King Lear

Soviet director Grigori Kozintsev followed up his 1964 masterpiece Hamlet with another in this 1971 adaptation of King Lear, which—like its predecessor—was blessed with stunning widescreen black-and-white cinematography, an inventive musical score by Dmitri Shostakovich, and an intelligent translation of Shakespeare's text by an uncredited Boris Pasternak (who was still persona non grata in the Soviet system, even 10 years after his death). Kozintsev pared down Shakespeare's magical language in favor of sequences of great visual power: the gathering of poverty-stricken peasants outside of Lear's castle to witness the monarch's abdication, a long line of beggars wandering aimlessly across rocky terrain, French horsemen leading their struggling equines up the rocky Dover cliffs, etc. Estonian actor Yuri Yarvet may have seemed frail and decidedly less-than-regal when compared to the larger-than-life personalities who played Lear on stage and screen, yet his haunting visage captures the genuine paternal pains of a doting father who is viciously torn apart by his brutal offspring (excepting the gorgeous Valentina Shendrikova as Cordelia, who offers the only real love in this viper's nest). Not unlike Hamlet, this film is known primarily by scholarly reputation rather than popular acclaim (it barely played in American theaters in 1975 and has remained virtually unseen since). This long-overdue release should help reconfirm the brilliance of Kozintsev as one of the former Soviet Union's last great filmmakers. DVD extras include an hour-long interview with opera, theatre, and film festival director Peter Sellars. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (P. Hall)