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Burgess Meredith, Peter Sellars, Molly Ringwald, Jean-Luc Godard, Woody Allen ... see more see more... , Norman Mailer , Kate Mailer , Julie Delpy , Suzanne Lanza , Ray Smith , Leos Carax

Two highly talented and innovative directors -- filmdom's Jean-Luc Godard and the theatre world's Peter Sellars -- join forces in this unusual (to say the least) slant on Shakespeare's King Lear. This... read more read more... offbeat adaptation gives the viewer a postmodern taste of Shakespeare through the eyes of a deliberately obscure auteur. The film is set some time after Chernobyl has wiped everything out, and the world is trying to set itself right again. William Shakespeare Jr. the Fifth (Peter Sellars) is faced with the task of restoring his famed ancestor's lost works. He visits a resort in Switzerland and becomes fascinated with a visiting gangster, Don Learo (Burgess Meredith) and his lovely daughter, Cordelia (Molly Ringwald), who converse in actual Shakespearean lines. That's as close to the bard as this King Lear gets. It also includes appearances by Woody Allen, Norman Mailer, and director Godard himself as "The Professor," a deranged individual who seems fascinated with Xeroxing his own hand. ~ John Voorhees, Rovi

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47% liked it

1,612 ratings

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57% liked it

7 critics

PG, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

Release Date: September 15, 1987

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Flixster Reviews (69)

  • gator681
    April 24, 2005
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic][color=darkslategray]My love-hate relationship with Jean-Luc Godard continues here with his 1987 film "King Lear." It starts off with Norman Mailer and ends with Woody Allen. What it's about is much less clear: one of William Shakespeare's descendants is h... read moreunting around for the old master's material while meanwhile running into various people including Burgess Meredith and Molly Ringwald, playing respectively, a writer obsessed with Jewish gangsters and his daughter, Cordelia. When he's done with Shakespeare's corpse, Godard goes to work on Virginia Woolf's corpse...[/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#2f4f4f][/color][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][color=#2f4f4f]What does any of this have to do with King Lear? Very little, I think. But then I think that's the idea.[/color][/font]

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Critic Reviews

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Behind this is Godard's inability to resolve an essential contradiction in his work -- his reverence for ideas and theories and all sorts of philosophical speculation, and his utter disregard for a su... Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Cinematographer Sophie Mantigneux creates crisp, memorable images and Godard masterfully edits them together (whether the final result is worth the effort is subject to question). Full Review

August 29, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A challenge, as with all Godard, but not quite his most rewarding one. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
September 15, 1987
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 8, 2004
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Daniel M. Kimmel
March 17, 2004
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

Philip Martin
March 11, 2004
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

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King Lear Trivia

  • The _______ _______ Kong _______ Lear The Scorpion _______ _______ Pin The Lion _______ _______ Arthur what word fits all the blanks?  Answer »
  • Which of Shakespeare's plays are the movies Ran, 1000 Acres, The King is Alive and King of Texas loosely based on?  Answer »
  • Akira Kurosawa's 'Ran' was based on William Shakespeare's play 'King Lear'.  Answer »
  • Which Shakespeare play is Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" based on?  Answer »
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