Showing all 21 items
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- Certification
- Sex & Nudity (4)
- Violence & Gore (4)
- Profanity (1)
- Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking (1)
- Frightening & Intense Scenes (5)
- Spoilers (6)
Certification
| MPAA | Rated PG-13 for some violent content |
| Certification |
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Sex & Nudity
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- No adult content whatsoever; the film merely follows Shakespeare's play exactly
- Upon its initial release in 1970, this film was rated GP (which is equivalent to PG). It ended up getting re-rated to PG-13 for "some violent content." However, this is not altogether fair, since it merely follows Shakespeare's play exactly and none of the violence is overly graphic or bloody.
- Edgar is briefly seen naked, though almost no nudity is ever actually seen and is obscured by the dim lighting and the rain.
- The film is suitable for family viewing and classroom use, but the odd camerawork and cinematography may make it difficult to follow along, especially if one is not already familiar with the play.
Violence & Gore
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- The violence simply follows Shakespeare's tragedy, though it is often disturbing, and this film is a dark take on the play. Nothing in this film is overly graphic, however.
- A man wounds himself to falsely accuse another man of attacking him. Some blood is shown.
- Multiple swordfights throughout, following Shakespeare's play. Not gory or overly graphic.
- Two somewhat brutal scenes near the end (see description below)
Profanity
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- None whatsoever. Every line is taken verbatim from Shakespeare's play.
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking
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- A few scenes depict adults consuming alcohol in moderation
Frightening & Intense Scenes
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- This play follows Shakespeare's tragedy, which is a notoriously dark and violent play. None of the violence in this film version is graphic, however, and the PG-13 re-rating was probably overkill.
- The gloomy and dark black-and-white cinematography makes the overall mood and tone of the film especially grim and dreary.
- The scene where Lear is out in the storm with his jester, crying out to the gods and begging for mercy, is very intense.
- The scene where Edgar is found in the hovel and the Fool believes him to be a demonic spirit is also very intense and chaotic.
- The ending is extremely sad and disturbing (though, again, not graphic in its portrayal).
Spoilers
Violence & Gore
- The scene where Cornwall rips out Gloucester's eyes is the most violent and bloody scene in the film. This is probably what caused the film to get re-rated to a PG-13. However, the depiction of this event is not overly graphic and is obscured by the dim lighting and the fact the film is in black-and-white. Little blood is seen, though it is still somewhat disturbing.
- Edgar and Edmund duel at the end, and Edgar stabs Edmund with a battle axe, mortally wounding him.
- The end shows a somewhat graphic shot of Cordelia being lynched (though you literally only see it for half of a second). King Lear is then seen carrying the mangled and contorted corpse of his dead daughter onto the screen. This is somewhat disturbing and extremely sad, though not graphic.
Frightening & Intense Scenes
- The scene where Cornwall cuts out Gloucester's eyes with knives is the most disturbing scene, though this production's depiction of that event is not very graphic
- Nearly every single character dies at the end. Very intense and dark.
- The final scene is the most sad and disturbing, showing King Lear bringing the dead corpse of his daughter onto the screen and weeping hysterically. He puts her on the ground and begs her to wake up. After a great deal of extreme crying and sorrow, Lear dies of grief and anguish. This, however, is consistent with Shakespeare's actual play.
