King Lear is a proud man who solicits praise from his three daughters in return for inheritance of the kingdom. Daughters Goneril and Regan profess their affection vehemently. Cordelia, who does not respect the process her father has chosen, does not humor him. Lear's perceived rejection from Cordelia leads to her banishment, thus splitting the kingdom between the other two. This hasty decision becomes his fatal error.
Acting
Scofield's Lear: volcanic pride calcifying into broken animal.
Direction
Brook strips Bard to bone—minimalist, cruel, unforgettable.
Cinematography
Bleached Danish landscapes as moral wasteland.
Director
Peter Brook
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Brook filmed this after his legendary RSC stage production; critics called it 'anti-Shakespeare' for its refusal of redemption.
Shot in Jutland's white cliffs to evoke pre-Christian Britain—Brook wanted audiences to feel civilization's thin veneer.
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