              My Rating : 9/10

              While I am not extremely well versed in Shakespeare and much less 'King Lear' I happily appreciated this interpretation.

              There is a beautiful Soviet Union quality to it, the actors appearances, the harsh weather and conditions, the wild animals and the prose of Shakespeare make it a riveting and emotionally charged oeuvre of cinema.

              A fine film indeed.
              10joseph_couch

              Assured and deeply moving treatment of Lear

              Even, relaxed performances. Tasteful, non-intrusive direction. No gimmicks. And finally a clear, even obvious! result.

              This might seem like damning with faint praise, except that Kozintsev has done what Brook didn't, what Olivier's BBC production didn't, and what every stage production I have ever seen resolutely and spectacularly failed to do. That is to create order and clarity and meaning within arguably the greatest and arguably the most difficult play ever written. It seems easy to do in Kosintsev's version, which is one of his great triumphs. see it
              9frankde-jong

              A relatively unknown diamond for Shakespeare lovers

              Just like in "Ran" (1985, Kurosawa) Kozintsev uses a barren landscape to illustratie the psychological wasteland of Lear. He don't need colors to do so, but the result is at least as convincing. It must be said however that Kozintsev had a "dreamteam" to his dispoasal. Which director can say that he has a Nobel prize winner (Boris Pasternak) as script writer? Also the music is taken care of by a famous classical componist (Dmitri Shostakovich). In Russian filmmaking the collaboration between directors and famous componists seems te be more common then in the West. Take for example the collaboration between Sergeij Eisenstein and Sergeij Prokofiev.

              There are two ways of adapting Shakespeare, literally and transposing the story to modern times. An example of the last approach to "King Lear" is "Broken lance" (1954, Edward Dmytryk) in which the story is situated in a businessfamily. I prefer staying close to the original, and that is the approach chosen by Kozintsev.

              In the English language there is a difference between a real fool (buffoon) and someone who is only acting as a fool, but in fact knows better what is going on than everybody else (jester). In "Karol Lir" the jester plays a prominent role. Keep a close look at this character while watching the film.

              Storyline

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              Did you know

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              • Trivia
                Grigoriy Kozintsev made this version of the play at the same time that Peter Brook was filming Le Roi Lear (1970), and the two directors corresponded with each other throughout shooting.
              • Connections
                Featured in King Lear (1987)

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              Details

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              • Release date
                • March 13, 1974 (France)
              • Country of origin
                • Soviet Union
              • Official site
                • arabuloku.com
              • Languages
                • Russian
                • Latin
              • Also known as
                • King Lear
              • Filming locations
                • Narva, Estonia
              • Production company
                • Lenfilm Studio
              • See more company credits at IMDbPro

              Tech specs

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              • Runtime
                • 2h 20m(140 min)
              • Color
                • Black and White
              • Sound mix
                • Mono
              • Aspect ratio
                • 2.35 : 1

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