King Lear * (1987, Woody Allen, Burgess Meredith, Peter Sellars, Molly Ringwald, Jean-Luc Godard, Freddy Buache, Leos Carax) – Classic Movie Review 10,163

Writer-director Jean-Luc Godard claimed that the making of his 1987 film King Lear inspired him so much that he finally really wanted to read the play. So it comes as no surprise that his interpretation is a completely disconnected, mostly nonsensical assembly of scenes with some Shakespeare quotes occasionally thrown in.

Even his hardcore fans will find this insubstantial pageant difficult to digest.

With Burgess Meredith as mob boss Don Learo, Molly Ringwald as his daughter Cordelia, Jean-Luc Godard as Professor Pluggy, Peter Sellars as William Shakespeare Junior the Fifth, Norman Mailer, Kate Mailer, Woody Allen as Mr Allen, Leos Carax as Edgar, Julie Delpy, Freddy Buache, Suzanne Lanza and Michèle Pétin in the cast, it is certainly one for curio corner.

In one of their very occasional forays into the world of art films, Menahem Globus and Yoram Golan produce King Lear for their Cannon Group Films company. They signed a contract for the film with Godard on a napkin at the Cannes Film Festival. Golan refused to sell the napkin for $10,000 to the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Godard wanted Lee Marvin as Lear, but ended up with Meredith, who replaced Rod Steiger.

It played only five days when it was released at the New York Quad Theater in January 1988. Back then Quentin Tarantino said on his CV he appeared in this film, figuring nobody would have seen it to know he was lying. It cost $2,000,000, and grossed only $61,821 in the US and $85,018 worldwide. Maybe Golan should have sold the napkin to recoup some of the losses.

It is Allen’s first appearance in a film that he did not direct since The Front (1976).

Godard’s artistic stereo sound effects and full-screen 4:3 ratio are not available on all DVD releases.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,163

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