New King Lear film in the works
- Thread starter CaptainCanada
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My favorite Shakespeare play plus three of my favorite actors? I'm sold!
I like Lear, but it's never been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays; I think it's because, up until where one of the sisters prises Gloucester's eyes out, I think they're more or less totally in the right, whereas the play means you to think they're a bunch of evil bitches from the start.
I wonder who they'll get to play Goneril; hers and Regan's roles are basically interchangable, and they've cast a big name in one.
I wonder who they'll get to play Goneril; hers and Regan's roles are basically interchangable, and they've cast a big name in one.
They focus on Cordelia and mention Hopkins as Lear as an afterthought? WTF??
I'm disappointed I didn't get to see McKellan's Lear last year.
The best Lear I ever saw was, believe it or not, Hal Holbrook. Brilliant performance.
Speaking of cinematic Lears, I'm rather partial to Korol Lir (with Juri Jarvet as King Lear and a score by Dmitri Shostakovich) and, if it counts, Ran (an Akira Kurosawa film loosely modelled after the play with Tastuya Nakadai as the Lear-esque role).
This seems to be an appropriately star-studded cast, and Hopkins in particular has me intrigued. He'd make a fine Lear, and I hope this film turns out well.
This seems to be an appropriately star-studded cast, and Hopkins in particular has me intrigued. He'd make a fine Lear, and I hope this film turns out well.
Knightley's a younger/hotter/probably the bigger star.
Knightley's a good choice, in one respect at least. According to a famous story, when Sir John Gielgud was asked for advice on how to play Lear, he answered, "Get a small Cordelia." (Because Lear has to carry her around a lot.) Knightley probably weighs, what, 25 pounds?
I always look for hotness in deciding which Jacobean or Elizabethan play to see.
She's still bigger news than he is, and this is entertainment news (not to mention that I imagine the producers are hoping some of her fans who normally wouldn't go to see this sort of thing will give it a shot; worked well for Jane Austen).
Hey, cool. At least it's Hopkins. I don't have any real beef against Keira Knightley, although she wouldn't exactly be my first choice in a Shakespeare role.
I'm going to go see the production of the play being done at Vancouver's Bard On The Beach festival this summer; very excited.
I'm going to go see the production of the play being done at Vancouver's Bard On The Beach festival this summer; very excited.
Hey, if she can do Jane Austen well (although I prefer Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth), then she can do Shakespeare.
Having once watched Ran while simultaneously following Shakespeare's text scene by scene, I wouldn't think "loosely" the best word to use there.
Well, purists might object to the changed names, genders, et cetera. In that respect it's similar to his adaption of MacBeth - Throne of Blood (or Spider Web Castle) and Hamlet - The Bad Sleep Well. The last being the loosest of the three.
It's quite good, I thought; I have the DVD. I'd recommend it.Well, I haven't seen the Knightley version of Pride And Prejudice, so I don't think it's right for me to comment on it.
^I read the book for the first time in school this past semester and loved it. I've already seen the BBC (ie. Colin Firth) version twice, so maybe next time I should watch the movie.
Speaking of King Lear (by the by), I was reading it again not long ago and just imagining what a wonderful job Derek Jacobi would do with the part.
Speaking of King Lear (by the by), I was reading it again not long ago and just imagining what a wonderful job Derek Jacobi would do with the part.
This was a funny point in Ronald Harwood's play and screenplay "The Dresser." It's about an aging Shakespearean actor, his loyal dresser and a company of players struggling to carry on during the WW II blitz.
Norman: [to the ambitious young Irene] Never mind the young Cordelia, ducky. He wants a *light* Cordelia! It's not youth or talent or star quality he's after, ducky, but a moderate eater!
It stars Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay and Eileen Atkins among other great British actors. A real treat for theatre lovers.
The Dresser
How odd. For some reason I thought John Hurt was in it.
Well, apparently it was filmed for future airing on Great Performances or some such, with an eventual DVD release planned as well. I hope nothing's changed; I didn't get to see it either, and I really wanted to!
LOVE that play/film! My wife is a dresser, and she says it really captures the relationship between actors and their dressers.
Aw, hell yeah!
