***Out In The Be-Bop 17^th Century Night –William Shakespeare’s King Lear

William Shakespeare’s play King Lear on the vagaries of aging, mental breakdown, daughterly duplicity, and other acts of skullduggery gets a workout in this performance headlined by Brian Blessed in the title role. The plot line here centers on the problem of royal inheritance in the female line and finial devotion, or assumed lack of it. After the division of the spoils all hell breaks loose as various parties, including those damn greedy daughters Goneril and Regan, work through their agendas for power. As is the case with medieval settings we are treated to battles, pledges and disavowal of loyalty and honor and a little off-hand romantic intrigue. The key to the play is the role of Lear, however, and his real or assumed madness, dotage or childishness. I confess that unlike other Shakespeare roles like Othello, Falstaff, Prince Hal and Richard the Third where I have seen several interpretations of the roles this is the first time I have seen this play so it is hard to evaluate Blessed’s performance. Off a reading of the play I would say that his is just a little too calculating teddy bearish. Notwithstanding that slight criticism, as always with Shakespeare get this film for the language, all three hours and twenty minutes of it. That is almost always worth the price of admission.