Olivier turns in one of the most brilliant performances of his career in the title role of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy.His Lear is not a God like King shooting fire from the heavens upon all that cross him,but a petulant Old Man far too aware of His mortality.The subtlety of Olivier's performance shine through every scene,particulary in Act V's "Never,never,never" speech. The production is also blessed with one of the finest supporting casts ever assembled. Diana Rigg and Dorothy Tutin add such bitchy realisim to Regan and Goneral that We can connect them easily with People We have known,Robert Lindsay is a very cunning off the edge Edmund and Leo McKern is touching as the ill fated Duke Of Gloucester.Anna Calder Marshall and John Hurt also shine in their all too brief appearances as Cordelia and Foll. The direction is tight and focused and the mood chilling.This is a Lear to be watched Over and Over for the sheer magnetisim of the performances and the exquisite style of the piece.
