The
pseudo-historical Leir of Celtic Britain actually regained his throne with the
help of the French and his youngest daughter Cordelia, but that was no fun for
Shakespeare. Everything about his Lear had to be tragic. That makes it a heck
of a role to play. When Sir Anthony Hopkins played “Sir,” the actor preparing
to portray King Lear in The Dresser a
few years ago, it probably gave a lot of people ideas that he makes good on
now. Hopkins stars in Richard Eyre’s modernized and somewhat abridged King Lear (trailer here), which premieres on
Amazon Prime this Friday.
It
is a slightly dystopian Britain, but the narrative is still Lear. You know, one king with three
daughters. He tries to divide his kingdom among the triumvirate, but the
youngest daughter, who loves him best, refuses to play that game. A cold war
quickly develops between the two ambitious sisters, egged on by Edmund, the
illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Right, that Lear.
For
the most part, the stylized setting is rather effective. Eyre’s Lear often shares a kinship with Ralph
Fiennes’ Coriolanus, in the way they
depict modern warfare and a militaristic milieu. Plus, many scenes were shot in
and around the imposing Dover Castle, which is quite a dramatic backdrop. However,
the sequences of the mad Lear scuffling through an open-air shopping district
feel like an ill-advised Beckett production.
Regardless,
Hopkins is definitely a Lear to be reckoned with, encompassing all the bluster
and tragedy that have made the character so iconic. Frankly, it is the Lear we would
hope for and expect from him, but he also happens to be fronting an incredibly
deep ensemble. You know it is a big cast when a knighted actor and a former
Doctor Who appear rather late in the credits (Sir John Standing, memorably
dignified as Gloucester’s Butler, and Christopher Eccleston as Oswald, Goneril’s
steward).
Emma
Thompson, Emily Watson, and Florence Pugh from Lady Macbeth are also arguably quite a dream team as the three
daughters. Thompson is wonderfully Machiavellian as Goneril (a name that has fortunately
fallen out of favor), while Pugh is quite poignant as Cordelia, but Watson’s
Regan suffers when compared to Thompson. Andrew Scott continues to be one of
the best character actors in the business with his intense turn as Edgar,
Gloucester’s legitimate heir. However, the most likely award nominees should be
the two Jims: Downtown Abbey’s Jim
Carter as Kent and Jim Broadbent as Gloucester, both of whom give terrific, deeply
absorbing performances.
Eyre’s
adaptation is really quite faithful, shotgunning every notable plot point into
one hour and fifty-five minutes. He also keeps the language and the general
tone of Shakespeare’s play, while cinematographer Ben Smithard (whose classy
credits include Viceroy’s House and I, Anna) gives it all a sinister sheen.
It might be unusually svelte for a Shakespeare production, but it is still a
very well-put-together package. Highly recommended, King Lear starts streaming this Friday (9/28), on Amazon Prime.
