Discover king lear as its meant to be heard, narrated by paul scofield, alec mccowen, kenneth branagh. King lear, shakespeares great tragedy, is beautifully rendered here. King lear is a 1971 british film adaptation of the shakespeare play directed by peter brook and starring paul scofield. It was 1955, scofield was 33 and his role as the elderly king. Listen free to king lear audiobook by william shakespeare with a 30 day free trial. Paul scofield audio performances radio drama, audio books.
King lear 1971 paul scofield trailer clip scene one act one. William shakespeare, paul scofield, alec mccowen, kenneth branagh, naxos audiobooks. It is a heartbreaking performance in a play almost too painful to endure. There is deep meaning in the interplay between madness and sanity. The tragedy of king lear receives an outstanding performance in an allstar cast led by britains senior classical actor, paul scofield. Titles read by paul scofield titles read by paul scofield the aeneid abridged king lear unabridged. Regarded as one of the greatest shakespearean performers, scofield earned the triple crown of acting, winning an academy award, emmy, and tony for his work.
Kenneth branaugh mixes truth with humor and gets away with it, just as a kings fool should. The king lear that brought the reverberations of great tragedy for the first time last night into the new york state theater at the lincoln center for the performing arts is a proud, unified. With uncharacteristic prescience, bafta crowned paul scofield as best newcomer for his screen debut in that lady. Scenes from shakespeare audiobook by william shakespeare. Despite some oddball camera work and not wholly satisfying adapting of the play, scofield was magnificent and got his chance to show that he is. King lear is a great play still relevant in the world of today. I am coupling this audio cd with the dvd of the sir lawrence olivier version of the play. Brook considered king lear not only shakespeares greatest work, but a play very much in the vein of the absurdist drama of ionesco and beckett, a work in which the blindness of mankind was thrillingly dramatized. For audio version click here most of you who read this lead comfor. A full supporting cast performs the complete, unabridged new cambridge shakespeare text of the play, with sound effects and accompanying music. Paul scofield is an ancient, imposing shell of a lear tormented by his toolong life as well as by daughters he calls unnatural hags.
Her first book, other peoples shoes, is based on her theatrical life. Scofield s voice performance is stagelike thus offering us a delightful and powerful complementary approach to the magnificent and much more intimate. When we listen to an audiobook we remember more of whats gone. The premise involves lear s illfated attempts to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters a goal that ultimately leads to tragedy. Listen to king lear audiobook by william shakespeare, paul. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Heinemann advanced shakespeare king lear icolabora. Its a great pleasure to hear paul scofield as king lear in a recording published to coincide with the actors eightieth birthday. This is my favorite film version of shakespeares f. Listen free to king lear by william shakespeare with a free trial. Paul scofield is majestic as the mad, doomed and very human king.
This is the 9th recording of shakespeare plays undertaken by naxos audiobooks in conjunction with cambridge university press, and is directed by john tydeman. Directed by trevor nunn, ian mckellen in the role of king lear. King lear, played by paul scofield, is ridiculed by his fool and chided by his eldest daughter goneril. Audible audiobooks select your cookie preferences we use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. Past productions king lear royal shakespeare company. Jun 07, 2011 just as burtons lyrical and heroic delivery was perfect for henry vs rousing speeches, scofields gravelly voice found its perfect setting in the harshness of brooks king lear. Recorded august 2001 at motivation sound studios, london. Performed by paul scofield, alec mccowen, kenneth branagh, harriet walter, sara kestelman, emilia fox, peter blythe. He is joined by alec mccowen as gloucester, kenneth branagh as the fool, harriet walter as gonerill, sara kestelman as regan and emilia fox as cordelia. In director peter brooks king lear, paul scofield portrays the title character, a senile old ruler, whose susceptibility to flattery proves his undoing.
I recommend this product to anyone who wants to hear king lear done well. This film version reflects the play, but is shot in denmark, with vast landscapes, snow. King lear 3 cd audio book naxos shakespeare paul scofieldfull cast. Listen to king lear by william shakespeare, paul scofield,cast with a free trial. Filmed in stark blackandwhite, the film was inspired by the absurdist theatre of playwrights such as samuel beckett and upon release was noted for its bleak tone and wintry atmosphere. And yet, critics also note that undoubtedly, as a result of his sufferings, lear grows in character. Available for purchase at the harper collins web site.
King lear audio cassettes x 3 by william shakespeare, naxos. David paul scofield ch cbe 21 january 1922 19 march 2008 was an english actor. We live in a strange world where sanity is under pressure by unrealistic expectations and lear shows us how destructive this power is. King lear is bleak even amongst shakespeares tragedies. Starring paul scofield, rachel roberts, pamela brown, cyril cusack, robert stephens, and john stride, with supporting cast. Mar 20, 2008 paul scofield, whose sonorous voice, commanding presence and mournfully dignified mien made him one of the leading players of the london and international stage during the latter half of the 20th. Not only do the just and unjust both perish but there is a pervasive sense that man is the plaything of the gods, if they peer down at all. I am a big fan of lear and have seen many many performances live, audiobook, and filmed. Listen to king lear audiobook by william shakespeare and paul. The extremely strong cast includes irene worth, patrick magee, alan webb, jack macgowran as the fool and the inimitable paul scofield as the misguided lear. King lear is a tragedy by william shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. The set of three cassettes or cds is accompanied by notes and a synopsis of the play.
Scofield s 1962 lear was held in high esteem, and brook decided on a film version, king lear 1970, an even more uncompromising, even uncomfortable, desolation staging and editing of the tragedy. Discover king lear as its meant to be heard, narrated by paul scofield, a lec mccowen, kenneth branagh. Listen to king lear by william shakespeare,paul scofield,alec mccowen with a free trial. A soli ventitre anni membro della royal shakespeare company. Paul scofield plays shakespeares king lear in this new recording for the acclaimed naxos audiobooks series. Paul scofield, commanding actor of the british stage, is dead. Paul scofield king lear shakespeare 1965 hd restored edition indeed, recorded six years before the release of the iconic brook scofield s king lear feature film 1971. Borrowing a page from charles laughtons 1956 lear performance at stratford, scofield takes a quiet, smoldering approach to the character which clearly shows a man who is used to being in. King lear by william shakespeare full audiobook by audiobooks 2 years ago 3.
Peter brooks king lear 1971, paul scofield as lear youtube. Paul scofield, irene worth, cyril cusack in director peter brooks king lear, paul scofield portrays the title character, a senile old ruler, whose susceptibility to flattery proves his undoing. Twelfth night caedmon records, 1961, audio recording lp. Set amidst barren, wintry landscapes and shot in stark black and white, its a chilling vision of decay and decline featuring an astonishing ensemble led by paul scofield s devastating lear. The famous tenderness of his voice is well suited for the intimate medium of recorded dramakenneth branagh, who played edmond in a 1994 bbc recording of the play, here delivers a compassionate performance as the fool.
Check out the best podcast episodes all about paul scofield as rated by himalaya community. Listen free to king lear by william shakespeare with a free. This is the ninth recording of shakespeare plays undertaken by naxos audiobooks in conjunction with cambridge university press, and is directed by john tydeman. William shakespeare, paul scofield, harpercollins publishers limited. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. King lear unabridged read by paul scofield, with alec mccowen, kenneth branagh, and cast 3 cds songs. The 10 best paul scofield podcast and radio episodes in 2019. Jan 06, 2011 listen to king lear by william shakespeare,paul scofield,cast with a free trial. Paul scofield but then scofield was the great king lear of his day and. King lear descends into madness after wrongly distributing his estate on the strength of flattery. Share your videos with friends, family, and the world. Jan 01, 2002 the tragedy of king lear receives an outstanding performance in an allstar cast led by britains senior classical actor, paul scofield. Paul scofield as lear does an excellent job of expressing royal rage and arrogance. The play is based on the legend of leir of britain, a.
Paul scofield, william shakespeare, rachel roberts, cyryl cusak, full cast, harperaudio. Paul scofield king lear, alec mccowen earl of gloucester, kenneth branagh fool, david burke earl of kent, harriet walter gonerill, emilia fox cordelia, sara kestelman regan, richard mccabe edgar, toby stephens edmond, and full cast. This is the ninth recording of shakespeare plays undertaken by naxos audiobooks in conjunction with. Our productions of king lear over the years have included many famous actors playing the title role. He performs the title role in the naxos audiobooks production of king lear. Jan 24, 2014 the king of kings paul scofield as lear in peter brooks 1962 production for the rsc. King lear by william shakespeare compact disc for sale. His theatrical production for the royal shakespeare company in 1962, with paul scofield, had brilliantly visualized this universal. Mar 19, 2009 peter brook rewrote the king lear interpretative book with his 1962 stage production starring paul scofield.
277 167 514 941 1619 262 311 1091 256 146 1563 1504 54 776 1005 372 595 871 366 710 439 695 1031 962 1044 322