King Lear

Synopsis: Television anthology arts series presented by Melvyn Bragg. Programme on the staging of King Lear around a rehearsal in the National Theatre of David Hare’s production with Anthony Hopkins in the title role. Hare, Jonathan Miller, Anthony Hopkins and Peter Brook comment on their approach to the play. In addition to the rehearsal scenes are extracts from the Peter Brook film (1970) with Paul Scofield, Jonathan Miller’s two television productions (1975 and 1982), Kurosawa’s RAN (1985) and Kozintsev’s KOROL LIR (1970). There is also a staging of the final scene as envisaged in Nahum Tate’s re-writing in 1681. Jonathan Miller directs the scene where Goneril and Regan have poisoned each other, Edgar marries Cordelia and all is well.
Series: South Bank Show, The
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Transmission details: 11 Jan 1987 at 22:30 (Channel: ITV)
Duration: 52 mins

Director

Chris Hunt

Producer

Chris Hunt

Production Design

Gordon Melhuish

Costume

Linda Mattock

Contributor

David Hare; Jonathan Miller; Melvyn Bragg; Peter Brook

Cast

Graham Crowden	Lear
Miranda Foster	Cordelia
Michael Bryant	Earl of Gloucester
Peter Eyre	Edgar, later disguised as Tom o’Bedlam
John Grillo
John Shrapnel
Ken Drury	Duke of Albany
Philip Locke	Earl of Kent
Suzanne Bertish	Regan

Theatre: National Theatre, London
Production type: Documentary/Educational/News
Plays: King Lear
Subjects: Drama
Keywords: Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Stage directing; Rehearsals; performance history

General: The cast for the Nahum Tate version is Graham Crowden as Lear, Clive Swift /Gloucester, Angela Down/Cordelia and Peter Eyre/Edgar, John Shrapnel and John Grillo.
History: David Hare’s production, with Anthony Hopkins as Lear, opened in the Olivier Theatre in December 1976.

First shown on US television 24 march 1988 on the Bravo channel.

British Universities Film & Video Council