King Lear (1984-Laurence Olivier)

Like his Hamlet, Olivier's version of King Lear is fairly classical-looking, though not as much so.  The setting looks kind of like a stage village, which is a good thing because it works with the everpresent mist to make the scene look vague and primeval, as it should.  I like the log-cabin look of the houses and the equally ancient design of the costumes.  The Fool-I think the actor's name is John Hurt-is wonderful, and I love the way he plays the Fool's final scene, though the conclusion is still a little too unclear for my overly compulsive tastes.  And the spotlight behind Edgar when he returns to challenge Edmund is just a bit overdone-or a lot overdone.  We could tell he's supposed to be an avenging angel; you don't have to spell it out to us.  Most of the acting was pretty good.  The guy who plays Oswald is also great-he makes the audience hate him as much as Kent does.  And the Stonehenge structure is a good touch.  This isn't the best movie I've ever seen, but it's certainly a good demonstration of the play.

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