The Shakespeare tragedy that gave us the expression “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.� has not one but two ungrateful children, and it’s especially galling because he turned over his entire kingdom to them. Paul Scofield is an ancient, imposing shell of a Lear tormented by his too-long life as well as by daughters he calls “unnatural hags.� At one point, the king looks his eldest daughter, Goneril (Ireme Worth), straight in the eye and declares, “Thou art a boil, a plague-sore, of embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood.� These are the troubles not even the best-trained family counselor could ever hope to resolve.

Starring:

Cyril Cusack, Paul Scofield, Irene Worth, Susan Engel

Genre:

Drama