Lear BBC 2- anyone watching?

[QueenoftheNights]

what do you think? I'm finding the quality of the speech (sound) a bit hard going- it's bit muffled at times, or garbled and AH is a bit shouty.

Lear's always hard- so many interpretations on stage and screen.

Not sure about modern dress but again, that's often par for the course nowadays.

Anyone?

@NorthernLurker Having taught Lear at A level, it's worth knowing that there is always some ambiguity over certain lines; different versions of the text and different interpretations of what exactly certain lines mean, vary a lot. One of the joys of teaching at that level and studying it beyond A level, was the discussion amongst students over what exactly did old Will mean at times! Over the centuries, people have argued the toss over so many lines and when it's been transcribed from the original folio edition, mistakes have /could be made.

(eg' My poor fool is hanged..')

I managed to read this www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/king-lear-review-bbc-amazon-anthony-hopkins-andrew-scott-emma-thompson-shakespeare-a8373481.html now and I'm pleased that in the first few lines, the writer also said it was a 'shouty' performance by Hopkins.

I LOVE anything with Jim Broadbent, he was a delight last night in Lear. The others were great too, although Andrew Scott was overdoing the shrillness.

Oooh! I only saw this was on yesterday about 10 minutes ago. My fave Shakespeare and I saw Hopkins play Lear at the National in c.1986 (School A level trip).

DS keen to watch it with me later this week - he's just done his Eng Lit GCSE (R&J) and is quite into Shakespeare now.

The worst rendition I saw was at a Liverpool theatre with a camp Edmund which completely spoiled the play.
Took my book group ladies to see an open air rendition a few years ago but most of them hated it because it was "too bleak" and "not realistic" sigh

Excited now!