King Lear (1953 film)

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King Lear is a 1953 live television adaptation of the Shakespeare play with stage direction by Peter Brook and starring Orson Welles. It was aired on CBS as part of the U.S. television series Omnibus, and preserved on kinescope.

A heavily abridged version of the play, this production condensed the play by eliminating the Edgar-Edmund subplot.

Welles returned to America to star in this presentation. He was guarded by IRS agents, prohibited to leave his hotel room when not at the studio, prevented from making any purchases, and the entire sum (less expenses) he earned went to his tax bill. Welles returned to England after the broadcast.

The cast included Micheál Mac Liammóir and the British actor Alan Badel. It was hosted by Alistair Cooke.

Cast

Actor Role
Orson Welles King Lear
Natasha Parry Cordelia
Arnold Moss Duke of Albany
Bramwell Fletcher Earl of Kent
David J. Stewart Oswald
Margaret Phillips Regan
Beatrice Straight Goneril
Alan Badel Fool
Micheál Mac Liammóir Poor Tom
Frederick Worlock Earl of Gloucester
Scott Forbes Duke of Cornwall
Wesley Addy King of France
Fred Sadoff Duke of Burgundy

Home video releases

  • 2010 E1 Entertainment, Region 1 DVD, February 9, 2010 ISBN 978-1-4172-3287-1

References

External links