Korol Lir (1971)

Directors:

Grigori Kozintsev
Iosif Shapiro (co-director)

Writers:

Grigori Kozintsev (writer)
Boris Pasternak (Russian translation, 1949)
(more)

Release Date:

6 August 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him...

Plot Keywords:

Foreign Language Adaptation | William Shakespeare | Shakespeare's King Lear | Based On Play | Character Name In Title

Cast

Jüri Järvet	...	King Lear (as Yuri Yarvet)
Elza Radzina	...	Goneril (as E. Radzina)
Galina Volchek	...	Regan (as G. Volchek)
Valentina Shendrikova	...	Cordelia (as V. Shendrikova)
Oleg Dal	...	Fool (as O. Dal)
Karlis Sebris	...	Gloster (as K. Sebris)
Leonhard Merzin	...	Edgar (as L. Merzin)
Regimantas Adomaitis	...	Edmund (as R. Adomaytis)
Vladimir Yemelyanov	...	Kent (as V. Yemelyanov)
Aleksandr Vokach	...	Cornwall (as A. Vokach)
Donatas Banionis	...	Albany (as D. Banionis)
Aleksei Petrenko	...	Oswald (as A. Petrenko)
Juozas Budraitis	...	King of France (as I. Budraytis)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roman Gromadsky		(as R. Gromadsky)
Nikolai Kuzmin		(as N. Kuzmin)
Ants Lauter		(as A. Lauter)
Ignat Leirer		(as I. Leyrer)
Konstantin Tyagunov		(as K. Tyagunov)
Emmanuil Vitorgan	...	Messenger (uncredited)

Directed by
Grigori Kozintsev
Iosif Shapiro		(co-director)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Grigori Kozintsev		writer
Boris Pasternak		Russian translation, 1949
William Shakespeare		play "King Lear"

Original Music by
Dmitri Shostakovich

Cinematography by
Jonas Gritsius

Film Editing by
Ye. Makhankova

Production Design by
Yevgeni Yenej

Set Decoration by
Vsevolod Ulitko
Alexander Ney		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Solomon Virsaladze

Makeup Department
Vasili Goryunov	....	makeup artist (as V. Goryunov)
L. Yeliseyeva	....	makeup artist

Production Management
M. Shostak	....	production manager
Nikolai Yeliseyev	....	production manager (as N. Yeliseyev)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
V. Kravchenko	....	assistant director
V. Kuznetsova	....	assistant director
I. Mochalova	....	assistant director
Arkadi Tigai	....	assistant director (as A. Tigai)
I. Vishnevskaya	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Eduard Vanunts	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
V. Amosenko	....	camera operator
Valentin Komarov	....	camera operator (as V. Komarov)
Aleksandr Sysoyev	....	camera operator (as A. Sysoyev)

Other crew
M. Gukovsky	....	consultant
I. Kokh	....	fencing master
Yu. Natsvaladze	....	consultant
L. Rakhmanov	....	script editor
R. Sot	....	consultant
L. Tarasyuk	....	consultant

Production Companies

• Lenfilm Studio

Distributors

• Artkino Pictures (1975) (USA) (subtitled)
• Contemporary Films (2004) (UK) (all media)
• Divisa Home Video (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Sovexportfilm

Special Effects

• Lenfilm Studio

Also Known As:

Король Лир (Soviet Union: Russian title)
King Lear (USA)

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Company:

Lenfilm Studio

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Filip Traum (1989) (TV)

Assured and deeply moving treatment of Lear

Even, relaxed performances. Tasteful, non-intrusive direction. No gimmicks. And finally a clear, even obvious! result.

This might seem like damning with faint praise, except that Kozintsev has done what Brook didn't, what Olivier's BBC production didn't, and what every stage production I have ever seen resolutely and spectacularly failed to do. That is to create order and clarity and meaning within arguably the greatest and arguably the most difficult play ever written. It seems easy to do in Kosintsev's version, which is one of his great triumphs. see it