Oct 15, 2011 hamlet king lear grigori kozintsev, 1964 1971, pg, mr bongo films philip french. A commanding title performance by estonian actor yuri yarvet, some striking landscape imagery, and dmitri shostakovichs anguished score help make for a spirited adaptation bbc. Korol lir is a 1971 soviet drama film directed by grigori kozintsev, based on william shakespeare s play king lear. King lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. One of the truly great soviet films, and possibly the greatest translation of shakespeare to the screen, grigori kozintsev s epic adaptation, shot in lithuania, is a visually stunning tourdeforce. This video discusses grigori kozintsev s 197071 film korol lir, which adapts shakespeares king lear through a socialist realism lens. Dec 30, 2005 hamlet is not my favorite russian film but only because kozintsev s king lear comes in first place by mere millimeters. Kozintsev, a master russian director, assembled a cast of great actors for this shakespearean project.
King lear features the stunning blackandwhite cinematography of ionas. Grigory kozintsevs king lear korol lir out of print original ruscico 2 dvd release, ntsc, special edition king lear korol lir, 1970 director. Summary this book is a study of grigory kozintsev s two cinematic shakespeare adaptations, hamlet gamlet 1964, and king lear korol lir 1970. Kozintsev worked briefly in theater, staging the plays king lear 1941, othello 1943 and hamlet 1954. King lear korol lir is a 1971 soviet film adaptation of shakespeares play. To the distant prechristian english setting of king lear, kozintsev added. Russian and soviet king lears from the 18th century through world war ii. Kozintsev don quixoteking learhamlet 3dvd mr bongo. English subs in hd but a slightlysqueezed aspect ratio on youtube. Grigori kozintsev was born in 1905 in kiev, and died unexpectedly in 1973 in leningrad, now st. Not surprising that he had such an affinity for film music as his first job at age 14 or so was playing music for silent films. I saw this 1970 russian, black and white, and largely faithful adaptation of king lear at a cinema about five years ago and was completely swept away by its vision. Sep 22, 2017 kozintsevs films of hamlet and king lear were the last two films he ever made, at the end of a long and illustrious career as a filmmaker that included not only the aforementioned adaptation of gogol but other adaptations of classic works of literature, including don quixote, which he made in 1957.
But king lear is a play about humility, which makes it a bad match for victorylap performances. However, he returned to the theatre in 1941 with a leningrad production of king lear. Blessed stars in the title role of this powerful new cinema version of the bards great tragic work. As such, the film is a starstudded reunion from these three great soviet artists 1964 film adaptation of hamlet. A dark fairy tale about a kingdom that descends into. Apr 12, 2016 this video discusses grigori kozintsev s 197071 film korol lir, which adapts shakespeares king lear through a socialist realism lens. King lear korol lir, ussr russian 1971 the case for. When cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. The russian composer dmitri shostakovich composed the score. Grigori kozintsevs sweeping soviet drama from 1971 is often touted as the best. Grigori kozintsev celebrity profile check out the latest grigori kozintsev photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes. The space of tragedy is the diary kozintsev kept during the shooting of the film, describing the grigori kozintsevs powerful film of lear, first shown in the west in 1972, made a profound impression on all those who saw it, casting a new light on many facets of the play. Festivals films by women free education resources to download global cinema.
Hailed as one of the best adaptations of this shakespearean tragedy, grigori kozintsev s king lear is a striking epic based on a translation by novelist boris pasternak and driven by a stirring score by composer dmitri shostakovich. This video discusses grigori kozintsevs 197071 film korol lir, which adapts shakespeares king lear through a socialist realism lens. Media in category films by grigori kozintsev the following 6 files are in this category, out of 6 total. Juri jarvet as king lear voiced by zinovy gerdt elza radzina as goneril. Yuri yarvet as lear in grigori kozintsevs king lear 1970. As a truthhating tyrant whose actions ruin his country symbolised by his tearing up of an enormous map of the nation, lear stands for. Mar 28, 2016 bard in the barracks presents the second show of our 2011 season, the play that many consider shakespeares greatest accomplishment, king lear. With juri jarvet, elza radzina, galina volchek, valentina shendrikova. Since 1944 led the directors workshop vgik he was a professor since 1960. The size of the booty matters more than the damage inflicted in grabbing it.
Windsor watching kozintsev s king lear by scooneil. National art gallery offers grigori kozintsevs sweeping 1971. Whoever approaches the kozintsev hamlet from a viewing of oliviers hamlet 1948 will quickly notice sharp differences. Description this is a screen adaptation of the shakespeare tragedy. Acclaim for hamlet and king lear has been universal. Then, in 1954 kozintsev directed a stage production of hamlet at the pushkin theatre in leningrad, using boris pasternaks translation. I would first of all venture to say that there is little point for an englishspeaking viewer to watch a russian king lear, seeing as all the beauty and power of. King learjuri jarvet, sensing the end is near with his failing faculties, decides to divide his kingdom between. Shakespeare shows us how quickly we can slip down, and even off, humanitys ladder. In olivier, writes jack jorgens, the action is theatrically generalized, abstract. His credits also include a king lear 1969 and a don quixote 1957. His father, named mikhail kozintsev, was a medical doctor. King lear is a 1971 soviet drama film directed by grigori kozintsev, based on william shakespeares play king lear.
King lear 1971 the second of two masterly shakespeare movies, grigori kozintsevs russian lear was shot almost concurrently with peter brooks version see below. In the final film of his career, grigori kozintsev fashions a fitting twilight work. Petersburg, only months after king lear was screened in america. Grigori mikhailovich kozintsev was born on march 22, 1905, in kiev, russian empire now kiev, ukraine. Grigori kozintsev talking about his lear and hamlet films with ronald hayman grigori kozintsev s death is an enormous loss.
Sir laurence olivier ranked the lead actor innokenti smoktunovsky as the best hamlet, better than his own portrayal. Oct 12, 2017 to the distant prechristian english setting of king lear, kozintsev added another layer of strangeness, using some foreign actors dubbed into russian for example, lead actor estonian juri jarvet. All three of kozintsevs films on mr bongo across three dvds. Ian holms king lear is a triumph, both energetic and wiry, cunning and heartbreakingly affecting. Soviet shakespeare the filmmaker, the dictator, and the. The shakespeare films of grigori kozintsev cambridge scholars. English 2080 s16 the kozintsev hamlet cornell university.
The chapter on lear explores how the plays somethings from nothings are translated into the cinematic space of five films. Shostakovichs scores to both these films are two of the best ever. Grigori kozintsevs king lear korol lir original widescreen. Among his graduates are eldar ryazanov, stanislav rostotsky, benjamin dorman, vasily v. Hamlet and polonius words words richard burton 1964 rearendboggling.
The dark and brooding world inhabited by king lear and his 3 daughters must rank as one of the greatest works of invention in the shakespearean canon. King lear by william shakespeare 1994 starring sir john gielgud and kenneth branagh duration. My recollection is that the pal version of ruscicos lear was reputed to look better than its ntsc one. That man is the great russian director of shakespearean cinema, grigori kozintsev fig. Yuri yarvet, elsa radzin, galina volchek, oleg dal, valentin shendrikova, grigori kozintsev. Broadcast live from londons west end, see ian mckellens extraordinarily moving portrayal independent of king lear in cinemas. King lear was staged in 1941, but further work was interrupted because of the nazi invasion of the soviet union. Grigori kozintsevs black and white king lear is set in a stark landscape of windswept moors and marshes, bare castles and wandering beggars.