Comments on: Watch the Play

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:37:20 +0000

Thank you for posting this. I never got a chance to watch King Lear in person and this is the next best thing.

By: TulipGirl » Blog Archive » Randomness. . .

TulipGirl » Blog Archive » Randomness. . . — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:31:45 +0000

[...] Lamb that we have the actual plays and poetry.) Tonight we’re watching Ian McKellen as King Lear. Amy (who loves books) suggested In Search of Shakespeare. I haven’t found a place to watch [...]

By: Kim Maxwell

Kim Maxwell — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:03:59 +0000

Actually, the McKellen film cuts all of ACT IV Scene 3 and the last bits of the scene before (along with more than a thousand other lines). The play text on this site shows exactly what the film cuts and what it keeps of the play.

By: LiGW

LiGW — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:09:24 +0000

I think Act IV Scene 3 is missing, togegher with the last bit of scene 2, should be in between “Albany rebukes the whore Goneril” and “Cordelia back in England, orders Lear found”,
I was wondering if you can upload it?

Thanks alot for showing the play by the way.

By: Della

Della — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:56:08 +0000

I adore Shakespeare, especially the ‘classics’ such as King Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth. But my absolute favourite kind of viewing are such productions aasd this one where the sole reliant is the quality of the acting and not on how pretty and/or grandiose the sets are. Lovely!

Ian McKellen is fantastic as King Lear and the quality of the supporting cast makes this, for me, such a wonderful viewing. I bought the DVD solely on being able to view this here.

Thanks PBS.

By: MEL N RY

MEL N RY — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:34:02 +0000

This play is much better than we originally thought! It has helped us with our A level in english.

By: Desculpe a Poeira » Blog Archive » Na web: “Rei Lear”, na interpretação de Ian McKellen

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:23:08 +0000

[...] benefícios da web: o canal PBS colocou na web a íntegra de “Rei Lear”, de Shakespeare, na interpretação de Ian McKellen (foto). Em inglês, sem legendas. Se quiser seguir o texto [...]

By: JDW

JDW — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:24:54 +0000

It is misdirection to encourage an actor to play a halting, wobbling, enfeebled and enervated Lear. Lear should be made of sterner stuff. He is old, certainly. But he also survives the storm, murders “the fool that was a-hanging thee”, and physically carries the body of his daughter. No weak, limping old man could do any of these things. Rather, it requires of man of strength and strong constitution. I like McKellen. And he does a nice job in the role. But his take, or that of his director, is a rather typical take on Lear. Would that someone would play the old King with more outward physical strength and imposing force.

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:31:15 +0000

Great! I got this through OpenCulture.com and am enjoying it!

By: Watch Ian McKellen in King Lear—online « Later On

Watch Ian McKellen in King Lear—online « Later On — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:35:17 +0000

[...] (2007), then on a worldwide tour, before filming the production for public television. You can watch it all right here, and if you want to follow the original text, you can get it from MIT’s Shakespeare web site, [...]