Do you want to see ‘King Lear’?

King Lear (1987)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5/10
Reviews Counted: 7
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 3

No consensus yet.

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 2

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.1/5
User Ratings: 1,590

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

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 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

PG, 1 hr. 50 min.

Drama, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Special Interest

Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard

In Theaters: Sep 15, 1987 Wide

Cast

Burgess Meredith
Don Learo
Peter Sellars
Williams Shakespeare Jr...
Molly Ringwald
Cordelia
Jean-Luc Godard
Professor
Woody Allen
Mr. Alien
Norman Mailer
Himself
Kate Mailer
Herself
Julie Delpy
Suzanne Lanza
Ray Smith
Leos Carax
Edgar

Critic Reviews for King Lear

All Critics (10) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (3)

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 sustained, coherent presentation of them.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Hal Hinson

Washington Post

Top Critic

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).

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

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

August 29, 2006 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for King Lear

View All

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 hunting around for the old master's material while meanwhile running into various

April 24, 2005

Walter M.

Super Reviewer

This is one of those films that are technically really good, but I didnt personally enjoy. I dont know why, maybe I was just not in the mood for an experimental film, or maybe I was just really sleepy. I could still see the film for what it is, a film that is just peculiar, even for an experimental film. Now, that's an

February 19, 2011

john serrano

King Lear Quotes

View All

No quotes approved yet for King Lear. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Character	Quote
	Enter quote here...	Delete

Movies

Opening

——	Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance	Feb 17
50%	This Means War	Feb 14
93%	The Secret World of Arrietty	Feb 17

More…

Top Box Office

27%	The Vow	$41.7M
53%	Safe House	$39.3M
42%	Journey 2: The Mysterious Island	$27.6M
57%	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D)	$23.0M
85%	Chronicle	$12.3M
64%	The Woman in Black	$10.3M
77%	The Grey	$5.1M
73%	Big Miracle	$3.9M
90%	The Descendants	$3.5M
29%	Underworld Awakening	$2.5M